Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/643

Rh world, must all be redeemed from the lethargy and thraldom that had so long held them bound. This chrysalis must be burst and the imprisoned being of such exceeding beauty must be released to spread its broad wings and exult in all the bright beauty its Creator had endowed it with.

The Mexican war was God's plan for accomplishing all this. Let us trace the course of that war, and see if an overruling Providence did not direct each movement and give the victories.

Glance at that vast territory, with all its resources, its large and well-equipped army, familiar with every road and mountain pass, with full knowledge of where an attack could be made or an advance repulsed; with all her wall cities, her fortified passes and strongholds; and then at the small army that entered her borders to vanquish her hosts, to vindicate the honor of our country and establish her rights, entirely ignorant of their language, their character, their habits and their power of resistance; and yet, from the first gun at Palo Alto to the surrender of the city of Mexico, the command was "Forward," and step by step we made our advances, without one defeat, without one retreat. There is not a parallel in all the pages of history.

It mattered not what numbers opposed, what walls reared their granite fronts, what strong passes bristled with bayonets and artillery, what impregnable fortresses belched forth their iron hail, and opposed our advance, they each in turn yielded to our invincible charges.

The lines of the different invading forces were separated by hundreds of miles; still this little army, scarce enough for an army corps in the war of the rebellion, made their victorious advances on all. Small detachments were left to garrison the captured towns, surrounded by multitudes of inhabitants, yet every place was held, and communication with the rear was never cut off, and supplies came regularly to the front.

Then again, follow that army and note its influence on the inhabitants; no outrage, no pillage, no oppression, the populace mingled with the soldiers of an invading army in friendly