Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/220

200 the men who had joined the Juarists were no longer in the United States service. His manifest hostility continued, and early in January 1866 bands of negro soldiers, with Cortina's name on their caps, came over and sacked Bagdad, carrying off the garrison. This being a manifest infringement of neutrality, the United States government hastened to make amends by removing the commandant and arraigning the participants in the outrage.

Escobedo fell back on Monterey, taking possession of the town; but a part of the imperial garrison retired, after a sharp contest, into the citadel, and held out till Jeanningros came to the rescue on November 25th, after a flying expedition to Monclova, and compelled Escobedo to hurry away to Camargo, and there recruit for the next favorable opportunity. In the lower part of Tamaulipas Mendez remained supreme, notwithstanding a temporary advantage of Ornano, who took Victoria on the 17th of November, and held it for a month, after which it was finally evacuated.

The dispersion of Negrete's army having deprived Juarez of his last imposing support, Maximilian