Indiana State Sentinel

Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana.

Next to Bolivar, there is no one, among the distinguished men of the Spanish American republics, whose life has been signalized by so many extraordinary vicissitudes of good and evil fortune, or who has attained so wide spread a reputation, as Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana.

Santa Ana is a native of the department of Vera Cruz. Here, without enjoying any adventitious advantages of birth or family, he was enabled by his talents and activity, to secure great local influence, and then to rise gradually to wealth and power.

He began to be conspicuous in 1821, as a partizan of Iturbide. On the promulgation by the latter of the plan of Iguala, (February 24, 1821,) Santa Ana, at the head of the irregular forces of the neighborhood, succeeded, by a coup de main, in driving the Spaniards out of Vera Cruz, of which he was appointed governor by Iturbide. The Spaniards, however, still held the castles of San Juan de Ulua, from which they were not for a long time dislodged; and, of course, Santa Ana's position was one of great importance. Meanwhile, differences arose between Santa Ana and the Emperor Augustin, who had come down to Jalapa to direct the operations against the Spaniards. Santa Ana repaired to Jalapa to confer with Iturbide; and, being treated harshly and deprived of his command, immediately left Jalapa, hurried back to Vera Cruz, in anticipation of the intelligence of his disgrace, and raised the standard of revolt, and, by means of his personal authority with the troops of the garrison, was able to commence hostilities against the Emperor. Thereupon, Guadalupe Victoria, whose name was endeared to the Mexicans by his previous unsuccessful efforts in the revolution, and who was living concealed in the mountains, emerged from his hiding-place, called around his old republican companions in arms, expelled Iturbide, and established the Mexican republic with a federal constitution, in imitation of the United States.

Santa Ana, who, by taking up arms, had contributed so largely to this result, and thinking himself not duly considered in the new arrangements, sailed from Vera Cruz with a small force, (March 1823,) and, landing at Tampico, advanced through the country to San Luis Potosi, assuming to be new protector of the new republic. But he did not possess influence enough to maintain himself in this attitude, and was compelled to submit to the government, and to remain for several years in retirement at Manga de Clavo.

The termination of Victoria's presidency, however, in 1828, enabled Santa Ana to re-appear on the stage. Pedraza had been regularly elected President: on hearing of which, Santa Ana rose in arms, and, by a rapid march, seized upon, and intrenched himself in the castle of Perote, where he published a plan, the basis of which was to annul the election of Pedraza, and confer the presidency on Guerrero; but, being successfully attacked here by the government forces, he was compelled to flee, and took refuge in the mountains of Oaxaca, to all appearance an outlaw and a ruined man. The signal of revolution, however, which he had given at Perote, was followed up with more success in other parts of the country. Pedraza was at length driven into exile, Guerrero was declared President in his place, and Santa Ana was appointed to the command of the very army sent against him, and to the government of Vera Cruz; and, after the inauguration of Guerrero, (April 1829) he became Secretary of War.

During the occurrence of these events, the Spanish government was organizing its last invasion of Mexico; and on Barradas-the commander of the Spanish forces, landing at Tampico, July 27, 1829, Santa Ana was intrusted with the command of the Mexican troops, and at length compelled the Spaniards to capitulate, September 11, 1829, and thus put an end to the war of Independence.

Guerrero had been in office but a few months, when another revolution occurred. The Vice President, (Bustamente) gathered a force at Jalapa, and pronounced against Guerrero, December, 1829, who was at length taken prisoner, and executed for treason; Bustamente assuming the presidency.

Santa Ana, after feebly resisting, had at length joined, or at least acquiesced in, the movement of Bustamente; and remained in retirement for two or three years, until in 1832 he of a sudden pronounced against the government, compelled Bustamente to flee, and brought back Pedraza from exile to serve out the remaining three months of the term for which he had been elected to the presidency.

In the progress of events, Santa Ana had now acquired sufficient importance to desist from the function of President-maker, and to become himself President, May, 1833. His presidency was filled with pronunciamentos and civil wars, which produced the consummation of the overthrow of the federal constitution of 1824, and the adoption in 1836 of a central constitution.

