Page:Vol 4 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/316

300 uniting his force with the sixth division of the coast, commanded by José Sanchez Pareja. At Tepango, also, the insurgents suffered a reverse, a detachment under Cortés and Martinez, who had been sent to attack the royalists at Chilapa, being defeated with some loss by Guevara. With better fortune, however, Miguel de Ávila gained on November 23d a slight success over Fuentes, who had landed at the harbor of Marquez with 300 men from Acapulco; and on the 13th of December the same officer repulsed at a place called the Sabana, the united forces of Páris and Pareja, who in conjunction with Fuentes were advancing against Aguacatillo.

Hitherto the operations of Morelos in the field had been neither important nor brilliant; and piqued at the insignificant results, he determined to anticipate Páris’ meditated assault upon Aguacatillo. The royalist leader had fallen back to Tres Palos, and Morelos decided to surprise his camp by night. Accordingly on the 4th of January, 1811, he secretly despatched Ávila with 600 men, who defeated the royalists, nearly 1,000 strong, with the trilling loss of five killed. The result was most important to the revolutionists; 600 muskets, five pieces of artillery, including a howitzer and a large quantity of ammunition, and other war stores fell into their hands, while the reputation of their chief spread far and wide.

Morelos now directed his attention to Acapulco, in the expectation of gaining possession of the fort with out difficulty, Carreño's assistant, an artillery officer named Gago, having secretly made offers to surrender it to him. With 600 men he marched in person from the Sabana, and on the night of the 7th of February secretly took up a position on the eminence of las Iguanas in front of the fort. Early next morning the