Page:Vol 4 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/488

472 very scarce at the port, and as there was a large amount of mail matter collected there, Governor Dávila, in union with the merchants, despatched an expedition of 300 infantry of the Campeche regiment, 70 cavalry, and three mountain howitzers, under Juan Labaqui, captain of one of the volunteer companies of Vera Cruz, who had seen military service in Spain in 1793, against the French. Labaqui took the Orizaba road, and on his march several times encountered the independents, coming off victorious. He passed the heights of Aculcingo, and having reached the beautiful plain which stretches off to the south west, he halted to rest at the town of San Agustin del Palmar, nineteen leagues from Puebla. Morelos, by Sesma's suggestion, sent a force to attack him, under Nicolás Bravo, whom he had appointed general-in-chief of all forces operating in Vera Cruz. Bravo took 600 men, of whom 200 were coast negroes, left the guerrilla chief Arroyo with a small party in the cañada de Iztapa to prevent surprise from Orizaba, and came up with the enemy. After a long and fierce struggle, Labaqui was dislodged from two points, and had only one protection left, a building which he defended as his life. After forty-eight hours of fighting, the independents, led by Captain Palma, a negro of the coast, fell on the enemy at close quarters. Labaqui fell mortally wounded, and his men surrendered. This was on the 20th of August. Bravo sent the prisoners to the province of Vera Cruz, and went himself to Tehuacan. But five days later he routed near the puente del Rey a royalist force escorting a train to Jalapa, and took ninety prisoners.