Although Hidalgo thus remained master of the field, his victory had been dearly bought. The Indians were terror-stricken over the dreadful slaughter which had been inflicted upon them by the fire of the artillery, the deadly effect of which they had witnessed for the first time;[1] while the disciplined troops were dismayed at the long resistance which so small a force had been able to make against such overwhelming numbers. Thus on the following morning the insurgent army, instead of being flushed with victory, were despondent; and Hidalgo when he arrived at Cuajimalpa halted, although Allende urgently pressed upon him the necessity of marching upon Mexico at once.[2]
The capital was filled with foreboding. From the time intelligence arrived of Hidalgo's departure from Valladolid, fear had fallen on the people. And now when Trujillo returned with but a remnant of his force, notwithstanding his braggadocio, many gave up all hope. Guanajuato had fallen; Valladolid had surrendered; it was Mexico's turn next! Treasures and jewelry were carefully concealed or confided to the sacred protection of convents. Women sought asylum in nunneries; and the city, which for years had been free from popular outbreak, presented a scene of confusion and panic. Even Venegas, taking into consideration the numbers of the enemy, the distant po-
- ↑ Trujillo estimated the number of insurgents killed and wounded at 2,000; Liceaga says that on the two sides more than 4,000 were killed: ‘Se calcula haber quedado en el campo, mas de cuatro mil cadáveres de uno y otro bando, siendo sin comparacion mayor el numero de los que pertenecian á los invasores.' Adic. y Rectific., 148. Again, Diego García Conde in his report to the viceroy after his release from captivity states that the loss to the insurgents in killed, wounded, and deserters was more than 20,000. Hernandez y Dávalos, Col. Doc., ii. 273. For more than five years after the engagement, on either side of the pass of Monte de las Cruces, both on the ascent and descent, for the distance of over a league, great heaps of human bones could be seen piled underneath the trees. Zerecero, Mem. Rev. Mex., 109.
- ↑ The difference of opinion which not unfrequently occurred between these leaders terminated in unfriendly relations. Speaking of this dispute, Bustamante says: 'Desde esta época comenzó (Allende) á desabrirse con él (Hidalgo) desazon que se aumentó cada dia mas, y que terminó con la desgracia personal de entrambos gefes.' Cuad. Hist., i. 87.
vuestros futures combates, y la voz que os conduzca à la victoria.' Gaz. de Mex., 1811, ii. 123-4. It bore the names of Trujillo, Bringas, and Mendívil. Guerra, Hist. Rev. N. Esp., i. 330.
