Page:History of the War between the United States and Mexico.djvu/251

Rh the bearers of dispatches, was on his way to seek the latter, when he was attacked, between Linares and Victoria, by a party of rancheros, and cruelly murdered. The papers in his possession fell into the hands of the enemy, and the fact that an expedition against Vera Cruz was projected could no longer be concealed.

When the arrangements for the expedition against Vera Cruz were made at Washington, preparatory i to the departure of General Scott, it was not supposed that General Taylor would deem it advisable to advance beyond Monterey, or occupy the lower part of the State of Tamaulipas. It was intended that he should remain upon the defensive until additional troops could be sent out from the United States. The importance of the position at Saltillo was not correctly understood at the War Department, and hence it was not taken into account in the calculations which had been made. General Taylor might have occupied and held the city of Monterey with a much smaller force than was left under his control; but he wisely decided to keep possession of Saltillo, as being a still more commanding position, and completely covering the single road practicable for artillery, which was the only formidable arm of the Mexican service, to the valley of the Rio Grande. Monterey was well situated for defence; but if the enemy could advance to that point, the communication with his principal depots would be more likely to be cut off, and their protection attended with more danger and difficulty.

The whole number of troops upon the Rio Grande, and en route for the Gulf, including the new volunteer regiments, was not far from 20,000. General Scott