with full

consented to receive "a commissioner powers to settle the present dispute." America sent Mr. Slidell as a permanent minister plenipotentiary. He was refused pro causa. The instructions given to Mr. Slidell have not, we think, been officially published, though they were requested by the House. However, a document purporting to contain those instructions was published unofficially. From that it appears that he was instructed to purchase New Mexico and California; he was allowed to offer $25,000,000 and the American claims on Mexico, amounting, by his estimate, to $8,187,684.† Thus the whole territory of New Mexico and California was thought to be worth $33,187,684.

Soon after the accession of Mr. Polk to office, General Taylor was ordered to Texas with an army. On the 15th of June, he was advised by the Secretary of War, Mr. Marcy: "The point of your ultimate destination is the western portion of Texas, where you will select and occupy, on or near the Rio Grande del Norte, such a site as will be best

adapted to repel invasion. You will limit yourself to the defence of the territory, unless Mexico shall declare war against the United States." General Taylor took position on the Nueces at Corpus Christi, "the most western point ever occupied by Texas," but nearly two hundred miles east of the Rio Grande. August 6th, Mr. Marcy writes §: —

"Orders have already been issued to send ten thousand muskets and a thousand rifles into Texas."

August 23d,

"Should Mexico assemble a large body of troops on the Rio Grande, and cross it with a considerable force, such a movement would be regarded as an invasion of the United States."

August 30th,

"An attempt to cross,

with such a force, will be con

*See No. I. of this journal, p. 18, et seq. See the correspondence between the various functionaries in Executive Document, No. 60, 30th Congress, 1st Session, p. 12, et seq. Unfortunately we have only the translation of the Mexican letters. See, also, Senate Document, No. 337, 30th Congress, 1st Session, p. 18.

† Jay, p. 117, et seq. See, also, Document No. 2, House of Representatives, 29th Congress, 1st Session, p. 31, et seq., for the correspondence between the government of Texas and the United States, and No. I. of this journal, p. 24, et seq. Executive Document, No. 60, 30th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 81, et seq. See No. I. of this journal, p. 25, et seq.

sidered in the same light.

menced hostilities, you may

perse or capture the forces," &c.*

Mexico having thus comcross the Rio Grande, dis

He was authorized to draw militia from five states-Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.† Still General Taylor remained at Corpus Christi, not undertaking to commit an act of war by marching into the territory of Mexico. On the 13th of July, 1846, he was ordered to "advance and occupy positions on or near the east bank of the Rio Grande." Accordingly, General Taylor marches from the Nueces to the Rio Grande, finding no Texans or Americans on his way-only "small armed parties of Mexicans," who appeared "desirous to avoid us.' He takes his position on the left bank of the Rio Grande, and plants his guns"four eighteen-pounders "so as to "bear directly upon the public square of Matamoras, and within good range for demolishing the town."§ Behold General Taylor nearly two hundred miles within the territory of Mexico, by the command. of Mr. Polk-in a district, to use the words of Mr. Trist in his letter to Mr. Buchanan, which "just as certainly constituted a part of that state [Tamaulipas,] and not of Texas, as it is certain that the counties of Acomac and Northampton do now constitute a part of the state of Virginia and not of Maryland."|| An interview took place between the American General, Worth, and General Vega on the part of Mexico. "General Vega remarked that we' felt indig nant at seeing the American flag placed on the Rio Grande, a portion of the Mexican territory." General Worth replied, "that was a matter of taste; notwithstanding there it would remain." On the 12th of April, the Mexican General, Ampudia, very justly said, "Your government . . . has not only insulted, but exasperated the Mexican nation, bearing its conquering banner to the left bank of the Rio Grande del Norte.'

It was plain that America had committed an act of war, still the Mexicans did not commence hostilities. On the 12th of April, Ampudia summoned the American General to "with

* Executive Document, Ibid., pp. 84, 85, 88, 89.

4 Executive Document, Ibid., p. 90.

Letter of April 6th, 1846, Ibid, p. 133.

↑ Ibid., p. 86.

Executive Document, No. 52, 30th Congress, 1st Session, p. 290.

¶ Executive Document, No. 60, p. 137.

** Ibid., p. 140.

draw within twenty-four hours"; he answered the same day that he "should not retrograde." On the 17th, he blockaded the mouth of the Rio Grande, thus cutting off supplies from Matamoras, and wrote home that "it will at any rate compel the Mexicans either to withdraw their army from Matamoras, where it cannot be subsisted, or to assume the offensive on this side of the river." Flour rose to $40 a barrel, it is said, at Matamoras. Still there was no fighting. But on the 23d of April, General Taylor thus writes:

"With a view to check the depredations of small parties of Mexicans on this side of the river, Lieutenants Dobbins, 3d infantry, and Porter, 4th infantry, were authorized by me a few days since, to scour the country for some miles, with a select party of men, and capture or destroy any such parties that they might meet. It appears that they separated, and that Lieutenant Porter, at the head of his own detachment, surprised a Mexican camp, drove away the men and took possession of their horses. Soon afterwards, there fell a heavy rain, and, at a moment when the party seem to have been quite unprepared for an attack, they were fired upon from the thicket. In attempting to return it, the muskets missed fire, and the party dispersed in the thicket."

