Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/395

Rh another soldier-he would not get off so easy. But I think he will not attempt to knock another soldier down with his sword hereafter. Our men have respect for an officer of knowledge, but they are down on all those young petty officers who are nothing but mere boys.

Sunday, November 21, 1847.—This morning the military court sat, and disposed of some business, after which they passed sentence on Col. Juan Clamaco and Capt. —— (whose name I did not get), two guerilla officers. One of them has been taken prisoner three times—first, at Vera Cruz surrender; second, at the battle of Cerro Gordo; and third, on a skirmish. Each time he was captured he gave his parole of honor not to fight or join the Mexican army during the said war, unless exchanged. Sentence—Death.

When the citizens of Jalapa heard that these guerilla officers were captured, tried and condemned to death, they made a big fuss, and threatened what they would do to us Yankees when they once got the chance or power over us. We told them that they could hang or shoot every one of our officers who broke his parole of honor, without any court-martial.

The Mexicans expected that the execution was going to take place to-day, for I noticed all the stores were closed and all kinds of business suspended; people were standing in groups, talking and whispering—no doubt of the execution of the two Mexican officers-—and by their loud talking and the motioning of their hands, etc., it looks as if they were very angry.

In the evening a delegation of some fifty well-dressed ladies waited on Gen. Patterson, using all their influence to have these Mexican officers' lives spared, and to imprison them until the termination of this war; but Gen. Patterson told these ladies that he regretted that it fell to his lot to execute these officers, that these officers whom the court had condemned had sacrificed their parole of honor three times, and that it was the law of all nations at war, that when a soldier sacrifices his parole of honor, death is his doom. So these officers,