The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker. Page: 46
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46 USE OF ARISTA S MAP.
Our camp, on the night of the 20th of June, was in a pleasant
musquit-grove, while the ground around it afforded ample pasture
age for our horses. We had learned the day before, from some
Mexican shepherds, that there was no water to be found on the
road, from this point to Linares, a distance of about sixty miles.
Capt. McCulloch thought it advisable to ascertain this fact, before
he proceeded farther, and accordingly despatched Lieut. McMullen
with ten men, to a water-hole about ten miles ahead, that was
marked as unfailing, to discover if our informants or our map of
the country were wrong. Lieut. McMullen pushed on to the
water-hole, and found it dry, and then riding within thirty miles
of Linares, returned with the unwelcome intelligence to camp.
This was the first instance in which we had discovered a mistake
in our chart, it being for the most part admirably correct. The
map was furnished to Capt. McCulloch by Gen. Taylor, being
an accurate copy of the one found in Gen. Arista's military chest,
captured at the battle of Resaca de la Palma. It was a most
minute and accurate picture of the face of the country, between
the Rio Grande and the ' Sierra del Madre," and every rancho
and village, every road or mountain path, every water-pond and
insignificant streamlet were marked down with a truthfulness and
precision, which we found but rarely at fault, and which, considering
the vast extent of country it represented, was really astonishing.
The map was common property in camp, and we all
studied it so well that we soon had a thorough knowledge of the
face and bearing of the whole country, stretching from the mountain
ridges to the waters of the Rio Grande. This knowledge
was of much importance to all of us; as frequently during our
scouts a separation of the command was unavoidable, and often a
single man would have to depend upon his own knowledge and
skill, to pilot himself through many miles of a wilderness into
camp.
Finding it impossible to proceed much farther in this direction,
and having ascertained that this route was impracticable as a line
of march for a large division of our army, on account of the scarcity
of water, our captain determined to leave the Linares road,
and strike across to the main road, leading from Matamoras to
Monterey. The result of the reconnoissance on the Linares road
was as follows :-First, that this route from Matamoras to Monte.
rey was not as practicable a one for the advance of our troops,
when they sought to penetrate to the mountains, as the route via
Comargo and Serralvo. Secondly, that Arista had removed the
greater portion of his forces from Linares to Monterey, leaving a
garrison in the former place of 1000 infantry, and a few squadron
of cavalry; and, lastly, that Gen. Canales was at that time en
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Reid, Samuel C., Jr. The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker., book, 1859; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38096/m1/50/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.