Three days later he writes:

"I regret to report that a party of dragoons, sent out by me on the 24th inst., to watch the course of the river above on this bank, became engaged with a very large force of the enemy, and after a short affair, in which some sixteen were killed and wounded, appear to have been surrounded and compelled to surrender.

"Hostilities may now be considered as commenced, and I have this day deemed it necessary to call upon the governor of Texas for four regiments of volunteers."

Here is Captain Thornton's account of the affair:

"I discovered some Mexicans near a house in a large field. I halted the advance guard, and went into the field myself to see them. I had not gone more than a hundred yards when they fled; I turned round and motioned to the advanced guard to come on. In the mean time the main body of the squadron had come up to the advance guard, and, mistaking my order, followed in after them; and while I was questioning a Mexican the enemy appeared. I immediately ordered a charge, in order to cut my way through them; but finding their numbers too large to contend

with any longer, I ordered a retreat; and although entirely surrounded, we endeavored to cut our way through to camp. In the retreat my horse fell upon me, and I was unable to rise.

"As a prisoner of war, I am happy to inform you that attentions and kindness have been lavished upon me; as a proof of which, I will state that upon my reporting to General Arista that a dragoon had treated me rudely, he ordered him immediate punishment."*

Thus it is plain how they "became engaged," and that America not only committed the first act of war, by invading the territory of Mexico, but actually first commenced hostilities. It is true the President of Mexico on the 18th of April, had said "from this day begins our defensive war, and every part of our territory attacked or invaded shall be defended." On the 24th he issued his proclamation declaring that "hostilities have been commenced by the United States, in making new conquests upon our territories within the boundaries of Tamaulipas and New Leon. I have not the right to declare war." The same day General Arista informed General Taylor that he "considered hostilities commenced and should prosecute them." It was on that very day that the two parties "became engaged," as we have shown above.

General Taylor's letter of April 26th, reached Washington on Saturday, May 9th; on Monday, Mr. Polk sent a Message to Congress and declared that:

"War exists, and notwithstanding all our efforts to avoid it, exists by the act of Mexico"; "the Mexican Government have at last invaded our territory, and shed the blood of our fellowcitizens on our own soil; "we have been exerting our best efforts to propitiate her good will"; "we have tried every effort at reconciliation." "The cup of forbearance had been exhausted even before the recent information from the frontier of the Del Norte. But now Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory, and shed American blood upon the American soil."

Documents accompanied the Message. Mr. Winthrop proposed they should be read. No. In a very short time a bill passed the House placing the Army and Navy at the Presi dent's disposal, authorizing him to raise 50,000 volunteers, and

Captain Thornton's letter to General Taylor, April 27th. See, also, Captain Hardee's letter, April 26th, Ibid., pp. 290, 291, et seq.

† Jay, p. 142.

‡ Mr. Polk's Message of May 11th, ubi sup., p. 8. See, also, Porter, ubi sup., chapter VIII.

putting in his hands $10,000,000, for the purpose of enabling him to "prosecute said war to a speedy and successful termination." In the Senate, the same bill passed the next day. The preamble was in these memorable words: "Whereas, by the act of the Republic of Mexico, war exists between that government and the United States." In the House, fourteen voted against the bill, and two in the Senate. Six of the sixteen were from Massachusetts, two were from other parts of New England, and five from Ohio, one of her daughter states."

The history of the war is well known. It was conducted with great vigor; on the whole, with great military skill, and with as much humanity as could be expected. War at best, is prolonged cruelty. Still we have read of no war conducted. with less inhumanity than this. Some acts of wantonness were certainly committed. The capture of Tabasco is an example. The conduct of the volunteers was often base and revolting. General Taylor was furnished with a proclamation, to distribute in Mexico, designed to foment discord, to promote hostility between the rich and poor. Their leaders were called "tyrants," and "their real purpose" was "to proclaim and establish a monarchy." Colonel Stevenson was told to make the people feel that we come as deliverers; their rights of person, property, and religion must be respected and sustained." General Kearney proclaimed: "It is the wish and intention of the United States to provide for New Mexico a free Government,- similar to those in the United States." "We shall want from you," says General Taylor's proclamation, "nothing but food for our army, and for this you shall always be paid in cash the full value." ("y esto os serà siempre pagado en dineros y por su valor entera.") But on the 9th of July, General Taylor was told in a "confidential"

letter:

"You will also readily comprehend that in a country so divided into races, classes, and parties, as Mexico is, and with so many local divisions among departments, and personal divisions among

Here are the names. In the Senate, - - Thomas Clayton, Delaware; John Davis, Massachusetts. In the House, — John Quincy Adams, George Ashmun, Joseph Grinnell, Charles Hudson, Daniel P. King, of Massachusetts; Henry P. Cranston, Rhode Island; Luther Severance, Maine; Erastus D. Culver, New York; John Straham, Pennsylvania; Columbus Delano, Joseph M. Root, Daniel R. Tilden, Joseph Vance, Joshua R. Giddings, Ohio.

† See many examples in Jay, p. 223, et seq.

Executive Document, ubi sup, p. 167, and 285.

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