Heading: (Mexico & New Mexico)
Author: Armijo, Manuel
Title: Secretaria de la Comandancia general del Departamento de Durango: Por comunicacion oficial que acaba de recibir el Sr. Comandante general de este departamento, del Ecsmo. Sr. Gobernador y Comandante general del de Nuevo-Mexico se le participa la interesante noticia siguiente...
Place Published: Victoria de Durango
Publisher:Imprenta del Gobierno a cargo de Manuel Gonzalez
Date Published: 1841
Description:

2 pp., both sides of single sheet. Woodcut on p.2. ; 33x22.5 cm (13x8¾").

Armijo's account of his capture of the vanguard of the Texas Santa Fe expedition. ; Dated and signed at the end of the account: Antonchico, setiembre 22 de 1841. Manuel Armijo. Sr. Comandante General de Departamento de Durango. This is following by a brief ;final patriotic address by the governor of Durango Manuel Zavala regarding the events, dated Durango octubre 8 de 1841. OCLC locates four copies, at the Fuller Theological Seminary, San Diego State University, the University of Texas at Arlington, and Yale. It is unclear, however, whether the first three are not actually in digital format.

Translation: ; ;

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By official communication just received by the General Commander of this department, from Ecsmo. Mr. Governor and Commander General of New-Mexico, the following interesting news is shared with you: ; ;

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Operations headquarters on the Texan rebels. - By this date I mean the Ecsmus. Mr. Secretary of War and Navy for an extraordinarily letter what follows: ; Mr President, in view of the extraordinary and previous arrangements which I made with the speed of the lightning, I told you, in your knowledge and in your favour, Mr President, that the news of the arrival of the invaders in Texas was communicated to me by an Italian and a New Mexican who were in Bejar some time ago, three years ago, and they fled the Tejas expedition in order to tell me the hostile measures they were preparing: first with politics and after they succeeded, a depraved attempt to carry out the bloodiest and most destructive measure to rob and kill every individual they possessed a regular fortune. ; ;

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With this news that calls for the despair of the most insensitive Mexican, I activated my providences in terms that in less than forty-eight hours I had regular forces to frighten the enemy, who had entered the ; population on the border of this Department of S. Miguel del Vado, at the point called Antonchico, whose Plaza they entered without being noticed, two of the three Texas government commissioners and their secretary, whose mission is toimpose ; us their laws and add the eastern part of the of the North River and its inhabitants to the territory and government that their predecessors usurped. ; ;

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These commissioners brought as far as Antonchico an escort of a hundred dragoons of cavalry under the command of the Coronel Cooke, captains and subordinate officers, who surrendered at their discretion already besieged by my forces, which I anticipated so as soon as I was given news of their arrival on Anonchico ; on the 17th of the current month at one o'clock in the evening, they were immediately stripped of their armory, their riding, their luggage and some clothes that they brought in suitcases, worth more than four thousand pesos.Whose booty I gave out to distribute to the soldiers that siege them, ; except by the veterans. ; ;

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With respect to the mission of the Commissioners, I provide the information given by the Mr. Comandante general of Chihuahua for being there the very criminal William G. Dryden, commissioned by the Texas government since last year in union with the naturalized foreigners Juan Rooland and Willams Workman, traitors that have passed to the Californias to seduce and upset its inhabitants, who will soon receive punishment for all the evil that they have caused to that Department in my command. ; ;

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With the necessary escort and in commanded by two active militia officers of all my trust, the dragon prisoners from the Texas army have parted in direction to Mexico, with only their interpreter being given his freedom for having behaved faithfully and honestly. ; ;

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The three spies who presented themselves in disguise to Santa Fe having escaped, were caught and killed in S. Miguel del Vado, remaining here prisoners one of the commissioners, the secretary and two of the individuals who accompanied him to the embassy, who were made prisoners in the population of the Cuesta del Vado. ;

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I state to His Excellency the President , that he should impose on the basis of these news the necessity so imperative that there is a need for double-march auxiliary forces to prepare to cover this border which is invaded by the foreign enemy indirectly protected by the United States of America. Whose inhabitants that currently live in the Department that I command (CALIFORNIA) who are or aren´t naturalized or are married to Mexicans, are openly favorable to Texas and are covert enemies of the Mexican Government. ; ;

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Naturalized residents and inhabitants in the department under my command, whether or not they are naturalized and married to a Mexican woman, are discovered to be addicted to Texas and undercover enemies of the Mexican government. ; At this moment I have just received news regarding on the approach of ninety carriages coming from North America; and at this moment I have taken the necessary measures so that the forces I have deployed against the enemy who on the 15th have remained at fifty leagues of this General Headquarter. ; ;

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I recommend ; the leading officers who imprisoned the Texan troops imprisoned, particularly in terms of salaries, because here because of the shortage of financial resources from the national treasury, they were not given even the two marching salaries, which I am instructing you to ensure that the auxiliary troops do not come exposed to perish, and for this cause there could happen disruption, nor will there be an excuse ; for discomforts ; among those that are to protect the enemy. ; ;

And I insert it to you for your intelligence and satisfaction corresponding to the triumph that is this ; happy time, that been ; obtained against the Texas enemies... General headquarter of operations against the Texan invaders, in Antoniochico, September 22, 1841. Manuel Armijo. ; ;

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[At the end includes a letter from the Governor of Durango celebrating the capture of the Texans. ]

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Small chip at upper left margin, horizontal fold; fine.