Military and civil proclamations against the United States at Matamoros
in April, 1846--General Taylor's pacific policy--Desertion from our
army promoted by Ampudia and Arista--Shooting of deserters, seen
swimming the river, ordered--Construction of the fort opposite
Matamoros--Guerillas on the left bank--Ampudia and Arista arrive--
Death of Colonel Cross--Expedition of Lieutenants Dobbins and Porter
--Death of Porter--Surprise and surrender of Captain Thornton's
party of dragoons--Ampudia and General Taylor on the blockade of the
mouth of the river--Fort capable of defence; left under the command
of Major Brown--Walker's men surprised on the prairie--Taylor goes to
Point Isabel--Cannonade heard from Matamoros--May with his dragoons
and Walker sent to the fort for tidings--Their adventures--Return to
Point Isabel--Taylor calls on Texas and Louisiana for reinforcements
--character and quality of the Texan Ranger.
The months of March and April, 1846, were fruitful in civil and military
proclamations at Matamoros, manifesting a hostile spirit against our
country, but General Taylor persisted in his pacific conduct and
directed all under his command to observe a scrupulous regard to the
municipal rights and religious usages of the quiet Mexicans whom they
found in the neighborhood of the Rio Grande. In order that no pretext of
ignorance might be pleaded by our adversaries, in this respect, his
orders were published in Spanish as well as English, and freely
distributed among the people. It is to be regretted that a similar
forbearance was not exhibited by our opponents. As soon as our forces
appeared in the vicinity of Matamoros they began to intrigue with our
subalterns. It was known that our army, made up at random from a
population of natives and emigrants, contained individuals born in
Europe; and, to the religious and political prejudices of this class,
the authorities addressed themselves.[105]
In consequence of these seditious appeals, the evil of desertion
increased to an alarming extent, and the most effectual measures were
necessary to prevent the contagion from spreading. As our deserters, by
merely swimming the narrow river, were at once within the enemy's lines,
pursuit and apprehension, with a view to trial, were out of the
question. General Taylor, therefore, deemed it his duty, warranted by
the hostile attitude of the Mexicans, to order that all men seen
swimming across the river should be hailed by our pickets and ordered to
return, and, in case they did not obey this summons, they should be
shot. These stringent orders were verbally given to the several
commanders, about the beginning of April, and checked the practice,
though it is believed that only two men,--privates of fifth and seventh
infantry, from France and Switzerland,--fell victims to the fatal
command. Thus failed so dastardly an attempt to interfere by intrigue
with the _morale_ of our army. Taylor was undoubtedly justified in
resorting to the most efficient means to prevent the decimation of his
scant forces; and although some sensitive politicians in our Union were
scandalized by the severity of his orders, yet, when they learned that
the men who were induced to desert had been used in subsequent actions
against us by the Mexicans, their philanthropic clamor was drowned in
the universal voice of approval.
* * * * *
The manifestly warlike appearance of the Mexicans, and the attempts they
were making to fortify the right bank of the river, induced General
Taylor to strengthen the position of his camp on the opposite side.
Accordingly on the 6th of April a battery for four eighteen pounders,
bearing directly on the public square and in good range for demolishing
the town, had already been completed and the guns mounted, whilst the
engineers were busy in laying out a strong bastioned field fort for a
garrison of five hundred men in the rear of the battery. But the
Mexicans did not leave us long in doubt as to their ultimate designs.
Their chief embarrassment seemed to consist in a want of troops and
efficient commanders, yet this was remedied by the arrival of
considerable reinforcements in the course of the month. Meantime,
however, the chapparals and lonely prairies of the left bank of the Rio
Grande, swarmed with ranchero cavalry, not authorized perhaps by the
powers in Matamoros to attack us directly, but whose predatory habits
and Arab warfare were encouraged against small bodies of our men until
the main army should be enabled to strike a decisive blow.
On the 10th of April, Colonel Cross, a deputy quarter-master-general
mounted his horse and proceeded to ride, as usual, for exercise, but the
night passed without his return, nor was his fate known until ten days
after, when a skeleton, found on the plains, was identified as that of
the unfortunate officer. The mode of his death or the names of his
slayers have never been discovered. But it was generally reported and
believed that he had been captured by the lawless band of Romano Falcon,
a ranchero bandit, and, after being robbed of every thing valuable, was
shot with a pistol by the robber captain.
