Chapter XXX: The Naval Operations

30.1. Sen. 187, 263; 29, 1. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 774-5 (Bancroft). Sen. 1; 29, 2, pp. 377-8. (War bill) Vol. i, p. 181. Sen. 1; 30, 1, p. 973. (Expense) Ho. 188; 29, 1; Sen. 139; 29, 2. In Jan., 1846, there were also 3 receiving ships and 11 small unarmed vessels and storeships. In ordinary and building there were 2 (5) ships-of-the-line, 5 (3) frigates and razees, 6 (2) sloops-of-war, 2 (0) brigs and 3 (1) steamers, carrying 576 (614) guns. (The figures in parentheses represent vessels building.) The time of the crews of the _Savannah_ and _Warren_ expired before July 1 and Sloat was authorized to send them east. Three schooners--the _Bonita_, the _Reefer_ and the _Petrel_--built at New York for Mexico but not paid for, were purchased (_Niles_, June 13, 1846, p. 226; see chap. xiii, note 13.31). In Oct., 1847, there were also one ordnance transport and six storeships.

30.2. Sen. 1; 30, 1, p. 945. U. S. Naval Institute, Proceedings, xiv, 539 (S. C. Rowan, recolls.). Griffis, Perry, 200. Ho. 24; 30, 2 (Mason to Speaker). (Reputation) =73=Bermúdez de Castro, no. 445, 1847. Sen. 69; 30, 1 (punishments). =374=Shubrick to Conner, July 17, 1845: "The time has been when the conviction of an officer of having told a _deliberate, premeditated, official lie_ would be fatal to him, so far at least as the opinion of a Court Martial would go, but that time has passed--alas! for the Navy." In the course of a short cruise, 1847-48, Farragut had to "rid the service" of five junior officers and bring to trial a first lieutenant for drunkenness (Mahan, Farragut, 97). Mar. 5, 1847, =120=Capt. Mervine charged a lieutenant with being intoxicated repeatedly while commanding at S. José, Calif., amidst a hostile population. July 10, 1847, =120=J. H. Brown, S. Francisco, Calif., wrote to Biddle that officers got drunk at his house and did havoc. =120=Commander Hull informed Biddle, Mar. 4, 1847, that a midshipman came aboard intoxicated. Many seamen were of foreign birth, but only 26 out of 853 officers.

30.3. =354=Welles papers. Ho. 188, 191; 29, 1. Howe, Bancroft, i, 292. Polk, Diary, Sept. 9, 1846; Feb. 20, 1847. =108=Buchanan to Bancroft, Sept. 29, 1847. =256=Marcy to Wetmore, Nov. 28, 1845. Seward, Seward at Wash., i, 51. "Bancroft" was of course George Bancroft, the historian.

30.4. =48=Bancroft to Conner, Aug. 30, 1845, secret. London _Times_, June 11, 1846. =52=Bancroft, no. 25, 1847. =52=King, no. 28, 1846. =52=Martin, no. 14, 1847. _Picayune_, May 7, 1846. =58=Spofford, Tyleston & Co., Dec. 11, 1846. =13=Bankhead, no. 79, 1845. =58=Emory, Stetson & Co., June 5, 1847. =46=Newell to J. Y. Mason, Nov. 25, 1846. Sen. 1; 30, 1, 945 (Mason, report). Richmond _Enquirer_, Aug. 15, 1845. Phila. _No. Amer._, June 20, 1845. Memoria de ... Guerra, Dec. 9, 1846. México á través, iv, 569. =13=Pakenham, no. 42, 1846. =52=Saunders (Madrid), nos. 9, 12, 1847. =52=Littlefield to Saunders, May 2, 1847. N. Y. _Herald_ (weekly), May 16, 1846. Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 566 (Jesup). Boston _Atlas_, May 18, 1846. Buchanan, Works, vii, 325-6 (to W. R. J.), 355-6 (to T. N. C.). =49=Bancroft to Conner, Aug. 29, 1846. What is said of Cuba applies to Porto Rico also.

30.5. (Action of Mexico) =13=Bankhead, nos. 68, 100, 147, 150, 161, 1846; London _Times_, Jan. 8, 13, 15, 1847; Dublán, Legislación, v, 161; =52=Slidell to Buchanan, Mar. 27, 1846; =52=Martin, no. 11, 1847; =297=Mackenzie (S. Anna) to Buchanan, July 7, 1846; Semmes, Service, 80-1; México á través, iv, 569; =52=Consul Black, Sept. 28; Oct. 29, 1846; =73=Bermúdez de Castro, nos. 294, res., 368, 1846; =52=Bancroft, no. 16, 1847; =76=Tornel, circular (regulations), July 26, 1846; Memoria de ... Relaciones, Dec., 1846; =52=Memoria de ... Guerra, Dec., 1846; _Diario_, July 27; Oct. 3, 1846. Irving (Madrid), no. 8, 1847. London _Times_, Jan. 8, 13, 15, 1847. Semmes, Service, 80. Sen. 1; 29, 2, pp. 40-1. =52=Saunders (Madrid), no. 9, 1847. =76=Almonte, Dec. 10, 1846. Buchanan, Works, vii, 334-42 (to R. M. S.).

30.6. =52=Martin, no. 11, 1847. =52=Bancroft, no. 16, 1847. =52=Irving, July 18, 1846. Richardson, Messages, iv, 495-6. Sen. 1; 30, 1, 945-6 (report). Wash. _Union_, July 22, 1847. The 29th Cong., second session, provided for the punishment of the citizens (apprehended on privateers) of those states having treaties with the U. S. which made their acts piracy (Wash. _Union_, Mar. 9, 1847; =13=Pakenham, no. 26, 1847). =108=Bancroft to Buchanan, Feb. 3, 1847. =13=For. Off. to Bankhead, no. 34, 1845. _Cong. Globe_, 29, 1, p. 811 (Berrien). Buchanan, Works, vii, 23, 52. The suggestion of commissioning American privateers excited opposition in Europe. It was feared that they would molest neutrals. Even in the U. S. it was opposed (Dayton in Senate, Jan. 27, 1847). Nothing came of it.

