CHAPTER XIII.

WOOL (Continued.)

Expedition to Coahuila-Address to the soldiers-Wool's route -Santa Anna's tactics-Junction of Wool's and Taylor's forces - Battle of Buena Vista-Taylor's encomium on Wool.

WHEN the Mexican war broke out it was resolved to direct an expedition against the provinces of Mexico, the capitals of which are Chihuahua and Monclova, for the purpose of uniting together the field of General Kearney's operations and the army on the Rio Grande. The command of this was given to General Wool.

The troops which composed it were exclusively volunteers, with the exception of a squadron of the 2d dragoons, the light battery of the 4th artillery, and three companies of the 6th infantry, attached to the left wing, and a squadron of the 1st dragoons, which composed General Wool's personal escort. The body of the army was composed of Yell's Arkansas mounted regiment, the 1st and 2d regiments Illinois infantry, a company of Kentucky infantry, and Seefield's Texas volunteers. The grand aggregate was a little more than two thousand five hundred men. Though the mass of this army was composed of volunteers, its staff was composed of officers of the regular service, and with one or two exceptions, persons of decided merit. The regiments and corps of which it was composed were concentrated at San Antonio de Bejar, a post on the San Antonio river, celebrated in the war of Texan independence, well calculated for

offensive operations towards the object of this expedition, when once the depots of provisions, &c., had been established, but inconvenient itself, as all stores had necessarily to be brought one hundred and fifty miles in wagons, from Port Lavaca on the shore. The whole state of Texas, too, was necessarily to be crossed before the starting-point of the march could be reached. The troops therefore were not assembled before the last of August, and the 25th of September had come before a sufficient amount of provisions had been collected, to justify General Wool in commencing his operations. On the 26th of September, therefore, Colonel Harney started with the right wing of this army, numbering, all told, twelve hundred and thirty-seven men.

General Wool followed on the 29th with his personal staff and escort of dragoons. Colonel Hardin, of the 1st regiment Illinois volunteers, followed on the 2d of October with eight companies of his regiment, the aggregate of which was five hundred and seventy-four men; on the 14th of October, Colonel Churchhill, inspector-general of the United States army, left with the remainder of General Wool's command, numbering, all told, seven hundred and twenty-four men. The army was to march through an uninhabited country, without any resources except what it took with it; was under the necessity of crossing deep and rapid rivers, with a train of baggage, a commissariat and stores, to provide safely for which, even in a time of peace, was a most formidable undertaking. There was a certainty now, it was thought, that an enemy was in front. The army was unusually well supplied with all equipage, the general not having forgotten to have constructed by his officers of engineers, boats so arranged that they might be easily put together, and when taken apart transported in wagons. The cat

tle of all kinds on the long march which lay before this army, were to be subsisted by grazing on the grass of the prairies across which the road lay.

On the 10th of October, 1846, the advance which General Wool had already joined, crossed the Rio Grande at an old Spanish post, called El Presidio del Rio Grande. On the 9th the following order was published to the troops, and announced fully the course General Wool intended and did pursue, in spite of much discontent created by his rigid adherence to it.

HEAD

(Orders No. 89.)

Near Presidio, 9th October, 1846.

Soldiers! After a long and tedious march, you have arrived on the bank of the Rio Grande. In the performance of this service, the commanding general has witnessed with the greatest pleasure your patience, good order, and perseverance, under many deprivations and hardships. All have done their duty, and in a manner that reflects the highest credit on both officers and men. From this remark he would not except his staff, who have actively and zealously devoted themselves to the service; whilst Captain Cross has been eminently successful in forwarding his long train of supplies, without delay or serious accident.

To-morrow you will cross the Rio Grande, and occupy the territory of our enemies. We have not come to make war upon the people or peasantry of the country, but to compel the government of Mexico to render justice to the United States. The people, therefore, who do not take up arms against the United States, and remain quiet and peaceful at their homes, will not be molested or interfered with, either as regards their persons or property; and all those who furnish supplies

will be treated kindly, and whatever is received from them will be liberally paid for.

It is expected of the troops that they will observe the most rigid discipline and subordination. All depredations on the persons or property of the people of the country are strictly forbidden; and any soldier or follower of the camp who may so far forget his duty as to violate this injunction, will be severely punished.

By command of General Wool.

(Signed) JAMES H. PRENTISS, Ass't Adj. Gen."

The route of General Wool was along the old road from San Felipe de Austin, via San Antonio, across the head-waters of the Nueces, to El Presidio, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles; which was accomplished by the left wing, the majority of whom were untried troops, with many incumbrances, wagons, &c., in eleven days.

On the 30th of October, without difficulty, General Wool's advance encamped, after a march of two hundred and four miles in eleven days, four miles south of Monclova, the capital of the Mexican state or department of Coahuila. On the march from El Presidio, Brigadier-General Shields, of the volunteer service, had joined the column, and had been assigned to the command of the advance. No opposition had been made to General Wool's advance, so far; and here General Lopez, the Mexican commander, waited on and informed. him that so far from being treated as enemies, the American army would be looked on as friends. It had long been the prevalent opinion in Texas, that the people of Coahuila and Chihuahua had, by the advantages even under the Mexican tariff, of the trade carried on with the

United States through the caravans, been made friendly to our institutions.

The best furnished house in the town was tendered to General Wool, who took possession of the city (the population of which was five thousand), with two squadrons of dragoons. Previous to entering Monclova, Nava, San Fernando, and San Rosa, towns of one thousand, four thousand, and two thousand five hundred. inhabitants, had successively surrendered, without resistance, though in the midst of a population of rancheros and peones, or agricultural laborers, if not in morale the equals of the volunteers of the invading army, thrice as numerous, and capable of making a formidable resist

ance.

It was obvious, in spite of the professions of Governor Lopez, that the mass of the population were ill-disposed towards the invaders; and General Wool was required to exert the most constant vigilance to restrain the volunteers, and prevent even the possibility of difficulty with the natives.

On the arrival of General Wool at Monclova, it had been contemplated to pass thence to Chihuahua, a city to the northwest of their present position, and midway between it and Santa Fe. A report, however, was originated in the country, that after the capture of Santa Fe, General Kearney had marched on Chihuahua, which surrendered without a blow. This circumstance, and the necessity of a delay to recruit the dragoon and artillery cattle, delayed this expedition until the occurrence of events in another part of the Mexican republic caused it to be entirely abandoned.

The papers at this time teemed with complaints against General Wool, on the part of the volunteers, which were evidently most unjust, and stand in striking