Our Mexican muddle . by providence for the roles he assigned to himself. 1 Having the vanity of a Mulatto—since his blood was of mixedquality—he was easily influenced by adulation and such was asincense to his soul. He puffed up like an African Sultan and having no principleof any kind he had no scruples and did not hesitate to commit anydisreputable act. He enjoyed great prestige among the troops, which regardedhim as being of their own kind, but he was ignorant of the rudi-ments of military science, and would undertake any military enter-prise, for he imparted to the soldiers the idea that h
Our Mexican muddle . by providence for the roles he assigned to himself. 1 Having the vanity of a Mulatto—since his blood was of mixedquality—he was easily influenced by adulation and such was asincense to his soul. He puffed up like an African Sultan and having no principleof any kind he had no scruples and did not hesitate to commit anydisreputable act. He enjoyed great prestige among the troops, which regardedhim as being of their own kind, but he was ignorant of the rudi-ments of military science, and would undertake any military enter-prise, for he imparted to the soldiers the idea that he was a bornleader, that he defied undaunted every danger, and therefore dis-dained to be guided by prudence or to take precautions. Nearly half a million pesos cash had been left in the treasuryby Paredes, but before Santa Ana was able to manipulate his re-turn to power, the money had disappeared. Naturally GeneralSanta Ana was deeply grieved and disappointed, as it was his habitto appropriate all public THE LION OF THE DESERT, GENERAL PERSHING OUR MEXICAN MUDDLE 55 OF THE BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA If, at the head of the Mexican Army, there had been a gen-eral instead of vain, unsteady, ignorant, but loudly valorous man,the attack of our army on the Americans would have caused Taylorto retreat. But our soldiers were unfed and unled. They foughtbravely and forgot hunger and weariness, but like all ill-nourishedmen and inexperienced, lacking confidence in their commanders,they were subject to panic. Besides, the soldiers on the battlefieldof Buena Vista had been forced into the army by levy, and weretrained by the whip, by beatings, by fear of execution, so they werenot of the material from which heroes come, hence they fled. 1 Santa Ana was not better than his soldiers for he abandonedthe field before the supreme moment for decisive action had ar-rived. Thus he caused our army to retrocede into the desert wheremany perished of cold, nakedness, disease and hunger. Santa
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmexicohistory1910194
