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the battle of Buena Vista, Taylor s active operations in the north may be regarded as ended. His work in future was confined to holding possession of the country occupied. The withdrawal of his regular troops for Scott's expedition against the capital, and the approaching expiration of his best volunteers' term of service, rendered offensive manœuvres in the direction of San Luis Potosi inadvisable. At the same time Scott s advance against the capital so occupied the Mexicans that the hostile forces in the northern provinces were almost unmolested. For a brief period the communication between Monterey and the Rio Grande was interrupted by the operations of generals Urrea and Romero, who, in concert with Santa Anna s design of cutting off the retreat of the army which he had hoped to defeat, had advanced with a strong cavalry corps from Tula to the neighbor hood of Cerralvo and Camargo. On the 24th of

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