Page:History of the War between the United States and Mexico.djvu/546

488 been wrested from him, and no event of particular moment occurred, until early in February, 1848, when intelligence was received, from various sources, that General Urrea, at the head of a large body of lancers, was moving upon El Paso, where Colonel Ralls was in command, with a part of his regiment. These reports were confirmed by the capture of a small party of Mexicans, near Carrizal, below El Paso; letters announcing the intended march of Urrea being found on their commanding officer. An express was immediately dispatched to General Price, with the information obtained, who left Santa Fé at once, with two companies of the 1st dragoons, under Major Beall; one company of the same regiment, acting as artillery, under Lieutenant Love; Lieutenant Colonel Easton's battalion; and the Santa Fé battalion, under Major Walker. On the 20th of February the command reached El Paso. It was now ascertained that the reported advance of Urrea was unfounded; but General Price also learned, that Governor Trias had collected between 1,500 and 2,000 men, and fourteen pieces of artillery, at Santa Cruz de Rosales, a strongly fortified town, about sixty miles beyond Chihuahua, and determined to march down and attack him. General Price left El Paso on the 1st of March with 400 men, and arrived at Chihuahua on the 7th, performing the distance of two hundred and eighty-one miles in seven days. After Colonel Doniphan's departure, Chihuahua had been reoccupied by the Mexican authorities, and General Price was met, on his approach, by a civic deputation, who represented that a treaty of peace had been concluded, and requested him not to enter the city. Doubting the information, as he had received no official intelligence of the fact,