prisoner, for the whole Mexican army lay directly in his path. He,
accordingly, advanced more cautiously, but the guide again begged
him to halt, declaring that he could already see the enemies' tents
lying on the hillside below. Peering through the darkness in the
direction indicated, Lee discovered what appeared to be an encampment
of many thousand men, and for the moment he was tempted to accept
his companion's conclusion that this was the main force of the
Mexicans. Second thoughts, however, convinced him that he ought
not to make a report based upon the eyes of the guide, and, despite
the man's frightened protests, he decided to stay where he was and
see the situation for himself by daylight. But, before the morning
fairly dawned, it was apparent that the supposed army of Mexicans
was nothing but a huge flock of sheep and, galloping back with the
news that the road was clear, he led a troop of cavalry forward and
located the enemy posted many miles away in an entirely different
position.

The Mexicans stubbornly, though unsuccessfully, resisted the American
army as it pushed toward their capital, and in the battles which
ensued Lee was so active that his gallant conduct was praised in
almost every dispatch of his Chief, who subsequently attributed much
of his success "to the skill and valor of Robert E. Lee," whom he
did not hesitate to describe as "the greatest military genius in
America." Continuous praise from such a source would have been
more than sufficient to turn the average officer's head, but Lee
continued to perform his duties without showing the least sign of
vanity or conceit. Quiet, thoughtful, quick to take advantage of
any opportunity, but greedy of neither honors nor personal distinction
of any kind, he won the admiration of his comrades as well as the
confidence of his superiors, and his promotion, first to the rank