30.7. (England) =13=Bankhead, nos. 79, 1845; 150, 1846; =13=To Bankhead, nos. 34, 1845; 1, 1847; London _Times_, Jan. 22, 1847; _Britannia_, Jan. 23, 1847; =52=Bancroft, no. 16, 1847; _Monitor Repub._, Nov. 21, 1846; =52=Bancroft, no. 18, 1847; =108=_Id._ to Buchanan, Feb. 3, 1847; =73=Bermúdez de Castro, no. 294, res., 368, 1846. (France) =52=Martin, nos. 11, 15, 1847; =52=Guizot to Martin, Feb. 26, 1847. (Spain) =73=Bermúdez de C., nos. 294, res., 368, 1846; =52=To Consul Campbell, May 14, 1846; =77=Mex. Consul, Havana, Dec. 10, 1846, res.; =76=Almonte, Dec. 10, 1846; =72=Instructs. to capt. gen., June 18, 1846; =52=Irving, July 18, 1846; nos. 5, 8, 1847; =71=docs. relating to Cuban ports; Sen. 1; 29, 2, p. 40; Boston _Courier_, Jan. 20, 1847; Buchanan, Works, vii, 334 (to R. M. S.). Sen. 1; 30, 1, 945-6 (report). _Picayune_, Aug. 26, 1846. Conner, Home Squadron, 12.

30.8. Richardson, Messages, iv, 548-9, 561. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 774-5 (Bancroft). Sen. 1; 29, 2, p. 377. Sen. 1; 30, 1, p. 951. =59=Circular to U. S. ministers, May 14, 1846. =47=Conner to Bancroft, May 14, 1846. =52=Consul Chase, Jan. 20, 1846. =76=Parrodi, July 2, 1846. =52=McLane (London), no. 54, 1846. =13=Giffard (V. Cruz), June 30, 1846. =162=Morris to Conner, Oct. 24, 1846. =313=Conner, instructions, May 14.

American vessels were excluded on the score of impartiality and also because the admission of them would have defeated the main purposes of the blockade (Richardson, Messages, iv, 571). A particular advantage of the blockade is that it enables a belligerent to close ports that it is not desirable or not possible to capture and hold. Under the U. S. regulations vessels lying in Mexican ports on the announcement of the blockade could remain twenty days and then leave with or without cargo. Approaching vessels could not be captured or detained unless previously warned in writing by a cruiser (=313=Conner, instructions). Vera Cruz and Tampico remained open for British mail packets (_ibid._). Fishing boats were not molested. _Bona fide_ British property, including cochineal, could be embarked on British war vessels at Vera Cruz (=13=Bankhead, no. 23, 1847). From the end of June, 1846, Conner permitted British mail packets to land quicksilver and take bullion. Engagements made before the war could be fulfilled (=313=Saunders to Callaghan, June 23, 1846). A difficult question came up concerning the floating property of neutrals residing in Mexico (Sen. 1; 30, 1, p. 1305). Mexico decreed that since her ports of entry were blockaded, all her other ports might give free entrance to vessels forcing the blockade (=70="Guerra," no. 1079), and that no tonnage dues should be charged during the continuance of the blockade (=76=Guerra, circular, Oct. 10, 1846). England had to admit that she was the last nation to protest against a strict blockade, but warned us that difficulties might arise in the enforcement of it (=52=McLane, no. 50, 1846); and she would not have our announcement published in the London _Gazette_ since, said Aberdeen, it might check trade and after all not be made good (=52=McLane, no. 55). Spain insisted upon neutral rights with peculiar jealousy. The Spanish commander even claimed free access to blockaded ports under arts. 14 and 15 of the treaty of 1795, but found that art. 16 warranted the blockade. Spain's vessels were treated with special indulgence, but she made many complaints. For Spain: =72=Instrs. to capt. gen. of Cuba, June 18, 1846; =52=Irving, no. 2, 1846; =52=Istúriz to Irving, Aug. 5, 1846; =71=papers relating to complaints; Buchanan, Works, vii, 240-1, 290-2; =47=Span. commander to Conner, June 24, 1846; reply, June 26.

30.9. =48=Bancroft to Conner, Aug. 30, 1845, secret. _Picayune_, Mar. 11, 1847. Sen. 1; 29, 2, p. 377 (Mason, report). Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1163 (Conner). =76=Parrodi, May 20, 1846. =76=Capt. of port, Tampico, May 20. Semmes, Service, 106. Conner, Home Squadron, 9. Negrete, Invasión, iii, 173. =313=Conner, proclam., May 14. =313=_Id._, instructions, May 14. =313=Saunders to C., June 20; Oct. 24; to Amer. consul, May 20. =313=C. to Saunders, July 22; Sept. 30. =164=Conner, reports, spring of 1846. Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 525 (spec. orders 128). _Niles_, Oct. 10, 1846, p. 85. =47=Conner, Oct. 8. (Goatzacoalcos) About 140 miles S. E. from V. Cruz.

It does not seem worth while to follow the movements of particular vessels. Sept. 30, 1846, the blockade was extended southeast to the River S. Pedro y S. Pablo. (Difficulties) =47=Conner, Sept. 22, 1846; _Picayune_, Mar. 11, 1847; Griffis, Perry, 210; =313=Saunders to Wash. _Union_, Oct. 10, 1846; =313=_Id._ to Conner, Oct. 24; Semmes, Service, 106; =162=Conner, Jan. 28, 1847. (_Somers_) Sen. 43; 29, 2; Sen. 1; 30, 1, pp. 945, 950; =374=Semmes to Conner, Dec. 10, 1846; =13=Pakenham, no. 151, 1846.

Just after the blockade began at Vera Cruz Gen. Bravo, commanding there, permitted several American vessels to leave the port, and in acknowledgment of his liberality two Mexican merchant vessels were sent in to him with their cargoes, crews and passengers. Courteous notes were exchanged (=76=Gacyores to Bravo, May 27; reply, May 28; Bravo, May 26). At Tampico Capt. Saunders and the city authorities were mutually considerate (=313=S. to Bancroft, June 6, 1846).

