CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 1891 BY HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE E 404.84?'""'" ""'"*'■'"'"■""■"■>' ^niimwiiMm?,!^*''"''^ """"9 the Uex B Cornell University y Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924020403394 BATTLES OF MEXrCO Survey of tlie MAJOR frEMRAlfviMIElB SCOTT o.itlieia*&.'20'Sfkpusia.8*12"'ctl3*Sept^ Made by ' l/'tuA /fttrd/xisdf, Topo' F/i^i//fniidcrs. and eight-inch Paixhan guns ; and, consequenflr, at the distance of s mile, which was the nearest ther could approach, without bric-C'J^g iiemselTi:^ within point-blank range of two hundred jaeces erf «rrillery. «i^ the castle and city walls, their fire was very efiecdre. The ene- my, who had been firing at interrals only, since the isr.iiizu:. aud throwing an occasional shell from ciiy and easiZe. when he per- ceived that the attack had commenced in earnest, orened CT-ffla -^.s with all his batteries, tha: would bear up-on the artioiii:^ part of the line, and the fleet, and began to throw hicii it ns, it :eis:, shell for shell. The castle was armed with some very heavy mortars, and now and then threw a shell of immense size, and destructive force. As these mammoth eEjriiies of war would bury themselves in the sand, and explode with the detonatkat of a thunder-bolt, the grotmd would be shaken for ysris around, as though there had been a miniature earthquake. It was an awfiil. as well as grand and beautifttl, spectacle, to behold this firs: engage- ment of the two opposing armies, with its deaiering rear of artil- lery, clouds of wreathing smoke, clashing of shot and siie!ls. and flashes of lurid hghtning, as the heavy pieces belched forth their destructive missiles of death. But mere word-painting is inade- quate to give a correct idea of a battle-scene. Ai dark, both par- ties ceased the fire of their artillery, and the "mosquito " fleet, as Tattnall's small vessels were appropriatelv called, drew off for the night. The mortars, on both sides, continued to illuinine the darkness by the rapid and beautiful passage of their shells through the air ; and the terrific explosions of these occasionally broke in upon our slumbers, on board the fleet, to remind us that the work of destruction was going bravely on. At day-light on the 23d, Tattnall, by the order of Commodore Perry, advanced boldly to attack the castle ; not with the expectation of making any serious impression upon it, but to divert its fire, for the moment, from the land-forces. He took up his position, within about eight hundred 132 SERVICE AFLOAT ANb ASHOaE. yards, and to the astonishment and admiration of both sailors and soldiers, maintained it for half an hour and more, until he was recalled by signal, retiring ■without having sustained any serious loss. '' A norther soon afterward sprung up, and continued to blow } furiously through the day, cutting off again, all intercourse be- j tween the shipping and the shore, and thus seriously retarding \the progress of the siege. The fire of the mortars was slackened for the want of shells (which could not be landed), there being but one shell thrown in every five minutes. The further incon- venience was felt of having the trenches and mortar batteries filled up with sand, almost as fast as it could be removed. Three more mortars, which had been previously landed, were placed in bat- tery to-day, and the engineers, and sappers, and miners were employed in constructing two batteries for siege pieces. General Scott finding that his battering train, which was a very heavy and well appointed one, did not arrive in time, was compelled to ask for assistance from Commodore Perry. The navy had, from the first, hoped that it would be allowed to participate in the opera- tions on shore, and had volunteered for this purpose ; but it was generally understood in the squadron, that its services had been declined ; and that there was a manifest desire on the part of the general-in-chief, to confine it, as much as possible, to the ships, and to the sea-beach, where the materiel of the army was being landed. It may be that this was an unjust suspicion, but it being a part of the res gestcs of the siege, I deem it proper to mention it. It was seen that the shells were having but little effect, in quarters where it was most desirable to produce it. The houses were shat- tered, women and children were killed (a shell falling through the dome of the church of Santo Domingo, killed a number of wound- ed, who had been carried thither by the surgeons to have their wounds dressed ; and upon the remainder of them being removed to the church of San Francisco, occupied as a hospital, by a strange accident, another shell fell through the roof of this build- ing also, and, with a terrible explosion, killed nineteen persons, many of them women and children), and much destitution and misery were produced among the inhabitants ; but the fortifica- tions, and their garrisons, which were better protected, were SEEVICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 133 scarcely at all injured, owing to the impossibility of shelling isolated points, of small extent, with precision. General Scott's heaviest battering guns were twenty-four-pounders, entirely too lio-ht for breaching purposes ; it was not known how long the enemy might hold out, unless the city could be carried by assault ; the season of the vomito was approaching, and there was no alterA native, but to have recourse to the navy for heavier metal, where- , with to breach the walls. G«neral Scott, accordingly, in a/ conversation with Commodore Perry, made known to this officer \ his wants, and required of him a portion of his guns. The com-i^ modore's courteous and gallant reply, couched in Lacedemonian brevity, was, " Certainly, General, but I must fight them." And he did fight them, as the reader will see. The officers and seamen of the navy, who had hitherto borne the brunt of all the labor in landing the arms and other munitions belonging to the army, without a murmur, and had even extorted commendations from the general-in-chief, himself, for the energy with which they had addressed themselves to this more ignoble task, received with de- light the intelligence that they wer«, at last, to participate in the honors of the siege. Six heavy pieces of ordnance were landed, and about two hundred seamen and volunteers being attached to each piece, with incredible toil and perseverance, they dragged them, by f main strength, a distance of three miles, to the point where they were to be put in battery ; most of the way, through loose sand, -^ knee deep, and fording, in their passage, a lagoon two feet deep and seventy yards wide. With the able assistance of the engi- neers, and sappers and miners, who were equally unremitting and zealous in their labors, the officers were enabled to place their pieces in battery, during the night of the 23d. The mask of this battery, which was within seven hundred yards of the city walls, had been well preserved, and the engineers and seamen had worked without being observed or molested by the enemy. The battery was situated about due south of the center of the city, in General Patterson's portion of the line of investment, and conse- quently under his orders. But with a tact and delicacy highly commendable, he did not make us aware, at any one time during the operations, that he was our commanding officer. The six 134 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. guns, of -which the battery was composed, ivere of the following description and weight of metal ; the heaviest, perhaps, that had ever before been mounted in siege : Three 68-pounder shell-guns, weighing 63 cwt. each. Three 32-pounder solid-shot guns, of the same weight. On the same evening on which this battery was completed. Colonel Bankhead, the chief of artillery, had caused to be placed in battery, three twenty -four-pounders ; to this battery, there were subsequently added another twenty-four-pounder, and two eight-inch howitzers. The mortar batteries having been num- bered 1, 2, and 3, as before remarked, the twenty-four-pounder battery was numbered 4, and the navy battery numbered 5. These were all the batteries that were erected during the siege of Vera Cruz, viz : By the army, Nos. 1, 2, 3, aMk;C con- taining ten mortars, two howitzers, and four twenty-foUr-pound- ers I and by the navy, "No. 5, containing six sixty-eight and thirty-two-pounder shell and solid-shot guns.. The norther, which, as we have remarked, had been blowing all day, lulled at night, and enabled Commodore Perry to make suitable preparations for taking possession of, and opening his heavy battery on, the morrow. Up to this time, we had been throwing shells, regularly, into the town for two days, without producing other effects than such as I have described, of destroying a beautiful city, andkilHng the in- /'offen^lfB, because unarmed, portion of the population. The true object of a siege is to reduce the armed portion of the population , to submission, and thus insure the surrender of the place: hu- manity, in the present century, revolts at the destruction of private property, and the unnecessary effusion of blood. Both of these results necessarily follow the institution and active prosecution of a siege, it is true ; but then, it is our duty to diminish them as •'much as possible. Instead of throwing shells from a safe dis- tance into a fortified city, and thus making war upon the private domicil of the citizen, killing his wife and children, and destroy- ing his property, we should erect batteries against its fortified \ points, and assail its military defenders ; breaching the walls, and "carrying the city by the bayonet, if necessary, in order, that if blood flow, it may flow in the right quarter. There is no cause to fear, that the disgraceful scenes which have so often and so SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 136 recently attended the storming of cities in Europe, -will ever be re-enacted by our humane and enlightened soldiery, on this con- tinent. The storming of the rich and populous capital of Mexico, is a guai'antee that they will not be. If Vera Cruz had been well supplied with provisions, and gar- risoned by resolute men, it might have held out for six months, against all the shells that we could have thrown into it : it was, therefore, both a judicious and a humane move, on the part of General Scott, to call in the navy to his aid, to breach the walls for him, in order that he might carry the place by assault ; as it was his intention to do, had the enemy held out twenty-four hours longer. Early on the morning of the 24th, Capt. Aulick — the second in command of the squadron — with a party of officers and seamen, took possession of battery No. 6 ; and clearing away the masking of brush, etc., by which it had been hid from the enemy, opened a rapid and heavy fire from the whole of his six pieces. The enemy was astonished at the vigor and power of this new assailant. Hitherto, the walls and forts had not been touched, but now our heavy solid-shot, thrown from thirty-two-: pounders, at the short distance of seven hundred yards, came plunging, at the first blow, through the walls (which had been constructed of the soft and brittle coral rock, and were a good deal dilapidated by age, and the elements), killing his artillerists, and dismounting his guns. While the thirty-two-pounders were doing this execution, the hollow-shot guns, firing with nearly the same accuracy, exploded their terrible missiles, precisely where the officers chose to put them — not through the domes of churches and hospitals, but in the casemates and barracks of the soldiers. The Mexicans, becoming thus aware that Commodore Perry was "fighting his guns," concentrated upon the gallant little battery, the fire of three forts, Santiago, and two others farther west ; one of the latter being precisely in our front. Cap- tain Auhck maintained his fire until four o'clock, p. m., when his ammunition being exhausted, and his defenses a good deal injured, he ceased for the night. In this, our first day's work, we had four men killed, and six wounded ; Lieutenant Baldwin being among the latter. The mortars continued to throw their shells as usual, but somewhat more languidly, on account of a short supply 136 SKEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. of ammunition, ■which the norther of the previous day had pre- vented us from landing. The army battery of twenty-four-pounders (No. 4), had not yet been able to open — the arrangements of the battery not being complete. Commodore Perry having directed that the ofBcers and seamen, serving at the naval battery, should be relieved every evening at sunset, in order that as many of them as possible, might have a chance at "ihe glories," Captain Auhck and his party were relieved by Captain Mayo, of the flag-ship Mississippi, with a fresh detail of officers and men. Colonel P. F. Smith, of the Eifies, cantoned at Vergara, had a clever little affair to-day, near the Puente del Medio — a bridge across a small stream that empties into the river Antigua — with between two and three hundred of the enemy. With about the same force, he drove them handsomely from their position, and killed three or four of their men. Toward evening. General Scott received a memorial from the consuls of Great Britain, France, Spain, and Prussia — all the consuls then within the city of Vera Cruz — asking him to grant a truce, to enable the neutral residents, and Mexican women and children to withdraw from the scene of havoc around them. As according to the rules of civilized warfare in Christian countries, one of the legitimate means of reducing an enemy to terms, is to starve his women and children ; we did not, of course, accede to this proposition ; General Scott replying: 1st that he had admo- nished them (the consuls), as early as the 13th, of the dangers that were impending ; 2dly, that he had left open to them a free communication with the ships of war of their respective nations, until the 22d ; and 3dly, that on this latter day, in his summons to General Morales to surrender the city, "he had fully considered the impending hardships and distresses of the place, including those of the women and children." Wherefore the memorialists " took nothing" by their memorial, and the work of the siege went forward. The night of the 24th was a beautiful star-light night — as well as I remember, there was no moon — and the relief party, for the navy battery, reached its station — after running the gauntlet of the enemy's fire, on a portion of the route — a little before sunset. SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 137 We bivouacked our men in a clump of bushes on the southern, or off-slope, of the sand-hill, on the brow of which the battery was placed ; cooked an excellent supper, with plenty of hot coffee ; smoked a cigar, and went to bed ; that is to say, each one of us made a hole in the sand, to conform to the angularity of his figure, and pulled a blanket over his head. Meanwhile the engineers, with rehef working parties, were busy with the repair of our defenses, which had been rendered almost untenable, and a de- tachment of volunteers kept guard while we slept. Although our position sheltered us from the direct fire of the enemy, which indeed had ceased since night set in, yet an occasional shell, thrown at random in our direction, exploded in fearful proximity to us. The novelty of my position, and the excitement of the scene around me — ^the engineers working away at our sand-bags, like so many specters, by the starhght, the sentinel, at a little dis- tance, pacing his solitary round, and the sailors collected in small groups, discoursing, sotto voce, but notso sotto either, but that every now and then, a " d n my eyes" could be heard — ^prevented me from sleeping. Perhaps, after all, a little sensation of nervous- ness, occasioned by the thought of being set up, on the morrow, to be shot at by three batteries, had more to do with my wakefulness, than at the time I was willing to confess to myself. In the early part of the night, the walls of the city abreast of us, and on our right, were brilUantly illuminated by the burning of some sheds and other buildings in the suburbs ; no doubt, fired by the Mexicans themselves, to unmask new pieces, which they were placing in position, to oppose us. About midnight, I wandered to a small eminence, in the neighborhood of our battery, to look forth upon the scene. It was perfectly calm. The fleet at Sacrificios was just visible through the gloom, and was sleeping quietly at its anchors, without other sign of life, than a solitary light burning at the gaff-end of the commodore. The castle of San Juan de Ulloa, magnified out of all proportion by the uncertain starlight, and looking ten times more somber and defiant than ever, ap- peared to enjoy equal repose. Even the sea seemed to have gone to sleep, after the turmoil of the recent norther, as the only sound that reached the ear, from that direction, was a faint, very faint murmur, hoarse and plaintive, as the lazy swell, with scarcely 12 138 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. energy enough to break, stranded itself on the beach. The cricket and the catydid, and myriads of other insects — the south is the land of insects — chirruped in a sort of inharmonious melody, reminding one of his far-off home and of fireside scenes. But if nature was thus inclined to repose, man was not, for Death still held his car- nival within the walls of the beleaguered city. Those horrid mortars of ours were in "awful activity." The demons incarnate, all begrimed with powder and smoke, who served them at this midnight hour, having received a fresh supply of shells and am- munition, since the lull of the norther, seemed to redouble their energies, to make up for their lazy day's work of yesterday. They gave the doomed city no respite, not even for a single mo- ment, as the air was never without its tenant, winging its way on its errand of death. I sat and watched these missiles for an hour and more, and I shall never forget the awful scream, apparently proceeding from several female voices, which came ringing on the night air, as one of those terrible engines of destruction exploded — carrying death and dismay, no doubt, to some family circle. No „ sight could have been more solemn and impressive — ^the imagina- tion dwelling all the while on the awful tragedy which was being enacted — than the flight of those missiles through the air. The night was just dark enough to admit of their burning fuses being seen, as they traced those beautiful parabolas, pecuUar to this kind of projectile. And then, the awful precision with which they would explode, called forth my constant admiration. They seemed to be hid but a single second or less, behind the dark cur- tain of the city walls, before the terrible explosion — ^reverberated and magnified, as it passed through the streets, by the walls of the houses — would almost stun the ear — I was only seven hundred yards off, and the humidity of the atmosphere was highly favora- ble to the passage of sound. Occasionally, several would be in the air at the same time — I counted as high as five on one occa- sion — chasing each other like playful meteors, and exploding in quick succession like a feu de joie. We were astir, the next morning, at early daylight — our boatswain's mate having aroused all hands, in man-of-war fashion, with a shrill note from his "call" — silver whistle — and a voice resembling the growl of a grizzly bear. By sunrise, we were at our work ; the seamen hand- SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 139 ling their long 32s and 68s like uoys, and iLe uifioers delivering tlieir fire in quick succession, and in the right place. The enemy was not long in replying to us. The same three batteries that had handled Captain Aulick so roughly yesterday, concentrated upon us again to-day, apparently with renewed energy. In addition to this, the castle, which by this time had discovered the true point of attack, began to throw a monster shell at us, at intervals. We^_ had constant occasion to admire the spirit and accuracy, with which the Mexican artillerists handled their pieces. Their shot, which were much lighter than ours, came whistling just over our heads, or buried themselves in the sand-bags, at the muzzles of our guns, with a spiteful and sullen sound, as if in a rage of dis- appointment at not being able to reach us. Now and then, one would come whizzing through the embrasures, taking oflf some poor fellow's head, or having spent itself on the parapet outside, come hopping in lightly on the platform, where we were working the guns. We collected several of these, and sent them back again — two at a time — ^to the enemy, with our comphments. At heavy artillery exercise, the Mexicans are perhaps our equals — their practice is very constant — ^but they fall far short of us, in the management of light pieces in the field. It so happened that the two navies were opposed to each other, on this occasion ; the little battery, immediately in front of us, and the hottest and most efficient of the three, being commanded by Lieutenant Holsinger, an intelligent young German, who had been sevferal years in the Mexican service. We, of the Earitan — Captain Forrest being represented by a thirty-two — ^paid our particular respects to this gentleman. Our piece fired with the accuracy of a rifle, as did all the solid-shot guns, and we were consequently enabled to pitch our heavy metal "right into him." We shot away his colors twice, which the gallant fellow as often replaced, though we must have been riddling his sUght redoubt, and slaying his seamen at every discharge. About seven o'clock, in the day, the army battery. No. 4 — ^twenty-four-pounders — opened its fire, and rendered us friendly assistance, by diverting the attention of Fort Santiago — though this fort being more distant than the other two, had done us but little damage. The mortars continuing, too, to throw their shells with spirit, the whole constituted 140 SERVICE AFLOAT AND A8H0KK. that "awful activity" described by the general -in-chief, in his dispatch. About this time, an accident occurred, which had well-nigh put an end to our breaching operations, in the navy battery. The castle, which, as I have remarked, had been shelling us at inter- vals, threw one of its thirteen inch bombs, with such precision that it lighted on the sand, not more than five paces in the rear of one of the guns. At about this distance in the rear of each piece, we had stationed a quarter-gunner, with a small copper tank, capable of holding eight or ten charges of powder — each charge weighing §bout ten pounds. The shell falling near one of these petty officers, he turned, upon hearing a noise behind him — he had not seen the shell fall — and finding a monstrous cannon ball there, as he thought, mechanically put his hand upon it. Finding it hot, it at once occurred to him what it was. It was too late to run, and in the consternation of the moment, like a drowning man who will grasp at a straw, he doubled himself up in a heap, and attempted to burrow himself, head foremost, in the sand, like an ostrich. All this occurred in the space of a second, and in a moment more, the shell exploded, with the noise of a thousand pieces of artillery, shaking the battery like an earth- quake, and covering the officers and seamen with clouds of dust and sand. Our fire was suspended for a moment, and when the smoke had cleared off sufficiently to enable us to distinguish objects, every officer looked around him in breathless anxiety, expecting to behold the blackened corpses, and mutilated Umbs of half his comrades at least. Strange to say, not a soul was hurt. Lieutenant Frailey had his