"Surrounded by Dangers of All Kinds": The Mexican War Letters of Lieutenant Theodore Laidley Page: 29
xxiv, 185 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
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February 12, 1847
ther. Likewise, Brigadier General David E. Twiggs's division of
regulars and General Patterson's volunteer division had reached
as far as Tampico where they, too, awaited the arrival of long
overdue ships. To make matters worse, shipping that was avail-
able sometimes ran into trouble. A vessel carrying volunteers
from New Orleans wrecked along the Mexican coastline about
forty miles south of Tampico, temporarily marooning about
three hundred Louisiana volunteers. This situation caused con-
siderable concern for their safety-as evidenced by Laidley's
letter of February 12, 1847-because they were stranded in the
immediate vicinity of an eight-hundred-man force under Santa
Anna's brother-in-law, General Martin Perfecto de Cos.
Although the upcoming campaign for Veracruz occupied
most of General Scott's time, General Taylor's army was not com-
pletely inactive. In fact, because of the way the plan for the inva-
sion of Veracruz was developing, Taylor's situation was soon to
become perilous. Scott had taken nearly all of Taylor's regulars
and most of his battle-seasoned volunteers for the move against
Veracruz, leaving his subordinate very unhappy. If Mexican au-
thorities learned of this weakening of Taylor's force they might
try to crush him before Scott could get a foothold at Veracruz.
In fact, events unfolded that made that possibility more likely.
Mexican troops ambushed and killed an American courier, and
one of the dispatches they took from his body contained de-
tailed information about the projected troop transfers. Santa
Anna soon knew just how understrength Taylor's army had be-
come.
In this letter, Laidley shows how the various logistical delays
are beginning to wear on him. He is anxious for the expedition
to get under way and seems to share General Scott's eagerness
to get away from Brazos Santiago and to the work at hand. Near
the end of this letter Laidley makes reference to his strong reli-29
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McCaffrey, James M., 1946- & Laidley, Theodore, 1822-1886. "Surrounded by Dangers of All Kinds": The Mexican War Letters of Lieutenant Theodore Laidley, book, 1997; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28333/m1/57/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.