30.10. (Designed) London _Times_, Dec. 10, 1846. Comte. gen. V. Cruz. July 9, 1846. Sen. 1; 30, 1, 945, 950-1. =13=Pakenham, no. 98, 1846. =162=Conner, Dec. 18, 1846. Foltz, Report. _Niles_, Oct. 10, 1846, pp. 84-5. =47=Conner, July 22, 1846. Semmes, Service, 100. Parker, Recolls., 58, 62, etc. McClay, Navy, ii, 177-8. Bennett, Steam Navy, 98. Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1233 (Perry).

30.11. =73=Bermúdez de Castro, no. 441, 1847. Lerdo de Tejada, Apuntes, ii, 540. Henshaw narrative, Mar. 17, 1847. Smith, To Mexico, 117-8. Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1233 (Perry). =13=Giffard, Jan. 31, 1847. _Picayune_, Mar. 11, 1847. Contributory tariff: pp. 261-3.

30.12. Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 775 (Bancroft). (Mex. navy) Balbontín, Estado, 19; _Diario_, Apr. 4, 5, 1846; =70="Guerra," no. 1120; =13=Giffard, Dec. 20, 1846. =76=Acta of naval offs., Mar. 12, 1846. Memoria de ... Guerra, Dec, 1846. =76=Mora y Villamil, Mar. 12, 1846. =76=Orders to Marín, Mar. 9, 1846. =76=Marín, Apr. 26, 1847. N. Y. _Sun_, June 8, 1846. _Niles_, May 1, 1847, p. 131 (Hunter).

30.13. =375=Perry to Mason, Nov. 16, 1846. Conner, Home Squadron, 9, 11, 14. Parker, Recolls., 67, 71. =162=Morris to Conner, June 24; Oct. 24, 1846. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1172 (Conner), 1191-2 (Perry). =46=Perry, Nov. 16, 1846. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 252-3. Taylor, Broad Pennant, 287, 293. =166=Perry to Conner, Dec. 27, 1846. =166=Reports on condition of engines, boilers, etc. Bennett, Steam Navy, 93. =47=Conner, Sept. 22, 1846. Soley, Porter, 64. =165=Conner, Nov. 24, 1846.

30.14. =162=Conner's letters to his wife. Curtis, Buchanan, i, 603 (Slidell). Soley, Porter, 53-4. Semmes, Service, 114, 128. Conner, Home Squadron, 6, 23. =162=Bancroft to Conner, Dec. 10, 1845. =162=Matson to _Id._, Feb. 27, 1847.

30.15. =48=Bancroft to Conner, Aug. 30, 1845, secret. Polk, Diary, Jan. 17, 1846. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 774-5 (Bancroft). =69=Conner to Taylor, Feb. 4. =47=_Id._ to Bancroft, May 14. =162=_Id._, May 20. =61=Bancroft to Conner, Jan. 17. London _Times_, June 29; Dec. 10. Semmes, Service, 100. =76=Bravo, May 4. Tampico _Eco_, June 9, 16. =76=Parrodi, June 8, 17. =76=Vilar to Parrodi, June 8. =162=Saunders to Conner, June 20. =313=_Id._ to _Id._, June 17. =313=_Id._ to Wash. _Union_, Oct. 10. _Niles_, May 23, 1846, p. 178. Sen. 1; 29, 2, p. 377 (Mason, report). Conner, Home Squadron, 9. Bennett, Steam Navy, 34-5, 43, 62-3, 67-8, 71. Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1163 (Conner). _Picayune_, Aug. 26. For Conner's coöperation with Taylor see vol. i, pp. 466, 469.

The _Princeton_ was the earliest naval steam propeller. She was rigged as a ship. Saunders opened fire, June 8, because he feared new fortifications (near the mouth of the Pánuco) would make it hard to capture Tampico. He did little damage. The enemy replied feebly. Suspecting that the Mexican gunboats intended to sail out and raid American commerce, he determined to capture them by surprise in the night of June 14-15. He had no good pilot. The boats had much difficulty in finding the channel, which had recently shifted, and were even compelled to row more than half a mile against a swift current within pistol shot of the shore. One of them grounded twice. The moon came out. The Americans were discovered and fired upon. They replied; and then, as a surprise was no longer possible, they retired according to orders. May 28 Conner, on the _Cumberland_, was at Pensacola; the _St. Mary's_ off Tampico; the _Mississippi_ and _Falmouth_ off V. Cruz; the _Raritan_ there or on her way to that port; the _Lawrence_ (which seems to have been a brig but was not mentioned in the department's list of vessels under Conner on May 13) assisting the army; and the _Somers_ on the Yucatan service (Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1163). Aug. 10 the _Cumberland_ (still the flag-ship), _Potomac_, _Falmouth_, _Mississippi_, _Princeton_, _Flirt_ and the three gunboats (_Bonita_, _Reefer_, _Petrel_) lay at Antón Lizardo; the _St. Mary's_ and _Porpoise_ were off V. Cruz; the _John Adams_ off Tampico; the brig _Truxtun_ had gone to Chagres, and the brig _Perry_ had gone to look for privateers near Cape S. Antonio (_Picayune_, Aug. 26). These data give one an idea of the usual distribution of the vessels.

30.16. _The affair of Aug. 7._ =165=Conner to Bancroft, May 31. =47=_Id._ to _Id._, Aug. 10. Ho. 4; 29, 2, p. 630 (Conner). _Picayune_, Aug. 22, 26. N. Y. _Sun_, Dec 7. Sen. 1; 29, 2, p. 381. Semmes, Service, 88. Parker, Recolls., 66-7. Taylor, Broad Pennant, 287. =76=Landero, Aug. 10. =76=Comte gen. V. Cruz, July 15. _Esperanza_, Aug. 27. _Locomotor_, Aug. 10. For Alvarado, vol. ii, p. 344. For Antón Lizardo, vol. ii, p. 17. The Americans felt the more chagrined because British naval men witnessed their failure.

