[Manuscript Letter Written by Ramon Adame Warning of the Approach of 10,000 "Perfidious American Enemies" from the North]

San Luis Potosi: May 8, 1847. About very good.. [2]pp. Previously folded. Short closed tear and minor loss at edges of old horizontal fold. Small area of light staining. Accomplished in a neat secretarial script. A fascinating letter from the governor of San Luis Potosí, Ramon Adame, that relates reports on the northern front of the Mexican-American War, written two months after the Battle of Saltillo and just days after the American invaders had captured Puebla to the south. The letter is addressed to Ignacio de Mora y Villamil, the General-in-Chief of Mexico's northern army, presumably with the goal of spurring action from his forces with this new information. Adame discusses troop movements and defenses in Real de Catorce and Matehuala to the north, and relates reports from Mexican officers that 10,000 American reinforcements were approaching Saltillo and Monterrey:

"Los referidos Capitanes aseguraron q[ue] la proxima entrante semana hacian sino habian hecho ya movimiento en direccion a estos puntos las fuerzas enemigas en numero de ocho a die mil hombres: que de Agua Nueva al Saltillo hay de cinco a seis mil, y el resto en Monterey. En Matehuala, hoy corre la voz unisona q[ue] dentro de quince, o a los mas, veinte dias deben llegarse por estas villas los enemigos."

He then writes at length concerning the need to improve observation of the nefarious American enemies, in order that news might be received quickly and directly, and inquires as to how to pay for such agents:

"Al vecindario a una finita para acordar medidas salvadores, y principalmente q[ue] por carensia de fondos se espensare a una o dos personas q[ue] observase los moviminetos y direccion de los perfidos enemigos norte americanos, no logre reuniera, y ya la esperienca acreditada q[ue] no tienen efecto esta clase de emerciones.... Lo que traslado a V.S. para conocimineto del E.S. Gob[erna]dor, y con el fin de que se sirva decirme de que fondos puede hacerse el gasto para los agentes vigilan los operaciones del enemigo."

A very interesting snapshot of the lack of resources and organization that led to rapid defeat in the Mexican-American War.