hat badly wounded by a fragment of the shell, which carried away one-half of its rim. Even the quarter-gunner, who, on such short notice found it impossible to get down into the sand, and who beside had had his copper tank blown up, with forty or fifty pounds of powder in it, had escaped unhurt — the fragments fortunately rising into the air, instead of spreading laterally. We continued our fire until two o'clock, p. m., when the enemy's batteries all ceased, except now and then a random shot. The city was beaten ; and on the same afternoon, we had the satisfaction of seeing a white flag pass into General Scott's camp — ^Washington. The navy battery, in the last two SEEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. days, had thrown one thousand paixhan sliells, and eight hund^ round shot into the enemy's walls and forts. Colonel Bankhead, the chief of ordnance, estimated the whole number of shot and shells, thrown by the army, at two thousand five hundred. In the engagement just ended, we had lost five men killed — Midshipman Shubrick being of the number. This officer, while fighting his gun, had his throat cut with a twelve-pound shot, and expired instantly. As they were taking his corpse to the rear, I feared it was our gallant captain, who had exposed himself, as his friends thought, very unnecessarily, during the heat of the contest. The enemy no longer molesting us, we collected in groups, on the tops of our sand-bags, to examine the damage we had done. By the aid of our glasses, we could see that both the forts abreast of us, and with which we had had such hot work, were completely de- molished ; the guns dismounted, and the walls knocked into a heap of ruins ; and that our efforts at breaching the city walls had been successful beyond our expectations. These no longer presented any obstacle to an assaulting army ; as at the points at which we had directed our aim, scarce one stone remained upon another. — We were pained to observe, too, that despite ourselves, we had knocked down many of the habitations of the poorer class of peo- ple, which abounded in this quarter. The city, which had been deprecating the use of shells, and clamoring for an assault, now that an assault had become practicable, and was on the point of being offered to it, suddenly lost courage, and began to make pre- parations for surrender. General Morales, finding that the crisis had arrived, and being unwilling to surrender himself a prisoner on parole, and thus, in all probabiUty, cut himself off from all 'further opportunity of taking part in the war, made his escape — with the commandant of militia — on the night of the 26th, in a small boat ; devolving the command on General Landero, with whom Commodore Conner had had much official intercourse dur- ing the blockade, and whom we always found a courteous and clever gentleman. CHAPTER VIII. biEGE of Vera Cruz continued— Articles of capitulation signed— Surrender of the city — The Mexican army marches out, and lays down its arms — General Scott's dispatch announcing the result — General Quitman marches to the attack of Alvarado — ^Is anticipated by Lieutenant Hunter — Subse- quent trial of this oflBcer for disobedience of orders — New aspect of Vera Cruz under American rule — Capture of Tuspan — Exploration of the river of this name — ^Author ordered into the interior of Mexico, on a special mission — Departure from Vera Cruz — ^Incidents of the road — The alcalde of Santa F6 — Valley of San Juan, and encounter of General Pillow. Nothing satisfactory having been as yet settled, with regard to the surrender, a moderate fire was kept up by Colonel Bankhead, from his mortars, during the night, and until eight o'clock on the morning of the 26th, when another flag appearing with definite propositions, General Scott ordered the firing to cease from all the batteries. Thus was achieved, what has been called, the "blood- less victory " of Vera Cruz ;* bloodless enough, so far as we were concerned, but an awful tragedy to the enemy. The army lost, in killed, only ten persons, including those who died of their wounds ; the navy lost, in its battery, nine persons killed, includ- ing one who died of his wounds, making a total of nineteen ; while the enemy estimated his loss at a thousand souls, in killed and wounded — most of them killed, as is always the case in artil- lery combats ! The possession of Vera Cruz, with its castle and * But for the prompt surrender of the city, it would have been assaulted — probably the day after the walls were breached by the naval battery. Gene- ral Scott and Commodore Perry had organized a storming party, to consist of three columns, composed, respectively, of the sailors and marines of the squadron, the regulars, and the volunteers. To Commodore Perry had been assigned the task of carrying the sea-front of the city, and the gallant commodore had resolved to head his storming column, in person. He had also made arrangements for storming the water-battery of the castle of San Juan de Ulloa, during the siege, and spiking its guns, and only waited for the waning of the moon to put his plan in execution ; but the unexpected surrenderor the city prevented him. (142) SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE . 143 harbor was of immense importance to us. It turned over a new page in the history of the war, and opened to us the hitherto sealed way to the rich and populous plains of Anahuae ; the seat of the enemy's civilization and power. Our government, having retraced its former injudicious steps, now began to see some pros- pect of concluding a war, of which our people had already begun to grow tired, and which had been attended with unusual expense, owing to the unprepared state in which it had found us — as wars always find, and perhaps should find republics, so far as extensive mihtary armaments are concerned. With such a base of opera- tions, of easy protection, afibrding us ample shelter for our troops, and spacious storehouses for our supplies, and, by the aid of steam, brought within three or four days of New Orleans, it would be an easy matter for us to take possession of the enemy's capital — a feat, which, up to this time, had been considered, by many persons, of difficult, if not doubtful, achievement. The commissioners appointed to negotiate the capitulation were, on our part. Brevet Major- General Worth — who had received, during the progress of the siege, the news of his promotion to this rank, awarded to him by a generous nation, in admiration of his bril- liant achievements before Monterey — Brigadier- General Pillow, and Colonel Totten, chief of engineers, to whom was afterward added, on demand of Commodore Perry, Captain Aulick, of the navy ; and on the part of the enemy. Colonel Villanueva, Lieu- tenant-Colonel of engineers Kobles, and Colonel Herrera. There were not many points to be discussed ; the city had been thorough- ly beaten, and the surrender must necessarily be unconditional, except so far as General Scott might mitigate its terms, to save the honor of a foe, who had made a spirited and obstinate defense. — Here follows General Scott's dispatch, announcing the result : "Head-Quartees of the Army, "Vera Cruz, March 29, 1847. "Sir: — The flag of the United States of America floats tri- umphantly over the walls of this city and the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa. "Our troops have garrisoned both since ten o'clock. It is 144 SEEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. now noon. Brigadier-General Worth is in command of both places. "Articles of capitulation were signed and exchanged, at a late hour, night before the last. I inclose a copy of the document. "I have heretofore reported the principal incidents of the siege up to the 25th instant. Nothing of striking interest occurred until early in the morning of the next day, when I received over- tures from General Landero, on whom General Morales had de- volved the principal command. A terrible storm of wind and sand made it difficult to communicate with the city, and impossi- ble to refer to Commodore Perry. I was obliged to entertain the proposition alone, or to continue the fire upon a place that had shown a disposition to surrender ; for the loss of a day, or per- haps several, could not be permitted. The accompanying papers will show the proceedings and results. " Yesterday, after the norther had abated, and the commis- sioners appointed by me early the morning before, had again met those appointed by General Landero, Commodore Perry sent ashore his second in command. Captain Aulick, as a commissioner on the part of the navy. Although not included in my specific ar- rangement made with the Mexican Commander, I did not hesitate, with proper courtesy, to desire that Captain Auhck might be duly introduced and allowed to participate in the discussions and acts of the commissioners who had been reciprocally accredited. — Hence the preamble to his signature. The original American commissioners were Brevet Brigadier- General Worth, Brigadier- General PiUow, and Colonel Totten. Four more able or judicious officers could not have been desired. " I have time to add but little niore. The remaining details of the siege ; the able co-operation of the United States squadron, successively under the command of Commodores Conner and Perry ; the admirable conduct of the whole army — regulars and volunteers — I should be happy to dwell upon as they deserve ; but the steamer Princeton, with Commodore Conner on board, is under-way, and I have commenced organizing an advance into the interior. This may be delayed a few days, waiting the arri- val of additional means of transportation. In the meantime, a SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 146 joint operation, by land and water, will be made upon Alvarado. No lateral expedition, however, shall interfere with the grand movement toward the capital. " In consideration of the great services of Colonel Totten, in the siege that has just terminated most successfully, and the im- portance of his presence at Washington, as the head of the Engi- neer Bureau, I intrust this dispatch to his personal care, and beg to commend him to the very favorable consideration of the department. " I have the honor to remain, sir, with high respect, your most obedient servant, Wikfield Scott. "Hon. W. L. Marct, Secretary of War." On the 26th, we were visited by another of those northers, which I have described, as occurring so frequently in the^gulf, to the destruction of life and property. The anchorage atSacrifi- eios was crammed with men-of-war, and with merchantmen of every class and description — steamers with fresh troops ; vessels Weighted with horses and mules ; storeships with provisions, etc. The gale blew with unusual severity, and started a great number of these ships from their anchors ; twenty-six of which finally went on shore, and were total losses, with their cargoes. Two, that were stranded north of the castle, lost most of their crews. The cargoes belonging to the government, the public loss could not have been less than half a million. The 29th of March, the day of the surrender, was a gala day, with the navy and army before Vera Cruz. The sun rose bril- liantly in an unclouded sky, and the sea-breeze came in gently and delightfully from the S. E. A green meadow of considerable extent, immediately south of the city, had been chosen as a place where the enemy was to lay down his arms ; and thither, at an early hour, repaired a host of spectators from the camp, the city, and the shipping — including the foreign men-of-war — to witness the ceremony. General Worth was chosen as the marshal of the day, and the officer to receive the surrender. A limited number was picked out from each corps of the army, to represent their brethren ; and Commodore Perry had detailed for the occasion, a number of officers and seamen to be present, on the part of the 13 146 SEEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. squadron. At ten o'clock, the hour appointed in the articles of capitulation, the Mexican flags, which had been hoisted, as usual, at sunrise, on the castle of San Juan de Ulloa, and the forts of Santiago and Conception, were struck in these several places, saluted by the Mexican batteries ; and in a few moments after- ward, our glorious stripes and stars were unfolded to the breeze, under salutes from our own batteries and the squadron, and looked proudly forth over those arid sand-hills, and that wide gulf which had witnessed so many revolutions of empire during the last three hundred years. At this moment the enemy's troops were defiling out of the city gate ; and, although the temptation seemed to be almost irresistible with the American multitude there assembled, to salute our proud banners with one long and loud hurra ! good taste^ and a sense of propriety, which, I venture to say, have not often been equaled, restrained them. The Mexicans were about five thousand strong. They were arrayed in their best uniforms — many of those of the officers being covered with the stars and embroidery of which this people is so fond — and marched, with music playing, beneath the standards of their respective corps. — Accompanying the soldiery, were many women and children — the women loaded down with their simplfe household effects, and the children trudging on by their sides, looking with amazement and wonder upon the spectacle before them. Our men, on whose bronzed features were visible the joint emo- tions of pride of conquest, and sympathy for the fallen, were drawn up, under arms, in two lines, between which their late ene- mies passed. As each corps of the Misxican army reached a de- signated spot, the soldiers, in succession, divested themselves of their accoutrements, laid down these and their muskets, and passed on to the open fields, \md.er parole, which they had previously given, " of not serving again in the present war, unless duly exchanged." All persons retained their private effects ; and the officers were permitted, bsside, to retain their horses vrith their caparisons, and their side-arms. This solemn and novel spectacle lasted several hours, and presented one of those striking pictures which linger in the imagination, long after the reality has passed away. The two gallant armies, arrayed in the pomp and panoply of war ; the officers of the squadron, clad in their more modest blue and gold ; SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOKE. 147 the seamen, with their rolHng gait and holiday attire ; the mea- dow, the hills, the sea, and the glorious sunshine, all presented one of those coups d'oeil which the pencil alone can portray. — General Worth was the " observed of all observers ;" sitting his horse as proudly as a marshal of France, in the best days of the republic, and receiving the submission of the enemy, with a mingled dignity and grace, which he knew so well how to as- sume, and which became him so well. Thus ended the surrender of Vera Cruz. A day or two after we had taken possession of the city, Gen. Quit- man was dispatched, with his brigade, to capture Alvarado, a small town already described as lying a short distance up the river of the same name, about thirty miles S. E. of Vera Cruz. The boats of the squadron assisted the detachment across the small river, Medellin, that debouches a little south of Sacrificios ; and General Quitman marched rapidly forward, with the view of sur- prising the enemy, and carrying everything by a coup de main. — The march being by the sea beach, the first object that the troops would come upon, would be the fort at the entrance of the river. The engineers having been pushed forward to reconnoiter this position, their attention was attracted by a curious-looking Mexi- can flag, hoisted upon the fort. It did not look much like a Mexican flag either, they thought. What could it be ? Surely no pronunciamienio could have taken place since they left Vera Cruz, twenty-four hours before, and at that time Alvarado was undoubtedly in possession of the regular Mexican authorities 1 They advance a little closer, take out their pocket handkerchiefs and wipe their glasses carefully, and take another look. " Why, surely, I cannot be mistaken," at length said one of them, "that must be the American flag." "The American flag! how the devil did it get there?" replied his companion. "That's more than I can tell," rejoined the first speaker ; " but the American flag it is, and no mistake." The facts are. Commodore Perry, who had intended to co-oper- ate in person with General Quitman, in the capture of that place, had directed Captain Breese, of the sloop-of-war Albany, and Lieutenant Hunter, of the steamer Scourge, to precede him, to the bar of the river, and there lie at anchor, or cruise in observation, 148 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOBE. until he should arrive. The Scourge arriving before the Albany, stood close in to the land, abreast of the fort, and being tempted by the opportunity, fired several shot into it. The fort, having no intention of resistance, since the fall of Vera Cruz, and understand- ing these shot as a summons to surrender, dispatched a boat to the Scourge, with an officer, who surrendered accordingly. Upon this. Lieutenant Hunter threw a rnidshipman and five men into the fort, as a garrison, hoisted the "queer looking Mexican flag" aforesaid, and pushed on to the towns of Alvarado, and Tlaco- talpam ; of both of which he took possession, in like manner. A court martial grew out of these proceedings, which resulted in the censure of Lieutenant Hunter. Although the decision of the court was unquestionably right, on mihtary principles, I cannot but think that both Commodore Perry and General Quitman suf- fered themselves to be unnecessarily exasperated by Hunter's conduct. The motives of an officer, on all such occasions, should be looked into, and Hunter's were unquestionably good. With- out designing the least disrespect to his commatiding officer, he thought he might fairly avail himself of a state of things, which had not been foreseen when the expedition was planned. If the surrender had been tendered to Hunter, previous to the firing of his guns, his conduct would have stood the test of the strictest military principles ; it was the firing only, which constituted his disobedience, and vitiated the rest of his proceedings. Commodore Perry now made Vera Cruz his head-quarters; his presence being required there to regulate the aflfairs of the shipping, and maintain a sort of police afloat. The harbor became henceforth, crowded with vessels ; some under contract with the government, and some pushing their fortunes in the way of trade. European vessels began to come in also, on speculation, and probably. Vera Cruz, never before, presented such a spectacle of mingled thrift and warlike preparation. The mole resembled an eastern bazaar, in the motley crowd of all colors, creeds and cos- tumes, with which it was constantly thronged. Spanish, French, German and other languages, with a large preponderance of good old English, met the ear, in a Babel-like confusion, and the pacific box and bale of commerce lay piled up indiscriminately with the terrible instruments of war. SERVICE AFLOAT Alft) ASHORE. 149 Occupying a place at the pier end, were the mammoth guns of the navy battery, which had been transported thither to be em- barked on board their respective ships. These guns had become quite famous since we had taken possession of the town, and had examined, more at our leisure, the terrible execution done by them. The quarter against which they had been served, had been reduced to a complete wreck of crumbling ruins, and a loaded wagon might have been driven through either of the two breaches in the walls which had been opened by the resistless momentum of their heavy metal. Already, signs of the energy of our race began to appear, in the improvements of practical utility that met the eye on every hand. The reef of the Gallega, on which the proud old castle of San Juan de Ulloa had alternately slumbered in lordly repose, and awakened the echoes of war, for so many generations past, was degraded into a coal depot for steamers ; a substantial wharf of newly-sawed timber having been extended from it into the harbor, for the convenience of discharging and receiving the materiel. Sheds and wharves, for a similar purpose, had been con- structed, also, at the island of Sacrificios. The channels of the har- bor were marked out and buoyed, and pilot-boats from the Ches- apeake might be seen daily, cruising many miles out at sea, to pick up inward-bound vessels. Forges, and other workshops for the squadron were erected on Green Island, and a commodious hos- pital already loomed up from the little sand key of Salmadina, at Anton Lizardo. Not the least of the improvements which had been made in the city, was the total revolution which had taken place in the custom-house.* The eighty or ninety Mexican oflB- cials, who had formerly occupied this building, had, of course, * It is a remarkable fact, and one highly creditable to all concerned, that not one of the officers of the navy, appointed by Commodore Perry to col- lect the customs at the various ports, occupied by him (and there were sis of them), failed to settle his accounts at Washington, at the end of the war. Although large sums were received, and the duties "were of a novel, and fre- quently embarrassing nature, every cent of the public money was accounted for, to the entire satisfaction of the Navy Department. Nor was there ever a complaint made to the government, on the part of any Mexican, of undue appropriation of property, or personal violence of any kind, committed by a naval officer. 