Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-08-05

altern, General Servando Canales,
whom he tried to get to desist in his
activity on the presidential ques-
tons, insisting this should be put
off until the Imperialistas should be
defeated, he was surprised to receive
from the latter information that he
wa salready enlisted in favor of
Ortega and would not deliver over
the city Of Matamoros.
Immediately General Escobedo be-
gan a general assault on the place,
but as the battle was progressing he
was surprised to learn that an
American force from Brownsville,
under General Thomas L. Sedgwick,
in his opinion violating the interna-
tional law, had crossed the Rio
Grande and occupied Matamoros,
hosting the American flag on it's
public edifices, and that the Amer
leans had done this on the pretext
that it was necessary to guard the
interests of the foreigners.
Escobedo energetically protested
to General Sedgwick who, he be-
lieved, had made no satisfactory ex-
PLANTATION of the reason for his in
%yasion. Sedgwick offered to evacu-
ate provided the Mexicans would
protect foreigners and not violate
their rights. Escobedo resented
Sedgwick's attitude and ordered a
continuation of the general assault,
which was begun again on the
morning of November q, 1866, the
combat being bloody and obstinate
on both sides but, of course, between
lCanales and Escobedo, the Ameri-
cans not OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
was repulsed, the battle field being
strewn with the dead, among them
the body of General Espinosa Of
Escobedo's forces. On the nigth Of
November 30th Escobedo received a
communication from Canales in
which the latter offered to submit
and to join him for the purpose of
opposing the American invaders in
the event that Sedgwick SHOULD re-
fuse to e%vacuate. Escobedo accepted
Canales' proposition and immediate
ly demanded of Sedgwick that the
American troops should be retired.
The Americans evacuated on the
morning Of December LIST, Escobedo
entering Matamoros as they were re-
crossing the river.
From a personal knowledge Of the
Sedgwick affair, and the pontoon
bridge it appears that after the Bag
dad raid Of January 8, 1866, and the
many disorders follow, ngi with the
firm stand taken by General Canales
against the American filibusters and
against the Interference in Mexican
affairs by the Americans, acts for
which he should be commended. The
American consul at Matamoros de-
cided that owing to the break in the
rank of EscobedO's followers and
the characteristic spirit of revolt
which predominated, property rights
might not be respected and Ameri-
cans and other foreigners might be
m~altreated, and at the request of al
most every. other foreign RESIDENT of
Matamoros requested General Sedg-
wick's cooperation and that he
should pass owe to Matamoros.
The pontoon bridge, an afiustra-
ton of which appears above, was
hastily thrown across the river by
General Sedgwick on November 23,
1866, and We companies Of cavalry
with two companies of infantry and
four cannon marched into Mata-
moros. and on November 81, 1866,
surround the block in which the
American consulate was situated.
The writer distinctly remembers
that as many as twenty-five cavalry
men with their horses were en-
camped in the back yard OF the con-
snlate during the bombardment by
Escobedo, and that~on the following
mArning many dead horses were
fofnd in the yard.
The American troops remained in
M(tamoros about ten days and re-