THE FRE.HH, ,ELGIANS, AND .USTRIANS EM,.RKI.G FROM

M.TAMORO., MEXICO, JU.E 23, 1866

On June 23, 1866, the remnants of Gen. Mexia's Imperial forces commanded by Dupin, embarked on the Steamboat Antonia, at Matamoros. They were transported to Bagdad, at the mouth of the Rio Grande, and two days later sailed for Vera Cruz and for home. This picture wa" taken on that day.

alone making a stand. Olvera with about 100 horsemen and some officers barely escaped. It resulted in a complete rout, Escobedo capturing the entire convoy in which a great amount of money was being transported to the interior. The Liberals lost 155 killed and 78 wounded. The Imperial loss was 251 Mexicans killed, and 145 Austrians killed; 121 Mexicans and 45 Austrians wounded; 858 Mexicans and 143 Austrian prisoners. Many of the Austrians were executed.

The Imperialists claimed that the success of the Liberals in the battle of Santa Gertrudis was due to the fact that from 1,200 to 1,500 Americans assisted Escobedo. The Liberals denied this, asserting that there were not more than three, and countercharging that the Imperialists had enlisted two companies of Confederates. The author personally knew of more than f1fty Americans who handled the Liberal artillery at Santa Gertrudis.

After the battle of Santa Gertrudis, the Imperialist General, de Tuce, learning that the Liberals were concentrating at Camargo, marched to Mier where he arrived on the seventeenth of June. But, learning there of the defeat and routing of Olvera and his army, and the number of deserters increasing daily, he retreated to Monterrey, where he arrived on the twenty-eighth.

The Imperialists were no longer able to maintain themselves in Matamoros, so Mejia quickly capitulated to General Carvajal, named governor and military commander of Tamaulipas, who was at the time a refugee in Brownsville with money and arms to continue the campaign. Mejia evacuated Matamoros on June 23, 1866, leaving there 43 pieces of artillery. The balance of his army were embarked via the mouth of the Rio Grande to Vera Cruz.

In August, 1866, Carvajal was deposed and Gen. Servando Canales was proclaimed as governor of Tamaulipas. On the twenty-first of the same month Gen. Juan N. Cortina, then at

When Col. Thomas Sedgwick crossed into Mexico in November, 1866, he stretched the pontoon bridge across the Rio Grande. It was dismantled on December 7, 1866.

Camargo, proclaimed himself as governor and started to Matamoros. In the meantime President pro-tem Juarez had proclaimed Gen. Santiago Tapia as governor, so Cortina did not advance his own claims but congratulated Tapia. Canales, however, who had been acting with Carvajal, declared for Gonzalez Ortega, refused to recognize Tapia and prohibited him from entering Matamoros. As soon as Juarez received information of the deflection of Canales, he ordered Escobedo, who had taken possession of Monterrey, to advance on Matamoros and subjugate Canales.

On November 11, 1866, Escobedo with 1,500 men arrived at the outskirts of Matamoros, reenforcing the besiegers. He at once communicated with his life-long friend and comrade in arms, Canales, from whom, to his surprise, he learned that Canales had enlisted in Ortega's behalf. Upon the refusal of Canales to surrender the town, Escobedo began a general assault. In the meantime, Gen. Thomas L. Sedgwick, in temporary command at Brownsville, realizing the disastrous effect which might result to the Mexican cause at the very time that their entire cooperation was necessary to drive out the French and Austrian invaders, and possibly bearing in mind the real intent and purpose of the American government in placing so many troops along the border, quietly threw a pontoon bridge across the Rio Grande and, under the pretext that his presence in Matamoros with U. S. troops was necessary to protect foreigners and their property, crossed over to Matamoros. Escobedo, ignoring the true purpose of the American invasion, protested against Sedgwick's occupation. Sedgwick refused to evacuate unless assured of the protection of all foreigners. So, on the morning of November 27, 1866, one of the most sanguinary battles was fought in Matamoros between the rival Mexican factions, the Americans remaining inactive in a neutral zone upon which even Escobedo did not fire. Escobedo was repulsed

with heavy losses. Canales in reality surrendered the plaza to Sedgwick, but on the night of November 30 communicated with Escobedo offering to join forces to repel the American invaders. Then Escobedo, having accepted Canales' proposition, demanded that Sedgwick evacuate. Sedgwick had entered Matamoros on November 23, 1866, with two companies of cavalry, two companies of infantry, and four cannon. On the twenty-seventh he surrounded the block upon which the American consulate was located. After the demand by Escobedo that he should evacuate, realizing that the two Mexican factions had united, that firing had ceased, and that there would no longer be danger of injury to for eigners or their properties, on December 1, 1866, he retired to Fort Brown, immediately dismantling the pontoon bridge.

The term of office of President Juarez expired December 31, 1865, but to meet existing exigencies he proclaimed himself in office thereafter. Gen. Gonzales Ortega, then president of the Supreme Court of Mexico, was, by virtue of the Mexican Constitution, the person eligible for the presidency, but in the interest of the Imperialists had absented himself from Mexico. He remained in New Orleans and visited many places in the United States, recruiting refugee Mexicans and many Americans, and finally sailed for Brazos de Santiago, intending to cross into Mexico and assert his claims with arms. Upon his arrival at Brazos on November 3, 1866, he was arrested by Capt. J. Paulson of the U. S. Army and was detained by General Sedgwick until Escobedo had succeeded in establishing order, when he was released.

Sheridan, in the meantime, between the date of his arrival at Brownsville in June, 1865, and the final termination of the Imperialistic menace in Mexico, actively prepared the American troops, threatening an invasion of Mexico for