New-York tribune., 1916-07-03
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The news OF the first battle in Mexico
reminds me that the war with Mexico, 1876
'4S, commenced in a similar way on April a.
1s46.
Captain Thornton, U. S. A., while marching
at the head of seventy men of the I'd
Dragons, in Texas, fell into an ambuscade
of Mexican regular troops numbering be-
tween three hundred and four hundred men,
and after a gallant resistance, during which
he had sixteen Of his command killed and
thirty eight wounded was obliged TO sur
render. Six days later the Mexican forces
attacked Fort Brown and were handsomely
repulsed. On May General Taylor, with
$500 men, met and defeated the Mexican
army. 5000 strong, under the command OF
Generals Ampudia and Arista, at Palo Alto.
On the following day the Mexican army,
having received reinforcement Of 1000 men,
made a stand at Resaca de la Palma, and was
there again defeated by General Taylor, the
Mexican loss being 975 and ours but llO
| killed and wounded.
It is a noteworthy fact that these battles
were fought without declaration of war on
either side. Indeed, no declaration of war
was ever made by either Of the contending
republics
In response to the call OF the President
! James X. Polk for 10000 volunteers, $4,000
volunteered promptly. The quotas furnished
by the respective states were as follows
Alabama, 1881; Maryland and District Of
Columbia, 1872; Arkansas, 1874; Florida
2s9; Missouri, GAL; Georgia. 1887; North
Carolina, s95; Illinois, 5,79l South Carolina,
1.12O; Indiana, 1929; Ohio, 1894; Iowa, 229;
| New Jersey, 42O; Kentucky, 4,O94; New York,
500; Louisiana, 7,34l; Pennsylvania, 2,ll7;
Michigan, 1912; Tennessee. 5,394; Massa-
chusetts, $780, Texas, 1894 Mississippi, 2,235; ;
Wisconsin, 1i6.
Mexico had standing army OF $4,000, and
had called into the field an additional force,
chiefly volunteers. of nearly 100000.
! Early in December 1916, all of the regular
infantry was withdrawn from General Tay-
| lor's army and ordered to Major General
Winfield Scott, the commander in chief, who
had assumed compand in person of the
fourth great column of attack, whose OBJ
/ jective point was the capital of Mexico, and
which entitled the Army of Mexico.
General Taylors army thus reduced TO
only $500 men, consisting altogether OF vol
unteers, except three batteries Of the regular
army and two squadrons of the I'd Dragons,
| its numerical weakness inviting attack. and
General Santa Ana, the most renowned and
skilful OF the Mexican commanders and Presi-
dent of the Republic of Mexico, who had won
a decisive victory over the French army of in
vasion nine years before, moved his army
against it. That army. according 10 the Mex
lean official reports, numbered $4,000, two
thirds regular soldiers. General Taylor de-
cided TO accept battle, and selected a posi-
tion admirably adapted for defence at the
Ranch Buena Vista The battle began at day
/ light on February 23 ls47.
IL is not my object TO go into details of
that very successful war. want only 10
show the action Of that willy general at that
moment when his army had met with a dis
astrous and demoralizing repulse
/ General Santa Ana sent forward a flag Of
/ truce and our fire was suspended. The bearer
OF the flag, to the amazement Of General Tay-
| lor, presented a demand for the surrender of
his army. This expedient cannot be too
strongly commended in the art Of war. Cen
eral Santa Ana retired rapidly with his
army. pausing in the vicinity only long
enough 10 send a bulletin to the capital an
nouncing that he had won a decisive victory
over the barbarians of the North.
A flag OF truce arrived from Santa Ana,
who proposed an armistice of twenty days,
stating that ne desired TO negotiate terms Of
peace.
General Scott assented. and, having but
three days rations in his commissariat, i'm
posed as one Of the conditions that he should
! be allowed to send train with proper