30.17. _The Affair of Oct. 15._ =162=Morris to Conner, Sept. 21. =47=Conner, Oct. 17. =162=_Id._, Oct. 16. United Service, July, 1895, p. 33. Ho. 4; 29, 2, pp. 630-1. Taylor, Broad Pennant, 290, 293, 298-306. _Picayune_, Nov. 8. Sen. 1; 29, 2, p. 381. Griffis, Perry, 199. Semmes, Service, 88. Conner, Home Squadron, 17. =76=Marin to comte. gen., Oct. 17. =76=Landero, Sept. 5, 14; Oct. 12. =76=Soto, Oct. 18. =76=Marin to Soto, Oct. 15. _Diario_, Oct. 29, 30. =76=Guerra, circular, Oct. 21. Wash. _Union_, Nov. 30. London _Times_, Dec. 10.

According to Conner's son (Home Squadron, 17), the secretary of the navy on Sept. 22 instructed Conner to attack Alvarado, supposing he had been reinforced, and it has been said that the attack should not have been made without more strength; but the difficulty was that the American forces could not be made available. It is not easy to see how Conner was at fault unless, as perhaps on Aug. 7, he might have landed in boats under such protection as his cannon could give, stormed the fort that stood near the beach, and then landed more men. Conner does not seem to have thought that sailors could do much ashore. He had a landing-force (Conner, Home Squadron, 15), but whether at this time and place is not clear. Probably a bold, though unsuccessful, attack would have been better than to back out. He is said to have argued, after the failure of Aug. 7, that even success would not have been worth what it would have cost (_Picayune_, Aug. 26); but this left moral effects out of the account. It was said by a naval man that he should have added the McLane's tow to his own and gone ahead; but it seems extremely doubtful whether he could have advanced against the current. Conner's report (Oct. 17) says the _Mississippi_ could not get near enough to make any impression on the fort, but a Mexican account printed in _La Esperanza_, Aug. 27, stated that some shot from our vessels struck more than 200 yards behind the fort, and one sees no reason to suppose that the statement was an invention. Conner seems to have thought of coming to Alvarado again, for in Jan., 1847, the Mexicans reported that the bar was being sounded (=76=Landero, Jan. 28). For the capture of the place at the beginning of April, 1847, see vol. ii, p. 344. Apr. 2 a naval expedition went up the river, returning on Apr. 4 (=66=J. L. Mason to J. L. Smith, Apr. 9).

30.18. _The first Tabasco expedition._ (Perry) =46=Perry, Aug. 15, 17; =165=Conner to P., Oct. 6; Conner, Home Squadron, 12-3. =162=Conner, Oct. 30. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1165-70 (Perry's report, etc.). Ho. 4; 29, 2, pp. 632-9. _Diario_, Nov. 7, 1846 (Traconis' reports, etc.). =47=Perry to Mason, Nov. 16. Taylor, Broad Pennant, 316. =76=Gov. of Chiapas, Oct. 27. =60=Champlen to Polk, Dec. 4. Semmes, Service, 89. Conner, Home Squadron, 9. Information given to the author by a Mexican civil engineer residing in Tabasco. Apuntes, 389-90. =73=Bermúdez de Castro, no. 445, 1847. Aldrich, Marine Corps, 97. Ho. 4; 29, 2, p. 639. Sen. 1; 29, 2, p. 381. Parker, Recolls., 73-4. =76=Traconis, Nov. 16. _Temístocles_, Dec. 31. =76=Santalo's testimony, Nov. 2. =76=Comte. gen. Tab, Apr. 6. Sen. 1; 30, 1, p. 950. =166=List of vessels captured. =166=Perry to Conner, Nov. 11. =166=Merchants to Perry, Oct. 26. =76=Traconis, proclam., Aug. 12. =13=Giffard, Jan. 31, 1847. Meade, Letters, i, 169.

As Perry was assigned to the _Mississippi_ on Oct. 6, and commanded this important expedition so soon afterward, it has been supposed incorrectly that virtually, if not formally, the squadron was divided. The hope of the United States at the beginning of the war had been that Tabasco would be neutral. The orders were not to disturb it in that case (=49=Bancroft to Conner, May 19). Perry's expedition was followed in Nov. by a revolution in Tabasco based ostensibly on the failure of the Mexican government to protect the state; but really the outbreak was due to local rivalries, and probably it caused the national government no material annoyance (=76=Alcorta, Jan. 4, 1848; México á través, iv, 599; =13=Bankhead, no. 186, 1846; =76=Acta of garrison, Nov. 19, 1846; Wash. _Union_, Jan. 18, 1847). Frontera was a valuable point, for the Americans could obtain water and cattle there and hinder illicit commerce. The Tabasco River is now called usually the Grijalva.

30.19. For the Tampico and Pánuco expeditions: vol. i, pp. 279, 281. =162=Mason to Conner, Nov. 29, 1846, priv. and confid. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1175 (Conner), 1176 (Perry). Semmes, Service, 90. Bennett, Steam Navy, 93. =47=Conner, Dec. 17. =166=Perry to C., Dec. 27; to Benham, Dec. 23; to Sands and Parker, Dec. 21. =166=Benham to Perry, Dec. 22. =166=Parker to Perry, Dec. 22. =166=Conner to Hunt, Feb. 8, 1847. =166=Sands to Conner, Feb. 20. =13=Giffard, Jan. 31, 1847. The expedition set out on Dec. 17.

Many of the people of Tabasco supposed, when Perry arrived off Frontera in Dec., that he was going to S. Juan Bautista to avenge his "defeat"; and as he did not, they presumably felt more haughty than ever (_Temístocles_, Dec. 31).

30.20. _Niles_, Oct. 31, 1846, p. 132. Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 775. (Bancroft) Mason to Conner, Oct. 26. Soley, Porter, 59. Farragut, Farragut, 158, 197. _United Service_, Feb., 1897 (Conner). México á través, iv, 419. Scott, Mems., ii, 422. N. Y. _Eve. Post_, June 10. =165=Conner to Bancroft, June 11 (impregnable if properly equipped and manned). Memoria de ... Guerra, Dec, 1846. Wash. _Union_, June 17. Diccionario Universal (_Ulúa_). _Journal des Débats_, Aug. 11, 1838. =162=Morris to Conner, June 10, 24; Oct. 24, 1846. See chap. xviii, p. 349, and note 18.2.

