Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/754

734 themselves under God's special protection, and relying on the dissensions said to exist among the liberals, the reactionary chiefs felt certain of success. The liberal army of the interior, upwards of 10,000 men, had its headquarters in Celaya. The troops had been in constant hard service and needed rest. San Luis Potosí, Tampico, and other principal towns were surrounded by liberal forces, and had it not been for the defection of many, the reaction might have been easily crushed. The battle of Salamanca in Guanajuato, fought on the 9th and 10th of March, was the most memorable one, and resulted disastrously for the constitutionalists, opening the gates of the_interior to their foes, and was soon followed by Doblado's capitulation at Silao. The successes rewarding the reactionists in less than two months were extraordinary, and if they had been able to get Vera Cruz, their rule might have been a long one. They were now further strengthened by a revolt in Mazatlan, with the approval of General Yañez, and of the troops in Guanajuato and other towns. But the constitutionalists were determined not to yield; they