tion. The success of the besiegers was assured, when they suddenly raised the siege and retired. The royalists could not understand it; but seeing the independents march away in perfect order, they did not venture out to pursue them.[1] The cause was an order from Morelos to the Bravos to hasten to his relief at Cuautla. Régules after this supposed that the independents had entirely abandoned the Mizteca, but he soon discovered his error; the day when he must atone for his many cruel acts was not far distant.
Trujano continued his excursions in the Mizteca country for some time, his field being chiefly the road from Yanhuitlan to Cuicatlan. After defeating Manuel Guendulain, a rich man of Oajaca who had armed his negroes, killing the leader and many of his men, and capturing their arms,[2] Trujano established his headquarters in Huajuapan, the chief town of the Mizteca, important for its large trade in dried goat's meat and grease with Puebla. He availed himself of the resources the place afforded to augment and support his force. Bonavía, the royalist commander at Oajaca, on his part concentrated all his available men at Yanhuitlan, to employ them in dislodging Trujano from Huajuapan. The force thus gathered together exceeded 1,000 men,[3] with 14 pieces of artillery and a good supply of ammunition. The chief command was given to Régules,[4] who on
- ↑ Alaman, Hist. Méj., iii. 239-42. Régules sent the viceroy a long report extolling the valor of his troops. He claimed to have done much damage to the enemy, capturing one gun, 30 other fire-arms, and 20 prisoners, besides killing upwards of 300, and wounded a very large number. As to his own casualties they were 18 slain and 42 wounded. Gaz. de Mex., 1812, iii. 391-6.
- ↑ One of Trujano's lucky hits on that road was the capture once of 100 good muskets, a most important prize at a time when fire-arms were so scarce.
- ↑ Infantry battalions of Oajaca and Campeche; the coast negroes under Caldelas; Bishop Bergosa's 'legion sagrada,' made up of clergymen and friars, under command of Canon José de San Martin; and the garrison of Yanhuitlan. Alaman, Hist. Méj., iii. 243.
- ↑ He was a ferocious beast, of the same stamp as Arroyo on the independent side. With the view of striking terror in the hearts of those who were friendly to the revolution and had rendered aid to the independents when they besieged him, before leaving Yanhuitlan he mutilated a number of Ind-