With a view to check the depredations of these guerillas, Lieutenants
Dobbins of the third infantry, and Porter of the fourth,--two bold and
hardy soldiers,--were authorised to scour the country with a body of
picked men, and capture or destroy any such parties they might
encounter. It appears that they separated in quest of the enemy, and
that Lieutenant Porter at the head of his own detachment surprised an
armed troop, numbering nearly one hundred and fifty, engaged in jerking
beef. Upon the approach of our officer one of the Mexicans snapped a
musket at him, a salutation which Lieutenant Porter returned by the
discharge of his double barreled gun. Upon this the Mexicans fled to the
screen of the chapparal. Porter took possession of the horses and
blankets of the fugitives, and, mounting his men, started for head
quarters. At this moment, however, the rain began to pour down with the
violence that is only witnessed in tropical climates, and whilst the
Lieutenant and his party were passing through a dense copse of chapparal
they were fired on by the enemy from an ambush. Shot followed shot from
the secret foe in rapid succession, but our unfortunate men were unable
to sustain the contest, as their powder had been soaked by the sudden
shower. They wisely retreated, therefore, to the chapparal, and,
separating into three parties, found their way to camp; but the luckless
Porter, having been wounded in the thigh, was seized by the Mexicans as
soon as his men departed, and despatched with their knives whilst they
shrieked and yelled over his mangled body like a band of infuriate
demons.
Acts like these, characteristic of the worst periods of border raids,
denoted the approaching storm. The country east of the Rio Grande
bristled with irregular troopers. It was unsafe to go beyond the hail of
sentinels, and the peaceful aspect of nature which had charmed our men
so greatly upon their arrival was changed for the stern alarums of war.
By the joyous peals of the church bells, the shouts of acclamation, and
the report of spies, we learned that General Ampudia had arrived in
Matamoros, and that, some days later, he was followed by Arista, who
immediately assumed the chief command and apprised General Taylor, in
courteous terms, that he considered hostilities commenced and was
resolved to prosecute them.
* * * * *
Among all these notes of warlike preparation, none perhaps were more
significant than the adventure which must be now recorded. On the 24th
of April a squadron of dragoons, sixty-three in number, under the orders
of Captains Thornton and Hardee, and of Lieutenants Mason and Kane, was
despatched by General Taylor to reconnoitre the river for thirty miles
above the camp in the direction of La Rosia. When the troopers arrived
within three miles of the post they learned that the enemy had crossed
and occupied the country in considerable force. This was about
twenty-eight miles from our camp, and as soon as the news was received,
the guide, by name Capito, refused to proceed any further. It appears
from all the documents I have been able to examine that Captain Thornton
exercised a wise precaution on the march and in the disposition of his
troops, by throwing out advance and rear guards although it was
impossible to avail himself of the advantage of flankers in consequence
of the nature of the road which was often a perfect defile, admitting,
at times, of the passage only of a single horseman. As he had reason to
doubt the fidelity of his guide, he resolved to advance without him,
redoubling, however, his vigilance, and increasing his van guard, under
the command of Lieutenant Mason, whom he ordered not to fire upon the
enemy unless assaulted. The rear was assigned to Captain Hardee, and, in
this order, the party cautiously proceeded until it reached a large
plantation bordering the river and hemmed in by a fence of lofty and
impenetrable chapparal. Captain Thornton endeavored to approach the
houses at the upper end of this enclosure by entering its lower
extremity, but failing to accomplish his object, he passed around the
thicket and reached the field across a pair of bars which served for
gateway. The edifice was situated about two hundred yards from this
narrow aperture in the bristling wall, and, towards it, the whole
command directed its steps in single file, without placing a sentinel at
the bars, or observing any other precaution to prevent surprise. It
seems that Captain Thornton, though a skilful and brave officer, as his
campaigns against the Indians in Florida had proved, was prepossessed
with the idea that the Mexicans had not crossed the river, and that even
if they had, they would not fight. It was a fatal mistake. Captain
Hardee, as has been stated, was charged with the rear guard and was
therefore the last to enter with his horsemen. As he approached the
dwelling he perceived the troopers who were already within the enclosure
scattered in every direction seeking for some one with whom to
communicate. At length an old Mexican was discovered, and, while
Thornton was conversing with him, the alarm was given that the enemy
were seen in numbers at the bars. This was a bewildering surprise. Yet
