A MEXICAN WAR LETTER
Edited by
Marjorie Clark
Monterrey, Mexico
Oct. 8th, 1846
[Mrs. M. H. Clark
Montgomery, Ala.
Care of Capt. Long--Montgomery, Ala.]
1
Dear Mother:
I suppose you are by this time quite anxious to hear from Elijah and
myself again. I believe it is now about a month since I wrote to you, it
having been about that time since I left Comayo for this place. Since
leaving Comayo for this point I have had but little time for any other
business than that pertaining to my present occupation. I had an expedi-
tious but uninteresting trip from Comayo to Chinco the place of destina-
tion from the former place. I found the country broken and less desirable
than any over which I had previously passed. I rather expected to have a
sight of the enemy on the way, but was disappointed. I reached Chinco
in safety, and after two days tarry started for this city. The latter part
of our road was speedily accomplished, the men being stimulated by the
information that we would certainly have to fight at this place. The
country between this point and Chinco is very picturesque, and in many
places fertile. The mountains came in view some seventy or eighty miles
distance from this place, and they are still ahead of us. Indeed we are
surrounded by mountains. This place is built immediately at their base,
it has a valley adjourning of many miles in extent, of the richest soil, and
abounding in every thing necessary for the subsistance and comfort of
man. All kinds of tropical fruits are found here, and never since I left
New Orleans have I feasted so upon the good things of this earth. Nature
has done much in every way for this quarter of the world. A beautiful,
swift running and clean stream skirts the city on two sides from which the
inhabitants, by means of many small and indifferent ditches water their
gardens, and clean their streets. The climate is fine and the soil equal to
any on earth, and with proper cultivation would yield enough to support
fifty times the number of inhabitants. With a little work added to the
natural defences of the place, it might almost bid defiance to the world.
With all of these blessings and advantages however, the people are the
most worthless I have ever fallen among. They exhibit some industry,
in fact considerable but in almost all of the avocations of life they seem
to be about fifty years behind us. When I see what sort of people they are
in their every day businesses, I am some what surprissed that they do so
well (bad enough 'tis true) here. That is that they did prepare a place
so well for attack as they have this. They have some intellegent men
among them here, but I attribute this success in preparation for war
more to the knowledge and skill of their hired officers of foreign nations,
than to any mind of their own. Be this as it may, be however they had
prepared very well here for our reception and they fought better than I
supposed they would.
their cavalry were out in front of the city, when we came. They fired a
few times at our advance guard, to let us see I suppose that they intended
resistance, and fled. In a few minutes they commenced upon us with
cannon, and we had to leave, or get out of the way. They kept this up
during the day as our men would show themselves. We camped about
three miles off, and did nothing until Monday the 21st,, when the game
opened in style and earnest at both ends of the city. I never made so
many runs in my life as I did during Monday and other days of the battle.
This aspect was paid by all, who were not immediately in the way of the
cannon balls as they came along. I was not in a fight until the last day,
but was much exposed during the whole time sending orders from point
to point. They honored me with several shots as I crossed the plain on
Monday. None of them however did any damage, though the last came a
little nearer than I ever want another ball to come. We engaged the
enemy in the lower part of the city on the last day of the battle and
fought them from about 11 O'clock in the morning until nearly sunset.
We were then called off. We were progressing finely and every man heard
with regret and sorrow the order for retiring. We were within one square
of the grand plaza, or square and nearly the whole force of the Mexicans
had retired. If we had not been taken out the city that night, there would
have been an unconditional surrender of the place the next day, instead
of the capitulation. Very many are dissatisfied at the arrangement and
I think with reason. Elijah was with me during the most of our fight.
Neither of us were hurt.
You will see in General Henderson's report, when published I presume,
how I conducted myself. Our men are being disbanded and are going
home, not because they are tired but because they have no prospects of
anything more to do before spring if then. I shall start home in four or
five days. It will take me about 8 weeks to make the trip. My respects
to all.
Your son,
Edward [Clark]
2
FOOTNOTES:
to New Orleans where he received most of his education. When he was
seventeen years old his father died and he and his mother moved to Mont-
gomery, Alabama. While living in Montgomery he studied law. About
the year 1838 he came to Texas and settled in Marshall where he began
the practice of law.
During the Mexican war he served on the staff of General James Pinck-
ney Henderson, first with the rank of major, and was later made a colonel.
In 1846 he fought in the battle of Monterrey which he described in the
foregoing letter. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention and
helped to write the Constitution of Texas. He served as a representative
from Marshall in the first legislature, and was a senator of the second
legislature, and was Secretary of State for two terms under Governor
Pease, 1853-1857. In 1859 he was elected lieutenant-governor with Sam
Houston as governor. When Texas withdrew from the Union, Houston
refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, and Edward
Clark was made governor in 1861.
At the end of his term he joined the Confederate Army as a colonel
and organized a regiment of men from East Texas and was later promoted
to brigadier general. He was wounded in Louisiana. After the war he
resumed his law practice in Marshall, where he died in 1880.
How to cite:
Marjorie Clark, "MEXICAN WAR LETTER", Volume 47, Number 3, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v047/n3/contrib_DIVL5942.html
[Accessed Thu Dec 4 12:20:14 CST 2008]
