The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-06-07
THE UNION.



The battle Of Cero Gordo--Santa A,nas defence--
Merioan acknowledgement Of the pleador Of our uie-
tory
The victory of Cero Gordo appears to have produced
more powerful effect in the city OF Mexico than any
which we have yet gained. The enemy had never be.
fore fought under such favorable
can cunning was never before embarrassed and
fused Tor an apology. Santa Anna never so COM
pleely stunped in his whole life. The strongest evidence
OF the exhaustion and poverty OF Santa Annals imagi
nation on this subject is TO be found in the and
Tree expressions OF the press not only dlscredtng his
explanation of the Cero Gordo affair, but also mpugh-
ing all his former statements in relation 10 his battles.
The papers are loaded with these skeptca and satrca
eftusions The current against HIM is rising higher and
stronger WHY say these writers, "are Generals
Arisa, Ampudia Heredia, Canalizo, &C., so roughly
handled by Santa Annals friends account OF their mis-
fortunes, when much greater misfortune OF the gen.
eranche praised rather as an act OF patriotism than
disgraceful rout"
The excuses given heretofore by Santa Annals friends
are not satisfactory to the unreasonable scrbber of the
capital The pretence that the national guard did not
understand the of arms, and behaved badly in the
action, is well met With the reply that the national guard
the veteran regulars were escaping under Ampuda Ca
nalizo, and the general-in-chef This is good hit
Other arguments are disposed Of with like and pun
gency.
Seeing that his badly presented By his friends,
the general has seized his PEN and, in the OF
OF his satellites tries tack, and presents his late
misfortune in the following ingenious exposition.
The reader will recognise in this article the Characters
tic style of Santa Anna The allsion 10 Napoleon is de-
cdedly Santa Annash To keep up that pleasant con-
ceit which manifested itself rather rdcuousy in the
tent of Gen Houston, when the Mexican chief !" soft
sawdered" the Texan hero, by informing him that he
was the "conqueror OF the Napoleon Of the West ii
emergencies to draw Literally for excuses and
upon the copous annals OF the great Napoleon His
search, however, after anaoges between his situation
and that of Napoleon has introduced him to other great
generals, who, like HIMSELF have been caught mapping,
and, in his Distress he eagerly adopts the which
could not save the Austrian general from disgrace and
al bnt hat
not satisfy the stubborn good OF the Ausrans,
may easily content the imaginative and windy Mexicans
But,
Non noSirum tantos componcc lites.
Let the Mexicans settle their own disputes 1t is COM
forting, however, to to see fine eyemplitcaon
OF the old proverb that when "rogues fall out, honest
men get their due" 1t was only when the Mexican
chiefs got BY the earswhen their military reputation
demanded the admissionthat they became willing
quiesce in claims TO consideration for prowess
and military capacity The truth has ut last worked its
way into Mexican confessions,
Santa Anna, IN order to justify his route al Cerro Cor
do, bestows upon General Scott and his gallant army
higher praise and confers upon this achievement more
brilliant renown than warm imagnaons and
proud hearts ever conceived Of
Here follows the vindcaten of the military conduct of
General Santa Anna in the battle OF Cerro Gordo pub
shed in the DGri0 del GObiernO at the city OF Mexico
on the 30th April:
MEDICATION SANTA ANNA.-The internal enemies of
the country the agents of our external enemies, those
who are aboring TO open to them the gates OF the capital
neglect MEANS however crimnal of fomentng dssen
sions and dsrs among us, favorable to the de-
signs of the invader is disunon than all the dis
asers that we can suffer in combat Hence the zeal and
the bad faith with which they present to the public their
accounts OF the events of the war; disgurng them in such
manner that the disasters Of our army, well in the
north in the east, may be attributed not to involuntary
With like motive do they endeavor dcpreciate Gen.
Santa Anna, knowing as they do that he is the enemy
whom the North Americans most enr and that he ont
OF the way, they Will have removed the prncp pal obstacle
that they have met with up the present time, in their
career Of destruction and conquest.
This idea predominating, these internal enemies of the
country have published varions pamphlets representing the
triumph obtained by at the Angostnra loss.
AT the present moment they are doing the same thing in
both of which they the generaI-inchefn so
severe, that only remains TO him clearly and
The editorial of the 3sh number of the Bulletin of
Democracy (whose authors well known) is full of this
of the loss of Ccrro Gordo; the article saying that all the
said mslortmes proceeded iom OF foresight in the
of The attack, and from bad arrangements. We given
understand that he sacrificed useessy large portion Of
race by raising, in moment, new army just as if we
were in France in the time of the National Convention
We need only read, with little attention. the said edito
rial penetrate the depth and the wckedness of the de-
sign OF It's authors Unjust men your eaumnes suffice to
Without calling the attention of readers the docu-
published in the Dario del Gobco, and in other
papers, the Repubcano (Which certainly cannotbe taxed
with Partially to Santa Anna) in its number of the 2d
inst, gives clear idea of what took place in this
disspates the rash hnputaons OF eneniesand de-
picng the conduct of the invader, his tactics, his numcr
cal superiority the advantages of his artillery and all tina,
contributed to facilitate his umphs demonstrates, most
completely that our loss was the result Of inevitable mis-
fortune.
In fact our position was well chosen it was forte as
well as circumstances permitted its TANKS covered
and all ioreseen that 10 have been ioreseen in
regular order, and in the usual tactics of True is
that expectation entertained of the rare, bold and
desperate operation of the enemy, who in the night be-
tween the 18th and 18Th broke through the woods crossed
ravine up to that time crossed and taking
the position which the main body OF army
pied surprised IN the time OF action, made general
tack all parts at and cut oil the OF the
try. the artillery, and part oil the cavalry 1t pre-
risl
First, that Notwithstanding the old opinion, confirmed by
the experience OF the whole from 1910 1921 that the
road by which the enemy hanked impaccablc, |
the general did not neglect he stationed, order
IT, the greater part of his Cavity in the mouth Of the
gorge and ii this force did fulfil the object of lis mis-
sion, the fault should not be imputed to the generanchef
of the chief chiefs OF the cavary the fact is that the
point which this force should have guarded was left I'M
covered, and that is an sufficient to justify General
Santa Anna.
Secondly A historical fact mny serve for the |
second solution of the question: We the passage
Bonaparte the great St Bernard executed likewise
general deceivedby the dextery OF the operation said on
the following day. before he learned the result that he
answered with his life that the French artillery had not
passed that way And this happened in Europe, the
midst OF that had formed many expert comm and
er II need not astonisb thai like tanspire
among ourselves! Men NOT gods.
After enlagng upon the particular instances of patriot
displayed by Santa Anna, from the beginning OF his
career down 10 the present tme his apoogs conc ules
by the following peroration:
Me xicans, he DO suffer Yourselves deceived
by pcrverse and evl-inenioed Reflect that some
OF those writers, who to-day TO lead asiay your
have sold themselves 10 him Tor iicndsave battered him
in the of his prosperity and declare themselves
his enemies when fortune is against him. Examine well
the ac--compare Judge with attention and lmpartiay
and conclusion be