Page:Vol 4 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/406

390 García Conde departed with the conducta of silver bullion from Guanajuato to escort it to Mexico, and conveyed it as far as Irapuato. From this place, where he incorporated into his force Villalba's command, without divulging his destination, he started at two o'clock in the morning of May 15th, so as to reach the valley of Santiago by ten, and occupy the points agreed upon with Negrete. But Albino Garcia, if unlettered, was a shrewd military man. He well understood the royalists' movements, and easily disconcerted them. Not finding Negrete where he expected to meet him, and hearing a brisk firing from the direction of Parangues, García Conde inferred that Albino García had attacked Negrete, which was true. On García Conde's approach, the enemy retired, and, pursued by the cavalry, lost some men.Among the slain was one of the most efficient officers of the guerrilla band. Conde and Negrete marched into the valley in three sections, one of which was under Iturbide, with the view of pursuing Albino if he returned. They failed to find him, however, only priests, women, and children being left in the town. Conde wanted to form other combinations with Negrete, but the latter had to return to his former positions to protect the Nueva Galicia frontier from possible invasion by Albino García. It was, however, agreed that Negrete should march by the Pénjamo road, Conde taking that of Yuriria, so as to place the enemy between two fires; but the latter eluded the hot pursuit of Conde and Iturbide, though owing to the fact of his being afflicted with gout, Albino had to journey in a carriage or on a bed. When the pursuers came near he would quickly mount a horse and escape by some side road, after hiding his artillery. Once his artillery carriages were captured and destroyed. At the end of this unsuccessful pursuit the royalists were completely exhausted. Conde gave up the chase, and returning to the valley of Santiago, took the sacred vessels and paraments and the priests of that town and of Yuriria to Irapuato. Conde, in his report of May 31st, speaks of Albino's force being all dispersed, and states that the chief had only 100 men with him; but, of course, that is a part of guerrilla warfare. ''Gaz. de Mex''., 1812, iii. 749-55; ''Alaman, Hist. Mej''., iii. 191-3; ''Mora, Revol. Mex''., iv. 431-2. Albino García's bands consisted of large masses of mounted men, mostly mestizos and mulattoes, some armed with spears, others with muskets and swords, ready for attack and still readier for running away. Their chief was the most active and dreaded guerrilla that the war produced. When he intended to assault a town or hacienda, a large number of Indian slingers assembled in the neighboring villages and fields, and with a few badly made and worse served pieces of artillery, rendered aid. The attack was made by surrounding the town with cavalry, which was, of course, useless against a fortified place. The most abusive epithets were hurled at the besieged, and a brisk fire of artillery and musketry sustained for hours, discharging perhaps 600 or 700 cannon-shots, which did little or no harm, the royalists returning the fire from behind their intrenchments. Finally, after having some men killed and wounded, the foiled assailants would retire either because their ammunition had given out, or some royalist force was approaching to relieve the town. In the retreat the guerrillas would sack every hacienda