REVERSES OF THE PATRIOTS. 433 



otherwise have been made by the excom- 

 munication ; but it excited a dread amongst 

 the inhabitants of Mexico, in those pro- 

 vinces which the revolt had not hitherto 

 reached, and induced them to remain 

 tranquil. 



Hidalgo crossed the Lerma, and at El 

 Monte de las Cruces defeated a royalist 

 force, commanded by Colonel Truxillo : he 

 approached the capital within a very short 

 distance on the 31st of October, but did 

 not attempt to storm it ; and the next 

 morning retired, encamping his troops on 

 a hill near the village of Aculco. Tn the 

 mean time one of his commanders. General 

 Sanchez, had been defeated at Queretaro ; 

 and another, Calleja, had, with his division, 

 joined the royalist general, the Count de la 

 Cadena, on the 28th of October : these 

 united forces marched towards Mexico, and 

 on the 7th of November Calleja attacked 

 Hidalgo in his camp. The latter was de- 



VOL. I. 2 F 



