enemy. Having made his dispositions, Taylor, leaving Wool in command, proceeded the same evening to Saltillo, to make arrangements for the defence of the town.
On his arrival at Encarnacion Santa Anna felt confident of surprising the enemy at Agua Nueva; and unaware that Taylor was evacuating the place, laid his plans accordingly. The hacienda of Encarnacion is distant thirty-six miles from that of Agua Nueva, from which it is separated by a dreary, waterless desert. Santa Anna's scheme was to halt during the early part of the night in the desert, and then silently continuing his march, to fall suddenly on Taylor at early dawn on the 22d. On the 20th he issued his order of march, which was to commence at 11 o'clock on the following morning. Ampudia, who had been restored to his command, was to take the lead with the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th battalions of light infantry; the 1st division under Pacheco was to follow; then the division of the centre under Lombardini, succeeded by the 3d division, commanded by Ortega. Each division was accompanied by its portion of the artillery, and the cavalry was to bring up the rear, escorting the ammunition and baggage trains. At starting the troops were supplied with rations for only two meals,[1] one of which was to be eaten at night on the desert; and the chiefs of corps were strictly charged to see that each soldier took with
- ↑ Carleton, Battle of Buena Vista, 234, in a note referring to Santa Anna's official report of the battle, leaves it to be inferred that the Mexican general made a misstatement in saying that the troops had only one ration during the 22d and 23d, and points out what seems to him a discrepancy between Santa Anna's order of march and his report. There is, however, no contradiction in the two documents. The order makes it apparent that three rations were issued on the 20th. The first ration was eaten on the 21st before starting; the second at night on the desert; and on the morning of the 22d there was only one ration left, which was all the half-famished troops had during that day and the following. I see no discrepancy, therefore, in Santa Anna's assertion that the army, 'without other food than a single ration, which was dealt out at Encarnacion, endured the fatigue of combat for two days.' Id., 151. A literal translation of Santa Anna's order which was found on the battle-field is supplied in U. S. Govt Doc., Cong. 30, Ses. 1, H. Ex. 1, pp. 156-8.
