Page:History of the War between the United States and Mexico.djvu/555

Rh the houses, and cutting down every man who refused to surrender. A portion of the Mexicans rallied and formed outside the town, but a vigorous charge, led by General Lane and Colonel Hays, quickly put them to rout: Jarauta, who was wounded in the conflict, again escaped; one hundred of the enemy were killed, however, among whom were Colonel Montano, and the bosom friend of Jarauta, Padre Martinez; a still greater number were wounded; and there were fifty taken prisoners. General Lane lost one man killed and four wounded. Quiet was soon restored in the town, after the fighting had ceased, and the Americans returned to the capital, taking with them their prisoners, and a quantity of recovered property that had been plundered from different trains.

General Scott was relieved from duty in Mexico, at his own request, on the 19th of February, when the command was assumed by General Butler. On the 5th of March, a military convention, for the provisional suspension of hostilities, was ratified in the capital, under which the civil authority in most of the towns occupied by the American troops was shortly after surrendered to the officers regularly chosen by the citizens. The guerilleros were now tolerably quiet, though they occasionally attacked the merchant trains. On the 30th of March a train of Mexican merchandise was plundered by a band of marauders, at Paso del Bobo. Colonel Hughes being informed of the transaction, a party of Texan rangers were ordered out from Jalapa, under Captain Daggett, who followed the trail of the guerilleros, and overtook them as they entered the village of Desplobade. But one of the bandits escaped; the remainder, thirteen in number, were captured and shot. This blow was effectual. Towards