Naturally the evidence on these points is not absolutely complete. Things were neither done nor recorded in a very systematic style. Owing to later disturbances in Mexico, not a few papers have been lost or destroyed; and the existing data are widely scattered. But the reports of American and Mexican officers, the despatches of foreign diplomatic and consular agents, local archives, newspapers, diaries, and private correspondence provide a great mass of information, which in the sum and in general is quite convincing. In these pages, of course, only the most representative documents can be cited.
The fundamental direct relation of American commanders to the people arose from insistence that civilians must abstain from hostilities, since to enforce this rule the standard international system of threats and, when it seemed necessary, harsh and summary action was unhesitatingly employed. Scott may fairly be described as conscientious and humane. He said once to a confidential associate, that if he could gain a victory in one way with a loss of eight hundred men and in a more brilliant manner with a loss of nine hundred, he would regard himself as a murderer, should he choose the second alternative; and his feelings toward the Mexicans were similar in quality. Indeed a book written by a Mexican in 1850 credited him with "humanity on all occasions". Yet in a most kindly worded proclamation, which he regarded as the crowning act of conciliation, this language was employed:
The system of forming guerrilla parties to annoy us will, I assure you, produce only evils to this country, and none to our army, which knows how to protect itself, and how to proceed against such cutthroats; and if, so far from calming resentments and passions, you try to irritate [them], you will but force upon us the hard necessity of retaliation.[1]
Citizens who took up arms now and then, and waged partizan warfare, received accordingly the treatment of outlaws. They were hunted and harried; and in general this policy extended to all who abetted their operations in any way, or were reasonably suspected of doing so. Houses and villages believed to be their rendezvous disappeared in smoke, and the women and children dwelling there found such refuge as they could. Troops selected because they were known to be merciless as well as indefatigable and brave scoured particular districts; and, aside from towns of considerable
- ↑ (Murderer) *N. P. Trist, no. 11, August 14. 1847, State Department. (Book) Hitchcock in The Republic, February 15. 1851. (Act of conciliation) W. Scott, Memoirs, II. 549. (Proclamation) House Ex. Doc. No. 60, 30 Cong., 1 sess., p. 971.