the gallant commander immediately gave the order to charge and
personally led the advance to cut his way through the Mexicans. But it
was too late; the enemy had already secured the entrance, and it was
impossible to force their serried lines. Cooped and hampered as were our
men within the impervious walls of chapparal and aloes, their flight was
almost hopeless. The Mexican infantry had been stationed in the field on
the right of the road while their cavalry lined the exterior fence, so
that our retreat was entirely cut off. Seeing this, Thornton turned to
the right, and skirted the interior of the chapparal with his command,
whilst the enemy poured in their vollies in every direction. By this
time disorder was triumphant. Hardee dashed up to Thornton and urged
that the only hope of safety was in concentrated action and in the
destruction of the fence; but, though the order was immediately given,
he could neither stop his men nor his horse. Our troopers, perfectly
ensnared, seem to have become frantic with rage, and consequently to
have lost the control of discipline. Like so many animals at bay, each
one sought safety for himself, by attempting to traverse or leap the
thorny boundaries of the farm. Yet all efforts were useless, for, by
this time, the enemy had gained on our men with great numbers, and,
completely surrounded as the plantation was, nothing remained but to
surrender according to the usages of civilized nations. General
Torrejon, who commanded the Mexicans, received the submission of
Captain Hardee; and, together with Lieutenant Kane, who had also been
captured, he was conducted to Matamoros on the 27th, where they were
lodged with General Ampudia and treated most graciously by Arista.
Forty-five of our cavalry were taken prisoners in this disastrous
affair, but the brave Mason was slain during the conflict. Sergeant
Tredo, a valiant soldier, fell in the first charge;--Sergeant Smith was
unhorsed and killed,--and the bodies of seven men were found on the
field of strife.[106]
This was a disheartening event for the Americans, and a subject of
exultation for the Mexicans. It was neither a battle nor even an affray;
yet, bearing to warfare the same relation that trapping does to
sportsmanship, it nevertheless afforded material for Mexican gasconade.
"This,"--said Arista in his letter of acknowledgment to Torrejon,--"has
been a day of rejoicing to the division of the north which has just
received the joyous news of the triumph of your brigade. The delighted
country will celebrate this preliminary to the glorious deeds that her
happy sons will in future present her!" For some days it was supposed
that Thornton had been slain, but on the 29th his comrades were
delighted to hear that he had cut his way through the enemy, and after
running the gauntlet of his foes, had been captured only in consequence
of the fall of his horse.
* * * * *
As soon as Ampudia assumed the command he ordered all Americans to leave
Matamoros within twenty-four hours for Victoria, a town in the interior
of Tamaulipas; and on the twelfth of April he addressed a note to
General Taylor requiring him, within the same peremptory period of time
to break up his camp, and retire to the other bank of the Nueces, whilst
their respective governments were deciding their quarrel by negotiation.
He informed our commander that if he persisted in remaining on the
alleged soil of Tamaulipas, arms, alone, could decide the dispute, but
that the war, which would necessarily ensue, should be conducted, upon
the part of Mexico, conformably to the principles and rights established
by the civilized world. General Taylor did not delay his reply. On the
same day he answered the Mexican chief, that inasmuch as he was charged
with the military and not the diplomatic duties of the controversy, he
could not discuss the international question involved in the advance of
the American army, but that he would unhesitatingly continue to occupy
the positions he held at Isabel and opposite Matamoros in spite of all
menaces. The hostile declarations and alternative presented by Ampudia
induced Taylor to order the stringent blockade of the Rio Grande, so as
to stop all supplies for the city, and the naval commander at the Brazos
de Santiago was directed to dispose his forces accordingly. A body of
Texan rangers, under the command of Captain Walker, a tried and daring
soldier of the frontier, was stationed on the road to Point Isabel.
During the night of the 27th and 28th of April, the troops, at the
latter place, consisting chiefly of two companies of artillery, under
the command of Major Monroe, were in momentary expectation of attack in
consequence of rumors from the enemy, for it was known that large bodies
of Mexicans had crossed the river and were striving to interpose
themselves between Isabel and the fort opposite Matamoros in order to
cut off supplies for the garrison. Several teams that departed from the
depot for the fort were forced to return, and, on the morning of the
28th the camp of Walker was surprised on the prairie by a party of bold
rancheros who killed five of our rangers and dispersed the rest, while
the officer of the company and half of his command were absent on
detached service.
