Stars and Stripes in Peril Read Online Free PDF

And powerfully hard to do with all those Frenchmen with guns sitting along the route."
    "That will not be necessary," O'Higgins said. "There is a word in Spanish that does not exist in English. The word is guerrillero. It means those who fight the guerrilla, the little war."
    "You have left me in the dark, Mr. O'Higgins. Please enlighten me. Dare I ask you how fighting a little war will help us win a big one?"
    "To answer that you must look to the first Emperor Napoleon who invaded Spain. His mighty war machine, that had conquered all of Europe, had little difficulty in defeating and destroying the Spanish and Portuguese armies. But they could not defeat the Spanish and Portuguese people of the Iberian peninsula. They fled to the mountains before his attack, and fought their little war from the security of their rocky fortresses. They harassed the lines of communication so vital to an army. They struck at any weak points, vanishing into the mountains again before they could be caught. That is the little war that the Mexicans also know how to fight so well. Here in Oaxaca, Guerrero, even the valley of Mexico, there are guerrilleros who have never surrendered to the invaders, who are still fighting. It is the noble tradition of these people. And here, in the jungles of Yucatan, there are the Mayans. They have never been defeated. Not by the Spanish invaders—or anyone since. They still speak Mayan and refuse to learn Spanish. With people like these on our side the English will never build this road. So they will never invade the United States—at least not by this route."
    Lincoln turned to Gustavus Fox. "Can this be done?" he asked.
    "I don't see why not. These guerrilla armies are already fighting the French, although they are very badly supplied. If we can arm them with modern weapons, aid them with supplies and ammunition, why then there is every possibility that it could be done."
    "Let me know just what you need and tell the War Department the same. If they give you any problems—why just send them around to see me. This whole thing makes very good military sense." He started towards the door, then turned back rubbing his jaw in thought. "If we can lick the English this way—why can't your fighters of the little war do the same thing to the French?"
    "We can," Fox said. "That is an astute observation, Mr. President. The simple answer is that we are already implementing plans to do just that. The Mexicans who are fighting back against the invaders are poorly armed. When the French first loaned money to Mexico, they held a good part of it back for weapons for the Mexican army. Being parsimonious in a very Latin way they saved money by supplying smooth-bore muskets for the most part—many of them actually used in the battle of Waterloo! So when the guerrilleros seized the enemy's weapons they got very little for their efforts. We are changing all that. Our army has left caches of modern weapons and ammunition close to the Mexican border. Information has been passed to the guerrilla bands. Soon the French will be under attack and will be too busy to even think about aiding their English allies."
    "Will the Mexicans fight the French, Mr. Fox?"
    "They have never stopped fighting them, Mr. President. Even though their president, Benito Juarez, had to flee to the United States for safety. Before he returned to this country, in fact as soon as he landed in New Orleans, O'Higgins made a coded report to me by telegraph. As soon as I received it I contacted the Mexican ambassador here in WashingtonCity. He in turn telegraphed Juarez in Texas. If the train arrives in time President Juarez will be here this afternoon."
    Lincoln climbed to his feet and slammed his fist into his hand. "Capital! We must now coordinate all efforts." He paced the length of the room and back. "Firstly, troops, an honor guard, must be sent to greet him. Led by a general who will officially receive him. Then I want him brought here to the War Department.