Oct. 3, 1846, the garrison were in a state of mutiny because hungry (=76=Morales, Oct. 4; S. Anna, Oct. 14), but the Americans did not know this. Conner suggested that he be given a landing brigade, so that he could make a combined land and water attack (Conner, S. Juan de Ulloa, 15). During the siege of Vera Cruz Perry planned to bombard the fortress and attack it with boats on a dark night in conjunction with the land forces (Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1191). Many original documents bearing on the construction of Ulúa could be cited, but they would have only an antiquarian interest. David D. Porter and David G. Farragut are the men referred to. The eagerness of certain young officers led to some enterprises that were not altogether felicitous. Contrary to orders Lieut. Parker burned the _Creole_ (_Criolla_), the last scrap of Mexican commerce, under the guns of Ulúa at night: but this injured Hargous, the American merchant, who owned or had chartered her (=374=Semmes to Conner, Nov. 28; Dec. 6, 1846; =374=Parker to Semmes, Nov. 27). It has been said that this ended a secret correspondence by which Conner obtained valuable information (Conner, Home Squadron, 7), but circumstances had probably put a stop to that about six weeks before (=166=Pommarès to Conner, Oct. 17). A plan was laid to blow up a Mexican powder magazine near V. Cruz, but this resulted in the capture of Passed Midshipman R. C. Rogers and another man (=162=Semmes to Perry, Dec. 6, 1846; =162=Wright to Semmes, Dec. 6; Semmes, Service, 91). For the capture of Vera Cruz and Ulúa see chap. xxii.

30.21. =162=Conner, Sept. 30, 1846. =374=Perry to C., Nov. 24. =162=Morris to C., Oct. 24. _Picayune_, Jan. 6, 1847. Curtis, Buchanan, i, 603-4. Griffis, Perry, 210-1, 221. =108=Appleton to Bancroft, Feb. 24; Apr. 27, 1847. Parker, Recolls., 92. Sen. 1; 30, 1, 945 (Mason, report). =163=Semmes to Conner, Sept. 29, 1850. =165=Conner to Perry, Mar. 20, 1847. =256=Marcy to Wetmore, Apr. 6, 1847. Conner's reputation in the navy at the present day is that of a coward--one of the numberless instances of historical injustice.

30.22. _Capture of Tuxpán._ Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1192-8, 1202 (Perry and others). Semmes, Service, 150-5. =76=Cos, Jan. 18; Apr. 4, 16, 29. _Picayune_, Jan. 2. Griffis, Perry, 241. =76=Soto, Aug. 31, 1846. =76=Cos to ayunt., Apr. 24. Parker, Recolls., 78, 106-7. =76=Proceeds. of Tuxpán ayunt., Apr. 22. Captain of the port, Apr. 26. _American Star_ (Jalapa), May 2. Wash. _Union_, May 13, 17; June 4; Sept. 11. Soley, Porter, 72. _Eagle_ (V. Cruz), Apr. 28. Jones, Tattnall, 64-5.

Perry's force, consisting of the steamers _Mississippi_, _Spitfire_ (a vessel--similar to the _Vixen_--which had joined the squadron in November), _Vixen_ and _Scourge_, the schooner-gunboats _Reefer_, _Petrel_ and _Bonita_, the frigate _Raritan_ (carrying 180 officers and men from the _Potomac_ besides her own complement), the sloops _Albany_, _John Adams_, _Decatur_ and _Germantown_, the bomb-vessels _Vesuvius_, _Ætna_ and _Hecla_, and 300 officers and men from the ship-of-the-line _Ohio_, which stopped at Vera Cruz, on her way to the Pacific, to assist Scott, who were distributed on the _Mississippi_ and smaller vessels, gathered first at Lobos Ids., where the forces were drilled about a day for the attack. Next, after having been separated by a norther, they met off the bar. The Mexicans were driven a short distance from the town, but further pursuit into the chaparral would have been vain. An expedition went some distance up the river from Tuxpán (Semmes, Service, 154). The city government had not wished Cos to defend the town, and hence he withdrew all his troops from town before the attack. Most of his troops soon scattered. The city would not help support them, but furnished the Americans with supplies cheerfully. At Perry's request steps were taken to maintain order. He now left the _Albany_ and _Reefer_ off the river, and sent the _Hecla_ to blockade Soto la Marina, the _Germantown_ to search the coast north of Lobos Ids., the _Ætna_ to occupy Tabasco River, the _Porpoise_ and the _Vesuvius_ to hold Laguna. Besides the flotilla mentioned above he probably had under his command at this time the gunboats _Falcon_ and _Tampico_ (vol. ii, p. 338; Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1182). For the loss of the _Truxtun_ in Aug., 1846, which led to a great deal of discussion regarding the conduct of Carpender, her captain, see =162=Conner, Aug. 24; =47=_Id._, Aug 24; =47=Carpender to Conner, Aug. 24; Mason to Polk, Oct. 28, 1846; Semmes, Service, 82; N. Orl. _Commerc. Bulletin_, Sept. 8; Parker, Recolls., 78; Docs. in Conner papers; comte. gen. V. Cruz, Aug. 23 and docs.; Taylor, Broad Pennant, 260; Wash. _Union_, Sept. 12, 22; _Nat. Intelligencer_, Sept. 14.

30.23. (Small ports) Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1204-8, 1223, 1228-9; =76=Buchanan to authorities of Tapantla, May 10, 1847. The main purposes of taking the small ports were to gather fresh provisions, exclude contraband trade, and obtain funds under the contributory tariff (chap. xxxiii). The usual terms required a renunciation of Mexican allegiance during the war, obedience to American orders, and the payment of all revenues to the United States.