150 SERVICE jftLOAT AND ASHORE. vacated their posts, and our friend, Dimond, the former consul of the port, with half a dozen assistants, now performed the increased duties of collection, with a simplicity and rapidity that astonished those who had been accustomed to the cumbrous machinery of the defunct government. In short, the apathy and indiflference to im- provement, amounting almost to contempt, of the Hispano-Mex- ican, had given place to the go-ahead-a-tiveness — ^new phases of society must have new words — of Brother Jonathan. For some time past. Commodore Perry had meditated an attack against Tuspan, a small maritime town situated on the river of the same name, about a hundred miles north-west of Vera Cruz, on the bar of which, the reader may recollect, the brig Truxton was lost. The island of Lobos, which had been the rendezvous of a portion of General Scott's transports, previous to the landing at Vera Cruz, being near the mouth of this river, was designated as the rendezvous on this occasion. The Raritan, Albany, John Adams and Germantown, and the bomb vessels Vesuvius, Etna and Hecla having been dispatched a day or two previously. Com- modore Perry himself, in the steamer Mississippi, having in tow his usual musquito fleet, consisting of the steamers Spitfire, Vixen and Scourge, and gun-schooners Bonita, Petrel, and Reefer, got under- way on the 12th of April, and arrived at this island the next day. Here, twenty-four hours were spent in organizing landing parties, and practicing field exercises, with an excellent battery of light artillery, which Commodore Perry had organized for such occasions. On the 15th we left Lobos for the anchorage under Tuspan reef — ten or twelve miles from the mouth of the river. Although it was the middle of April, we were separated, during the night, by a norther, and were not able to concentrate at the new rendezvous until the 17th. The whole of this day was spent in sounding and buoying the bar, preparing the boats, etc. It being doubtful whether the steamers Spitfire and Vixen could enter the river, they were successively hauled alongside the Eari- tan, where their masts were taken out, and they were otherwise lightened to the requisite draught. This operation occupied us a greater part of the night, but our seamen worked "with a will," under the excitement of an occasional "splice of the main-brace" — extra glass of grog — and the prospect of a "bit of a row" on SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 151 the morrow. Jack hoped to have a fight, but fight or no fight, he had made up his mind to have a frolic. On the morning of the 1 8th, everything being in readiness, the small steamers, gun- schooners and barges moved in, to the bar, which being passed without accident, we lay to a few moments, to marshal the numer- ous small vessels and boats for the approach to the town. The flotilla was divided into three lines, each one being in tow of a steamer — Commodore Perry leading, in the Spitfire. The heavy vessels, which were lying outside, as well as the Ohio and Potomac, which had been left at Vera Cruz, were all represented by detach- ments ; the whole being under the command of Captain Breese, the senior captain present. About one o'clock, p. m., we moved up the river. The river is a narrow stream, not averaging more than from two to three hundred yards in width, and is bordered by extensive marshes and lagunes for some distance up; which give place, a mile or two before reaching the town, to firm and thickly- wooded banks ; the tangled undergrowth running occasionally into the water. The town is situated on the left bank, and its prepara- tions for defense were extensive and most judicious. In the lower end of the town, and immediately on the river bank, was an emi- nence of some eighty or one hundred feet in height, called Cerro del Hospital, on the summit of which was placed a thirty-two- pounder carronade, mounted on a pivot, so as to command the river to the extent of its range, and surrounded by a ditch. At the base of this hill, and a little higher up the river, at the levee or landing-place of the town, was placed a nine-pounder carriage gun, for the protection of this point. On the opposite bank of the river were two forts. La Pena, or the Cliff, situated on a bluff sixty feet in height, about a mile and a half below the town, and the Palma Sola — so called from a solitary palm-tree, which grew within it — higher up, and at the junction of a small tributary with the Tuspan. The first of these forts was armed with two thirty- two-pounder carronades — these guns had all been taken from the wreck of the Truxton — mounted en barbette on half circles, and one long-nine, in embrasure, behind a breast-work. Between these guns were banquettes for the service of infantry. This fort com- manded the downward course of the river for two miles. La Palma Sola, higher up, also looked down the stream, and was 152 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. armed with two long eighteens, in embrasure. There were ban- quettes here, also, for infantry. Thus, it will be seen, that in order to approach the town, we were compelled to stem the current of a narrow stream, hedged in on both banks with a thick growth of trees and jungle, for the distance of three miles and a half, under the enemy's fire, and that fire a raking one. General Cos, who had become famous, or rather infamous, in the Texan campaign of Santa Anna, commanded, and had under him, some six hun- dred men ; ample garrisons for all these works. Commodore Perry, whose flag was flying on board the Spitfire, and who, as we have said, was leading the attack, when he came within range of the enemy's fire, hove to, for a moment, ordered the several steamers to cast ofi' their tows, and directed the sail vessels to continue up under sail ; the sea-breeze had now set in, and being favorable, this was quite practicable. Upon the advance being renewed, the enemy opened upon us a sharp and well-directed fire from the Peha, followed in succession by the Palma Sola and the Cerro Hospital. When we had approached sufiiciently near for this fire to begin to produce its efiect. Commodore Perry pushed ahead gallantly, in the Spitfire, under a press of steam, and was followed as gal- lantly by the whole flotilla ; the schooners crowding their canvas, and plying their sweeps, while the seamen of the barges buckled to their oars, to see who should be " first in at the death." The enemy beginning now to use grape and canister — the Mexicans put up the nicest kind of amunition — the affair began to become a little serious. The whole surface of the river was rained upon by a profuse shower of all kinds of missiles ; and Jack began to think, in good earnest, that he had got into " a bit of a row." — But this only made him " give way " the faster, to get at his ene- my ; and in a few minutes, the detachment of Commander Bu- chanan having come up within carrying distance of the Pena (the Germantown was celebrated for the excellence and speed of her boats), Commodore Perry directed this officer "to storm." "Aye, aye, sir !" was the ready response of the gallant commander — and in half a dozen strokes more of his powerful oars, he leaped into the fort, followed pell-mell by his officers and men. The Mexicans, dropping rammers and sponges, fled in every direction ; SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 163 and in a moment more, a loud cheer, re-echoed by the rest of the fleet, announced the success of the storming, and greeted the stars and stripes as they ■were planted on the crest of the Pena. — In the meantime, the steamers and schooners had been pouring in a rapid and destructive fire, first of round-shot, and then of grape and canister. Commodore Perry, in the Spitfire, who had approached ■within fifteen or t'wenty paces of the left bank, just belo^w the to^wTi, and slackened his speed, that his Commander, Tattnall, might deliver his fire ■with more effect, ■was now suddenly assaulted by a party of infantry, which had concealed itself in a jungle, and was sufi"ering a good deal from its fire ; several of the officers and men having been shot down, at the first discharge. Seeing a boat from the Earitan near him, at the moment, he directed the officer to charge the jungle, and dislodge the enemy. This order was speedily obeyed, and the enemy driven from the river bank ; the officer, with his command, pursuing him into the town, of which he took possession, after having first charged and carried the Cerro Hospital, which commands it. The Palma Sola, in like manner, was carried about this time — Lieutenant Perry, a son of the commodore, being- among the first to enter it — and thus, the enemy, being beaten at all points, a general route ensued. General Perfecto de Cos, commandant of the Windward military division of the Mexican army, practicing the tactics of his able ruperior. Gene- ral Santa Anna, had, early in the action, taken himself out of " harm's way," like a good boy ! As pursuit was impossible, and as there was no particular object to be gained by it. Commo- dore Perry contented himself with establishing his head-quarters in the town, and sending small parties to hold possession of the forts, until they could be dismantled, and- the artillery destroyed or carried off. Our loss in this affair amounted to fourteen, in killed and wounded ; among the latter were Commander Tattnall, and Lieutenants Whittle, Hartstene, and Parker. Poor Parker died, several months after this, of yellow fever. He had already become much distinguished in the war, and was mourned sin- cerely by all who knew his excellent heart, and appreciated his fine intellect. Notwithstanding the most strenuous efforts were made to pre- vent it. Jack would have his "frolic," that night, as he had 154 SKRYICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. promised himself ; and perhaps it was nothing more than fair, after the labor he had undergone, and the " bit of a row" he had been in. It might be difficult to assign any reason for the difference, but it is none the less time, that sailors are very unlike soldiers, in a place carried by storm. There was no blood-thirstiness or brutality practiced on the inhabitants, on this occasion, by the seamen. They helped themselves to a glass of grog wherever they found it, and rolled good-naturedly through the streets, now and then frightening some damsel with a little awkward love making ; but, with the exception of their breaking into General Cos's house, and drinking his health, in a bottle of champagne, we heard of no disorders. The discipline which the seaman is taught when sober, he rarely forgets when drunk. Although it was impossible to prevent them from straggling, they were always obedient and respectful when discovered by their officers and ordered back to their quarters. The next day, they were care- fully gathered together, like so many truant and penitent school- boys, and sent off to their respective ships ; not however before one or two of the poor fellows had been barbarously murdered, in the outskirts of the town. Commodore Perry remained two or three days longer, to organ- ize a sort of government afloat, which, without the intervention of a garrison in the town, should have control of the custom-house, and receive the dues in the name of the United States. Captain Breese, of the Albany, and Lieutenant Turner, of the Reefer, whose vessels were to remain at anchor, under the reef, were de- signated as the chiefs of this novel government. An expedition was sent up the river also, under the command of Capt. Forrest, assisted by Commander Buchanan, to seize any vessels or launches the enemy might have secreted. We were gone part of a day, and a night, and were not only successful in making several prizes, but were surprised and delighted by the novelty and richness of the scenery, presented to us at every step, on the green bosom of this placid little stream. Civilization seemed scarcely to have reached this out-of-the-way portion of the Mexican republic. With the exception of occasional corn- fields, the growth of which rivaled that of our richest bottom lands in the west, the countrv seemed an unbroken wilderness. The SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 166 Indian built tis thatched hut of reeds on the bank of the stream, and paddled his primitive canoe, precisely as he had done in the days of the "conquest ;" and with a little assistance from fancy, ■we might have transported ourselves back three centuries, without doing violence, except in point of time, to historical propriety. — These simple people had heard the big guns below ; and having received awful accounts from the flying soldiery, of the blood- thirsty doings of the terrible Americanos del Norte, in the town, they generally fled at our approach, leaving their corn-fields and rude huts alike at our mercy. We bivouacked in a corn-field, as the night set in, and so far availed ourselves of the privileges of conquest, as to pluck as many of the delicious ears of corn, just then in the milk, as would feed our tired and famished seamen, who had been pulling their oars unremittingly for the last six or eight hours. The owner, whom we had hoped to conciliate and make some tri- fling present to, absconded, like the rest, upon our approach. His hut of reeds consisted of but a single room, with the dirt for a floor, and a mat or two for a bed. The pot was simmering away on the hearth, with the evening meal, and the cat sat dozing as quietly over the embers as though there had been no enemies about. We made good use of the old woman's gourd-full of eggs ; and very nice turkey eggs they were ; and made free with the contents of the pot, but molested nothing else. One of my sailors, who had been seized with a fancy for a trade, took down from a peg over the bed, rather a nice-looking sombrero — broad- rimmed straw-hat — and trying it on, and finding it to fit him, had hung his own up in its stead ; but as my eye happened to fall on him, just at the moment, I made him "swap back," as the boys say. He defended himself by saying, that he meant no harm, and that " a fair exchange was no robbery," all the world over. The river meanders through a plain, many leagues in extent ; the mountains west of us, among which the river takes its rise, being but faintly visible in the distance. Most of the plain is prairie ; and we saw herds of fat cattle and horses apparently wild, feed- ing in droves of ten or a dozen, on the river banks. With the plow, and the man of "progress," this lovely valley of Tuspan might be made a sort of Sicilian storehouse for the supply of In- dian com, and other products of the tierra calienie. 156 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. We returned to the town the next morning, and a few days afterward the squadron was under- way on its return to Vera Cruz. The following is Commodore Perry's dispatch, reporting his late operations, to the navy department. "United States Flag-Ship Mississippi, •'At Sea, of Vera Cruz, April 24, 1847. " Sib : — Tuspan being the only fortified place of importance, sit- uated on the gulf coast, not in our possession, and conceiving it to be a point of honor, as well as a duty, to reclaim the guns taken by the enemy from the wreck of the Truxton, and mounted with others for the defense of the river and town, I determined on attacking it, and left Sacrificios in this ship, for that purpose, on the 12th instant, having in tow the steamers Spitfire, Vixen, and Scourge, and the gun-boats Bonita, Petrel, and Reefer, with a de- tachment of three hundred officers, seamen and marines, from the Ohio, dTs'tributed in this and the smaller vessels. On the follow- ing day, we arrived at Lobos, the appointed place of rendezvous. The Raritan, with a detachment of one hundred and eighty offi- cers, seamen and marines, from the Potomac, added to her own complement ; the Albany, John Adams, and Germantown, with the bomb- vessels Vesuvius, Etna, and Heel a, had been previously dispatched for Lobos, where they arrived in good time, and were subsequently joined by the Decatur. "On the 16th, all the vessels left Lobos for the anchorage, under Tuspan reef, but were separated during the night by a norther. Having again concentrated, on the morning of the 17th, the whole of that day was employed in lightening the small ves- sels, in sounding and buoying the channel of the bar, and in other preparations for ascending the river. "The following morning (the 18th), the bar was safely crossed by the steamers and gun-boats, with about thirty barges filled with detachments from the different vessels at anchor outside, having with them four pieces of artillery. "After crossing the bar, I hoisted my flag on board the Spit- fire, and immediately led up the river to the attack ; the steamers having the gun-boats and barges in tow, until we got into the range of fire of the enemy, when I ordered them to cast off ; the gun- SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 167 boats to follow up the river Tinder sail ; and tlie detachments in the barges to land with the artillery and storm the forts and town. — These orders were executed with extraordinary rapidity, while the flotilla continued its course up the river, and driving, by its well-directed fire, the enemy from his defenses. " The dispositions of the enemy for defense were judicious ; they consisted of two forts on the right, and one on the left bank of the river, with positions well selected for commanding the reaches of the stream. They had seven guns mounted, and detachments of infantry firing from the forts and the thick chapparal along the margin of the left bank. " General Cos, chief of the Windward miUtary division of the Mexican army, was in command, and had with him, as is believed from the evidence of his order-book, about sis hundred and fifty rank and file. " But if the dispositions for defense were judicious, the defense itself was feeble ; though, had it been more obstinate, the results would have been the same, for I cannot exaggerate the intrepidity of our officers and men, or say too much of the spirit that ani- mated them. " The Truxton's guns were brought oflF, and the others destroy- ed ; the forts were also destroyed. " Our loss in the attack has been small — fourteen killed and wounded. The inclosed papers, lettered A, B, C, and D, will fur- nish all necessary details. " The Albany and Keefer have been left to watch Tuspan ; the Hecla is ordered to blockade Soto de la Marina ; the Etna to oc- cupy the river Tobasco ; and the Vesuvius and Porpoise, the port of Laguna ; while the Germantown is scouring the coast north of Lobos. " I am, sir, with great respect, your most obedient servant, "M. C. Peret, Comm'd'g Home Squadron. " Hon. John Y. Mason, Secretary of the Navy, Washington." On the same day on which our sharp little skirmish occurred at Tuspan, the great battle of Cerro Gordo was fought ; the army seeming determined to monopolize the attention of the press and the country, to the exclusion of its less fortunate brethren of tlie 158 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. naval service. We had hoped, before we heard of this event, to have had our more humble exploits heralded forth to the public in conspicuous editorials, and with capitals, but we scarcely attained the dignity of the poet's corner, in the village newspapers. Sic transit — the reader knows the rest. I have now arrived at that period, in my memoirs, where it will become necessary for me to take a temporary leave of the squadron ; in which I had served nearly two years, and join General Scott's head-quarters, at Jalapa. The reader has probably not forgotten the fate of Passed-Midshipman Rogers, who was captured, as he has been informed, while making, with Dr. Wright of the Somers, a daring night reconnoissanoe of the enemy's powder magazine, on the main-land, near the httle island of Sacrificios. This young officer, who, contrary to all the laws of war, had been seized as a spy, had been kept for some time in close confinement in Vera Cruz ; was marched thence to the famous castle of Perote (the Bastile of Mexico), where he had been again confined ; and whence, after the battle of Cerro Gordo, he had been removed to the city of Mexico. This harsh treatment created a good deal of sympathy for him in the United States, and coming to the notice of the president, he resolved to make a special protest against it to the Mexican govern- ment, and to threaten it with retaliation, in case it should dare to execute its threat of treating its prisoner as a spy. The ground on which the Mexican government based its pretension of thus treating the passed-midshipman was, that he had been taken in disguise, which was not the faot. He had indeed, proposed to me that I should permit him to make the reconnoissance by day, in the undress of an English passed-midshipman, or mate, but I had objected to it on the very ground, that if captured in this dress, he would subject himself to be treated as a spy. I had, therefore, required both him and Dr. Wright to go armed, and wear their appropriate uniforms, which they had done — throwing over all, their pea-jackets, to guard themselves against the night air. Com- modore Perry having received instructions from the Hon. John Y. Mason, then secretary of the navy, directing him, in the name of the president, to send a special messenger to the city of Mexico, armed with the protest above mentioned, selected me for that ser- vice, and sending for me on board the flag-ship, explained to me SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 159 his views and intentions in the premises. I was but too happy, as the reader may suppose, to be made the means of wresting my late gallant subordinate, from the clutches of the enemy, and at the same time to become a looker on, and a follower, from an humble distance, of that great army which had already rivaled, and was about to surpass, the fame of Cortez. The halls of the Montezumas ! there was a romance in the idea, which fired my imagination, and prevented me from sleeping that night, when I retired to my now lonely and distasteful state-room, in the ward- room of the Raritan. I was up betimes, next morning, forthwith summoned the gunner to prepare me revolving pistols, cartridges, cutlasses, and other murderous implements, and sent for my lazy lout of a boy, and directed him to pack up my kit in double quick time, as I was off to the "Halls of the Montezumas !" Commo- dore Perry having given me leave to take one of the young seamen of the squadron along with me, as an attendant and sort of sub-aid-de-camp, I selected Francis Seymour, a shrewd and courageous lad of about nineteen, who accompanied me in all my wanderings, passed through various adventures " on his own hook" beside, and finally returned with me to the squadron. About ten o'clock, a. m.. Commodore Perry having sent me the following instructions, I took a hasty, but affectionate leave of my messmates, embarked on board the steamer Vizen, and that night slept in Vera Cruz. "U. S. Flag-Ship, Mississippi, "ATiton Idzardo, April 28ik, 1847. " Sir : — Having been made fully acquainted with the intentions of the United States government, respecting the position in which Passed Midshipman R. C. Rogers has been placed by the Mexi- can authorities, and of the mission with which you have been intrusted, I have to direct that you proceed with all practicable dispatch, to the head-quarters of General Scott ; and, after deliv- ering into his hands, the communication addressed to him, take his instructions as to the most advisable means for you to adopt, to enable you to present, in person, the dispatch addressed to the minister of foreign relations of Mexico ; a course which I should prefer ; or if it be impracticable for you to penetrate safely, to the * 160 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. seat of government, to take such measures as to secure the safe and speedy delivery of the dispatch to the functionary to whom it is addressed ; in which latter alternative, you will forward it, with a communication from yourself, notifying your intention of wait- ing at the head-quarters of the army for the reply. " Very respectfully, your obedient servant, "M. C. Perrt, Comm'd'g Home Squadron. "Lieut. Raphael Semmbs, United States Navy." The following is a copy of Commodore Perry's letter to (gene- ral Scott, asking his favorable attention to the object of my mission, and requesting of him the requisite assistance to enable me to carry out the views of the president. "U. 8. Flag-Ship, Mississippi, "Anton lAzardo, April Z8th, 1847. " Sir : — I have received instructions from the secretary of the navy, under date of the 27th ult., directing me, in the name of the president, to protest against the unjust and cruel pretension of the Mexican government, to hold Passed Midshipman R. C. Rogers in rigorous confinement, and to try him as a spy — and I am instructed to signify the intention of the president, to resoirt to the severest measures of retaliation, unless that young officer is immediately placed upon the footing of a prisoner of war ; and as such, held entitled to an early exchange. " The urgency of the order to carry out these instructions in the most prompt and expeditious manner, has induced me to dispatch my communication (a copy of which is inclosed) by a special messenger, and Lieutenant Semmes, late commander of the Somers, to which Mr. Rogers belonged, has been intrusted with the duty. " He has instructions to apply to you, for the proper means of placing himself in communication with the advanced posts of the enemy, that he may pass on to the present seat of the Mexican government — if so permitted — there to present, in person, the de- mand for the release of Mr. Rogers. I shall be greatly obliged, if you will give the necessary orders for advancing Lieutenant Semmes, safely on his way — and I would respectfully suggest, SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. 