Venegas, before he was aware of the outbreak of Dolores, and without knowing the extent of the revolution, had by despatch of the 17th of September ordered Calleja to hasten to Querétaro for the purpose of preventing an uprising in that city. Calleja, however, replied that he had already discovered a concerted plot in San Luis, and that it would be impossible to leave until he had completed his arrangements; at the same time explaining to the viceroy his proposed plan to raise a considerable force and take the field against Hidalgo, after having put San Luis in a state of defence. Upon receiving this information, Venegas, perceiving the prudence with which Calleja was acting under the new aspect of affairs, permitted him to continue his operations, and instructed him to unite his forces when in readiness with those of Flon, now on his march to Querétaro.
No sooner had Flon arrived at Querétaro than an engagement took place between a detachment of his men and a body of three thousand insurgents in the vicinity of that city. When the enemy appeared in sight on the road from San Miguel, Flon sent out a force of six hundred under the command of Major Bernardo Tello, all of whom except one hundred and eighty, with the single officer, Captain Linares, hastily dispersed when they found the enemy to be much more numerous than they had supposed. Linares, however, made a resolute stand, and the division recovering itself, attacked and inflicted great slaughter upon the Indians with their artillery, the effect of which they were so ignorant of, that they attempted to protect themselves by putting their straw hats
pesos from the royal coffers. Besides this, as soon as he heard of the uprising he ordered a conducta of silver which had been detained at Santa María del Rio by the subdelegado García, to be sent to San Luis. This consisted of an ingot of gold and 315 bars of silver. In addition to this, he received as a loan from wealthy mining speculators of Zacatecas 225,000 pesos en reales, 94 bars of plata quintada, and 2,800 marks of plata pasta, Id., 56-7; Alaman, Hist. Mej., i. 450.
