Page:Harris Dickson--The unpopular history of the United States.djvu/133

The Mexican Paradox with 209 officers and 2,839 men actually present. Each of these companies, but for a defect in the law, should have mustered 100 men; which would have raised the total force to about 8,000.

His numerical weakness, however, did not bluff General Taylor. What he had was good. Four-fifths of his officers were West Pointers, trained to their trade. Six months in a camp of instruction at Corpus Christi had brought his troops to the highest point of discipline and esprit de corps.

On the 25th of April Thornton's Dragoons, in a skirmish on the east bank of the river lost 16 killed and 11 wounded. The emergency had arisen, and Taylor promptly called upon the Governors of Louisiana and Texas for 5,000 volunteers. But the call came too late. Volunteers could not reach him.

On April 26th the enemy crossed the Rio Grande in large force, and next day Taylor accepted their challenge at Palo Alto. The fight began at two o'clock in the afternoon, [115]