161 whether in the event of failure of the object of the mission of Lieut. Semmes, the release of Mr. Rogers may not be stipulated for, in whatever terms of capitulation, or exchange of prisoners may next be entered into with the enemy. "With great respect, I have the honor to be your ob't serv't, " M. C. Perry, Comm'd'g Home Squadron. " Major-Gen. Wineield Scott, General-in-chief U. S. Army." Arriving in Vera Cruz early in the day, I presented my requi- sition upon the quarter-master's department for a couple of horses, with their accoutrements; went to the stables and selected them; provided myself with one or two traveling necessaries, and other- wise put things in train for my departure the next day. There had been some guerrilla warfare along the road; but as yet, it had not become so serious, but that a small escort would be sufficient. I contented myself, therefore, with a detachment of twenty mounted Tennessee rifles, whom the governor. Colonel Wilson, kindly caused to be detailed for the purpose. I dined at the Casa de Diligencias, a hotel kept by a surly old Scotchman, who had scarcely regained his good humor since the bombardment; his house having suffered from the explosion of one or two shells, and Tattnall, with his musquitb fleet, having shattered some of his doors and windows. His table was now crowded with hungry officers ; and he seemed to be making up for what little he had suflered, by reaping a rich harvest from his late enemies ; all of whom he charged war prices, and to whom he gave war fare. Poor Parker dined with me here for the last time. He was on shore recruiting himself, after much sufiering from his wound, re- ceived at Tuspan. It was late, the next day, before we got off ; my volunteer es- cort having many little arrangements to make, and many last things; those troublesome impediments to the commencement of a journey, to think of. We were finally mounted, however ; Seymour and I, on heavy cavalry horses, with warlike-looking holsters in front of our saddles, cutlasses girded round our waists, and a bountiful supply of scrapes — blankets of the country, fanci- fully figured — and edibles for the road. We passed out at the 14 162 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. Oarila de Mexico — city gate, on the Mexican road — about fire o'clock in the afternoon, and for sometime followed the beach ; on which were lying high and dry on the sands, the wrecks of several transports, that had been driven on shore — some of the seamen having perished — in the terrible norther of the 26th of March, the day of the surrender of the city. Numbers of people were flocking into the town, having recovered somewhat from their fright ; horses, donkeys and mules freighted with men, wo- men and children, and various household eflfects, forming lively and picturesque cavalcades. We now struck into the country, leaving behind us the magnificent ocean ; on which Seymour and I both turned to gaze, it might be, for the last time, and followed over sand-hills and through ravines, dotted with gnarled and stunted trees ; the more humid spots being covered with an under- growth of vines and thorny shrubs — a distance of nine miles ; when we entered the little village of Santa F6, consisting of a cluster of huts, thatched with the palm-leaf, and blackened by the weather. Here we came up with a wagon-train, which had halted for the night. As I had been requested to join this train, and give it the protection of my escort, I halted also, for the night, and was glad to take shelter from the drizzling rain, through which we had ridden for the last half hour. The alcalde, whose hut was only distinguished from the rest by being a little larger, and having more dirt for the floor, had no beds to give us — in- deed, we had wisely made up our minds to forego this luxury for the future — but he gave us what was the next best thing in a rainy night — a dry plank in the loft. Here I am in this loft, jot- ting down by the dismal light of a farthing candle, stuck in its own grease, on the top of an ancient chest-of-drawers, these veri- table memoirs ; and as comfort is comparative, am congratulating myself on the prospect of a quiet night's sleep — ^that is to say, when I get my coffee, which the alcalde is preparing in the kitchen, with his own hands. I had scarcely unharnessed myself, and handed my horse over to Seymour, when a villain stole one of my revolvers, which I had carelessly laid down on a bench. With the assistance of the alcalde, whom I summoned from the kitchen fire, to act in his magisterial capacity, I soon got on the track of the rogue, however; and coming upon him just as he had SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 163 fired one of the barrels in the road, to see how he liked it, I seized him, to his great astonishment — it was dark — and made him de- liver up. I am sorry to add that the seamp was one of our Anglo- Saxon teamsters, picked up, perhaps, somewhere in the purlieus of the " Bowery." In consideration of his blood, and of his being one of the heroes of Mexico, I released him from other penalty than a sharp reprimand, enjoining him to remember, for the future, however, his long and honorable descent all the way from the Danish pirates, who were robbers of land only. Seymour and I appropriated to ourselves, when it was time to retire, a couple of spare cot-frames, which we found in the loft; and with the assistance of our india-rubber traveling-bags for pillows, and our serapes, made ourselves very comfortable beds, on which we soon fell asleep, lulled by the pattering of the rain on the palm-leaves of the roof, the occasional chattering of a guinea-fowl, and now and then a little of the national music of the country — ^the braying of a donkey. I awoke several times during the night, as some one of these am- bitious little animals, with a more sonorous sound-apparatus than usual, would endeavor to outdo his companions ; and as often as I awoke, I heard the merry voices of our volunteers and teamsters, over their little camp fires in the street, now singing short snatches of some favorite song, and now discussing the politics of their native country, and the merits of the Mexican war. As I dozed away again, the words, Texas, Rio Grande, Mr. Polk, and General Scott, intermixed with " Molly is tie gal for me !" would strike with dying and dreamy cadences on the tympanum. These signs of vigilance assuring me that there was no danger of a surprise from the enemy, I slept with quiet nerves, and undisturbed by the hum of a single musquito; by which persevering little insects I had been nearly bitten to death, the night before, in Vera Cruz, notwithstanding the protection of a somewhat dilapidated musquito bar. A few fleas, those tenants-in-fee, of every Spanish house, made my acquaintance early in the night, but I was too weary to regard them. I was aroused, at early daylight, by the general stir in the camp, and by the shrill voice of the lieutenant in command of the infantry portion of the detachment, calling his men to arms, preparatory to a movement. Seymour had already 164 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOBE. arisen, and having made interest with the alcalde in behalf of the commandante — the high-sounding Mexican title he began now to give me, when he wished to make me appear important, soon appeared with a smoking cup of coffee, and an earthen brasero, with a live coal in it, at which, according to Mexican custom, I was expected to light my cigar, as soon as I had swallowed my coffee. Having permitted the wagons and the infantry escort, to precede us a short distance, we mounted, and bidding adieu to the alcalde and his hospitable loft, rode briskly forward, overtaking the train in about half an hour. It was delightful to inhale the morning air, as it came to us, lowered several degrees in temperature by the preceding night, and charged with the dewy perfume of flower and shrub. The road had become sensibly better — the track being quite firm, and the scenery around, by contrast with the dreary sand-hills and arid plains through which we had hitherto passed, really enchanting. As yet, there was no forest, but here and there, on the slopes of the hills, in the valleys, and by the margin of an occasional stream, clumps of palm, and other tropi- cal trees, of new and beautiful foliage, appeared — all looking fresh and green after the rain of the previous night. The cleared spots were just putting forth their first ofifering of grass to the rainy season, now commencing in the low-lands, and herds of cattle were grazing quietly in the distance — ^lending an air of peace and rural quiet to the scene, scarcely in keeping with the idea, that an invading army had passed over the route, only a few days before. The only signs of war, beside the clanking of sabres and the jing- ling of spurs, in my own cavalcade, were occasionally a broken wagon, and a dead horse or mule, lying in the middle of the road. Indeed, I had frequent occasion to remark upon the destruction of quarter-masters' property along the whole route, arising from the incompetency of wagon-masters, the carelessness and drunk- enness of teamsters, and the general want of organization, and accountability, in the corps. At Vera Cruz, I had equally noticed this — piles of valuable stores having been exposed there, for days, on the beach and elsewhere, to the depredation of thieves, and the destruction caused by wind and weather. But this is one of the penalties which republics pay, more than any other forms of government, for the want of a precedent military organization suflS- SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 166 ciently large to embrace all the purposes, and cover all the requirements, of war ; and the penally is, no doubt, the lesser evil of the two. The road again becoming heavy after we had tra- veled a few miles, several of the wagons lagged behind, and we were obliged to halt, to wait for them. We turned out of the road to the right, and hitching our horses under some fine shade- trees, that grew on the banks of the little river, San Juan, whose clear and rapid stream went tumbling and brawling over its stony bed, we unpacked our haversacks, and spreading their contents on the green sward, made our first camp breakfast. We whiled away several indolent hours here, waiting for the wagon-masters to bring up their rearward teams ; and while we were waiting, General Pillow, who was descenditxg to Vera Cruz with a small escort, joined us. He was just from the army, and gave us many items of intelligence, which we had not previously received. He had been wounded slightly at the battle of Cerro Gordo, and was returning home on temporary leave. I had the pleasure of being the first to inform him of his having been promoted to the rank of Major-General. I was struck with the youthful appearance of this gentleman, he not being over thirty-five. He was of the middle size, with a light and agile figure, handsome countenance, with expressive black eyes, and conversed with ease and fluency. He afterward acquired much reputation in the Mexican war — a reputation which will read well for him in history, long after the slanders of those who were jealous of his fame, shall have passed away and been forgotten. It should be remembered, too, that more or less jealousy existed in the regular ranks, against the volunteers, and that it was this feeling which prompted many of the newspaper attacks of the period. When we consider that General Pillow had been advanced from the walks of civil life — he was a member of the bar in Tennessee — to the high and responsible position of a major-general in the army, the exercise of whose functions calls for so much and so various military talent, we cannot but admit that he commanded his division with great success, and that he molded the heterogeneous materials, with which he had at first to operate, into a well-ordered, martial pha- lanx, who reflected much credit both upon their general aiid their country. CHAPTER IX. Journey continued — ^Hacienda of Mango de Clavo, the residence of Santa Anna — The Mexican litera — The fair Jalapenas — Dead body of a sol- dier — ^Ifight encampment and an alarm — Arrival at the Paso de Ovejaa, and intervieTV with the alcalde — The author and his horse — ^Arrival at Puente BTacional, and encampment in another of the houses of Santa Anna — ^View from the height of the Cuesta de la Calera — Traces of war visi- ble on the road — Arrival at Plan del Rio, in the vicinity of Cerro Gordo — The place of encampment preceding the battle — The hospital and the graves of the common soldiery — Description of the battle of Cerro Gordo — Con- tinuation of journey, and arrival at Jalapa. In the aftemooon we were again in the saddle. The teams being composed of the small horses and mules of the country, made slow work of it, and frequently stalled — although their loads did not average more than about eight hundred pounds — some- times rendering it necessary for us to abandon a wagon altogether, throwing away all the heavier articles, with which it was laden, and transferring the lighter ones to other teams. In the course of the afternoon we passed the first hacienda — country estate — we had yet seen. It burst upon our view as we were winding our way up the first considerable eminence we had ascended. It was the celebrated Mango de Clavo, the favorite country-seat of Santa Anna, to which he has been wont, in the intervals of his power, to retire to plot fresh treason against the ill-fated republic. The mansion-house was of stone, of considerable extent, and some architectural pretension, and looking out from a beautiful grove of forest trees, by which it was partially embowered, commanded a view of an extensive valley, covered with rich grasses, and the first cornfield we had passed. The plain was dotted with clumps of trees, in the meadows between which, were grazing numerous herds of cattle, and some horses. Here we came across the first fruit, also, which we encountered in our journey — the Xicaco plum, growing in a wild state. We afterward found many of the fields U66) SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 167 on the -way-side, inclosed by hedges of these trees, and had only to ride beneath them to gather the fruit from their overhanging branches, without alighting from our horses. We passed on the road two clumsy lUeras (the litera is a vehicle composed of a sort of sedan chair slung between two long poles or shafts projecting before and behind, and secured together by transverse pieces let in by mortice) carried by mules rudely harnessed, in which were seated two fair Jalapenas, mother and daughter, traveling from Vera Cruz to Jalapa, without other attendants than the drivers, or rather riders, who bestrode the foremost mules, and two or three boys in the rear, who brought up relays of fresh animals. The daughter was so beautiful, that I was afraid to do more, than admire her from a respectful distance ; but I rode up alongside the mother, and entered into conversation with her, being curious to know something of her sensations in the presence of my mounted Tennesseeans, who with their long beards, slouched felt hats, and clanking sabres, were savage enough, in appearance, to alarm a stouter heart. To my question as to whether she was not afraid to travel thus alone, on a road infested with the iarbaros del norte — barbarians of the north — she replied with a quiet smile, full of composure, "No senor, ninguno" — "No sir, not all" — a compli- ment which was highly gratifying to me, as an American. Soon after leaving the fair Jalapenas, we passed a sight of a very different kind — the dead body of one of our soldiers, who had been killed in a skirmish, a few days before, while escorting a train. The country now became more generally wooded, as we advanced ; the cactus abounded in many beautiful and novel varieties, and the gum guaiacum, with its yellow blossoms, gave a cheerful aspect to the landscape. We occasionally passed magni- ficent shade trees on the road side, inviting the sun-burned traveler to pause and rest his weary steed ; which invitations we frequently accepted, as we were obliged to make many halts to wait for the train. These trees were loaded with a profusion of white flowers, whose fragrance it was delicious to inhale. Just as the sun went down, we turned off the road to the right, and encamped for the night, on the bank of a small stream, which we had just crossed. We had, as yet, traveled but eighteen miles from Vera Cruz, and were still twelve miles distant from the 168 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. Puente Nacional. I alighted from my horse quite unwell, and not at all pleased with the idea of spending the night in the woods, without a tent; but there was no alternative, and so I set to work, with the assistance of my man Friday, to make the best prepara- tions I could for the emergency. Selecting the shelter of a couple of small trees, whose branches, interlacing overhead, formed a sort of canopy sufficiently dense to protect me from the dew, I spread my horse-blankets and scrapes on a pile of leaves, and slept as comfortably as I could have done in my state-room, on board the Earitan ; barring the assaults, during the night, of a score and more of ticks, which seemed to be remarkably hungry. As for supper, Seymour and I, with that conditional familiarity, which such occasions will beget, each cooked his own — ^that is to say, we toasted a beefsteak on the point of a forked stick, and made our- selves an excellent cup of coflfee, in a tin pot. The crickets, the tree-frogs, and the catydids, with an occasional whippowil, and screech-owl, sang their lullaby all night long; while the numerous fireflies illuminated the dark recesses of the woods with their tiny but brilliant lamps. We were alarmed, toward midnight, by the firing of one of our pickets upon a horseman, traveling at a rapid rate, who did not seem disposed to halt until forcibly brought to, by the whiz of a musket ball near his ear. This midnight traveler proved to be Don Rafael Boraza, the courier attached to the English embassy at the capital. He was bearing his monthly dispatches for the steam packet at Vera Cruz. Upon his making himself known, we permitted him to depart immediately. Don Rafael has become somewhat remarkable, in Mexico, for the rapi- dity and regularity of his trips between the capital and Vera Cruz. For twenty years past, he has been in the habit of making this distance — two hundred and fifty-two miles — on horseback, in thirty-six hours ! In the whole of this time, he has never lost a single trip ; and such is the prestige attending John Bull and his agents, in all parts of the world, that he has never been molested by the bandits, who infest the roads, and who have laid their un- scrupulous hands upon almost everybody else. I was aroused, soon after daylight, by the general stir in the camp, although the dilatory wagon-train delayed our departure until after nine o'clock. One or two of the teams had broken SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 169 down, and been left several miles in the rear, the previous even- ing, and it became necessary that they should be brought up, before we could proceed. The country now became more hilly and arid, and we soon left behind us the agreeable verdure by which we had been surrounded. The ground, in every direction, was covered with loose bowlders of blackened rock, that seemed to have been belched forth upon the desert of sand, in ages long gone by, by volcanoes now become extinct ; and a parched and stunted vegetation of tree and shrub, struggling for very exis- tence in the pinching drowth— the periodical rains had not as yet penetrated so far from the coast — scarcely sufficed to relieve the dreary prospect, with the sign of vegetation. The cactus, the gum-guaiacum, and their almost leafless companion, the Xicaco plum, formed exceptions to this general prevalence of sterility, and defied alike the scorching rays of the sun, and the withering drowth ; and we could not but admire the apparent design of Providence, in spreading this latter tree, with a profuse hand, through so sterile and sun-burned a district ; as if to refresh, with its tempting fruit, the famishing traveler. The substratum of this region is limestone ; and where the road has been denuded of sand and vegetable decomposition, it has been pulverized to an impalpable powder, which lies, in some places, six inches thick. Upon this the sun beats down with a fierceness, that makes both man and horse quail beneath it. About noon we reached the little village of Paso de Ovejas — Sheep Pass — situated on a small stream, which had been dwarfed by the drowth, into a mere thread of the most limpid water. Here we halted, for a few minutes, to water our animals and to concentrate our train. I found that I was quite an object of admiration in all the small villages we passed through, or rather, that my horse was. The fact is, being no judge of horse-flesh myself, I had intrusted the selection of my steed to a former shipmate, who, many years before, had been a brother midshipman with me, in one of our frigates, but who, having left the service for some cause, had become an attache of the quarter-master's department in Vera Cruz. My late ship- mate, although he professed to be a connoisseur in animals, had mounted me on the very largest and clumsiest horse he could find in the camp. He was, indeed, a monster, standing, I am afraid 16 170 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. to say, how many hands high, and -with legs little less in circum- ference than those of an elephant. It was with the utmost diffi- culty I could clamber up his immense sides ; and Seymour, instead of holding my stirrup for me, as in duty bound, as a faithful ser- vitor of a knight errant, was obliged to boost me up into my saddle. Sitting astride this monster, with a most uncomfortable expansion of crotch, armed with a small battery of artillery in front, and having a huge roll of blankets and pea-jackets strapped on behind, the simple Indians would gather around me, as children are wont to do around an elephant at a menagerie — it must be remembered that the Mexican horses are mere ponies — and regard my steed with somewhat the same astonishment. Without the aid of Sey- mour's title, they invariably ran out to me with the largest and coolest calabashes of water, and senored me with a reverence of which my horse would, no doubt, have been exceedingly proud, could he have understood what was going on. One of our wagons having broken down just before we reached this place, I sent for the alcalde, and put it and its contents under his charge ; exacting of him the most solemn promises, which he rendered me with a profusion even greater than I desired, that he would deliver it over to the next /train that should come along. Of course, his "honor" appropriated it as lawful prize of war, as soon as I had ridden out of sight. We reached the Puente Nacional early in the afternoon, and having parked our train with suitable guards, in the VentUla — a small village near the bridge — 1 encamped with my Tennesseeans, in General Santa Anna's residence ; an elegant stone mansion, with tesselated marble floors, situated on a rising ground near by, and overlooking the picturesque Antigua for many miles of its tortuous course. The scenery here, with its confluence of two rivers, reminded me very much of Harper's Ferry, except that it is on a smaller scale, and the hill sides more naked. The bridge is an imposing structure of substantial and well executed masonry, and has five arches of thirty feet each. The stream, when