war of invasion and conquest. The result of the war justified Lincoln's conclusions.

Although nearly two-thirds of the citizen volunteers came from south of Mason and Dixon's line, yet even the New England states responded to the call and many came from the northwestern frontier. The Whigs had been the principal opponents of the war, yet the chief military renown of the war was won by this party-the two great commanders and leaders, Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, being Whigs in politics.

434. The Plan of the War.-General Winfield Scott, commander-in-chief of the American forces, immediately planned the invasion and conquest of Mexico. He first directed that Commodore Robert F. Stockton be sent around Cape Horn to assume command of the American squadron on the Pacific coast, then under command of Commodore John D. Sloat. This squadron was to attack the Spanish defences on the coasts of Mexico and California and establish a blockade on the Pacific. General Scott then divided the fifty thousand troops placed at his disposal into three divisions.

(1) General Stephen W. Kearney was placed in command of the army of the west, with instructions to start from Fort Leavenworth, cross the Rocky Mountains, and conquer the Mexican provinces of New Mexico and California.

(2) General Taylor with his army of occupation was directed to cross the Rio Grande and subdue and hold the Mexican provinces in the north.

(3) General Scott himself, in command of the army of the center, was to land at some point near Vera Cruz on the Mexican coast, and with his army of invasion penetrate the heart of the enemy's country and capture the City of Mexico.

435. Taylor's Campaign South of the Rio Grande-September, 1846 to February, 1847.-General Taylor in the meantime had attacked and taken Matamoras. In September,

1846, he proceeded up the river to attack the Mexicans, at the strongly fortified city of Monterey. He found that place defended by ten thousand troops under General Pedro de Ampudia. But Taylor, always ready for battle, so much so that among his own soldiers he was called "Old Rough and Ready,"-charged the defences with such dash and daring that the American army, though greatly inferior in numbers, carried everything before it. Within six days, after the most desperate fighting, it had penetrated the very heart of the city, forced the surrender of General Ampudia, and unfurled the stars and stripes above the Grand Plaza of Monterey, September 24, 1846.

At this juncture an armistice was declared for two months, owing to the reopening of negotiations between the Mexican government and President Polk. When the truce ended, General Taylor received the startling intelligence that an army of twenty thousand men under Santa Anna was marching northward from the City of Mexico to crush the American army of occupation. Nothing daunted, Taylor proceeded to place his troops in readiness and prepared to give battle. Marching out of Monterey he selected a field for battle at Buena Vista. The position of the Americans was indeed critical. On February 22 the whole Mexican army came pouring through the gorges and over the hills which surrounded the plateau upon which the army had intrenched itself ready for the attack. Santa Anna, confident of victory, under a flag of truce, asked for a parley and demanded the immediate surrender of General Taylor's army. "General Taylor never surrenders," was the defiant reply, whereupon the opposing forces joined in the issue of battle. During the first day the Americans were steadily pushed back by the overwhelming numbers of the enemy. On the morning of the 23d, the Mexicans made an effort to outflank the American position, but were completely foiled, with the result that they broke and fled in the greatest disorder. During the night Santa Anna withdrew, leaving

General Taylor and his army in undisputed possession or the battlefield.

Buena Vista was the most brilliant engagement of the war. It made Taylor the popular hero and won for him the presidency.

436. Kearney's Campaign and the Conquest of New Mexico and California June 1846 to January 1847.—In the meantime the army of the west, under General Kearney, had started from Leavenworth in June, 1846, to carry out the purpose for which it was organized. Reaching Santa Fe, Kearney raised the American flag, and the Mexicans yielded without resistance.

Kearney then marched across the burning sands of the desert into California, where events had been happening which anticipated the object of his coming. John C. Fremont had for several years been engaged on a government expedition of survey and exploration in the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada region. Happening in California at a time when the Americans were protesting against Mexican interference, and being an American officer, he was naturally appealed to by the settlers. Considering their provocation sufficient, he championed the cause of his countrymen. number of engagements ensued, in which the Americans were, without exception, victorious. This was all done in actual ignorance of the declaration of war.

About this time, too, the American squadron which had been ordered to patrol the California coast in anticipation of just such an event, put in an appearance. Commodore Sloat bombarded and captured Monterey, and Commodore Stockton, San Diego. On hearing of these events Fremont at once joined Sloat in a combined attack upon Los Angeles, where the American flag was raised and a military government established over the conquered territory.

In the meantime Kearney, with Kit Carson, the famous scout, as his guide, arrived on the scene, and completed the work begun by Fremont and the two officers of the navy.

A rebellion on the part of the Mexicans was suppressed by Kearney in the final battle of San Gabriel (June 8, 9, 1847), and the subjugation of California was complete. 437. General Scott's Campaign and the End of the War March to September, 1847.-Just one month after Taylor's great victory at Buena Vista, General Scott landed an American force of twelve thousand men at Vera Cruz, and at once began an attack upon the Mexican stronghold of San Juan de Ulloa, March 29, 1847. Six days later both the city and the castle surrendered. This victory inspired the Americans with the greatest confidence, and after a week spent in

preparation, the army began its triumphal march to the City of Mexico, over the same route made famous by Cortez, three hundred years before.

Santa Anna, now fully alive to the dangers that beset his country, took charge of the Mexican army in person and disputed the advance of the invading army at every strategic point. He first took position at the pass of Cerro Gordo, where he was beaten on the 18th of April. On the 13th of May the victorious army marched to the ancient and sacred city of Puebla, which offered no resistance to the American advance. On the 7th of August the American army reached the summit of the mountains which overlooked the beautiful valley of Mexico, dotted with green fields, villages,

and lakes. From those lofty heights the American soldiers beheld a populous city surrounded by snow-capped peaks and gazed in astonishment upon the same landscape which had excited the admiration of the conquering Spaniard at the very beginning of American history. A few minor engagements took place, in which the Americans were successful, and on the 20th of August the American army began a series of victories which ended in complete triumph. Contreras

fell on the morning of August 20, after a sharp engagement of seventeen minutes, and during that day separate divisions of the army successfully captured the several fortresses on the heights of Churubusco and laid open the way to the very gates of the city.

The Mexicans made their final stand at the citadel of Chapultepec, which fell on the 13th of September. At sunset the American soldiers swept through the gates and pitched their tents in the suburbs of the city, and at sunrise on the 14th of September, 1847, the army entered the ancient city and took possession.

438. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo-February 2, 1848. -After the downfall of the City of Mexico, the American government sent peace commissioners to confer with the Mexican congress in session at Guadalupe Hidalgo. Negotiations were satisfactorily completed and the treaty signed on February 2, 1848.

By the terms of the treaty, Mexico acknowledged the Rio Grande as the southern boundary of Texas, and ceded to the United States the whole of upper California and New Mexico, thereby adding 500,000 square miles to the public. domain of the United States. For this vast expanse of territory the United States, on her part, paid Mexico $15,000,000 in gold, and assumed all debts due from the Mexican government to American citizens to the amount of $3,500,000.

439. The Northwestern Boundary Established—1846.— While the Texas boundary was settled by the issue of war the