PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BUONAPARTE LAMAR 261 ing frightfully in Mexico and that its reconquest would be an easy task on account of the unfortunate divisions among the inhabitants of the country, and, accordingly, it prepared an expedition on the Island of Cuba with the flattering hope that on landing in )fexico all the dis- appointed aspirants and the dissaffected of all parties would join them. With this hope Barradas landed at a point where he had been told he would encounter the least resistance and where he would quickly be supported by a strong party in favor of the King, his master. He had an army of more than three thousand men and a great supply of arms and munitions of war evidently intended for those who were to join him. His hopes were deceived. Santa Anna was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the forces which were sent against Barradas, and without the knowledge of the Govern- ment he made forced loans, took possession of several ships at the port of Veracruz, and with two thousand men set sail for Tuspan. Mean- while, Barradas, who had landed at Cabo Rojo, marched to Pueblo Viejo after several skirmishes on the road, and crossing the river, he took Tampico. He published a proclamation announcing to the world that. he had recovered that part of the district governed by the Viceroy of Texas, and offering protection and free commerce to all foreign nations. By this time Don Manuel Mier y Teran, had occupied several places north of Tampico, had forfeited some of them and had given the com- mand of Altamira to General Don Felipe de la Garza. A short time after the occupation of Tampico by the Spaniards, Barradas marched with his forces toward Altamira; and Garza, who had been ordered by Teran to make a survey of the enemy's forces, instead of doing this placed himself without resistance in the hands of the invaders. Such was the state of affairs when Santa Anna landed at Tuspan_ On being informed there that Barradas with the body of his army had left Tampico for Altamira, he determined to take advantage of the absence of this leader and of the weakness of the garrison to attack Tampico, where only the sick and wounded· and some two or three hundred men under the command of Colonel Espaiiol Salomon re- mained to guard the place. With this in view he marched to Pueblo Viejo, and crossing the river Panuco sent an advance guard of five hundred men who attacked the city and succeeded in defeating their opponents on the square where they stood their ground. Santa Anna marched with the reserves and arrived at the city where his lieutenants had occupied several strong positions from which they fought the enemy. It was after midnight and the advantage was on the side of the Mexican forces. The next morning a great body of troops was seen approaching at a distance, and without either of the combatants knowing whether they were Mexicans or Spaniards, Colonel Salomon, in this doubt, proposed a suspension of hostilities which was promptly accepted by Santa Anna. The forces which advanced belonged to Barradas, who, having received news of the fight, came to the aid of Salomon. He reached the theater of activities just when the belligerent parties were busy with their negotiations. Mr. Zavala says that the result of this action between Santa Anna and Salomon was of the greatest importance to -the Mexican arms-• The enemy, he says, received a terrible lesson from that abrupt attack. This is certainly attaching great importance to a small matter. Santa
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