Zenas Matthews' 1846 U.S.-Mexico War Diary and Service Papers

Sunday August 23rd 1846 This morning we arrived at the town of Colmena 120 miles from San Fernando after a travel of days over a Mountanious country. Our rout was for several days up the valley of the San Fernando River thence [turning?] west over the mountains. Our road was only a trail and having to march in a single file it made our lines about 2 miles long. Two days previous to our arrival here we had an alarm that the Mexicans had cut off our rear guard and was about to attack us in front. We halted and partly formed for battle but it turned out to be a false alarm. We had been informed for several days that there was from 3 to 4000 Mexicans fortifying at this place but it was a mistake We sent in a spy company to reconoiter but they found nothing but peacable citizens and plenty to eat for our selves