swollen by the rains, is about a hundred yards wide ; but it was now dwindled to a mere brook, fretting and toiling over its rocky bed. This is one of the strong passes on the road to Mexico, and it was rumored, after the capture of Vera Cruz, that Santa Anna intended SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 171 to make a stand here. He did hold it for a few days, but finally fell back upon Cerro Gordo, which he deemed a stronger position. To my unmilitary eye, it seemed as though a hundred men could hold it against a host. The road, for a mile before it reaches the bridge, is a defile, hedged in on both sides by abrupt and precipi- tous heights, and is commanded, as well as the bridge itself, by one or more points, up which a goat could scarcely clamber. Toward sunset, although still quite feverish, I descended the steep bank of the river in the rear of my new quarters, and enjoyed a most luxurious bath in the classic Antigua ; a stream which has been indissolubly associated, by the pen of Cortez, with the renown of the conquerors. The house of Santa Anna was almost entirely stripped of furniture ; an elegant mahogany bedstead, richly carved and gilded, being the only memento in the room in which I slept, of the family of the absent chieftain. During the night we had a magnificent thunder-storm ; the lightning playing in mimic gambols over the marble pavements, and the thunder rever- berating with startling effect through the deserted building. The copious shower of rain which followed, cooled the atmosphere to such a degree, that we found a blanket quite comfortable before morning. There was no sleeping after daylight, for my volunteers were already astir at four o'clock, lighting their camp fires in the court-yard, and leading and even riding their horses through the "marble halls" of Santa Anna, on their way to the river to water them. The villains, as they rode through — sometimes in a smart trot — seemed to take particular delight in rattling their mess-ket- tles, clanking their sabres, and shouting forth snatches of song, as if in defiance of any genius that might be supposed guarding the place. Having dispatched our breakfast, and "saddled up," we sallied forth to renew our journey at an early hour. As I had discretionary power to leave the wagon train, whenever I might think it secure, I abandoned it at this point — twenty-eight miles from Jalapa — and pushed on with my twenty Tennessee rifles. Nothing could be more delightful than the fresh and balmy morn- ing air, as we commenced ascending the first range of hills. The rain of the preceding evening had laid the dust, and there being still a canopy of clouds in the heavens to protect us from the fierce rays of the sun, we had an agreeable ride of several hours. Santa 172 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. Anna certainly displayed taste in selecting the Puente Nacional as the site of one of his residences. Its elevation is sufficient to temper somewhat the heat of the tierras calierdes, and it is within an easy day's ride of Vera Cruz. It is directly on the great thor- oughfare to the city of Mexico ; is surrounded by the beautiful and picturesque scenery of the Antigua, at its most interesting point ; and has a cultivated region sufficiently near it, to be within reach of abundant supplies. The military chieftain, from this point, could overlook and command, as it were, both the sea-board and the interior. The country over which we were riding was gently undulating, with occasionally an abrupt hill. Cultivation there was none to be seen. Dense thickets of thorn, cactus, and bramble, covered the hill sides and valleys, and were the only vegetation. The dry and rainy seasons, in this portion of the republic, are most distinctly marked. It was now the latter part of the dry season, and the rank weeds and grass lay as dead as though a frost had passed over them. All vegetation, indeed, seemed as completely suspended as it is with us, in our northern states, in the winter season — the stunted trees and shrubs being nearly all divested of their leaves, and apparently struggling for mere existence. Pre- sently the rains will commence, and as the soil, even in this region of the boundless chapparal, is rich and productive, under the joint influences of heat and moisture, a new life will be given to the vegetable kingdom, and nature will assume once more her garni- ture of the glossy leaf and the green grass. A few miles from the Puente Nacional, we ascended the Cuesta de la Calera — Height of the Lime-kiln — from the top of which, we had an extensive and beautiful view of the surrounding country. We could trace, many leagues away toward the sea, the windings of the Antigua, and we, more than once, caught a view of the sea itself, as the fog, which was lying in wreaths along the horizon, occasionally lifted in that direction. The mountains, with their serrated outlines and fantastic shapes, and robed in their accus- tomed azure, were now quite distinct ; notifying us of our approach to those fabled highlands which had witnessed the exploits of Cortez, and on the first slopes of which our own gallant army lay encamped. But the scene was one of perfect wildness ; inanimate SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 173 nature alone being visible. There was no habitation or cultivated spot to be seen, in any direction, and nothing to remind us of our species, but the magnificent causeway on which we stood. This, like the Puente Xacional, was the work of the celebrated consulate of Vera Cruz, of which I have made mention in a former page, and like most of the elaborate masonry one encounters on the road to Mexico, is gradually tumbling into ruin, without any attempt, on the part of the government, to arrest or remedy the decay. But I mistake; there was another sight to remind us of o\ir species; for near the top of the height lay the blackened corpse of a soldier, in the uniform of our infantry regiments. He lay extended on his back, to all appearance just as he had fallen from the parapet of the causeway, where he had probably seated him- self to rest, after straggling from his company, and where he had been murdered by some ranchero. He had been shot through the head by a musket ball. This foid sight exasperated my volun- teers to such a degree, that I believe they would have had recourse to fearful retaliation, had any unfortunate Mexicans been fallen in with, before their angry mood had been somewhat appeased. Henceforth, we began to meet, more frequently, the signs of war on the road. The miserable huts of the natives were aU de- serted — their late occupants having run oflf in great alarm at the approach of the terrible volurdarios of General Scott's army, who, they had been taught to believe, were a sort of devUs incarnate, thirsting for human blood. I frequently had occasion, while in Mexico, to observe the terror with which the name "volunteer" inspired the inhabitants generally, and particularly the more ignorant lower classes ; arising, no doubt, from the fact that this description of troops was under less discipline than the regular regiments ; and as a consequence, committed more excesses upon the population. At Vera Cruz, there had been some shameful outrages committed, which General Scott found it necessary to reprove very severely in general orders. These outrages, bad as they were, had, no doubt, been much exaggerated, and accounts of them spread broadcast through the land by Mexican letter- writers, interested in making us appear as odious as possible. But to continue our journey. Dead horses and mules, and the carcasses of cattle, slain for the subsistence of the army, lay 174 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. strewed along the road; and now and then, a blackened spot showed where a hut had been recently burned. Thirteen miles from Puente Nacional is Plan del Rio, which we reached about eleven o'clock. This is another of the passes which guard the great highway to the city of Mexico. The road runs through a ravine for some distance, as it descends toward the river, and passes the latter on a substantial stone bridge — which was afterward, in 6rder to cut oflf our communication with Vera Cruz, blown up by the enemy. A small fortification, placed on an eminence beyond the river, enfiladed this bridge, and the road was also commanded by a series of almost inaccessible heights. It was here our army encamped, for a few days, previous to the battle of Cerro Gordo; General Twiggs, whose division (the second division of regulars) led the advance from Vera Cruz, arriving on the 11th of April, and the battle taking place on the 1 8th. Just after crossing the stream, a small plain or river bot- tom — ^hence the name. Plan del Rio — is formed by the receding of the mountains, on either side of the road; and in this plain, the advance encamped to await the arrival of the other divisions, and of the general-in-chief. As the army marched without tents — there being but three allowed to each company — and almost without baggage, in consequence of the deficiency of the means of transportation, it had been obliged to construct for itself temporary arbors or sheds, composed of the branches of trees. These were still standing, as memorials of the privations it had undergone, on the eve of its great victory. To clear the camp- ground, it had been necessary to burn several huts, and their blackened remains lay scattered on both sides of the road. Seve- ral heavy field-pieces, which the enemy had apparently brought hither for the purpose of making a stand, but which he afterward abandoned, were lying, spiked, in the road, with their carriages destroyed. It was here our hospital was established, during, and immediately after the battle ; and a number of newly -made graves on the left of the road, showed where such of the wounded as had died after being borne from the field of battle, had been buried. The poor fellows who tenanted them had already been forgotten ; there being no mark by which one grave could be dis- tinguished from another. The shout of glory, that had gone u/i BEEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 176 in the United States, over the battle of Cerro Gordo, recked not of them. They were of the humble rank and file, who bear the brunt of wars, and are crushed beneath the wheels of the chief- tain's car, to which they are harnessed ! A few of the terrified inhabitants had returned to their homes at this place, and we were enabled to get a cup of coffee ; some of us, more fortunate than the rest, obtained also a platito of olla podrida. As we always paid for whatever we consumed, the Mexicans on the road sides soon became aware of the fact, and were by no means loth to turn an .honest penny, when occasion offered. The poor devils waited on us, on this occasion, however, with manifest fear and trembling — they must have known from the cut of their jibs, that my fellows were volunteers — not being sure, but that at any moment, a rap over the head with a sabre, might settle all accounts with them. We did not delay here many minutes, but pushed on, being anxious to reach the battle- ground. The pass of Cerro Gordo is four miles from Plan del Rio. Imme- diately upon leaving the "Plan," the road begins to ascend, wind- ing its way through a narrow defile of the mountains. On the left, it is flanked and commanded for two miles, before reaching the hill of Cerro Gordo, which lies on the right of the road, at the upper end of the pass, by an almost inaccessible ridge, rising to the height of eight hundred feet. On the right it is alternately shut in by heights, and skirted b)' a dense chapparal. The ene- my had fortified himself on the ridge on the left, and on the hill of Cerro Gordo ; and had beside, established two batteries across the road — one at the head of the pass, near the base of Cerro Gordo, and another farther up the road, in the direction of Jalapa. His fortifications on the height on the left, consisted of a series of breastworks, armed with cannon, and so arranged as to command the road — enfilading it in many places — and each other, in suc- cession ; so that in the event of the first battery's being taken, the next in order might be opened upon it ; and so toties quoties. In front of these batteries, along the slope of the height, timber was felled, and other obstructions thrown in the way of storming par- ties. This position could not be flanked by the left, as the river of the Plan wound its way along the base of the ridge in that 176 SBEVIOB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. direction — the ridge thus forming, as it were, a tongue between the road on one side and the river on the other. It was neces- sary, therefore, either that our army should pass up the road, thus commanded, or flank it by the right. A march by the road, and an attack in front, against such for- midable defenses, placed as these were, in positions almost inac- cessible, was not to be thought of, of course. It remained there- fore to be seen, whether it were possible to execute a flank move- ment, by the right. General Twiggs, having arrived at Plan del Eio, as before remarked, on the 11th — Colonel Harney, of the dragoons, who was in advance, brushing away a body of the Mexican lancers — commenced his reconnoissance the next day. — To cover this reconnoissance effectually, he moved forward his whole division, to within half a mile of the enemy's first batte- ries. Having examined the ground in person, as well as by his engineers and aids-de-camp, he resolved upon pretty much the same plan of attack, which he afterward carried out so brilliant- ly, under the orders of General Scott. His Adjutant-General, Brooke, having discovered and partially explored a trail, to the right of the road, it was seen that by widening and clearing this trail a little, the flank movement by the right would not only be practicable, but quite easy of accomplishment. General Twiggs, believing himself strong enough to execute this movement, alone, resolved on attacking the enemy's position on the 13th ; but Gene- rals Pillow and Shields, of General Patterson's division, joining him on the evening of the 12th, with their respective brigades — much fagged and worn by the march from Vera Cruz — and ex- pressing a desire to take part in the battle, he deferred his attack until the 14th. But on the evening of the 13th, General Patter- son, who was bringing up the rear of his division, sent him an order to suspend all further operations until the arrival of the general-in-chief. Thus matters stood, when General Scott arrived, on the 15th. On the evening of the 16th, this officer gave verbal orders to General Twiggs, to proceed on his line of operations, on the right of the road, with the view of gaining the enemy's rear. The Cerro Gordo, or Big Hill, called by the Mexicans, in their dispatches. El Telegrafo, is an immense hill, of a conical form, rising to the height of near a thousand feet. It stands, as I have SBRVICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 177 said, at the head of the pass, to which it gives its name, and formed the extreme left (our right) of the fortifications of the enemy. It was surrounded by two breastworks, one near the base, and the other near the summit, and was defended by eight pieces of artillery — 1 8s and 6s — and a numerous body of infantry. By its superior elevation, it commanded all the rest of the enemy's works, and might be regarded as the key to his whole position. On the morning of the 17th, General Twiggs, in obedience to the orders he had received the night before, put his division in motion. As you proceed up the pass, the road makes a bend, northward, just before you reach the enemy's first batteries on the left. Near this point, the trail discovered by Adjutant- General Brooke diverges to the right. The division, formed in column, took this trail. About eleven o'clock, the column being in posi- tion, some seven hundred yards from the enemy's main works. Lieutenant Gardner, with a company of the 7th Infantry, was de- tached to occupy the crest of a hUl to the left, to observe the ene- my's movements. "While in the execution of this order, he became engaged with a picket of the enemy, which, although much his superior in numbers, he maintained himself against, until he was reinforced and relieved by the regiment of mounted riflemen — ^now dismounted — under Major Sumner, and the 1st Artillery, under Lieutenant- Colonel ChUds. The enemy being also reinforced, to the number of something like two thousand men, a severe conflict ensued ; our troops driving the enemy from his first position, and pursuing him to a second hiU, nearer the key-fortress of Cerro Gordo, where he made another stand. This hill was within grape and canister range of the enemy's batteries; and in the storming which ensued, our troops sufiered severely. They nevertheless carried it gallantly, and held it in spite of all the enemy's efibrts to dislodge them. A portion of the troops, under the lead of Lieutenant- Colonel Childs, hurried on by their enthusiasm, rushed down the hill, and gained the foot of the Cerro Gordo itself, where they effected a lodgment, and kept up a fire of musketry on the enemy's lines, until they were recalled — it not being intended to make the main attack until the next day. This gallant feat was performed by about sixty men of the 1st Artillery, under captains Nauman, Burke, and Capron, and 178 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. lieutenants Hoskins and Brannan, and a few riflemen under Lieu- tenant Gibbs. Captain Magruder, also effected a lodgment on another part of the hill, with but ten men, retaining his position in like manner, until recalled. The Eifles and 7th Infantry slept on the second hill, which they had stormed ; and when the roll was called, that night, many a brave fellow was missing from the ranks. To this point were brought, during the night, with infinite toil, a twenty -four-pounder, and two twenty-four-pound howitzers; which were dragged by main strength up the hill, and planted on its summit. An eight-inch howitzer was also placed in position across the river, and opposite to the enemy's advanced battery on the right, by Major Burnham, New York volunteers. The piece was served, the next day, by Lieutenant Eipley, 2d Artillery. — This was the condition of things at the close of the first day's ope- rations. General Santa Anna believing, or affecting to believe, that we had already made our main attack, sent off couriers in haste, to announce his having beaten us at Cerro Gordo. General Scott, being informed of General Twiggs' movements, and of the positions he had gained, drew up his order of battle for the next day, dated at his head- quarters, at Plan del Rio, four miles in the rear. In this order, with great delicacy and tact, he seems to have intrusted the modus operandi, in all its de- tails, to his gallant and skillful subordinates. He directed Gene- ral Twiggs to " move forward before daylight, to-morrow, and take a position across the national road, in the enemy's rear, so as to cut off his retreat toward Jalapa." This was to be the main movement of the day ; in fact, the battle to be offered to the enemy. While General Twiggs should be thus flanking the ene- my, by the right, General Pillow was directed to " march, at six o'clock, to-morrow morning, along the route he has carefully reconnoitered, and stand ready, as soon as he hears the report of arms on our right — or sooner if circumstances should favor him — to pierce the enemy's line of batteries at such point — the nearer the river the better — as be may select. Once in the rear of that line, he will turn to the right or left, or both, and attack the bat- teries in reverse ; or, if abandoned, he will pursue the enemy with viffor . until further orders." We thus see, that the whole plan of the battle, as detailed in general orders, amounted to this : *- SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOKB. 179 that General Twiggs should flank and beat the enemy on the right, and General Pillow on the left ; the precise points of attack, and other details being left discretionary with the generals. The confidence of the commander-in-chief was not misplaced. General Twiggs' division consisted of two brigades. The 1st brigade, under the temporary command of Colonel Harney— Brevet Brigadier- General Smith being sick — ^was composed of the 1st regiment of Artillery, Lieutenant- Colonel Childs ; the Rifle regiment, successively under majors Sumner and Loring ; and the 7th Infantry, under Colonel Plympton. The 2d brigade was commanded by Colonel Riley, and was composed of the 4th regi- ment of Artillery, under Major Gardner ; the 2d Infantry, under Captain Morris ; and the 3d Infantry, under Captain Alexander. On the night of the 17th, this division was reinforced by General Shields, whose brigade consisted of the 3d Illinois regiment, under Colonel Foreman ; the 4th Illinois regiment, under Colonel Baker ; and the !N"ew York regiment, under Colonel Burnett. General Twiggs' order of movement and battle was as follows, viz : Gene- ral Shields and Colonel Riley were to flank the enemy's right, and place themselves in the Jalapa road, some distance in the rear of Cerro Gordo, while Colonel Harney, with his brigade, reinforced by the 3d Infantry — drawn from Colonel Riley's brigade — was to storm the height of Cerro Gordo itself. We are informed by General Scott, in his dispatch, that he suggested this latter move- ment to General Twiggs. General Pillow's brigade consisted of four regiments of infantry, viz : the 1st and 2d Tennessee, and the 1st and 2d Pennsylvania regiments, and a detachment of Tennessee horse, and a company of Kentucky volunteers, under Captain Williams. He divided this force into two storming parties, each being supported by a strong reserve ; and his plan of attack, was to assail simultane- ously, the angles of the enemy's batteries, Nos. 1 and 2, near his extreme right. Colonel Haskell — 2d Tennessee — and Colonel Wynkoop — 1st Pennsylvania — were to command the assaulting columns, and to be supported by Colonel Campbell — 1st Tennes- see — and Colonel Roberts — 2d Pennsylvania. Thus, to sum up briefly, we have the enemy fortified in a mountain-pass of two miles in length — ^his batteries being perched on a height, extending 180 SERVICE ATLOAT AND ASHORE. in a curve, more or less regular, to the head of the pass, where the road debouches between this height, which here tenni- nafes, and the opposite height of Cerro Gordo. His forces amount to about seven thousand men — General Santa Anna says less — ours to about nine thousand effectives. But then, he fights behind breastworks, and on the tops of rugged heights, and we have to clamber up these heights and drive him from his fast- nesses. General Twiggs is in possession of a hill near Cerro Gordo, on which he has planted some cannon, and holds his divi- sion in hand for a forward movement ; and General Pillow is mar- shaling for the assault, on the enemy's extreme right. There is a force held in reserve at the foot of the pass, and General Worth has orders to follow and support General Twiggs, if necessary. — Early on the morning of the 18th, our guns on the hill opened upon the enemy ; and Colonel Harney, pushing forward Major Loring, with the Rifles, along the ravine to the left of his posi- tion, to engage the enemy in that quarter, and hold him in check, in case he should attempt to reinforce Cerro Gordo, moved for- ward with the remainder of his command to the assault of the latter. The Rifles, in taking up their position, were exposed to a murderous fire of grape and canister, but Major Loring executed his orders with steadiness and courage. Colonel Harney's column was also frequently under fire before