This beautiful scene, so gratifying to the taste of Gene- ral Lane, was most horrible to the inhabitants of this little town. The morning sun beheld, amid the ruined dwel- lings and encumbered streets, two hundred and nineteen mangled corpses, while three hundred of its men, women, and children, were suffering from wounds. " After searching the next morning," says the General, with won- derful coolness, " for arms and ammunition, and disposing of what was found, I commenced my return." As he makes no other allusion to the result of his search, we in- fer he had no reason to be proud of the trophies acquired by this beautiful moonlight massacre.
Several of the general orders, issued by American offi- cers in Mexico, are palpably unjust, and exhibit a painful disregard for human life. Of this nature is the following given by Colonel Gates at Tampico, Nov. 29, 1847 : "As the guerilleros or armed enemies are employed by orders 206 REVIEW OF THE ilEXiCAN WAR.
to rob all persons who may be engaged in the lawful pur- pose of trading with the inhabitants of this town,