Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/377

Rh At daylight on the following morning Arista began to retire toward Matamoros, and during the day took up a position at the Resaca de la Palma, resolved again to give battle if the enemy continued to advance. The ground selected was different from that of the plain of Palo Alto, and chosen as favorable to defensive warfare. A slight ravine about two hundred feet wide and four deep, of irregular crescent form, with the concavity facing north, intersected the main road to Matamoros, about four miles from the city. The surrounding ground was covered with thick wood and chaparral, preventing the operation of troops in line. On the northern crest of the ravine, to the left of and commanding the road, a battery of three pieces was planted, and two others were placed on the south of the ravine, one on either side of the road, each of two guns, so trained as to support the first and rake the approach with a flank and cross fire. In the rear to the left was a single piece. Arista's first line of infantry was stationed behind, and protected by the front or northern brink of the ravine, while a second line was posted on the southern crest. The cavalry, unable to act from the nature of the ground, was massed on the road in the rear.

Taylor, on the night of the 8th, had held a council of war, at which the general opinion was that it would be imprudent to advance further, and some officers even proposed to fall back to Point Isabel. But the general was of a different mind; and supported by Colonel Belknap and Captain Duncan, he gave orders to