OCR Text |
Show icans who had been led by Magoffin to believe that west of the Rio Grande some one of them ‘‘might set up a government of his own.” The position of the national administration, when it had been advised of General Kearny’s acts,'*’ was declared in a message from President Polk who said that Kearney’s acts, so far as they purported to establish a permanent territorial government, and to give the in- sat tho mnt titer fling gcdeke Snsenlneg aun ot gees New ea 166 Ruz reap . ree in — — —. a Ment " ‘6 i in Santa Fé and elsewhere have not been very anxious oe but by their bullying and overbearing demeanor toward great measure been the cause of this hatred which shortly after broke out in an organized rising of the northern part of the province, and 0¢casioned great loss of life to both parties.’’ : In a letter from Santa Fé published in Niles’ Register, Ixxii, 252, it was ets a the soldiers were a degenerated military mob, open violators of nr oo that they daily heaped injury and insult upon the people; ienile a ™ Pe the captains did not know how many men were in their com: ) geen ‘ni ht] ” os they were to be found, and that the officers themselves were am a y : fandangos and even less reputable places of dissipation. sion and a - the soldiers were never drilled and that nothing but confu- anand seer existed. It was declared that at least one-fifth of the entire ‘3 led from the effects of dissipation and that Price’s lack of intlfine A had pinned 1on and hatred and the ss his apparent Pony New inability to control either officers or men Mexicans the strongest feelings of disgust and 07 Bet? at a desire to rebel existed among the inhabitants. setter to General Kearny from the secretary of war. KHz. Doce. 60, Pp. 179. WITH MEXICO 231 habitants political rights as citizens, under the constitution of the United States, had not been recognized, nor approved; otherwise everything that he had done, and the instructions upon which they were based, ‘‘were but the amelioration of martial law, which modern civilization requires, and were due, as well as the security of the conquest, to the inhabitants of the conquered territory.’’ The president further stated that ‘‘it will be apparent that if any excess of power has been exercised, the departure has been the offspring of a patriotic desire to give to the inhabitants the privileges and immunities so cherished by the people of our own country, and which they believed calculated to improve their condition and promote their prosperity. Any such excess has resulted in no practical injury, but can and will be early corrected in a manner to alienate as little as possible the good feelings of the inhabitants of the conquered territory.’’ Kearny and Doniphan had no sooner left the territory than rumors of intended revolt among the natives were constantly being circulated. These could be traced to no authoritative source. It was also believed that Mexico intended sending a substantial force from Chihuahua for the purpose of regaining the territory. This belief was entirely shattered when news came of the battle of Brazito. General Price had nearly two thousand men with whom he felt fully able to keep the territory in subjection, although many of these were on the sick-list. The main force was stationed at Santa Fé. Small detachments were stationed at other towns, notably Alburquerque, on the Mora and another at Cebolleta, on the Navajé frontier. But with all their belief in their ability to handle the situation, Santa Fé came near proving a Capua to the American soldiers. Frequent altercations occurred between the Mexican inhabitants and the soldiers; the natives, naturally, were jealous of foreign interference; many of the disbanded militia which Armijo had called out lingered in the vicinity of Santa Fé, ready to be employed, if opportunity presented itself; the civil officers who had been displaced viewed Governor Bent, Secretary Vigil, and the other ap- pointees under the newly established government, of hatred and ill-will. with emotions The Pueblos were violently hostile and some of the most prominent and influential citizens in the territory, led on by the clergy, as is well known, labored to foment the disaffec- so of time, however, neither wisely nor profitably spent and many of the soldiers fell victims to disease. Price had a number of enemies in the army and at home in Missouri and these were constantly writing letters to the Missouri newspapers relating the conditions ** as they existed in New Mexico according to their standpoint. In it all there was a great deal of petty politics. There was a great deal of sickness, supplies were obtained with difficulty and the Indians of the plains were constantly attacking the caravans. The Navajés, notwithstanding their treaty of peace with Colonel Doniphan, still continued their raids. The situation was still further complicated by disagreements between the military and civil authorities and by serious troubles between the officers themselves; in fine, there was much dissatisfaction with the administration of affairs in the military department. The proclamations issued by General Kearny ignored the claim that eastern New Mexico belonged to Texas, and his published intention of retaining all of the country as a permanent possession of the United States came as a great disappointment to those leading Mex- WAR ee THE HISTORY ee MEXICAN ae a NEW - OF _ FACTS >. Lary a LEADING ‘ ae ie et Pe OFSok Sal tal tok ek De ee es ee ee aed Pi a ee ee es 230 |