An indefinite number of citations bearing upon the situation in Yucatan could be given, but the following are deemed sufficient. Bankhead, no. 11, 1846. _Journal des Débats_, Sept. 13, 1842. _Constitutionnel_, Nov. 2-3, 1846. Polk, Diary, Aug. 29, 1845; Feb. 27, 1847. Sen. 43; 30, 1. =49=Bancroft to Conner, May 19, 1846. =49=Mason to _Id._, Oct. 16, 1846; Feb. 25, 1847; to Perry, Mar. 17, 1847. Semmes, Service, 84. =335=Tinsley to Trist, Aug. 6, 1846. =335=Robira to _Id._, June 7, 1847. Sen. 40, 42, 43, 45, 49; 30, 1. _Gaceta de Ciudad Victoria_, Jan. 27, 1846. _Picayune_, Oct. 8, 1846; Jan. 12, 1847. México á través, iv, 599. Sen. 1; 29, 2, p. 382. Suárez y Navarro, Causas, 6-9. Richardson, Messages, iv, 581-3. Memoria de ... Relaciones, Dec, 1846. =76=Barbachano, procl., July 2, 1846. _Temístocles_, Dec. 27, 1846. =13=Pakenham, no. 33, 1847. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 256-7 (Walker). Wash. _Union_, Jan. 18, 1847. =366=Declar. of Mérida. =166=Perry to Conner, Dec. 27, 1846. =166=Conner to Sands, Feb. 8, 1847. =166=McFaul to ----, Nov. 12, 1847. Buchanan, Works, vii, 222. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1175-6 (Conner), 1204 (Perry). =165=Gen. orders, Dec. 15, 1846. (May cruise) =47=Perry, Dec. 27, 1846; Sept. 21, 1847. =47=Conner, Dec. 29. May 15 Laguna port was opened to commerce; May 18 Frontera.

30.24. _Second Tabasco expedition._ Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1207-23, 28-32 (Perry and officers). =47=Perry, June 25. =47=Correspondence of Perry and Bigelow, July 18-23. Bennett, Steam Navy, 97. Negrete, Invasión, iii, 153-6. Roa Bárcena, Recuerdos, 526-8. =76=Correspondence of Bigelow and Echagaray, July 1, 2; letters of E., May 31; June 9, 18, 23; July 5. México á través, iv, 703. (Later) Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1233-6 (Perry); =47=Perry, Aug. 16.

On the way to S. J. Bautista Perry had six men wounded. Many fell from exhaustion. June 30 on an expedition to Tamulté, about three miles out, three were killed and eight wounded. The Mexican leaders were Bvt. Gen. Domingo Echagaray and three Maldonado brothers.

Aug. 16, 1847, the squadron was disposed as follows: (_Raritan_ and _Albany_ had gone home); _Mississippi_, Pensacola; sloop _Germantown_, Antón Lizardo, preparing to distribute supplies; sloop _Decatur_, blockading Tuxpán; sloop _Saratoga_, V. Cruz, maintaining connection with the army and watching the police; sloop _John Adams_, expected from Tuxpán probably to join bomb-vessel _Stromboli_ in Goatzacoalcos River; gunboats _Reefer_ and _Petrel_ at Tampico; gunboat _Falcon_ at Alvarado; steamer _Scourge_, bomb-vessel _Ætna_, gunboat _Bonita_ at Frontera; bomb-vessel _Vesuvius_, gunboat _Mahonese_ at Laguna; steamers _Vixen_ and _Scorpion_ in reserve; steamers _Spitfire_ and _Petrita_ laid up with injured engines; bomb-vessel _Hecla_ ashore on Alvarado bar. Aug. 18, 1847, Perry ordered that all merchant vessels should be visited on their arrival in port to detect irregularities (Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 788).

30.25. For the share of the navy in the conquest of California see chap. xvii. (Impossible) =13=P. J. Blake of _Juno_, Apr. 10, 1848; =53=Pakenham to Buchanan, Dec. 14, 1846; =13=_Id._, no. 57, 1846. (Proclam. and orders) Ho. 4; 29, 2, pp. 670, 673-4. Du Pont, Official Despatches, 9. (Cancelled, etc.) =53=Pakenham to Buchanan, Dec. 14; =12=Walker to Seymour, Mar. 26, 1847; =132=Howland & Aspinwall to Buchanan, Sept. 22, 1847; =13=Pakenham, no. 139, 1846; Sen. 1; 30, 1, p. 1303 (Mason); =48=Mason to Biddle, Mar. 30, 1847; =48=Orders, Dec. 24, 1846; =247=Biddle to Larkin, Mar. 6, 1847. =47=Stockton to Du Pont and to Hull, Aug. 20, 1846. =47=_Id._, reports, Aug. 22; Nov. 23. =47=Hull to Stockton, Sept. 12. =47=Du Pont to Stockton, Oct. 12. =76=Peinbert to ----, res., undated. _Calif. Star_, i, no. 9. (Guaymas) Du Pont, Official Despatches, 13; =47=Correspondence of Du Pont, Spanish vice consul, and Campusano; _Sonorense_, Oct. 9; =76=comte. gen. of Sinaloa, Nov. 11; =76=gov. Sonora, Oct. 16; =76=Campusano, Oct. 5; _Cyane_, journal; U. S. Naval Instit. Proceeds., 1888, p. 539 (Rowan). (Mazatlán) =171=Cyane, journal and abstract of journal; =47=Du Pont to Stockton, Dec. 1; _Id._, Official Despatches, 19; =12=Walker to Seymour, Mar. 26, 1847; =76=Téllez to Bustamante, Feb. 17, 1847; =13=A. Forbes, Apr. 17, 1847; =13=Bankhead, no. 9, 1847. Sen. 1; 29, 2, pp. 378-80. Sen. 1; 30, 1, 948. Balbontín, Estado, 19. Memoria de ... Guerra, Dec., 1846. (Spring) =120=Shubrick to Biddle, May 4, 1847; =120=list of captures. Wise, Gringos (N. Y., 1849), 82-100. =76=Letter from Mazatlán, May 5; =247=Biddle to Larkin, Mar. 6, 1847. =47=Shubrick, May 31; June 1; Aug. 11, 1847. (Monopoly) =12=Seymour, Dec. 26, 1846, no. 70. (After May) =61=R. B. Mason to adj. gen., Feb. 1, 1848; =47=Shubrick, May 31, 1847. _Journ. Milit. Serv. Instit._, xxxii, 249.

