It was absolutely necessary to have enough to supply the army to Jalapa, sixty-five miles in the interior and above the fevers of the coast.

At that point the country is fertile, and an army of the size of General Scott's could subsist there for an indefinite period.

Not counting the sick, the weak and the garrisons for the captured city and fort, the moving column was now less than ten thousand strong.

This force was composed of three divisions, under Generals Twiggs, Patterson, and Worth.

The importance of escaping the vomito was so great that as soon as transportation enough could be got together to move a division the advance was commenced.