By this time the works opposite Matamoros were well advanced, yet, owing
to the peculiar nature of the country and our deficiency in the proper
description of light troops, we were kept in ignorance of the enemy's
movements on the left bank. It was ascertained, however, with sufficient
certainty, that they were continuing to throw considerable forces on the
eastern shore, with the design of attacking our command; and General
Taylor received information, upon which he could rely, that Arista had
prepared to pass the Rio Grande, below Matamoros, in order to effect a
junction with his forces from above. It was not believed, however, that
he would assault the position opposite that city even with four thousand
men, and hence our commander-in-chief supposed that the depot at Isabel
was the object of his movement. This impression was strengthened by the
fact that since a rigid blockade of the river was maintained, provisions
had become exceedingly scarce at Matamoros; and, therefore, hastening
the completion of the field work, he was able by great exertions on the
part of our troops, to bring it to a good state of defence by the first
of May. The seventh infantry under Major Brown, Captain Lowd's and
Lieutenant Bragg's companies of artillery, together with the sick of the
army, were left in the work; and, on the afternoon of that day, General
Taylor moved with the main force under his immediate command in the
direction of Point Isabel. At eleven o'clock, the army, by a rapid
march, was enabled to bivouac on the prairie at a distance of ten miles
from the depot, and on the next day, it reached its destination without
encountering the enemy, though the scouts surprised and shot several
men belonging to the Mexican pickets.
On the morning and during the day of the 3d of May, a heavy cannonade in
the direction of Matamoros announced to General Taylor that an attack
had probably been commenced on the American fort. This was a different
result from his anticipations, and made him extremely anxious for the
fate of the small but brave command that had been left, with slender
supplies of rations and ammunition, in the incomplete field work.
Accordingly, on the evening of that day, a squadron of one hundred
dragoons under Captain May, accompanied by Walker and ten of his daring
rangers, was despatched to pass, if possible, through the hordes of
Mexican guerillas that lined the road. They were ordered to proceed
within a few miles of Fort Brown and reconnoitre the country on the left
towards the river; next to take a position on the edge of the chapparal,
and, if the commander heard no firing from our fort, he was then to
despatch a small command under Walker to communicate with Major Brown.
After this he was to await the return of the gallant rangers, and repair
to Point Isabel.
May and his troopers, alert for such an adventurous enterprize, stole
onward towards Matamoros, under cover of night, and, about nine o'clock,
beheld the enemy's camp fires on the field of Palo Alto. Avoiding the
outposts and cautiously circling the Mexican front, he passed the foe,
and galloped towards the American fort, until, hearing no sound of
cannon in that direction, he halted with his command under the
protecting screen of an extensive chapparal, about seven miles from
Matamoros. Here he detached Walker and six of his rangers, best skilled
in woodcraft, to communicate according to orders, with Major Brown,
while he awaited their return in his concealed position.
It was between two and three o'clock in the morning that Walker crept up
to the bastions of our fort and was hailed by the sentinel. As soon as
he was recognized his party was placed in a secure position, and the
bold ranger admitted by a ladder to the fort. Major Brown reported the
facts of the assault from Matamoros and the condition of his defences,
as speedily as possible, and Walker and his men, mounting fresh horses,
dashed off towards May so as to pass the enemy's lines before day-light.
But, as he approached the thicket where he left the command, he found
the troopers gone; and returning to the fort, which he reached before
_reveille_, he awaited the approach of night before he again attempted
to perform his dangerous service.
Meanwhile May and his men had remained in their saddles until about half
an hour before day, when, from the protracted absence of the ranger,
they believed that the enemy's scouts had detected him. Walker had been
already away about six hours; and as May's force was unable to cope with
the supposed numbers of the Mexicans, and peremptory orders had been
given to retire to Isabel, he immediately passed down the enemy's lines
at a brisk gallop over the prairie. About twelve miles from our camp he
suddenly discovered a hundred and fifty lancers drawn up across the road
to dispute his passage, but speedily forming his line, he charged the
troop, and, driving it towards the Mexican camp, followed the fugitives
for three miles on his wearied horses. Fearing, however, that larger
forces might be lying in ambush in the fields, and perceiving that the
enemy's cavalry was fleeter than his own, he abandoned the pursuit and
reached Point Isabel about nine o'clock.
