The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-01

in command there, and Crockett ana
Bowie, withstood siege OF thirteen days
before they succumbcd to assault by
Santa Anna with 5000 McNicans. When
one has read the story of this event
the Texas inscription seems modest. II
is this:
"Thermopylr had its messenger of
defeat: the Alamo had none Texas
won her freedom and applied for ad-
mission into the Union. Clay opposed
it and so did Webster and Benton. Ty-
Ter was President and he wanted 1t and
| calhoun. AZ his Secretary of State,
pushed IL through. Polk. who was Il
candidate for President favored it i'm
mcdiately.'
Texas was admitted To the Union in
1915, although Mexico had given Off
cial notice that annexation would be
treated as cause for war.
| Having acquired Texas so easily the
| Southern element concluded that We
| might as well have New Mexico and
California while We were about it.
1t IL always easy To find pruvucation
} for war. The cause of the Mexican war
was the boundary line. y dispute arose
whether the southwestern boundary of
| Texas was the River Nucces or the Rio
Grandc President Polk arroSatcd the
right of deciding that question and Mex
| leo was goaded to fight.
The principle of manifest destiny"
We are told. was invoked
| Zachary Taylor was a general of the
| American forces in that day. He was a
Nirgnian who had served in the War
Of 1872 and in the Black Hawk, Sem
mole and various other Indian wars
with distinction and later became Pres
ident.
He was ordered by Polk to march
westward IF the NueCes, This was be-
fore annexation was accomplished. The
President thus put peace in peril. Texas
had claimed the Rio Grande as the
boundary. hut Of the land between It and
| the NucCcS she had never been in pos
| session.
Taylor marched according To orders
to the Rio Grandc He reached 1t at
what is now known as brownsville. Ar
rived there, he planted battery which
commanded the public square or plaza
in Matamoras. Mexico. across the river,
He likewise blockadcd the mouth of tho
| stream.
The Mexican commander at Mata-
moras naturally held that this was be-
ginning hostilltics. So he crossed over
with small force Of our men. In 1t
sixteen of our Dragons We're killed.
The President then notified Congress
that American blood had been spilled on
American soil And tn" war was begun,
We were unrcady. of course, hut the
war went on, Taylor commanded in
northern Mexico. II" won the Battle Of
Palo Alto. May :, 1916, and that Of
Resaca de Ia Palma the next day. and
| about nine days later he took Mata-
moras. Monterey he captured on Sep
tember "a and he defeated Santa Anna
| at Buena Vista in two days fight on
Washington's Birthday and the day
after, lS47. For this. he won rank as
Ma jor- General
Meanwhile, Winfield Scott, another
American comma nder, had been carry
ing on a campaign south of this ter
ritory. striking at the heart Of the en-
cmy's country.
Scott was the finest looking man in
the army, There were those who said
he was more ma jcstic than Washington
At all events he was an excellent
soldier, though he was once court mar
tailed by the Wilkinson who was mixed
up with Burr.
Scott served in 1872 and fought the
battle of l.undy's Lane near the falls
on the Canadian border. He had been
in several OF the Indian wars and in
command Of the army since lSll. He
had also hecn rendered a seat in the
Cabinet and some years later than this
ne was the Whig candidate for Prcsi
dent, but failed Of election.
Scott was General in Chief in Mex
leo. He had $500 men. Santa Anna
his opponent, had 10000.
Scott landed his force at Vera Cruz
There our navy helped him ny pegginG
away at the ancient fort Of San Juan
de l'lua, which had made much trouble
for Hawkins and some Of the other old
time freebooters. Scott put his men
ashore ny means Of surf boats. On
March 81 ne had them in motion, and
moreover somewhat increased his force
by drawing on Taylor,
The theatrc OF war now changed Il
the line between Vera Cruz and the
capital.