The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-09-23
Usy FRANK G. CARPENTER.)
WASHINGTON, |

I want to give you some pictures
Of our Mexican battletields. l mean
Of the places where American blood
was split and American victories won
in the latter part Of the fcrtieS. Dur
ing my recent trip to Mexico. l visi-
ted most of the places and made pho
tographs of the country as it looks to-
day. The Mexican war began on
ApIii -. 1876, and it lasted almost
two years. 1t cost us in good hard
,asn $itS,000, 00C, and those who were
killed or died during the conflict
numbered $4,000. That war esta-
lished the Rio Grande as our national
boundary. 1t made safe our title to
Texas, concerning which the Mexi-
cans were growing: and at it's close
W. took about half of the then Mexi-
can territory. including California
Arizona and New Mexico. If we should
have 4 war with Mexico now, the cost
in money and lives will be enorm-
ously greater and it will result in our
taking over the balance of the coun-
try, either as a prOtectOrate or as a
part of the Union.
All this is by way of introduction.
1t is a far cry from the Mexico of to-
day TO that of 1876. The difference
i'll time is sixty-seven years, and the
differences in condition. are beyond
conception. In 1876 Mexico was
thinly populated. 1t had but few
roads nd no railroads. Much of the
war was waged in the desert; our
oidiers marched upon foot and their
supplies were carried on the backs
of mules and in wagons. They had
TO undergo the greatest Of hardships
At times the armies were decimateo
by disease, and when Gen. Scot
marched from Puebla to attack Mex
leo City he left at least One-fourth Of
his whole army in the hospitals OF th&
former city.
The opening battles of the wa
were fought in the north. They tool
place near the mouth Of the Ri,
Grande, and Gen. Zachary Taylor
who was afterward made President o
the United States for his services. wa
there in command. The two frs
great battlefelds were close t
Brownsville, Texas, a city which i
now the center Of a farming com
munity. and is connected by railroa
with all parts of the United States
1t was then known as Fort Brown
n was one of our %OutpoSts on tn
frontier. living only a garrison @
about 900 Americans. When tn
Mexicans besieged it it had eiShtee
cannon known as six-pounders, an
its ammunition was short.
1t was To relieve Fort Brown the
Gen. Taylor was marching when tn
first two battles Of the war ~occurre,
nc hau peen sent by the national go'
IN to Corpus Christi in 1874
with orders to repel any invasion
Texan territory. and it was in Marc1
1876, that he was directed to Gro:
into the disputed territory betwee
the Nueces and the Rio Crane
rivers. The Mexicans warned hi
TO keep off. and upon his startir
Gen. Arista. in command Of the Me
lean forces, notified Gen. Taylor tn
he considered war to have been b
gun by our country.
A little later Fort Brown was b
sieged. and Gen. Taylor was start
10 its relief. He first met the Me,
can army at Palo Alto. within Gig
miles of Brownsville. Gen. Tayl
had 1000 men and $50 wagons, a
Gen. Arista had $500 Mexicans.
which 500 were cavalry. The bat
lasted five hours. and resulted in
American victory. Forty OF the "a