last turned on them to rally. Mina's horses were too tired to pursue very far, and consequently the royalists escaped with a loss of little over 100, while the three hours' battle cost their opponents the proportionately heavier casualty of fully 50.[1]
Mina dared not at present face such another ordeal of dear-bought victory, but relieved himself of all cumbrous luggage and hastened away, reaching the flourishing mining town of Pinos late on the 18th. A few daring fellows scaled its walls during the night, and surprised the garrison; whereupon the place was sacked in retaliation for its neglect to surrender.[2] Now followed a march of three days southward across the bare, silent plain, whose borders were desolate by the ravages of war, and during which hunger and hardships pressed sorely upon them, while in the distance a formidable corps of observation under the cruel Orrantia threatened at any moment to fall upon them. On the 24th, however, they arrived without further mishap at Fort Sombrero, or Comanja, five leagues east of Lagos, and one of the two strongholds remaining to the insurgents in Guanajuato. It was commanded by the mariscal Pedro Moreno, who with his small garrison gave them a greeting worthy of their heroic achievements. Their fame had preceded
- ↑ Whereof 30 killed and 26 wounded, List in Robinson, i. 180, 11 of the wounded and 11 of the slain being officers. Royalist account places the dead opponents alone at 95 and allow for themselves only 116 killed and wounded. Torrente, Hist. Rev., ii. 378. For details, see Armiñan's report in Gaz. de Mex., 1817, viii. 733-44, wherein he casts the blame for the 'retirada,' as he calls it, on the Rio Verde cavalry. Mina's departure in the afternoon he attributes to an acknowledgment of fear, and his own subsequent advance to occupy the deserted hacienda he claims as a triumph, for which the viceroy indeed gave thanks, with rewards for the wounded. Mina cared for the royalist wounded, and sent a message to Armiñan to do the same for his, which was complied with. The writer in Robinson, i. 178, blames Col Noboa for not joining the fighters to swell the victory, and for prohibiting Maylefer to do so. Bustamante testifies, Cuad. Hist.,iv. 355-6, to the dismay created by the defeat at Mexico, Vera Cruz, etc., and thinks that he could have achieved a great advantage by marching on terrified San Luis Potosí, and there recruiting men for marching on Mexico. See also Mendíbil, Resúmen Hist., 328, etc. The use of buckshot is said to have promoted the panic.
- ↑ A valuable booty of money and rich clothing was obtained, besides 4 guns and other effects. Two guns were taken along. The garrison numbered 300.
