The brigadier again started on the 4th of June with the conducta for Mexico; but hearing at Salamanca that the guerrilla chiefs were reorganizing in the valley of Santiago, he thought that as they believed him occupied with the conducta, it would be a good opportunity to take them unawares and even capture Albino García. The same evening he despatched his most efficient officer, Agustin Iturbide, with about 160 mounted men with orders to reach Santiago at moonrise. Iturbide was there at two in the morning of the 5th, surprised the guard at the entrance of the town, and pretending to be Pedro García, who had been called by Albino to join him, obtained the pass and countersign, and took possession of the place without arousing the sleeping revolutionists. At length they were purposely awakened by orders loudly issued for the grenadiers of la Corona to occupy a certain position, the battalion of Mixto another, and so on, several organizations being named, to each of which a few of Iturbide's men belonged. The insurgents believed the whole division of García Conde was upon them; they attempted, however, to defend the barracks which were taken by force. Some soldiers took possession of the roof of the house occupied by Albino García. This chief, his brother Francisco, known as El brigadier Don Pachito, his secretary, José María Rubio—who on presenting himself said he had been held in the insurgent quarters by force, which plea saved his life —
on their way, and then disperse, to meet again at some other place agreed upon. The good fortune of towns that thus escaped being plundered and destroyed was attributed to a miracle, and the te deum was chanted. If any prisoners had been taken on either side they were forthwith shot. In a field of battle the insurgents generally placed their artillery on some height, the infantry behind it, and the large masses of cavalry at the wings. The cavalry would charge upon the royalists, who easily drove them away with a few discharges of grape; they would then flee in all directions, throw their ill-disciplined and poorly armed infantry into confusion, and the artillery would fall into the royalists' hands after the first discharge. Albino García complained that his men were always more disposed to plunder than to fight. But this kind of warfare was excessively fatiguing for the royalist troops, constantly deprived of rest and food, marching and countermarching without being able to catch or strike the foe.