it reached the base of the work to be assaulted. The way was exceedingly rough, thi-ough a tan- gled growth of mountain shrubbery, and over rocks and chasms. As the column approached the foot of Cerro Gordo, it was met by a rapid and well-directed fire of grape and canister, which cut down many of our brave fellows. The command was here formed into two columns preparatory to storming ; the 7th Infantry on the right, and the 3d Infantry on the left, and the 1st Artillery in the rear of both, with orders to support them. Owing to the distance the men had passed over — it being near two miles — and the na- ture of the ground, they were already fatigued, before they com- menced the ascent of the height — which, as viewed from the road below, appears almost inaccessible — and consequently there was no rush — no confusion. The gallant fellows, led and encouraged by their gallant oflScers, moved on to the work before them, with the steadiness and regularity of a parade. As they became SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEB. 181 exhausted from time to time, by the fatigue of the ascent, they halted for a few moments — the enemy, all the while, pouring down upon them a deluge of destructive missiles — to regain their breath, and then moved on as before. The first breastwork, about sixty yards from the foot of the hill, was filled with infantry; and as our men advanced without the least shelter, the destruction of hfe was terrible for a few minutes. But we soon carried it ; the enemy crossing bayonets with us for a moment or two — a very unusual occurrence in this war. Notwithstanding this successful storming of the breastwork below, the enemy continued to pour down upon us an animated fire from above, and showed every sign of an obstinate resistance. But Colonel Harney, nothing daunted, recommenced the steep ascent ; and when within a few paces of the second breastwork, his men, with a shout that re- sounded far away over the vaUey, rushed into it with clubbed muskets, and soon made themselves masters of the entire hill ; unfurling from the Mexican flag-staff our magnificent stars and stripes, as a signal to the rest of the army of their success. In the meantime. General Shields and Colonel Kiley, with their re- spective brigades, had been dispatched to continue General Twiggs' flank movement, and thus, turning the enemy's whole position, to gain his rear in the Jalapa road. This movement was also handsomely executed, under the guidance of Captain Lee, of Engineers. As General Shields was about to debouch upon the main road, a battery of five guns, hitherto undiscovered, and supported by a body of lancers, opened upon him, with grape- shot. The gallant general immediately ordered a charge, and pushing forward briskly, at the head of his men, drove the enemy from his guns, and effected a lodgment in the road — not, however, until he had been, as it was thought at the time, mortally wound- ed. A large body of the enemy had withdrawn to this point. General Santa Anna among the rest, with the view of making their escape, in the contingency which had occurred. They im- mediately abandoned themselves to flight, and were pursued by Worth's and Twiggs' divisions, within sight of Jalapa. While these operations were going on, on the enemy's left. General Pillow must not be lost sight of, on his right. This gen- eral, when he became aware that Twiggs was engaged, had 182 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. moved up a storming party under Colonel Haskell, of the 2d Ten- nesseeans, and Colonel Wynkoop, of the 1st Pennsylvanians, to execute his portion of the plan of attack. Colonel Haskell, whose regiment was the first to move, was unfortunately discovered by the enemy before he could place himself in position, preparatory to a charge; and being fired upon by grape and canister, it became necessary, either that he should fall back under cover, without executing his orders, or rush forward unsupported and unorgan- ized. He gallantly, but unwisely, chose the latter alternative, and dashed forward, at the head of his men, into the open space in front of the batteries. Unfortunately, this space, for the dis- tance of three hundred yards, was covered with the brush of a chap- paral, which had been cut down and suffered to remain, rendering it very difficult to advance. In addition to this, a battery of six or seven guns, which had been previously masked, suddenly blew a cloud of brush into the air, as it opened upon him, and began to cut down his men in a fearful manner. He was of necessity obliged to recoil, and fell back in good order under shelter, leaving behind him many killed. General Pillow, while organizing his attack, and bringing up his column, was wounded. Before the storming parties could be again brought into position, this officer, finding the enemy's fire slacken on the right, and justly supposing the battle to be ended, by the reversal of his position in that quarter, suspended further offensive operations. The enemy had, in fact, been beaten, and soon afterward displayed a white flag, which General Worth, who had followed close on the heels of Harney, observing — General Scott had not yet come up — he sent colonels Harney and Childs to hold a parley with the enemy, which result- ed in his total surrender. Thus was fought and won the battle of Cerro Gordo, which, barring one or two mistakes, was calculated to reflect, and did reflect, much luster upon our arms. One of these mistakes was the assault of Pillow, which should never have been permitted, as it was wholly unnecessary ; and being unnecessary, the loss which ensued, was a useless and cruel sacrifice of human life. We are told, in the dispatches, that it was intended as a diversion, and to hold the enemy in check ; but from the general order of the 17th, it seems to have been intended as a real, and not a feigned attack. SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 183 General Pillow is instructed to pierce the enemy's batteries, and then turn upon him, right and left, and reverse his remaining works. If this language meant anything, it meant that a verita- ble assault was intended. If Pillow's operation had been confined to a feint, to call oflf the enemy's attention from the main movement, it would have been very proper ; but to have directed or permitted him to assault works in front, which, beside being inaccessible, were of Gibral- tar-like strength, as a mere incident of the main attack, was plainly a great mistake, as the result proved. The whole army was mortified at this feature of the battle, and no men more so, than the brave Tennesseeans, who were forced to give ground (a thing so painful to the American soldier), after having been almost cut to pieces. We have seen that the Rifles, under Major Loring, eflFectually cut oflf all reinforcements from the enemy's right ; and if Pillow's brigade had been added to this force, we should have had men enough concentrated at this point, to have offered battle to the whole Mexican army, in any attempt it might have made to force its way to the relief of Cerro Gordo. This disposition of Pillow would, perhaps, have been still better than permitting him to make a feint. The placing of two or three pieces of artillery in position to "batter" the enemy's works (skillfully constructed, and armed with forty pieces of cannon), seems to have been as useless as laborious ; especially as our metal was the lightest. I make these remarks with great distrust of my own judgment, and without any design to detract, in the least, from the well-earned fame of the generals implicated ; but it sometimes happens, that military men, for want of proper reconnoissances before a battle, make mistakes, which they are the first to see, themselves, upon a closer inspection of the ground, after the battle has been fought. These may be mistakes of this kind ; at all events, I but give them to the reader for what they are worth. I reached the pass with my Tennesseeans, just fifteen days after the battle, while the blood of the slain was still reeking from the soil, and spent some time in riding over the different localities, and tracing out the locus in quo of the most important events. I was amazed at the strength of the whole position, and particu- 184 SBBVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. larly at the strengtli of that part of it, which General Pillow had been directed to pierce by a front attack. The ground was strewed in every direction with the debris of the battle. Artillery spiked and destroyed, broken muskets, with their bayonets, car- touch-boxes and belts, round-shot, and grape and canister — many of the latter of copper — lay in promiscuous , piles, as they had been left by our army. Caps and feathers, and other fragments of military dress, told where the unfortunate had fallen, and been left a prey to the vulture and the wolf. While my volunteers were looking over the heights on one side of the road, with that pride which Americans might be supposed to feel on such an oc- casion, a few poor Mexicans were groveling, on the opposite heights, for such articles of small value as they could glean from the wreck. Poor wretches, I could not help pitying them ! From the top of the Sierra, on the left, the spectator surveys the broken and rugged country for many miles around, and be- holds the blue mountains of Jalapa. The little stream of Plan del Rio, whose course among the hills may be traced as far as the eye can reach, winding its tortuous way toward the sea, passes immediately beneath his feet, at the bottom of a sheer precipice, of five or six hundred feet. A black cloud or two rising in the south-east, and the distant rumble of thunder warning us of the probability of a wet jacket, we turned the heads of our horses northward, and bidding adieu to the wild scenery of the "Pass of Cerro Gordo," henceforth to be associated with the fame of our arms, and the progress of our race, continued our journey. It is eighteen or twenty miles from Cerro Gordo to Jalapa ; and the whole of this distance we rode through a drizzUng rain, looking more like Mexican lancers, with our broad-brimmed oil-cloth hats, and many-colored blankets or scrapes, which we had provided for such occasions, than Ameri- can cavalry. The ascent is continuous, and the road, most of the way, a heayy, paved turnpike, broken into holes and gullies; in many places, by the torrents of the rainy season. Fear and dis- trust were pictured in the countenance of every Mexican we met, and the huts on the road side were, as before, nearly all deserted. While ascending one of the hills, we met a man, his wife and one other woman, descending to their home at the Plan. They were Missing Page 186 SBBVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. in the tierra cal%ente, presenting their nakedness to the sun, are covered with a luxuriant growth of tree, and shrub, and plant, all arrayed in the richest and deepest tints of green. Cultivation is seen on every hand, and neat, white cottages, with their waving fields of com, plantain and banana, dot the landscape. Limpid streams of the purest water, descending fresh from the Cordilleras, which latter seem to embrace, as it were, and smile down upon the favored spot, meander through the valleys ; and fruit trees and flowers complete one of the most charming pictures which the imagination of a Claude Lorraine could conceive. For two miles before entering the town, the road was flanked, on either side, by continuous hedges of shrubs, and wild vines ; both loaded with flowers ; and although the day was gloomy and wet, they were vocal with the song of birds ; our own superb mocking-bird among the number. While this wilderness of beauty delighted the eye, and gave wings to the imagination, the air came to us loaded with the most delicious of perfumes. My Tennesseeans seemed to be perfectly absorbed by the novelty of the picture ; and although I. had beheld it before, I too, enjoyed it with a keen relish, height- ened by the effect of contrast ; as the mind naturally compared it with the arid and sterile desert we had so recently left behind us. The coup d'oeil of Jalapa, as it first strikes the beholder from an eminence in the road, is beautiful and picturesque in the extreme. I cannot describe it better than by comparing it to a delicate mo- saic set in a massive frame of emerald. No pencil could have made it more picture-like than it was. It sat embowered among the hills, in a wilderness of shrubbery, amid which the tall and graceful palm, with its feathery foliage, was conspicuous ; giving it the air of a city of the east. So much of peace and beauty • was there in this picture, as we checked our horses in the drizzling rain, to gaze on it for a moment, that We could scarcely realize the fact, that grim-visaged war had here made his home. Our troops had taken possession of it some two weeks before ; and the proud stars and stripes now hung with dripping folds, from the flag-staff of the government-house. We entered the town late in the after- noon, and much fatigued by our day's journey, as we had ridden all the way from the Puente Nacional, and been twelve hours in the saddle. CHAPTEK X. « Description of Jalapa — The market-place — The multitude, and their cos- tumes — The American volunteer — The luxuriance of vegetation — The pe- culiarity of the climate — ^It rains more than half the year — The exceeding transparency of the atmosphere — The baths — The washing establishments — The lavanderos and-the soldiers — The author's quarferg, and new mess- mates — Correspondence with General Scott — ^Arrival of Mr. Trist, as com missioner — ^A funeral ceremony — Captain Mason of the rifles, and the sympathy occasioned by his death. In the two weeks of our occupation, Jalapa had become almost Americanised. Already did the busy "press," that pioneer of civilization, throw off its thousand sheets of American newspa- pers. Hotels, and shops filled with merchandise — the publican and shopkeeper had followed the army ; Brother Jonathan liking to try his hand at a little trade as well as glory — with sign-boards in broad Anglo-Saxon, were to be seen in all the streets, and even the daguerreotype man was giving permanence to the fleeting beauties of the fair Jalapefias. The streets were blocked up by wagons, horsemen, and foot passengers, presenting a motley crowd of Americans and Mexicans — the former swaggering with lighted dgars in their mouths, or squirting their tobacco juice from side to side, and the latter worming their way timidly between, and around their more robust conquerors. Our teamsters and volun- teer horsemen were the constant themes of admiration among the natives — the men with their stalwart limbs, unshaven and un- combed beards and hair, slouchy dress, and devil-may-care air, presenting no mean personifications of the barbarians whom they believed them to be — and the horses, by contrast with their little barbs, seeming to be weird steeds, befitting only such gigantic and uncouth riders. The market-place — not market-house ; there are no market- houses in Mexico — at the convergence of several streets, where the supplies of the finest fruits and vegetables did not seem to be n87) 188 SEEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. at all diminished by tlie presence of several thousand additional mouths, was crowded all day long, by horse and foot soldiers and citizens, old and young, some lounging and chatting idly, for mere pastime, arid others chaflfering and trading with the country peo- ple — the whole presenting a most novel and picturesque tableau vivanie. With primitive simplicity, the Indian women seated themselves on the paved, streets, having beneath them appelate, or country mat, and spreading out, in little piles around them, their varieties of fruits and vegetables, and homely cooking and other utensils of domestic manufacture, would wait, with true Indian patience, the whole day, if necessary, until their humble stock-in- trade was disposed of. Close by stood the patient burro — ass — with his immense panniers on either side, munching a few blades of sacaie — leaves of green Indian corn — and waiting as philoso- phically for the period of his release, as his mistress. Cosily seated beside these women, making awkward attempts to speak a few words of the language, were to be seen the lusty volunteers, regaling themselves on whatever struck their fancy, and occasion- ally damning the "lingo" whenever they failed to make themselves understood. Not the least interesting point of this picture, were the costumes of the masses here assembled. Chemise and petticoat — ^the latter frequently fancifully colored, and not coming so low, but that the ankle and part of the leg were visible, formed the only dress of the Indian women, in this delightful region, where dress was almost unnecessary. The petticoat was drawn, or gathered in ample folds about the hips, while the arms, and frequently the breast also, remained au naiurel. If the female had an infant, this was slung, after a fashion of their own, on her back, where it seemed to repose in perfect insouciance and security ; she some- times carried it astride of her hip, if the child were well grown. The clothing of the men consisted of shirt and trowsers (generally of coarse cotton cloth, of the manufacture of the country), the latter without suspenders, and confined to the waist by a belt — sometimes of leather, and sometimes, more fancifully, of red or yellow worsted or silk. Machetes, or large knives used for the cutting of sugar-cane, were frequently stuck in these belts, giving the wearer an air of barbarian ferocity. KERVICJi AFLOAT AND ASHOEB. 189 The costumes of our soldiers were as various as the corps to which they belonged, and almost as various as the individuals of the corps. With their usual independence, they seemed to set all rules of uniformity at defiance. Caps, hats of straw or felt, white or black, coats of all colors, and jackets and trowsers to match, were assumed or thrown ofif, at the pleasure of the individual wearer. I noticed one fellow, fancifully dressed, or rather un- dressed, in red flannel shirt and drawers, with a kinky white felt hat stuck jauntily on one side of his head. He was one of our sovereigns from the heart of Tennessee or Kentucky, and by his air seemed to regard himself as quite equal to the "old man" — the general-in-chief. Among other persons and things which had followed the army, was a theatrical corps. A theater had already been opened upon my arrival, and every night, Vera Cruz was bombarded, and General Twiggs and Colonel Harney stormed the heights of Cerro Gordo over again. It was attended by a dense throng of soldiers, teamsters and loafers, whose uncouth shouts awakened the echoes of the quaint, and erst, quiet old town, long after the native inhabitants had lost the sense of their misfortunes in sleep. The population of Jalapa is estimated at between five and six thousand, and some of the best families of Mexico reside here. Many of the wealthy and intelligent merchants of Vera Cruz find here, also, a secure and delightful retreat from the suffocating heats and the vomito of the iierra calienie. It being the capital of the State of Vera Cruz, which -is one of the largest states of the Mexican confederacy, it is the residence of the governor, whose palace — a large and commodious stone building — was now occupied by General Scott. Many of the residences, without being remarkable for the style of their construction, or architec- tural adornment, are nevertheless spacious and convenient. They are plainly but substantially built, of a kind of sandstone t[uar- ried in the neighboring hills ; generally of but a single story, and with large bay-windows, jealously barred and grated, looking out uponj and on a level with, the street. In these windows, the females of the family gather during the day, and laugh and chat, and pursue their various domestic occupations, with primitive simplicity, in fiiU view qf all the passers-by, and without being, 190 8BEVICE AFtOAT AND ASHORE. in the least degree, disturbed by the prying eye of curiosity. Flowers, in great profusion, adorn windows and balconies, and form tiny bowers, in which the fairer flowers of flesh and blood partially conceal themselves, and through which, mingled with their odor, the most delightful music of harp or guitar sometimes steals into the streets. Every house has, beside, its flower-garden, and Flora seems to hold here her festival all the year round. Jalapa is celebrated for its pretty women ; but it cannot compare, in this respect, with any town of the same size in our own coun- try. Many of the better class had decamped, it is true, upon the approach of our army, but we saw enough of the fair Jalapenas, to assure us of this fact. They want the fairness and freshness of our women. To be sure, their soft black eyes, that " Ifow melt into love, now madden to crime," and their hair, "Whose glossy black would bring Shame to the raven's wing," are beautiful features; but nothing can compensate, in female beauty, for the absence of the lily and the rose. The Jalapenas are sprightly in conversation, and easy, and eminently graceful in their manners; and these are charms which not only enhance beauty of person, but even compensate for its absence. A witty and graceful woman may be plain, at first sight, but she cannot long remain plain. It struck me as somewhat remarkable, that while the women were, in general, suflaciently robust in figure, and well developed, the men were puny and delicate looking. Robust mothers should produce robust children; but the rule does not seem to hold good in Jalapa. The town being built on a series of hills, the scene, as you pass through its abrupt and sometimes precipitous streets, is ever changing. From the busy site of trade and barter, you pass, in a few minutes, into dells and recesses, where all is as quiet as a country village. The environs of the town are even more lovely than the town itself, ThQ streets lead, in almost every direction, into avenues hedged on both sides by magnificent forest trees, gf strange and rich foliage ; many of the trees being entangled with creepers bearing a prpfusiop of 'white and scarlet flowers, SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 191 from which the merry choristers of the woods pour forth their melody all day long. In my rides in the neighborhood, as I have wound round the bases of the hills, in this wilderness of vegeta- tion, I have sometimes come abruptly upon valleys and vistas of such surpassing beauty, that I have found myself checking my horse unawares, to gaze upon the lovely picture. From a height north of the town, the view is extended far over the valley ; and the panorama, which presents itself from this point, is so picture- like, that no mere words are adequate to give the reader even a faint conception of it. And the panorama is equally perfect, of its kind, whether viewed beneath the rays of a brilliant sun, or seen through the wreaths of mist and cloud, which settle over the landscape almost every day, between one and two o'clock in the afternoon, during the rainy season. In the early morning, even during this season, there is scarcely ever a cloud to be seen in the heavens. The air is pure and elastic, and so perfectly transparent in this elevated portion of the torrid zone, that space seems to be annihilated. Orizaba is fifty miles distant from Jalapa, and yet so near does it seem, that you are tempted to give the rein to your horse, in the expectation of reaching it in half an hour. I could never accustom myself to this optical illusion, and gazed upon this magnificent feature of the landscape with renewed wonder, every day, during my stay. The sea too, although forty miles distant, in a bee-line, may be