But Walker was not to be defeated in his gallant effort to bear tidings
to Taylor of the fortunes of the fort. As soon as it was dark on the
4th, he remounted with his trusty band and concealed on his person the
despatch which Major Brown had prepared in the interval. Every copse and
thicket along the road, suitable for an ambush, was filled with foes
anxious to cut off his return to camp, for, as it was subsequently
ascertained, the Mexicans had obtained information of his purposes. But
Walker passed unhurt through all these impediments, and brought the
cheerful news that all was as yet safe in the staunch little fort.
* * * * *
Late in April, and while the events, related in this chapter, were
occurring, by which it became evident that serious hostilities were, at
length, intended, General Taylor prudently began to strengthen his army
by demands for reinforcements under the discretionary powers vested in
him by government. In March, he had already called the notice of the war
department to the necessity of sending recruits to fill up the regiments
even to the extent of the existing feeble establishment; but, in April
he authorized the raising of two companies of mounted men from Texas,
and called upon the governor of that State for four regiments of
volunteers, two of which were to act as cavalry and two to serve on
foot. As some delay might occur in collecting these troops, he,
moreover, desired the governor of Louisiana to despatch four regiments
of infantry as soon as practicable, and, with this auxiliary force of
nearly five thousand men, he hoped to prosecute the impending war with
energy, or to carry it, if needful, into the enemy's country.
On the sixth of May, Lieutenant McPhail reached Point Isabel with some
recruits for the army; and, after filling up the permanent garrison with
the men who were still too raw to encounter the dangers of actual field
service, General Taylor determined to march on the following day with
the main body of the forces to open a communication with Major Brown and
to throw forward the needful supplies of ordnance and provisions. The
language of our chief did not betoken the fears which, at that moment,
were felt throughout the country for the fate of his brave command,
surrounded as it was believed to be, by an imposing army of Mexicans led
by their bravest generals. "If the enemy oppose my march, in whatever
force," said Taylor, "_I shall fight him_!" It was this little phrase
that inspirited the anxious heart of his country and denoted the
energetic character of the hero whose skill and genius were so soon to
be developed in active warfare. When he marched from the banks of the
Rio Grande on the 1st of May, the Mexicans believed that he fled to
secure his personal safety at Point Isabel, whilst he abandoned the
infantry and artillery in the fort opposite Matamoros as an easy prey to
their valiant arms. Accordingly, the bells of the city rang their merry
peals, and repeated bursts of military music denoted that it was a gala
day in the ancient city. At that moment the great body of the Mexican
army crossed the stream under the orders of General Torrejon, and these
were the forces that Walker and his rangers had eluded while bearing to
Isabel the cheering despatch from Major Brown.
* * * * *
At the close of this chapter, and while we are preparing for graver
subjects, it may not be uninteresting for the reader to obtain a careful
picture of those TEXAN RANGERS, whose services had already
proved so useful, and who were to play an important part in this bloody
drama.
These were the bold and reckless children of the frontier, who lived
forever in warlike harness, prompt to suppress the savage raids of the
Indians and mongrel Mexicans who harrassed the settlements of western
Texas in the neighborhood of the Guadalupe, La Vaca and San Antonio.
Organizing themselves in regular companies for mutual protection along a
ravaged border, they were continually prepared alike for camp or battle,
and opposed themselves to the enemy at the outpost barriers of
civilization.
It must not be supposed that men whose life is passed in the forest, on
the saddle, or around the fire of a winter bivouac, can present the
gallant array of troopers on parade, hence the Texan Ranger is careless
of external appearance, and adapts his dress strictly to the wants of
useful service. His first care is to provide himself with a stalwart and
nimble horse, perfectly broken and capable of enduring fatigue in a
southern climate. His Spanish saddle, or saddle frame, is carefully
covered with the skins of wild animals, while, from its sides depend
some twenty or thirty leathern thongs to which are attached all the
various trappings needed in the woods. No baggage is permitted to
accompany the troop and encumber it in the wilderness. A braided
_lariat_ and a _cabaros_ of horse-hair are coiled around his saddle bow,
the latter to be unwound at nightfall and laid in circles on the ground
to prevent the approach of reptiles which glide off from the sleeper
when they touch the bristling hair of the instrument, while his horse,
tethered by the long and pliant _lariat_ trailing along the ground,
wanders but little from the spot where his master reposes.
