cattle on his estate to be driven into camp, and fed his hungry troops with meat. He did everything, in fact, that man could do to insure success. Yet Santa Anna has been accused of culpably losing the battle of Cerro Gordo, and I do not say he was wholly without blame.
A limited amount of pack-animals and other means of transportation having been obtained, Twiggs' division of regulars, the 2d, marched from Vera Cruz for Jalapa April 8th, and was followed the next day by two brigades of Patterson's division of volunteers.[1] Twiggs arrived at the village of Plan del Rio on the 11th and encamped there. As yet he was entirely ignorant as to the strength of the enemy, and had no more reliable information respecting it than vague reports obtained from Mexicans, who variously estimated it at from 2,000 to 13,000. On the 12th, however, he made a daring reconnoissance, and discovered the general position of the enemy, and the fact that he was in much greater force than had been expected. Nevertheless, he meditated attacking, and on the 13th, having matured his plans, issued his orders to his own division and that of Patterson, which had also arrived in camp, and over which he assumed command. His hasty proceedings were arrested, however, by the receipt of an order from Patterson to suspend all operations until the arrival of the commander-in-chief.
Meantime Scott, who had been somewhat better informed than his generals,[2] at the first intimation that a serious conflict might be expected, hastened to
- ↑ Leaving behind Quitman's brigade and Thomas' Tennessee horse. Brigadier-general Pillow temporarily took command of the volunteer division, owing to the illness of Patterson. The regulars had been organized into two divisions, the 1st of which was under the command of Worth. U. S. Govt Doc., Cong. 30, Ses. 1, H. Ex. 60, p. 928-9.
- ↑ He heard on the 9th that Santa Anna was at Jalapa with 6,000 men. He still believed that no serious opposition would be met with before reaching Jalapa, and on receipt of the first reports of Twiggs and Pillow thought 4,000 men an exaggerated estimate of the enemy's force in the pass of Cerro Gordo. Id., 928–9, 939-40.