seen, in a favorable state of the atmosphere, from the point of view I have been describing. Jalapa has a most agreeable and equable climate. Its eleva- tion, four thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea, protects it from the heats of the tierra calienie, while its latitude secures it against the frosts of our winters. Upon first reaching it from the low country, the mornings and evenings are occasion- ally unpleasairtly cool, but after a few days' residence, one becomes accustomed to the change, his step becomes more elastic, and it is a positive pleasure to breathe the pure and bracing atmo- sphere. The climate is very humid — it raining constantly (after about one o'clool?in^ the day), during the rainy season — five or six months, from June until October — and frequently during the remainder of the year. The cause of this humidity is very obvious. The sea-breeze, or south-easterly winds of the Gulf, sweeping 1 92 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. over the arid plains of the tlerra caliente, become highly rarefied, and! charged with moisture ; and coming here first in contact with the mountains, they find their dew-point at about this elevation. Their condensation and dispersion in rain is, of course, the conse- quence. It is this peculiarity of position, that gives to the land- scape of Jalapa its luxuriance of vegetation, and that vivid green coloring to the foliage, for which it is remarkable. The equability of temperature has a favorable effect upon the health of the popu- lation. Although, as remarked, the vegetation is luxuriant in the extreme, its decay is so gradual, that fevers are rare. The most common diseases are catarrhs, which, however, are quite mild, and rarely degenerate into consumptions. Longevity is common — many old people being met with in the streets. One of the first luxuries in which I indulged after my arrival at Jalapa, was a bath. To reach the bathing establishment, which is situated on a hill-side, in the lower part of the town, you pass under a low archway of brick, leading through a row of houses, and emerge into a splendid flower-garden ; from which, amid the agreeable shade of trees and shrubs, and the perfume of the rose and other flowers, you look forth upon the country beyond, and upon the ever-present and sublime Orizaba. Around this flower-garden are arranged the bath-houses — neat little rooms, with baths of masonry, inlaid with the fanciful Dutch tile. Into these is let the sparkling water, which abounds everywhere through the city, in such proportions of warm and cold, as the bather may desire. While the mozo is preparing your bath, you pluck a bouquet to carry with you into the bath-room, or amuse yourself listening to the merry voices of the female bathers, who go in, in small parties of three or four at a time — the female bath- ing rooms being somewhat larger than the others — and disport themselves, if one may judge by the ear, like so many naiads or water-nymphs. A couch, clean linen, and other appliances — including a cup of coffee and a cigar, if you desire them — invite you to repose after the luxurious operation of the bath. When you have had your nap, which every man, with the least preten- sion to civilization, is expected to take, and dreamed of Mahomet and his houris, you sally forth from this Hesperides, a new man. This establishment was in great vogue, during the time I remained Missing Page 194 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. stone benches for the accommodation of loiterers. War, with its alarms, had driven away the fair creatures who had been wont to resort hither ; and we always found it quite deserted, as we visited it of an afternoon, in the hope of meeting some graceful madonna, armed with her mantilla and all-potent fan. Beyond this, again, is one of the most lovely and extensive naranjeros, or orange plan- tations, to be found anywhere in Mexico. A native Jalapenan is the master of this estate ; and with Mexican politeness, he showed us, during an afternoon visit we made him, over his well cultiva- ted grounds. As we walked with him through his stately avenues of orange trees, laden with the young and the ripe fruit at the same time, and interspersed and. diversified with other shade and fruit trees, and shrubs and flowers in profusion — ^the omnipresent campanula, or mammoth white bell-flower, among the rest — I was forcibly reminded of an expression which an old Spaniard had made to me, a day or two before, that "Jalapa es un pedazito de los cielos, caido en tierra" — "Jalapa is a small piece of heaven, fallen down to earth." We stopped to refresh ourselves, after our walk, at a picturesque fountain that leaped from the face of a rock, covered with moss and creepers. The water, which came fresh from the mountains, with scarcely increased temperature, gushed forth in a bountiful stream, and after dallying awhile in a splendid marble reservoir, sped away over the meadow, for the use of the stock of the hacienda. From the top and fissures of the craggy precipice sprung large forest trees, casting a dense and perpetual shade over this fountain of the Dryads.' ' On another occasion we visited the manufactories of Jalapa. The most worthy of note among these, are several extensive fac- tories for the production of cotton goods. These, and other es- tablishments of the kind, have been built up by an excessive tariff of protection, amounting in fact to an exclusion of all foreign competition. A brief account of our visit to one of them will suffice for all ; and I select that of Messrs. Joseph Welsh & Co., an English firm. The factory buildings are of stone, in good style, and form a pleasing feature in the landscape. Crossing the bridge, over the stream I have described as running along the base of the city, we passed through a gate on the left of the Alameda, and directing SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. 195 our course over the green sward that skirts the banks of the river, we dismounted from our horses under some fine old shade trees, within a few paces of the buildings ; the whirring sound of the machinery, and the hammering in a few workshops in the rear, being the only indications of their character. But for these, we should have taken them, such was their neatness of appearance, and quietude of location, for the villa of some republicanized hidalgo. The motive pow«r was water, and the dam, in which some boys were bathing, was neatly hedged in by masonry. The banks were covered with a velvety green-sward, and with shrub- bery — objects far too poetic for so common-place an association. The main building was commodiously arranged, and well venti lated, with a profusion of windows, each one of which looked out upon a landscape that might have fired the imagination of a pain- ter. The lower story was devoted to sixty looms, while two thou- sand spindles were run in the upper, or second story. With the exception of a few foremen, the operatives were Indian females — women and girls of various ages, according to the nature of the occupations required of them. They were neat and cleanly in their persons, had the look of health, and were, some of them, quite fair and pretty. Labor is cheap, food is abundant, and with equal advantages as to the price of the raw material, these Mexican factories might compete with our own in the production of coarse cotton goods ; but such is the want of energy in the planter, in raising the raw material, and so completely is all foreign competi- tion excluded, that the few cotton lords who have built up esta- bhshments of this kind, put a price three and four-fold greater on their goods, than similar fabrics can be purchased for in the United States. There is a rivalry, in Mexico, between the planters and manu- facturers, on the subject of protection ; the elections of members of congress, in particular districts, turn on this point ; and the con- sequence is, that both interests are protected. The government, therefore, is guilty of the absurdity, first, of excluding the foreign manufactured goods, in order that similar fabrics may be pro- duced at home ; and secondly, of rendering it impossible that these should be produced, by withholding a supply of the raw material —the Mexican cotton crop never equaling the demand, and some- 196 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. times falling short by a third or a half. A beautiful illustration of the system of protection ! On my arrival in Jalapa, I took up my quarters, by invitation, ■with captains Irwin and. Wayne of the quarter-master's depart- ment — Captain Irwin being chief quarter-master of General Scott's column. They were living in the custom-house — an estabhshment for the collection of certain duties of transit, levied on all foreign goods, in addition to the alcabalas already paid at the maritime custom-house, where they had been first entered — a commodious but xmfurnished stone building, from which a host of Mexican employes had fled in aflfright after the battle of Cerro Gordo. These gallant gentlemen, in whose mess I continued for three months, and in whose intellectual society I spent many agreeable hours, did all in their power to make me comfortable. I soon paid them the compliment of feeling very much at home, and very much at my ease. Before we left Jalapa, Mr. Louis A. Hargous, a distinguished merchant of Vera Cruz — an American citizen — joined our mess, and contributed to our pleasure and instruction, by his fund of information in relation to the country, and his inti- mate acquaintance with the Mexican character. These gentlemen will form, henceforth, my compagnons dw voyage. I had like to have forgotten to introduce to the reader. Monsieur Auguste, a dis- tinguished French artiste, who having figured in Mr. Hargous' kitchen, had accompanied his master in his campaign, and now had the honor of having charge of our commissariat. Auguste, who dressed like a dandy, wore his sabre, and twirled his mous- tache at all the pretty girls he met, would have been ofiended to have been called a cooh — but he dehghted to have us style him an artiste gastroTumdque, as he certainly was. We found him a very important man in the campaign. I called on General Scott, on the evening of my arrival in Ja- lapa, and presented him with my letter of credence from Commo- dore Perry. The general did not appear at all pleased with my mission. He thought it entirely unnecessary, and regretted that Commodore Perry, instead of sending a special messenger, had not written to him on the subject — a word from the commodore would would have been sufficient, he said, to have interested him in the fate of Passed-Midshipman Rogers ; and finally he doubted SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. 197 the propriety and policy of having more than one channel of com- munication with the Mexican government. To all this, I had, of course, but little to reply. I had certain orders from my comman- der-in-chief to execute, and there was but one course for me to pursue — that pointed out by my instructions. He declined, for the present, giving me an escort to enable me to proceed on my mission, as he had been requested to do by Commodore Perry, but said that I might remain with the army if I chose ; and that at some future time, when he should advance nearer to the capital, it would probably be convenient for him to put me in communica- tion with the minister, to whom my dispatches were directed. About this time Mr. N. P. Trist arrived at Vera Cruz, clothed with full powers, as a commissioner, to negotiate a treaty of peace, whenever the Mexican government might be so inclined. It was the intention of the president that this gentleman should accom- pany the head-quarters of the army, to be ready at any moment to receive such propositions as the enemy might have to offer. General Scott, who had expected to be the negotiator of the peace, as well as the commander of the army which was to "conquer" it, was highly incensed at the appointment of Mr. Trist. He evi- dently considered that the executive government at Washington, in undertaking any negotiations not intrusted to him, had done him a grievous wrong. At this time, General Taylor had not been nominated for the presidency ; and the officers on General Scott's line had strong hopes of their own chief's being the successful candidate. There can be but little doubt, that General Scott en- tertained this hope himself, after the battle of Cerro Gordo, and desired, in imitation of the Mexican chiefs by whom he was sur- rounded, to step from his camp into the presidency. If he could bring the Mexican war, of which the people were already be- coming tired, to a happy conclusion by his arms, and add to the honors of the soldier those of the diplomatist also, he would be enabled, he thought, to enter the convention with a strong pros- pect of success. I have much admiration for General Scott, as a miUtary man, and I would be understood as speaking of him here, as the pohtioian merely. These political aspirations were not only very pardonable, but very natural, in a man occupying his posi- tion, at the head of a victorious army, and with a host of parti- 198 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. sans, ai. home, seeking his advancement — ^but he suflfered his aspi- rations to become a little too apparent. He treated the new diplo- matist, on his arrival at Jalapa, with the utmost disdain. He did not even extend to him the common civility of an official visit ; which it was his duty to have done. An angry correspondence ensued between them ; and they continued strangers to each other for two months and more, until they were finally reconciled in Puebla, a short time before the advance of the army upon the city of Mexico. Mr. Trist's arrival recalled to the mind of the gene- ral my own less important mission. He could not dismiss the ambassador, but he resolved, at least, to get rid of the special messenger. With this view, he sent his aid-de-camp. Lieutenant Williams, to me, to say that I might return to the squadron, as he was resolved not to permit me to hold any communication with the Mexican government, as he was the only proper channel through which any negotiation for the exchange of prisoners, should pass. As the prisoner in whose fate I was interested, was an officer of the naval service, I could not see how the negotiation of his exchange, by an officer of the same service, or the presen- tation of any demand or threat of the government in relation to him, through the same channel, could be construed into an in- fringement of .the prerogatives of General Scott. I felt it my duty, therefore, to address to the commander-in-chief — after having been denied an interview — the following letter, which will explain itself : " Head-Quarters of the Armt, "Jalapa, May 8ik, 1847. " General : — I understood you to say, in the conversation I had the honor to hold with you, on the evening of my arrival at this place, that although you had no escort then at your command, with which to forward me to the city of Mexico, in the execution of my mission, I might continue with the army in its progress ; and that when you should reach some convenient point, near the city, you would either put me in personal communication with the government, or send forward my dispatches. I have this morn- ing been waited upon by Lieutenant Williams, your aid-de-camp, who informs me, on your behalf, that you have changed your SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 199 resolution on this point, and that you will not permit me to hold any intercourse witli the Mexican government. Commodore Perry has been charged, by the president of the United States, to make a communication to the government of Mexico, with the nature of which you have been made acquainted. He has select- ed me as his agent to carry out the views of the president, and has directed me to apply to you for the means of executing his orders. With regard to the question, as to who is the proper channel through which this communication is to be made, I can, of course, have nothing to say — that must be settled by higher authority ; but the president has thought proper to judge of this for himself, and I am here, by authority of one of the depart- ments (mediately), as his humble agent. I have specific orders from my commander-in-chief, to place, personally (with your as- sistance), my dispatch in the hands of the minister of foreign relations ; or, if the Mexican government will not permit me to proceed to the capital, in person, to forward it, by some safe con- veyance, and await an answer. My object in addressing you this note, is to inquire whether I understand you, as deciding that you will not (at your convenience) aflford me the facilities requested of you by Commodore Perry ; and that you will not permit me to hold any intercourse, personal or otherwise, wi1;Ji the Mexican government ? If this be your decision, as a military man, you must see the propriety of giving it to me in writing, in order that I may exhibit it to my commander-in-chief, as a sufficient reason for failing to execute his orders. As soon as I receive this, I shall hold myself in readiness to return to the squadron, by the first conveyance. I inclose, for your inspection, my order in the premises, from Commodore Perry, together with a copy of the dispatch of that officer to the Mexican government ; from which you will be able to see, that my mission cannot have, in the re- motest degree, any bearing upon your military operations. I will be obliged to you, if you will return me these papers, after peru- sal. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your ob't serv't, " R. Sbmmes, Lieut. U. S. Navy. " Major-General Wiotield Scott, Commander-in-chief U. S. Army, in Mexico. 200 BKBVICK AFLOAT AND ASHORE. To this communication I received a prompt reply from General Scott, as follows : "Head-Quarteks of the Army, "Jalapa, May 9th, 1847. "Sir;; — I have received your note of yesterday, accompanied by Commodore Perry's instructions to you (original); and the copy of his communication to the Mexican minister of foreign affairs; of which you have been made a bearer, in relation to Passed- Midshipman Rogers, supposed by Commodore Perry still to be held by the Mexican government, not as a prisoner of war, but as a spy. And I had some days before, received by your hands, the letter Commodore Perry did me the honor to address me on the same subject, requesting that I would afford you the proper means of placing you in communication with the advanced posts of the enemy, in order that you might, if permitted, pass on to the seat of the Mexican government ; and there to present, in person, the demand for the release of Mr. Rogers.— Commodore Perry adds, in his communication, the suggestion whether, in the event of the failure of your special mission, Mr. Rogers may not be released by capitulation, or exchange, etc., etc. Premising, that I have as yet addressed not a line to anyj)olitical functionary of Mexico; if, in fact, there be any government in the country; and thait I have all along intended, at the proper time, to propose for the exchange of Passed-Midshipman Rogers, with other Americans taken prisoners of war, in the north-eastern part of this republic, I think myself, on information, though not offi- cial, authorized to say, that the whole of the papers you have brought to my notice, have had their origin in a misapprehension. Mr. Rogers, for many weeks past, has not been held a prisoner for any ignominious act, but as an honorable prisoner of war, at large on parole, within the city of Mexico. On taking leave of many of the higher Mexican prisoners of war, paroled at Vera Cruz, I called their attention to the then reported confinement of Passed-Midshipman Rogers, on the false allegation that he had been captured in the violation of the laws of war ; and I added, in the most emphatic terms, if any hardship, injury, or punish- SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. 201 ment should be sustained by Mr. Eogers, on that false allegation, that I -would inflict signal retaliation on the next Mexican officers whom the fortune of war should place in my power. Before the ISth ult., I had already heard, from whom I considered credita- ble persons, that Mr. Eogers had been released from the Castle of Perote, and sent up with a single Mexican officer, both on horseback, to the capital, as a prisoner of war. This information was confirmed by several of the priricipal Mexican officers, cap- tured at Cerro Gordo ; and again and again since by respectable travelers passing through this place from the capital. I regret that Commodore Perry has thought it necessary to send you, as his special messenger, to treat with the Mexican government on the subject of Mr. Eogers. Even if I had been ignorant of the capture and position of the passed-midshipman, a note from the commodore would have been sufficient to have interested me offi- cially and personally, in his fate ; and I doubt the expediency of more than one channel of communication with the Mexican gov- ernment, on such subjects. But here is at hand, another func- tionary, who, under very recent instructions from the president of the United States, may perhaps claim to supersede me in the busi- ness of exchanging prisoners of war, as in other military arrange- ments. Mr. Trist, chief clerk of the department of state, ap- pointed minister or commissioner to Mexico, has arrived at Vera Cruz, and may be at this place, with the train expected up, in a few days. Perhaps you had better refer the business of your mission to him. I only make the suggestion. The difficulty of sending forward a flag of truce, at this time, with communica- tions to the Mexican government — if there be a competent govern- ment anywhere — consists in the necessity of protecting the flag, by a large escort, against rancheros, or banditti, who infest the road all the way to the capital, and who rob and murder even wounded Mexican officers, returning on parole to their own homes. When nearer to the capital, sometime hence, I may nevertheless have occasion to communicate officially, under cover of a flag, and a heavy escort, with anybody there that- may be in authority, on the subject of prisoners of war generally. Your communications, and any that Mr. Trist may desire to transmit, may go by the same opportunity. In the meantime, you can remain here, return 202 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. to Commodore Perry's squadron, or advance with the ai-my, as may seem to you best. I have no advice to oflfer on the subject. "With high personal respect, I remain yours, truly, "WiNTIBLD ScOTT. "Lieut. Raphabl Semmes, TJ. S. Navy." It was no doubt true, as General Scott informed me, in the above communication, that he had held several unofficial conver- sations, on the subject of Mr. Rogers' imprisonment, with Mexican officers; but it was equaUy true, that as yet, he had not addressed " a line to any poUtical functionary of Mexico," or military func- tionary either, on the subject of the exchange of prisoners of war. Under these circumstances, the friends of Mr. Rogers could not but feel anxious for his fate. It was as inexplicable to them, as it was to the army and the country, that no effort had been made to exchange either him or any of the Encamacion prisoners — cap- tured on General Taylor's Ime, in the preceding February ^who had endured great hardships, and who, for the most part, had been kept in close confinement. The latter were not released until after the battles of the valley of Mexico had taken place, in the follow- ing August and September. We could not understand why five thousand prisoners had been released on parole, at Vera Cruz, and four thousand at Cerro Gordo, without one word's being said, officially, as to the exchange of those unfortunate Americans who had fallen into the hands of the enemy. The fact of Mr. Rogers' being on parole in the city of Mexico, was unknown to the govern- ment, at the date of its instructions to Commodore Perry; and to this officer, also, when he dispatched me on my mission ; and if it had been, it coxdd have made no difference, unless the parole had been granted with the understanding, that it was not to be with- drawn at a subsequent period, and the pretension of the Mexican government to treat the prisoner as a spy, renewed. It was believed that this indulgence was granted by the enemy, solely on account of his defeats, and the fear of a prompt retaliation. There was no telling at what moment a reverse of our arms might in- spire him with courage to seize the prisoner anew, and execute his threat. But independently of this reasoning, the reader cannot fail to perceive the very awkward position, in which General Scott, SERVlt)E APLOAI AND ASHOEE. 