Stockton intended to cruise for the protection of our whalers, etc., and also to invade Mexico by way of Acapulco (vol. i, p. 338); but affairs in California prevented. The _Malek Adel_ was bravely cut out at Mazatlán, Sept. 7, 1846, under the Mexican guns. Guaymas was cannonaded because the Mexicans refused to give up two gunboats, preferring to burn them. As there were two harbors at Mazatlán, a single vessel could not blockade the port satisfactorily. In the spring of 1847 Shubrick was ordered to blockade both Mazatlán and Guaymas, but for this reason he kept both the _Independence_ and the _Cyane_ at Mazatlán. In Feb. and March, 1847, there might have been serious trouble between the British commander, Sir Baldwin Walker, and Captain Montgomery of the _Portsmouth_ owing to conflicting orders and interests; but the former, having far the stronger force, knew he could afford to be considerate, and the latter treated British commerce so well that our government was thanked by England (=13=to Crampton, June 30, 1847; Sherman, Sloat, xxiv; and note particularly _Journ. Milit. Serv. Institute_, xxxii, 249-53). Shubrick was at Mazatlán in May, 1847, but left at the beginning of June. The _Cyane_ remained a little longer. She and the _Portsmouth_ anchored there, at the end of June, but both sailed away within two days. Biddle was ordered Jan. 6, 1846, to take command of the squadron, but did not receive the orders until Dec. 31 (at Lima). Mar. 2 he took command. His vessels then were the _Columbus_ (74 guns) on which he arrived, _Independence_ (razee, 54), frigates _Congress_ (44) and _Savannah_ (44), sloops _Portsmouth_ (20), _Levant_ (20), _Cyane_ (20), _Warren_ (20), _Dale_ (16) and _Preble_ (16), storeships _Erie_ (8), _Lexington_ (8) and _Southampton_ (6), and the captured _Malek Adel_ (Sen. 1; 30, 1, p. 948; =48=Bancroft to Shubrick, Aug. 21, 1846). The _Savannah_ and _Levant_ went home; and the _Warren_, on account of its condition, was assigned to guard duty (=120=Shubrick to Stockton, Mar. 1, 1847). The _Ohio_ reached the squadron in the early part of 1848. Besides blockading, cruising for prizes, looking after the American whalers, and watching for possible privateers, long voyages were necessary to obtain provisions and instructions. The latter were usually very tardy and the commanders had to follow their own judgment in the main. Monterey, Calif., was in general the base of operations.

30.26. (Succeeded) =49=Bancroft to Shubrick, Aug. 21, 1846; =120=Shubrick to Biddle, Mar. 5; July 20, 1847; =47=Shubrick, July 21. (Notice) =47=_Id._, Aug. 11. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1072-5 (Shubrick). =76=Téllez, Nov. 4, 1847. (Guaymas) Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1075-83 (Lavallette _et al._), 1110 (Shubrick); _Correo Nacional_, Nov. 30; =13=Wooldridge, Nov. 18. (Mazatlán) Wise, Gringos (N. Y., 1849), 95; Lummis, Mex. of To-day, 150; Mofras, Explor., i, 173; Gaxiola, Invasión, 162.

Guaymas, a place of considerable importance, was summoned Oct. 19. The Mexican troops and people decamped, and the cannon were removed. Hence the cannonade did little harm. A civil official reported the evacuation to Lavallette of the _Congress_, who was there with the _Portsmouth_ (Montgomery). As Campusano, who was believed to have 600-800 troops and 6-8 guns, remained in the vicinity and cut off water and provisions, the town was abandoned by its foreign residents also. American marines landed, but soon reëmbarked. Nov. 17 a landing party was ambushed in the town, and the _Dale_, then occupying the harbor, took part in the firing. One American was wounded. The harbor of Mazatlán was open to the worst winds.

30.27. The references to Téllez in =76= are almost innumerable. It seems enough to cite here: M. Gutiérrez, May 19, 1846; To J. I. Gutiérrez, May 13, 17; To Téllez, Aug. 18; J. I. Gutiérrez, May 9; also Gaxiola, Invasión, _passim_; Apuntes, 371-3; =13=Bankhead, no. 74, 1846; Wise, Gringos (N. Y., 1849), 99. See also chap. xvi, note 16.5. Téllez, who was a generous, careless person, arrived at Mazatlán at the head of an expedition bound for Upper California. During the year before the war the receipts from the customhouse were about $3,000,000. He pronounced May 7, 1846, in favor of federalism as an excuse for insubordination. In Jan., 1847, fearing the government might overpower him, he pronounced for Santa Anna as dictator. He pretended to be a loyal Mexican, and the government wavered between recognizing him as comandante general of Sinaloa and trying to crush him. Finally it decided on the latter course. Cut off from his financial resources by the Americans, he could not support his forces, and toward the end of Jan., 1848, he gave up. J. P. Anaya was then comte. gen. (Capture of Mazatlán, etc.) Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1089-92, 1104, 1110, 1117; Wise, Gringos (N. Y., 1849), 144-5; Apuntes, 374-5; =76=Téllez, Nov. 10, 14, 15; =61=Shubrick to R. B. Mason, Dec. 6; =13=Wooldridge, Nov. 18; Gaxiola, Invasión, 163-6. The _Erie_ had arrived at M. on Nov. 1.

(Nov. 20) Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1105-8; Wise, _op. cit._, 150-7; =76=Téllez, Nov. 20; U. S. Naval Instit. Proceeds., 1888 (Rowan, p. 555); Apuntes, 376; =76=Horn, Nov. 15, 21; Gaxiola, Invasión, 186. A land party of 94 and a boat party of 62 set out from Mazatlán at about 1 A.M. The Mexicans, who were commanded by Lieut. Carlos Horn, a Swiss, ought to have been routed, but they had received notice of the expedition and were on the alert. The American land party fell partially into an ambuscade, and the boat party were misled. After some desultory fighting both sides retired. The Americans lost 1 killed and 21 wounded. The Mexican loss was probably somewhat larger.

