Sketches of the campaign in northern Mexico : in eighteen hundred forty-six and seven / by an officer of the First Regiment of Ohio volunteers.

COMPAJRED WITH BUENA VISTA. 217
Monterey, he determined to chastise those who had not
known how to profit by the defenses of the place and the
enthusiasm of the troops." Upon the arrival of Ampudia
at his head-quarters, he immediately sent that general before
a court-martial. As often happens in such cases, Pedro
endeavored to throw the responsibility upon subordinate officers. Hiowever, Santa Anna soon decided that there were
no grounds for a prosecution, and published orders vindicating the accused. A wise conclusion this, most excellent Antonio! For if to be beaten by inferior numbers
was of itself to constitute a sufficient cause for the trial of
Mexican officers, none of the enemy's generals, not even
".the illustrious conquerer of Panuco," would eventually
have escaped the operation of the precedent.
The following congratulatory order appropriately closes
the narrative of the battle of Monterey; a conflict of arms
especially interesting to the country, as the first of the war
in which its citizen soldiers participated. The victory of
Buena Vista is commonly regarded as the most brilliant, not
only of the campaign, but of the war. Yet it may well be
questioned whether it reflects more luster upon American
arms than that of Monterey. True, there was a more fearful array of numbers ranged under Santa Anna's banners;
but were his 20,000 as formidable to volunteers, as Ampudia's 10,000 behind the walls and guns of Monterey? At
Buena Vista too, be it remembered, we had a fair field for
our superb batteries of horse-artillery; any one of which
was an overmatch for a brigade of Mexican troops, as witness the digraceful route of General MIinon's brigade by the
two pieces under Lieutenants Shover and Donaldson.