ompliment to our troops, and, like our own, streamed
most animatingly in the gale that swept from the desert,
while the tops of the houses were crowded with Mexican girls
and Indian squaws, intently beholding the American army.

On the 15th of the month, the army neared Las Vegas; when two spies
who had been sent on in advance to see how matters stood returned and
reported that two thousand Mexicans were camped at the pass a few miles
beyond the village, where they intended to offer battle.

Upon receipt of this news, the general immediately formed a line of
battle. The United States dragoons with the St. Louis mounted volunteers
were stationed in front, Major Clark with the battalion of volunteer
light artillery in the centre, and Colonel Doniphan's regiment in the
rear. The companies of volunteer infantry were deployed on each side
of the line of march as flankers. The supply trains were next in order,
with Captain Walton's mounted company as rear guard. There was also
a strong advance guard. The cartridges were hastily distributed; the
cannon swabbed and rigged; the port-fires burning, and every rifle
loaded.

In passing through the streets of the curious-looking village of Las
Vegas, the army was halted, and from the roof of a large house General
Kearney administered to the chief officers of the place the oath of
allegiance to the United States, using the sacred cross instead of the
Bible. This act completed, on marched the exultant troops toward the
canyon where it had been promised them that they should meet the enemy.

On the night of the 16th, while encamped on the Pecos River, near the
village of San Jose, the pickets captured a son of the Mexican General
Salezar, who was acting the role of a spy, and two other soldiers of the
Mexican army. Salezar was kept a close prisoner; but the two privates
were by order of General Kearney escorted through the camp and shown the
cannon, after which they were allowed to depart, so that they might tell
what they had seen. It was learned afterward that they represented the
American army as composed of five thousand troops, and possessing so
many cannons that they were not able to count them.

When Armijo was certain that the Army of the West was really approaching
Santa Fe, he assembled seven thousand troops, part of them well armed,
and the remainder indifferently so. The Mexican general had written a
note to General Kearney the day before t