Stout buckskin leggings, hunting shirt, and cap, protect the ranger's
body from the sharp spines of aloes, or the briars and branches of the
matted forest. His weapons, next to his horse, exact his attention. His
long and heavy rifle carries from fifty to sixty bullets to the pound;
around his waist is belted a bowie-knife or home made hanger, and
sometimes, a brace of revolving pistols is added to this powerful
armory. Across his right side are slung his pouch of balls and
powder-horn, and the strap by which they are suspended is widened or
padded over the shoulder to relieve the weight and pressure of his gun.
A practised shot, he can hit his mark unerringly in full career. He may
be called a "picked man," though not in the sense of the phrase as
ordinarily used in military affairs. Nevertheless he is a choice
soldier, for none but men of equal stamp and hardihood find their way to
the border and congregate naturally for the hazardous life they endure.
From the period of the battle of San Jacinto to the year 1841, when they
formed themselves into regular squadrons of rangers, these were the
hardy woodsmen, who defended the frontier as independent troops, free
from the control of State or government. Whenever Indians or Mexicans
approached the settlements, runners were quickly despatched along the
streams to sound the alarm, and in a few hours the wild huntsmen were
roused for a campaign of months. All they needed for the foray was their
horse, their weapons, their blankets, their pouch with fifty balls, and
their bushel of parched and pounded corn. In hot weather or cold, in wet
or dry, they carried no tents, and required no fresh food save the game
of the forest. Such was the Texan Ranger at the outbreak of this
war,--light in heart, indomitable in courage, capable of vast endurance,
and sworn in his hatred of Indians and Mexicans. His life was one of
continual anxiety and surprises which made him alert and watchful. He
was neither a troubadour nor a crusader, yet his mode of existence had
charms for multitudes of adventurers. It was not disgust with society or
disregard of its comforts that forced these knights errant to the forest
and kept them in a state of continual excitement; but there was a
certain degree of romance in their wandering career that entitled them
to respect and consideration even from the more sentimental inhabitants
of cities. A life without restraint, except needful subordination when
on actual duty, is always attractive, and the forester realizes it
completely. Thinking much and speaking little, he considers his officer
of no more value or importance than himself. Hence he yields obedience
only because he knows the necessity of discipline in a hazardous
service, while, off of duty, he is as familiar with his commander as
with a private.
Thus the Ranger's existence has ever been a scene of fierce
independence; and though approaching the _ranchero_ in some of his
restless habits, he has, nevertheless, always been distinguished from
that vile compound of ferocity, treachery and cruelty, by the remnants
of civilization he has borne to the solitudes of the wilderness. He was
destined to be of infinite value to the regular army in a country where
it was important to obtain information by reckless means among an almost
Arab population. Subsequent events proved that no scouting service was
so severe, no adventure so dangerous, that he would not risk his life
and exercise the cunning of his craft in performing it either on the
thorny banks of the Rio Grande or among the mountain defiles of
Monterey.
FOOTNOTES:
[105] The following document was circulated by Mexican emissaries and
spies among our troops:
"_The commander-in-chief of the Mexican army to the English
and Irish under the orders of the American General Taylor_:
"KNOW YE: That the government of the United States is
committing repeated acts of barbarous aggression against the
magnanimous Mexican nation; that the government which exists
under "the flag of the stars" is unworthy of the designation
of Christian. Recollect that you were born in Great Britain;
that the American government looks with coldness upon the
powerful flag of St. George, and is provoking to a rupture
the warlike people to whom it belongs, President Polk boldly
manifesting a desire to take possession of Oregon, as he has
already done of Texas. Now, then, come with all confidence
to the Mexican ranks, and I guarantee to you, upon my honor,
good treatment, and that all your expenses shall be defrayed
until your arrival in the beautiful capital of Mexico.
"Germans, French, Poles, and individuals of other nations!
Separate yourselves from the Yankees, and do not contribute
to defend a robbery and usurpation which, be assured, the
civilized nations of Europe look upon with the utmost
indignation. Come, therefore, and array yourselves under the
tri-colored flag, in the confidence that the God of armies
protects it, and that it will protect you equally with the
English.
PEDRO DE AMPUDIA.
FRANCISCO R. MORENO, Adj. of the commander-in-chief.
_Head Quarters, upon the Road to Matamoros, April, 2, 1846._"
Another and similar appeal was made by Arista on the 20th of April.
[106] Captains Thornton's and Hardee's reports to General Taylor. H. of
R. doc. No. 119, 29th cong. 2d sess. pp. 19 and 20.