the kingâs tobacco warehouse, helped themselves to all they could carry, then set fire to the rest.
âThat cuts one of the kingâs purse strings,â Morelos remarked, nodding his head toward the clouds of tobacco smoke that billowed about them. Tobacco was a much resented royal monopoly.
They returned to Tehuacán in high spirits, confident there were no royalists in the area. But the much larger pack train escort, on learning of the attack on Orizaba, had hastily marched to intercept them. Surprised, Morelosâ men quickly formed two lines, but the enemy cavalry and grenadiers drove the first line back to the second. After a fierce fight, the outnumbered rebel soldiers broke and fled, with difficulty saving most of their artillery. Ellis, along with Morelos and other officers, put spurs to their horses and escaped, with musket balls whistling about them.
âWe took a real flogging,â Ellis remarked when they reached Tehuácan.
âThat we did,â Morelos admitted, his expression grave.
âOther than destroying the kingâs tobacco, we have accomplished little this year, and the enemy grows more confident.â He paused, looking thoughtful, then continued.
âWe must strike the enemy where it hurts and give new life to our cause,â he said. âIâm going to gather our forces and take Oaxaca. But tell no one where weâre going. The enemy has spies everywhere.â
He called in Victor Bravo and his division from the Mixteca, and the warrior priest Mariano Matamoros and his troops from Izúcar. Fighting men come in all shapes and sizes, Ellis thought. The Bravos were tall, muscular men, the sons of an hacendado. Matamoros was small and thin, with a pockmarked face and blue eyes. He had, for one his size, a surprisingly powerful voice. Morelos considered him his left arm and Hermenegildo Galeana his right arm.
Shortly before they marched, Manuel Mier y Terán, a handsome young graduate of the School of Mines, rode up on a fine horse and offered his services. He was tall and slender, with light skin, brown hair, black eyes, and a neatly trimmed mustache. Morelos welcomed him warmly and gave him the rank of colonel of Engineers.
Ellis, now a major of Engineers, but without any formal training, looked over his new commander wondering how, at twenty-nine, it would be to serve under an officer who couldnât be more than twenty. Mier y Terán was obviously a member of a prominent creole family, an aristocrat accustomed to comforts. How will he react the first time he hears enemy gunfire? Ellis wondered. Then, recalling the attack on Nolanâs fort, he smiled wryly. Probably the same way I did. I didnât quite pee my pants, but it was a close call. Mier appeared to be affable as well as intelligent, and dedicated to Mexican independence. Ellis decided to reserve judgment.
The rebel army, now nearly five thousand strong, headed into the rugged mountains that lay between Tehuácan and Oaxaca. As his stomach protested its emptiness, Ellis plodded up the steep roads on foot, for there werenât enough horses and mules to haul the artillery and carry sufficient provisionsâall were on half-rations. As he looked around at the Mexicans from nearly every walk of life who were willingly risking their lives and sacrificing their comforts for Morelos and independence, Ellis felt warm and forgot his hunger.
After nearly two weeks of hard-going, they descended to the fertile plains that surrounded Oaxaca on November 24. Ellis gazed in admiration at the huge fig trees, the orchards, and vineyardsâOaxaca was a garden spot. They stopped at an hacienda a few miles from the city and made camp in a field, while Morelos sent royalist commander Gonazález Saravia a demand to surrender. He refused.
The next morning, Morelos divided his force into six columns, leaving one to guard the camp, two to cut off escape routes, and holding one in reserve. With
âThat cuts one of the kingâs purse strings,â Morelos remarked, nodding his head toward the clouds of tobacco smoke that billowed about them. Tobacco was a much resented royal monopoly.
They returned to Tehuacán in high spirits, confident there were no royalists in the area. But the much larger pack train escort, on learning of the attack on Orizaba, had hastily marched to intercept them. Surprised, Morelosâ men quickly formed two lines, but the enemy cavalry and grenadiers drove the first line back to the second. After a fierce fight, the outnumbered rebel soldiers broke and fled, with difficulty saving most of their artillery. Ellis, along with Morelos and other officers, put spurs to their horses and escaped, with musket balls whistling about them.
âWe took a real flogging,â Ellis remarked when they reached Tehuácan.
âThat we did,â Morelos admitted, his expression grave.
âOther than destroying the kingâs tobacco, we have accomplished little this year, and the enemy grows more confident.â He paused, looking thoughtful, then continued.
âWe must strike the enemy where it hurts and give new life to our cause,â he said. âIâm going to gather our forces and take Oaxaca. But tell no one where weâre going. The enemy has spies everywhere.â
He called in Victor Bravo and his division from the Mixteca, and the warrior priest Mariano Matamoros and his troops from Izúcar. Fighting men come in all shapes and sizes, Ellis thought. The Bravos were tall, muscular men, the sons of an hacendado. Matamoros was small and thin, with a pockmarked face and blue eyes. He had, for one his size, a surprisingly powerful voice. Morelos considered him his left arm and Hermenegildo Galeana his right arm.
Shortly before they marched, Manuel Mier y Terán, a handsome young graduate of the School of Mines, rode up on a fine horse and offered his services. He was tall and slender, with light skin, brown hair, black eyes, and a neatly trimmed mustache. Morelos welcomed him warmly and gave him the rank of colonel of Engineers.
Ellis, now a major of Engineers, but without any formal training, looked over his new commander wondering how, at twenty-nine, it would be to serve under an officer who couldnât be more than twenty. Mier y Terán was obviously a member of a prominent creole family, an aristocrat accustomed to comforts. How will he react the first time he hears enemy gunfire? Ellis wondered. Then, recalling the attack on Nolanâs fort, he smiled wryly. Probably the same way I did. I didnât quite pee my pants, but it was a close call. Mier appeared to be affable as well as intelligent, and dedicated to Mexican independence. Ellis decided to reserve judgment.
The rebel army, now nearly five thousand strong, headed into the rugged mountains that lay between Tehuácan and Oaxaca. As his stomach protested its emptiness, Ellis plodded up the steep roads on foot, for there werenât enough horses and mules to haul the artillery and carry sufficient provisionsâall were on half-rations. As he looked around at the Mexicans from nearly every walk of life who were willingly risking their lives and sacrificing their comforts for Morelos and independence, Ellis felt warm and forgot his hunger.
After nearly two weeks of hard-going, they descended to the fertile plains that surrounded Oaxaca on November 24. Ellis gazed in admiration at the huge fig trees, the orchards, and vineyardsâOaxaca was a garden spot. They stopped at an hacienda a few miles from the city and made camp in a field, while Morelos sent royalist commander Gonazález Saravia a demand to surrender. He refused.
The next morning, Morelos divided his force into six columns, leaving one to guard the camp, two to cut off escape routes, and holding one in reserve. With
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