The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-21


Copyrighted, 1918, by Frank G. Carpenter
Washington, D. c.
iii WANT to give you some pictures of
our Mexican battlefields. I mean of
u the places where American blood was
split and American victories won in the
latter part of the forties. During my re-
cent trip TO Mexico I visited most of
the places and made photographs of the
country as it looks today. The Mexican
!. war began on April "A, 1916, and it lasted
almost two years. 1t cost us in good, hard
cash $166,00O,0O0, and those who were killed
! or died during the conflict numbered 25,
600 That war established the Rio Grande
as our national boundary. 1t made safe
our title to Texas, concerning which the
Mexicans were growing; and at its close
we took about half of the then Mexican
territory. including California, Arizona
and New Mexico. If we should have a
war with Mexico now, the cost in money
and lives will be enormously greater and
1t will result i'll our taking over the
balance of the country, either as pro-
tectorate or as part of the union.
All this is by way Of introduction. 1t
is a far cry from the Mexico of today
TO that of 1916. The difference in time
is CT years. and the differences in condi-.
& tion are beyond conception. In 1916 Mex
leo was thinly populated. 1t had but few
roads and no railroads Much of the war
was waged in the desert; our soldiers
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 decimated by disease, and
when General Scott marched from Puebla
to attack Mexico City he left at least one
fourth of his whole army in the hospitals
of the former city
The opening battles of the war were
fought in the north. rhey took place
1 fear the mouth of the Rio Grande, apd
Cen Zachary Taylor, who was after
ward made President of the United
states for his services. was there in
command The two first great battle
fields We're close to Brownsville, Texas,
city which is now the cente" of a
farming community, and is connected by
railroad with all parts of the United
States. 1t was then known as Fort
Brown, and was one of our outposts of
about 800 Americans. When the Mexi-
cans besieged it it had eighteen cannon
known as sx-pounders, and its ammuni-
tion was short
1t was to relieve Fort Brown that Gen.
Taylor was marching when the first two
battles of the war occurred. He had
been sent by the national government
to Corpus Christi in 1S45 with orders to
repel any invasion of Texan territory,
and it was in March, 1S46, that he was
directed to cross into the disputed ter
ritory between the Nueces and the Rio
Grande rivers. The Mexicans warned
him to keep off, and upon his starting,
Gen. Arista, in command of the Mexi-
can forces, notified Gen. Taylor that he
considered war to have been begun by
our country.
A little later Fort Brown was be-
Y sieged, and Gen. Taylor was started to
<. its relief He first met the Mexican
army at 'Palo Alto. within eight miles
of Brownsville Gen. Taylor had 2,OoO
men and $50 watons, and Gen. Arista had
$500 Mexcans, of which 500 We're cav
airy. The battle lasted five hours, and
OF the Yankees were killed and wounded
while the Mexicans lost more than six
times as many.
The next fight was within three miles
of Fort Brown, in a ravine at Resaca
de la Palma This engagement took
place on the day following the battle of
n Palo Alto, and Taylor again was vie
naa
killed or wounded. and the news wert
out over the United States that the war
with Mexico would be fought to finish
Congress- then passed resolutions asking
for 10000 volunteers, and the regular
army was increased to 10000 men
The country went wild over Taylors
victories. Congress passed resolutions of
approval He was made a major. gen
/, eral, and his own state of Louisiana
"A gave him sword. He became the idol
of the hour. He was lovingly called
''Old ZACH and his manners and Gus
toms were favorably compared with
those of Gen. Winfield Scott, the COM
mander-in-chiefs sof the army. who later
carried on the war in the south. Gen
Scott was a great soldier, but he was al
WAYS on dress parade He was the soul
Of pomposity, and he was often known
rs "Old Fuss and Feathers. Zach Tay-
lor. or "old Rough and Ready was
lust the reverse. 1t is said that he went
around the camp during part of his
Mexican campaigns in linen round
about and trousers He had already had
= long career in the army, and had be-
come noted as an Indian fighter. He
ewas in command of a company in the
war of 1872, and more than twenty years
s1afer had gained a great victory over the
Indians at the battle of Okeeehobee ir
Florida
The next fight after Resaca de la Pal
S ma was at. Monterey, which is nov
reached by the railroad from Laredo
made the journey in five or six hours in
: Pullman car. and found at the end a