Page:A series of intercepted letters in Mexico.djvu/24

 was a precaution taken by government, as no one, thought that the Americans would take the road from San Augustin to Contreras, as it is over a pedregal. I do not know whether you are acquainted with the road, but even those who go over it on foot encounter a thousand obstacles. (Pedregal means volcanic grounds exceedingly broken, full of sharp stones, rising almost into precipices and broken into immense chasms.) Part of the Americans went down to the Hacienda of Coapa, and Santa Anna thought fit to place troops at San Antonio, in order to impede their progress that way. Things remained in this position until Thursday, the 19th, when the Americans, having overcome the obstacles of the Pedregal, presented themselves in front of Valencia, who gave them a hard fight, having confidence, owing to the past, in the valor, of his troops; but on the morning of the 20th, about ten minutes after 6, he found himself attacked by the enemy, who destroyed all his division, took all of his artillery and over twenty thousand dollars he had for the payment of his troops.

This great disaster was increased in the afternoon at about 3, when the Yankees took the well fortified point at Churubusco, causing a great many deaths, and taking a great number of prisoners. You can imagine our state in the capital under such repeated misfortunes, the more so as all of our troops are dispersed and we are momentarily expecting an attack upon the capital. We are lost, Mr. J., and in my opinion there is no hope of reparation. Some people are spreading the report, that Santa Anna is implicated in an intrigue, but this I know is false and no one has any right to suspect anything of the kind.

Who knows what is to become of us when these men come into the capital.

* * * Very possibly these devils will find some means to intercept this letter, (indeed!) but., as I said to you before, I will see by what stratagem I can send you my letters in future.

Aug. 21, 1847.

Dear—Yesterday was the date of a most bloody battle at the edge of the stony ground of San Angel, and though until yesterday morning victory had declared itself in favor of our arms, yet the enemy, favored by the darkness of the night, and by rain and some cornfields in that vicinity, found means to place their troops in all directions, taking possession of a height, and yesterday morning they opened the action upon our forces on all sides, from which resulted a dreadful slaughter, and a general dispersion, which it was impossible to