Dec. 13 Americans routed a Mexican advanced party about twenty miles from the city, inflicting some loss and suffering none (Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 1083-4; Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1121). The Mexican blockade was evaded easily by bribery.

(Fortifications) Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1120 (Halleck), 1131 (Shubrick); =76=J. P. Anaya, Mar. 11, 1848. (Safe) Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 1083 (Shubrick).

(S. Blas) Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 1084 (Shubrick); comte. gen. of Jalisco, Jan. 11; Feb. 22, 1848; Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1127 (Bailey), 1128 (Chatard). S. Blas was blockaded under a fresh notice issued Jan. 1, in consequence of the delay. (Manzanillo) Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1129 (Shubrick); princ. comte., Colima, Jan. 18; comte. gen. Jalisco, Feb. 1, 29. Altata was blockaded Feb. 13 by a hired schooner, the _Triton_ (=76=comte. gen. Sinaloa, Feb. 21). (Expeditions) Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1133-7, 1158-61; comte. gen. Jalisco, Feb. 1. Jan. 31 Shubrick reported that not one Mexican cannon was mounted on the coast except at Acapulco (Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1129). Early in Nov., 1847, T. A. C. Jones set out from the east to meet the _Ohio_ at Valparaiso and succeed Shubrick.

30.28. The fort at Acapulco was now in a ruinous condition. The cannon were removed and (it was reported) sold by Juan Alvarez. Shubrick (=47=Aug. 11, 1847) said it was worse than useless to blockade Mazatlán without blockading S. Blas, because vessels unable to enter at M. would then enter at S. B. and pay duties to the Mexicans. He forcibly urged upon Scott and Col. Mason, commanding in California, the importance of providing troops (Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 1035; =61=Dec. 6, 1847), and Mason sent as far as Oregon for volunteers (Sherman, Memoirs, i, 38); but every effort to find men was in vain (=61=Mason, May 19, 1848). All that Mason could spare went to Lower California. With the men who were ashore Shubrick said he could have sealed up the west coast (Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 1084).

Mason to Stockton, Jan. 11, 1847. S. José was occupied Mar. 30; S. Lucas Apr. 3; La Paz Apr. 13. In August two companies of N. Y. volunteers under Lt. Col. Burton arrived on the ground. The passing of men and munitions from the mainland to the Peninsula was promptly cut off by our navy. The towns of Mulejé (opposite Guaymas) and Comandú, several hundred miles to the north of La Paz, were the centres of the opposition. Citizens of the former under Vicente Mejía and of the latter under J. M. Moreno, all commanded by Manuel Pineda, marched south with no little devotion. Pineda moved against La Paz (held by Burton); the other two leaders against S. José (held by Lieut. Heywood of the navy). The latter were repulsed without much difficulty, but only the arrival of the _Cyane_, Dec. 8, ended a series of small skirmishes at La Paz. In Jan. S. José had to undergo a more serious attack. By the twelfth our garrison (27 marines, 15 seamen, some 20 volunteers) found itself, after a desultory siege of about three weeks, in a critical situation; but on the fourteenth Du Pont arrived in the _Cyane_, and this ensured the defeat of the Mexicans on the following day. March 22 about 150 American troops, who had left Monterey Mar. 5, arrived at La Paz. Burton, having now about 270 men, assumed the offensive, and the skirmish of Mar. 30 at Todos Santos (without loss on the American side) ended the hostilities. The American casualties in all the skirmishing were insignificant. For the principal documents see Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 103-12, 1055-64, 1086-8, 1095-1102, 1110-2, 1117-8, 1122-7, 1129-31, 1137-55; Ho. 17; 31, 1; Sen. 18; 31, 1, pp. 293, 299, 488-504; Du Pont, Official Despatches, 23, 31, 35; =76=Pineda to comte. gen. Sonora, Oct. 3, 1847; =47=Shubrick, Dec. 4, 21; =76=Princ. comte. of Mulejé to V. Mejía, Oct. 3; =76=Pineda and Mejía, Oct. 3; =76=Relaciones to Guerra, Feb. 26, 1848. U. S. Naval Instit. Proceeds., xiv, pp. 304-25.

30.29. =13=Bankhead, no. 168, 1846. London _Times_, Jan. 30, 1847. =73=Bermúdez de Castro, nos. 441, 445, 1847. =163=Semmes to Conner, Sept. 29, 1850. Conner, Home Squadron, 3-4, 21. Bennett, _Monitor_, 40-1. =162=Matson to Conner, Mar. 28, 1847. =162=Mason to _Id._, Nov. 29, 1846, priv. and confid. Richardson, Messages, iv, 570-2. =13=Giffard to Bankhead, May 27, 1846. =166=Shubrick to Conner, Aug. 19, 1845, priv. Buchanan, Works, vii, 240-1, 290-2. =47=Conner, June 30, 1846.

Spain complained of us, but unjustly. Some thought inefficiency was shown by the number of American vessels lost (besides the _Somers_ and the _Truxtun_, the _Boston_, the _Hecla_ and the _Neptune_ were wrecked, the _Perry_ and the _Cumberland_ were damaged, and some minor losses were suffered), but considering the character of the coast this opinion seems unfair. An important feature of the war was the demonstration of the superiority of steam vessels.

30.30. =76=Lavallette, proclam., Oct. 26, 1847. Apuntes, 375-9. Conner, Home Squadron, 14. Negrete, Invasión, iii, 139-46; app., 399. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1092 (articles), 1109, 1129-33 (Shubrick). =47=Letter to Shubrick, Dec. 23, 1847. =47=Lavallette, orders, 5, 6, 1847; 3, 5, 1848. Semmes, Service, 85-7. Gaxiola, Invasión, 166-81, 217, 223. Duties to the amount of $150,000 were collected. Conner reported, June 30, 1846, that the blockade had deprived Mexico of $500,000 in duties. This paragraph belongs logically in chap. xxxi, but is placed here to complete the subject.