1873 LSU English Composition of James Monroe Smith Submitted for the Union Parish Louisiana USGenWeb Archives by Robert S. Hendrick, 1/2005 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Materials from the Personal Collection of Dr. Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. Transcribed and submitted by Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. ================================================================================= 1873 LSU English Composition of James Monroe Smith Resident of Farmerville, Union Parish Louisiana ================================================================================== La. State University February 17, 1873 Very Respectfully, James M. Smith, Cadet Cortez’ Conquest of Mexico In March (??) Fernando Cortez sailed from Cuba with eleven ships and sixteen hundred and seventy men, on a voyage, to Mexico. The first place where they landed was named Tabasco, a southern province of Mexico. There he had several encounters with the natives whom he routed with great slaughter. The next place at which he landed was named San Juan de Ullva. There he was received wit great kindness by two officers of the Mexican monarch called Montezuma and he readily inquired what their intentions were and offered them any thing they might wish in order to continue their voyage. He told them he came with the most friendly sentiments and that he could impart them to no one only their king, Montezuma. The ambassadors of the Mexican monarch tried to dissuade him from his intentions by offering him valuable presents which made him worse. Messengers were dispatched to Montezuma giving him an account of what had occurred since the arrival of the Spaniards, valuable presents were returned by him, and finally commands were given for them to leave the country, but all to no purpose. Cortez destroyed his vessels so that his soldiers would have nothing to fall back on only their valor. Then he commenced his march towards the capital; on his way several natives tributory to Montezuma found them. Montezuma sent messengers to Cortez, but all his hopes failed him; on the day he gave permission to advance, and on the next commanded him to depart when Cortez and his soldiers saw Mexico adorned with its numerous temples, the whole seemed wonderful. They could hardly persuade themselves that it was more than a dream. Montezuma received the Spaniards with magnificence and the privates as well as the officers valuable friends. Cortez soon began to feel solitude in his situation. He was in the middle of a vast empire; if he should resist, they were sufficient to overwhelm him. The daring Spaniard Cortez formed and executed the place of seizing of the Mexican monarch. He next induced him, and made him acknowledge himself a vassal of the Spanish crown. While Cortez was absent opposing a force that had been sent against him by the governor of Cuba, who had become jealous of his success, the Mexicans incited by the cruelties of the Spaniards, who had been left to guard the capital flew to arms. Cortez came just in time and entered the capital without molestation. In a rally which Cortez made, twelve of his soldiers were killed. Cortez, now fully sensible of his danger, tried what effect the interposition of Montezuma would have on his irritated subjects. When they saw their King, whom they almost worshipped as a God, the Mexicans dropped their weapons and every head was bowed. But when Cortez gave a command, and the unhappy Monarch tried to persuade them to lay down their arms, their rage broke out with a great fury, they again poured in upon the Spaniards, flights of arrows and volleys of stones. Two arrows wounded Montezuma before he could be removed, and a blow from a tone brought him to the ground. When the Mexicans saw their King fall, struck with remorse, they fled with horror. Cortez, after several desperate encounters with the Mexicans, began a retreat from the Capital, but great numbers hemmed him on every side, and his march was almost a continuous battle. Cortez and his soldiers almost exhausted, with but few men, encountered in a valley the whole Mexican force, a countless multitude, extending as far as the eye could reach. As nothing remained but to conquer or die, Cortez immediately led his soldiers to the charge. The multitude of their enemies, pressing upon them from every side, seemed sufficient to overwhelm the Spaniards, who seeing no hope of victory were on the verge of yielding to despair. Cortez, observing the great Mexican standard advancing, and recollecting to have heard that on its fate depended the event of every battle, two of his bravest officers and, at their head, cut through the opposing ranks, struck down the Mexican general, and secured the standard. The moment their general fell the Mexican’s panic stuck, threw away their weapons and to the mountains, making no further attempts to the retreat of the Spaniards. Cortez still looked forward with confidence to the conquest to the whole Mexican empire, and after receiving supplies and reinforcements in December 1620, he again departed for the interior, with a force of five hundred Spaniards and ten thousand friendly natives. After various successes and reverses and a siege of the capital, which lasted seventy five days, the big Guatemorjia having fallen into his hands, in August 1621 the city yielded; the fate of the empire was decided and Mexico became a province of Spain. Very Respectfully, James M. Smith Cadet ###########################################################