[Mexican-American War]. Gaona, Antonio

[Autograph Letter, Signed, by General Antonio Gaona to General Cosme Furlong, Sending News of Santa Anna's Catastrophic Defeat at Cerro Gordo]

Perote: April 19, 1847. [2]pp. Folio. Previously folded. Upper left corner chipped away, with some loss of docketing text. Scattered cello tape repairs, heavier to verso. Otherwise, light edgewear, toning, and dust soiling. Good plus. Item #6521

A dramatic eyewitness report written on the very day of one of the most decisive American victories of the Mexican-American War. Penned only hours after the Battle of Cerro Gordo (April 18, 1847), this extraordinary manuscript records the immediate Mexican reaction to the crushing defeat of General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s Army of the East by the forces of General Winfield Scott. In stark and emotional language, General Antonio Gaona conveys the disastrous news to General Cosme Furlong, describing the complete rout of the Mexican army, the loss of its military stores, the retreat toward Jalapa, and the alarming realization that the road to Puebla now lay virtually undefended. Written from the Fortress of Perote at a moment when the outcome of the campaign hung in the balance, the letter offers a tragic contemporary Mexican perspective on a turning point that opened the route to Mexico City and ultimately shaped the course of the war.

At three o'clock in the morning on April 19, 1847, General Gaona wrote this letter to inform General Furlong, Commanding General of the State of Puebla, that: The Army of the East under the command of His Excellency General Don Antonio López de Santa Anna, which was fortified and encamped at the position known as Cerro Gordo, has been completely defeated by the enemy, who captured the position together with all our military stores, pursuing our troops in attack almost as far as Jalapa, with only the cavalry having escaped...."

Gaona further reports that General Gregorio Gómez had informed him that they would be forced to abandon their current position: "for having no means with which to defend it, and because in this manner the State of Puebla and its capital are left entirely exposed, as this fortress cannot offer resistance nor even delay the enemy. He relays this information so that Furlong may take the necessary measures to defend the city of Puebla. Gaona concludes his missive with the poignant statement: "With the deepest sorrow I communicate to you this lamentable event."

The Battle of Cerro Gordo was one of the most consequential defeats suffered by Mexico during the Mexican-American War. Following the capture of Veracruz, Winfield Scott's army advanced inland and defeated the Mexican forces commanded by Santa Anna, opening the road to Puebla and ultimately to Mexico City. The defeat resulted in the dispersal of the Mexican army, and facilitated the American advance that culminated in the occupation of the Mexican capital in September 1847. A compelling eyewitness account of the most significant American triumph and Mexican disaster of the Mexican-American war, written in its immediate aftermath, as the Mexican army retreated from the battlefield.

Price: $7,500.00