El General Antonio L. De Santa Anna A Sus Compatriotas: with another scarce pamphlet

Antonio López de Santa-Anna. El General Antonio L. De Santa Anna A Sus Compatriotas. [Place of publication not identified]: [No publication information] 1858. Bound in modern leather. 20. Cm. 20 pp. Text begins: "Mejicanos! Hace algun tiempo que me ocupo de mi propia historia militar y política." Dated at end: San Thómas Abril 12 de 1858. A few small worm holes, else very good.

OCLC shows two holdings (UC-Berkeley & Biblio. Nat. de Espana). Rare Book Hub shows no auction or catalog listings. From his exile in San Thómas, Santa Anna presents his justifications for his various actions in his last administration and attempts to settle various scores with his adversaries. Of particular interest is his discussion of the adjustment of the boundary with the United States and the negotiations over this with U. S. Minister James Gadsden (The Gadsden Purchase); for which he had been criticized for conceding additional territory to the United States. After a discussion of the poor condition of the Mexican military he concludes:

"In short, we did not have the ability to oppose the invaders that arrogantly loomed over the border, but rather the sad picture of our excessive weakness. In these circumstances, discretion and true patriotism imperatively advised not to discard the only means that saved everything; a prompt arrangement with the US Minister Plenipotentiary recently presented in the capital for that purpose."

"Minister M. Gadsden, in various conferences, said in summary: that for the United States, the land included in the dividing line drawn by its Engineers was of absolute necessity, for the establishment of an iron road to Alta California that would ensure easy and quick communications with this State, and therefore would celebrate that Mexico amicably ceded what might belong to it, after a good indemnity; because in the end, that imperious need would force them to occupy it anyway. He once made me propositions about Baja California, part of Chihuahua and Sonora, showing a plan indicating the new line that could be drawn, which I immediately rejected, confining myself to the question of limits. From these statements by the Minister, I understood that the US was still not satisfied with owning half of the Mexican territory. In order to proceed in the business that concerned us with better knowledge and more skill, a report was requested from the Engineer of the Republic who practically knew the terrain, which was reduced to: "with the exception of the Valley of the Mesilla not very "extensive, the rest were stony mountains inhabited by the 'Apaches who continually made war on the bordering Departments, as they usually do.'"

"In the Board of Ministers, after examining it and everything, the principle was adopted that, among evils, it was prudent and rational to prefer the lesser. Consequently, the proposals of M. Gadsden relative to the land in question, were admitted with the remuneration of twenty million pesos that the Government of the United States would exhibit to the Government of Mexico."

A rare and important Santa Anna item.

Bound with:

Manifesto que dirigen al publico los comisionados por la guarnicion de Mexico para tratar con los Sres. general D. José Lopez Uraga y teniente coronel D. Manuel Robles, sobre las modificaciones que debian hacerse al plan de Arroyozarco. Mexico: Imprenta de Vicente G. Torres. 1853. Bound in modern leather. 20.5 cm. 24 pp. A few small worm holes else very good.

OCLC shows six holdings (Yale; Univ. Ariz.; UC-Berkeley; UT-Austin; Univ. Wisc.-Madison & Instit. Tech. de Estudios Sup.) A plan to strengthen the Mexican Army after the losses of the Mexican-American war.