Though most of the Mexican States acquiesced in the violent changes, by which they were reduced to mere departments under the control of military commandants, both Texas on the northeast, and Yucatan on the southeast, refused to submit to the military dominion of whatever faction of the army might happen to hold power in the city of Mexico; and Santa Ana at length took command in person of the army organized for the reduction of Texas. The battle of San Jacinto, the capture of Santa Ana, his release by Houston on conditions which he afterwards refused to fulfil, his visit to this country, and his subsequent return to Mexico, are events familiarly known in the United States.

When Santa Ana marched on Texas, first Barragan, and then Gomez, exercised the functions of the presidency for awhile, until, after the new constitution, Bustamente, having returned from exile, was elected President; the temporary unpopularity of Santa Ana, and his retirement in disgrace to Manga de Clavo, having left the field open to the friends of Bustamente.

Sundry pronunciamentos followed; of which, one of the most dangerous, headed by Mejia, gave to Santa Ana the opportunity of emerging from his retirement. He vanquished Mejia, and caused him to be shot on the field of battle. This exploit gave to Santa Ana a new start in public affairs; so that, when the French government, in 1838, resolved to punish Mexico for its multiplied aggressions on the subjects of France in Mexico, and proceeded to attack Vera Cruz, the command of the Mexican troops was committed to Santa Ana. On this occasion he received a wound, which rendered the amputation of one of his legs necessary; and his services, at this time, seemed to have effaced, in the eyes of the Mexicans, the disgrace of his defeat at San Jacinto.

Santa Ana took no part in the unsuccessful movement of Urrea against Bustamente in 1840: but in 1841 there broke out a revolution, commenced by the Paredes, at Guadalajara, into which Santa Ana threw himself with so much vigor and zeal, that Bustamente was again compelled to flee, and the plan of Tacubaya, with the agreement of La Estanzuela, was adopted: in virtue of which, the constitution of 1836 was abolished, and Santa Ana himself was invested with the power of dictator, for the purpose of reconstituting the republic.

Under these auspices, and amidst all the calamities of a protracted but unsuccessful attempt to reduce Yucatan to submission, (for Yucatan at length made its own terms.) a new constitution was adopted June 13, 1843, entitled "Basis of Political Organization of the Mexican Republic," and Santa Ana was elected President.

Santa Ana resigned his dictatorship, and entered upon office as the new President in January, 1844; but before the expiration of the year, Paredes again pronounced at Guadalajara, and this time against Santa Ana, November, 1844. The chief ostensible causes to this movement were various administrative abuses committed by Santa Ana and his ministers, and especially an abortive attempt of his administration to raise money for an expedition against Texas.

When the revolution broke out, Santa Ana was at Manga de Clavo, the presidency being provisionally held (during his absence from the capital) by Canalizo. Instantly on hearing the tidings of the movement at Guadalajara, Santa Ana, in open violation of one of the articles of the new organic bases, was placed in command of the army, and rapidly traversed the republic, from Jalapa to Queretaro, with all the forces he could raise, to encounter Paredes. But the departments which he had left behind him speedily revolted, not excepting even Vera Cruz; and though his faction in the capital, including Canalizo and his ministers, endeavored to sustain him by proclaiming him dictator, their efforts were vain; he was compelled to retrograde, and at length routed, and obliged to surrender himself a captive to the new administration headed by Herrera, which has released him with a penalty of ten years' exile.

Thus, after having been conspicuous for twenty-five years in nearly all the military and political movements of his country, and having himself originated or conducted as many revolutions, in the course of which he was alternately, or many times, either at the head of affairs, or in the depths of misfortune, Santa Ana has been compelled to yield to the common fate of eminence in Mexico—that is, exile or the scaffold. The great abilities which he undoubtedly possesses, seem to have answered little purpose in the domestic affairs of his country, but to enable him to be foremost among his countrymen in the promotion of those civil wars by which they have never ceased to be distracted, and to accumulate, amid the public disasters, a colossal fortune, inferior in amount (it is understood) to but very few on this continent; and he is still at an age to enable him, in some contingency, once more to exercise controlling influence over the destinies of the Mexican republic. K. S.