Informed  that  General  Sauta  AJSa  (who  had  en-
tered Mexico  from  his  exile  in  Cuba,  and  had
been  elected  President  of  Mexico  in  December)
was  gathering  an  army  of  20,000  men  at  San
Luis  Potosi,  Taylor  resolved  to  form  a  junction
with  General  Wool  (who  had  entered  Mexico
with  about  3000  troops,  crossing  the  Rio  Grande
at  Presidio),  and  fight  tlie  boastful  Mexican  lead-
er. He  reached  Saltillo  with  his  little  army  on
Feb.  2, 1847,  joining  Wool's  forces  there,  and  en-
camped at  Aqua  Nueva,  twenty  miles  south  of
that  place,  on  the  San  Luis  road.  On  hearing
of  the  approach  of  Santa  ABa  with  his  host,
Tayhir  aud  Wool  fell  back  to  Angostura,  a  nar-
row defile  in  the  mountains  facing  the  fine  es-
tate of  Bueua  Vista,  aud  there  encamped,  in
battle  order,  to  await  the  coming  of  their  foe.
Santa  AJia  aud  his  army  were  within  two  miles
of  Taylor's  camp  ou  the  morning  of  Feb.  22,
when  the  Mexican  chief  sent  a  not«  to  Tay-
lor, telling  him  he  was  surrounded  by  20,000
men,  and  could  not,  in  all  probability,  avoid
being  cut  to  pieces ;  but  as  he  held  the  Ameri-
can commander  in  special  esteem,  and  wished
to  save  him  such  a  catastrophe,  he  gave  him
this  notice,  that  he  might  surrender  at  discre-


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173


BULL'S  EUN,  BATTLE  OF


ZUde  Belt,  Chippewa,  and  Trippe — were  burned ;
and  so  were  completed  tbe  measures  of  retalia-
tion for  the  burning  of  Newark  (which  see).
Six  villages,  many  isolated  country-ljonses,  and
four  vessels  were  consumed,  and  the  butchery
of  many  innocent  persons  attested  the  fierce-
ness of  the  revenge  of  the  British.