203 previous to the receipt of my note, had placed himself. His assumption being nothing less than that, even the President of the United States, who, beside being the civil chief magistrate, was, ex officio. General Scott's commander-in-chief, could not, and should not, hold any communication with the enemy, on the subject of my mission, except such as might meet with his approbation, and be passed through l»im ! As it was, he postponed the president and his agents, to suit his own convenience ; informing both Mr. Trist and myself, that when he should have occasion to send forward an escort, on business of his own, we miffht send, at the same time, any dispatches we might have to present to the Mexican government. I do not mean to charge General Scott with a want of proper sympathy for his unfortunate companions in arms, but he certainly manifested a most unaccountable apathy, with regard to their exchange. I availed myself of the privilege accorded me, of "fol- lowing the army in its progress ;" and, for some days, in company with my messmates, scoured the country, in every direction, in quest of new beauties of scenery, exercise and recrea- tion. Although we frequently rode forth in parties of two or three only, we were never molested. The defeat of Cerro Gordo seemed to have spread a panic through the country, that armed even a single American officer with the prestige of a host. I will not weary the reader with further descriptions of scenery, although the most gorgeous pictures, each one entirely new, were constantly presented to us in these excursions ; but if he will accompany me to the cathedral, he shall witness an imposing funeral ceremony. A Mexican officer, a captain in the 4th Light-infantry, who had been mortally wounded at the battle of Cerro Gordo, was buried hence with the honors of war. The corpse was borne by six Mexican soldiers, under the direction of a Mexican officer — all without their arms — and was deposited on its bier in the center of the building, followed by a large concourse of people. The solemn ritual of the Catholic Church was read in a slow and dis- tinct manner, by a venerable old priest, who seemed himself to be tottering on the verge of the grave, to which he was consigning his brother, while clouds of incense rose from a burning and bur- nished censer in the hands of an attendant. General Scott, the 204 SBEVICE AFLOAT AND A^ORK. proud and commanding chief of the battle,, in which the victim had fallen; General Twiggs, who had commanded the storming party from which he had received his death wound; Colonel Childs, Colonel Hitchcock, and others of the distinguished officers of the American army, entered soon after the commencement of the service, and ranging themselves around the corpse, listened attentively and reverently to the solemn words of warning spoken by the aged priest. The scene was truly impressive. In the fancifully decorated coffin, lay the honored dead, surrounded by the ghastly emblems which the Catholic Church uses on such occasions to excite to devotion, and around stood the warriors — Americans and Mexicans intermingled — who had so recently met in deadly conflict on the battle-field — uncovered, and paying the last tribute of respect to a fallen brother. The solemn chanting of the choir, and the still more solemn funeral notes of the organ, as they were reverberated and prolonged by the vaulted ceiling ; the shaven crown of the aged priest ; the perfect stillness which prevailed among the audience ; the gorgeous paintings and sculp- tured altar-pieces ; the burning candles, and clouds of incense, all produced the most soothing and devotion-inspiring effect upon the assembled multitude. It was a beautiful and instructive spectacle, to behold the grim visages of the warriors — officers and common soldiers — saddened and robbed, for the moment, of all feeling of hostility, nay softened into sympathy as the service proceeded ; and doubtless, many wholesome reflections, on the nothingness of man, and the evanescence of glory, passed through their minds. The service — read in the Latin language — was short. At its con- clusion, the coffin was removed from the church, and escorted to the grave by a company of our infantry, with the band of the regiment playing that most solemn and impressive of all tunes — the Dead March. A cavalcade of American officers brought up the rear. A lieutenant of Illinois volunteers, who died also of his wounds, was buried on the same day. In fact, scarcely a day passed that two or three funerals did not take place, of those who were wounded in the late battle. The burying-ground was situ- ated on the heights north of the town, in, as one might fancy, the Elysian Fields of the ancients; and from the balcony of our quarters, we could both see the processions, and hear the roll of SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 205 the muffled drum, and the long and mournful cadences of the shrill fife, as the comrades of the deceased, with arms reversed and funeral step, followed their late brother to his honorable rest- ing-place, beneath the acacia and' the rose. The most touching incident that came to my notice, during my stay at Jalapa, was one attending the death of Captain Mason, of the Kifles. This officer had lost a leg in the storming of the height of Cerro Gordo. On his removal to Jalapa, he became an object of interest to a lady and her daughter — of one of the best families in the place — who visited him daily, sat by his bed-side, prepared little delica- cies for him in the way of food, and in short, administered, during his long illness, in which he alternately hovered on the verge of the grave, and gave signs of convalescence, all those nameless comforts, which woman alone can bestow on such occasions. Their deportment was characterized by a grace and propriety, which would have done honor to the female character, in any part of the world. But at last Death claimed his victim. The daughter, whose compassion had, no doubt, been deepened into admiration and love, would not quit her charge. She was present when the corpse was put into its coflSn; watched every movement with earnestness; and when the lid was placed on, and about to be screwed down, thus shutting out from her forever, perhaps, the only vision that had ever led captive her imagination, she conld no longer resist the impulses of n£^ture, but burst into a flood of tears, and abandoned herself to a most violent paroxysm of grief ! The next day she attended the funeral, arrayed in a deep suit of mourning. Captain Mason was the last of his family. He was the son of the Mason of Virginia, who fell, some years ago, in a bloody duel with McCarty of the same state. "And he was mourned by one whose qniet grief. Less loud, outlasts a people's for their chief." CHAPTER XI. Geneeal Santa Ahna at Orizaba — His letter to President Anaya — ^Delay of General Scott at Jalapa — His failure to follow up Ms victory at Oerro Gordo — ^Vacillation of purpose, and final discharge of the volunteers — Postponement of campaign — Proclamation, and its effects — March of the army from Jalapa to Puebla — Scenes and incidents by the wayside — San Miguel el Soldado — ^La Hoya, and General Twiggs' encampment — ^Las Vigas — Perote and Mount Pizarro — Castle of Perote — Sacienda of San Antonio — Tapeahualco. Whatever may be said of the courage of Santa Anna, lie un- doubtedly displayed great energy of character, and great fertility of resource in this campaign. The fine army of twenty thousand men, which he had raised with so much difficulty, and clothed and equipped, at so great an expense — ^being compelled, in aid of the public funds, to use his own private credit, and that of his friends — ^had been beaten and dispersed, as we have seen, by General Taylor at the battle of Buena Vista. Eetuming from that unfortunate expedition, he rallied tw'o regiments of his beaten army ; and with this small fragment, hastened to Cerro Gordo, increasing his force, on the way, to aboiit seven thousand men, by the addition of some new levies, and by calling to his aid the local militia. Being again beaten here — ^more than one-half his army being made prisoners of war, and the remamder dispersed, and narrowly escaping capture himself — he retired with a mere body-guard, to the town of Orizaba, situated near the base of the mountain of the same name, so often mentioned. From this place, on the 22d of April, four days after the battle of Cerro Gordo, he addressed the following letter to President Anaya : " Orizaba, April 22, 1847. "My Esteemed Friend: — The dispatch which I have forwarded to the minister of war, will already have informed you, of the events which occurred on the 18th inst. The enemy made an (206) SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 207 extraordinary effort to force the pass, and attacked me with his whole force (which was not less than twelve thousand men), exasperated by the repulse he had received the day before, and because he knew his ruin was inevitable unless he succeeded. He put everything on the hazard of the die ; and the cast has been favorable to him. Nevertheless, I do not regard the cause of the nation as hopeless, if it will sustain its honor and inde- pendence, as circumstances require. I presume that you have taken all proper measures for the public safety; and first of all, for that of the capital. I shall be able to aid the capital very soon, if it will defend itself. At present, I have with me fifteen hundred men and three pieces of artillery; and there is no doubt but I shall collect, in a few days more, a force equal to that which I rallied at Cerro Gordo. I only require that you should send me some money, through the medium of bills of exchange, as I find it impossible to raise a dollar here. It is necessary, my friend, not to give ourselves up as lost ; and before God ! you shall see, that I will make no treaty with the enemy, which will dishonor us, or put us in a worse condition. Write to me, when convenient, and reckon always upon the poor services of your most afi'ection- ate friend, who wishes you every happiness. "A. L. DE Santa Anna." Now was the time for General Scott to have pushed on to Mexico ; and there can be no doubt, had he done so, that he would have entered the enemy's capital, in triumph, in three weeks after the battle of Cerro Gordo. General Worth, with only four thousand men, took possession of the strong castle of Perote, on the day on which General Santa Anna penned the above let- ter to President Anaya. In six or eight days more, he could, had his orders permitted him, have been in Mexico — the distance from Perote being only one hundred and fifty miles. As it was, he did not reach Puebla until the 16th May — ^twenty seven days after the battle of Cerro Gordo. At this time. General Santa Anna, with two or three thousand men, whom he had concen- trated from the stragglers of his previous armies, was in the neighborhood of Puebla, too weak to offer any effective opposi- tion to General Worth's entering it. If this were the case on the 208 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. IStli May, after the Mexican general had had nearly a month to recruit and recover from the effects of his defeat, it may safely be averred, that if General Scott's movement had been prompt, he would not have encountered a Mexican soldier on any part of his route to the capital. Although General Scott had been cramped for means of transportation, in the commencement of the campaign, he -was now abundantly supplied. Draught animals had arrived in large numbers, from the United States ; mules of the country had been brought in from all quarters; and three . hundred of these latter animals had been captured, beside, at Cerro Gordo. But transportation, otherwise than for the baggage of the army, and for the sick and wounded, was not required beyond a very limited extent. From the first day of the entry of the army into Jalapa, it found abundant supphes of provisions. Under the con- ciliatory and judicious system of treatment pursued by General Scott toward the unarmed population of the country, they readilv brought in their produce, of all kinds, to his camp, as to a market where they were sure to find ready sales at high prices. With the exception of a barren district, of a few miles in extent, be- tween Perote and Puebla, and another, of still less extent, between Puebla and the city of Mexico, the whole route was capable of sustaining an army of fifty thousand men, if it had been judi- ciously moved, and accompanied by proper foraging parties. — When General Scott did finally move from Jalapa, he supplied himself almost wholly with the provisions he had collected at this place, and with those he found on the route; and he maintained himself the whole summer long in Puebla, without drawing a pound of food for his soldiers, or forage for his horses, from Vera Cruz. With regard to men, these were abundant. He had ten thousand (in round numbers) effective troops at his disposal, including the volunteers whom he afterward discharged. This was about the number with which he subsequently marched on the capital, after a delay of four months ! Although the cam- paign which was finally made, was one of the most brilhant re- corded in the pages of history, and has established the fame of its distinguished commander on a firm and immovable basis, it is yet to be regretted, that he did not further astonish the world by the rapid conquest I have intimated. General Scott himself, SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 209 with the genius of a true soldier, ■which consists as much in know- ing how to follow up his victories as to gain them, had at one time resolved on the step, but afterward vacillated, and finally altered his determination. He had even organized his plan of march, and published his general order (No. 128), notifying it to the army, on the 30th April, twelve days after his late victory. The following are extracts from this order : " 1. The divisions of the army in this neighborhood (Jalapa), will be held in readiness to advance soon after the arrival of trains now coming up from Vera Cruz. " 2. The route and time for commencing the march will be given at general head-quarters. " 3. Major-General Patterson, after designating a regiment of volunteers as a part of the garrison to hold this place, will put his brigades successively in march, with an interval of twenty-four hours between them. "4. Brigadier- General Twiggs' division will follow the move- ment also by brigades. " 5. Each brigade, whether of regulars or volunteers, will be charged with escorting such part of the general supply train of the army as the chiefs of the general staff may have ready to send forward. "6. Every man of the divisions will take two days' subsistence in his haversack. This will be the general rule for all marches, when a greater number of rations is not specially mentioned. "7. As the season, is near when the army may no longer ex- pect to derive supplies from Vera Cruz, it must begin to look exclusively to the resources of the country, etc., etc." A large proportion of General Scott's army consisted of twelve months volunteers, who had been enlisted in May and June of the preceding year. These men, at the date of this order, had, consequently, on an average, about forty days to serve — ample time, and to spare, as I have before remarked, to have brought the campaign to a glorious conclusion. They had all arrived at Vera Cruz, buoyant with hope and spirit, and full of the roman- tic ardor of (to use their own phrase), " reveling in the halls of the Montezumas," and were eager and anxious to move forward. Once in the city of Mexico, they would have remained willingly 18 210 SKRVICB AFLOAT AND ASHOKB. •with the army until the arrival of reinforcements (and these were being rapidly hastened by the government), to take their places. If it be urged, that it would have been unsafe to advance into the heart of the enemy's country without leaving sufficient garrisons in the rear, to keep open communications with the sea-board, it is re- phed, that this very thing was finally done — General Scott breaking up the garrison of Jalapa in July, and leaving behind him, when he marched upon the city of Mexico, only a few hundred eflFec- tive men, respectively in the castle of Perote, and in that of Loretto, at Puebla ; in both of which places they were shut up, not daring to push their foraging parties — ^much less to keep open the road — ^the distance of ten miles. Beside, this doctrine of keeping open communications was en- tirely inapplicable to General Scott's position. Where an army is composed of a hundred thousand men, or more, who are obliged to depend upon their depots for supplies, in consequence of the ina- bility of the country to support them, it is absolutely necessary to conquer as you go, and to hold certain points, to keep open your communications. But this was not the system of warfare intend- ed to be carried on, or necessary to be carried on, in General Scott's case. It would have required twenty-five thousand men, at the least, to accomplish it. With his ten thousand men, having the ability to feed himself anywhere in the country, there was but one thing to be done, and that was, to carry out the object of the campaign, by capturing, as speedily as possible, the enemy's capital. This done, nothing would have been easier, as it after- ward proved, than to open his communications with Vera Cruz, to enable the new levies, which were coming forward, to join him, and to permit his discharged volunteers to return. In fact, these levies afterward opened their own way to the capital, without the least assistance from head-quarters. It is but fair to state, that Santa Anna would, in consequence of not having been further beaten, as he was in the battles of the valley of Mexico, have probably been in greater force outside the walls of the capital, to attack new bodies of troops arriving ; which might have rendered it necessary for these troops to have concentrated in larger num- bers, before leaving Vera Cruz, instead of marching, as they did, in small detachments of from eight to fifteen hundred. SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASIIORB. 211 General Kearney had set General Scott a memorable example of a campaign of the kind I have been considering, in his cele- brated march through, and conquest of, New Mexico. This offi- cer, with two thousand seven hundred men, only six hundred of whom were regulars, boldly threw himself into the wilderness, with infantry, artillery, and baggage train ; and without other re- sources, in the heavier articles of consumption, than were afforded by the country, marched near a thousand miles, in fifty days! and on the 18th of August, 1846, amid a salute of artillery, hoisted the flag of the United States in the ancient capital of Santa Fe. Most of this march was over a mere trail, and through a barren and badly-watered country. It took General Scott twenty-seven days, as we have seen, to move his advance division from Jalapa to Puebla, a distance of ninety-nine miles, over a national turn- pike, and in the heart of a fertile, well-watered, and thickly- inhabited country ; and that, too, at a time when the whole road to Mexico was open, and Santa Anna a fugitive in Orizaba, with a few hundred men. But it is useless to dwell further, on what I think the military reader will acknowledge, wajs a mistake of the distinguished hero of Chippewa, and Cerro Gordo. The general order above quoted was countermanded, and the division of vol- unteers marched back to Vera Cruz, under General Patterson, where they were subsequently discharged, and sent to the United States. After the discharge of the volunteers. General Scott decided upon marching upon Puebla, reuniting his remaining forces, with those of General Worth, and awaiting, in this great inland city of the Cordilleras, for reinforcements. His forces, upon his arrival in Puebla, amounted to about six thousand men. Having issued a proclamation, at Vera Cruz, which added very much to the ex- asperation of the Mexican people, by reminding them of their internal broils, and alluding to their bad government, he put forth a still more offensive one before leaving Jalapa. Nothing is more useless, perhaps, than the issuing long argumentative proclama- tions, in an enemy's country, with the hope of producing any beneficial effect ; and nothing is more difficult than to draw up such papers, so as to avoid giving offense to the national sensibili- ties. Generals, with the best intentions, frequently sin in this 212 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. particular. Napoleon was the only modem general whose pro- clamations will bear reading. His never exceeded half a dozen lines, and were argumenta ad hominem; the only kind of procla- mation that should ever be addressed to an enemy. The procla- mation of Jalapa was very creditable, as a literaiy prodij-ction, but it sinned grievously in its egotistical tone, and in its want of tact, in re-opening the sores of the Mexican body-politic. Nations, like individuals, do not like to be told of their faults, and least of all, do they like to be told of them by their enemies. The bickerings of politicians are like family quarrels, which none but the mem- bers of the family should intermeddle with. In General Scott's appeal to the people against their rulers, and in his endeavor to excite the common soldiery against their generals, he made the fundamental mistake, too, of supposing that there was a people in Mexico to be appealed to. Every one, at all acquainted with Mexican affairs, knows, as I have stated in a preceding part of these memoirs, that about one-sixth of the Mexican population rules the country, the other five-sixths being mere cyphers, little above the beasts of. burthen, whose offices they, in part, perform, and incapable of the least mental exertion. When, therefore, the people of Mexico — that ,is, the one-sixth, who are both people and rulers at the same time — were told that their government was rotten, and their rulers knaves, they were, in fact, told that they were all knaves. A statement, which, however true it may be, was calculated rather to irritate and excite, than to conciliate. Gene- ral Scott's proclamation circulated, as a matter of course, through all parts of the country, and produced great excitement ; effectu- ally reversing any pacific intentions, the people might have enter- tained, after their several defeats.. Santa Anna, in consequence of his want of success, had lost all prestige with the nation, and was already becoming odious. In the city of Mexico, they de- bated a long time, whether they would permit him to enter, after the battle of Cerro Gordo. The inhabitants of the capital, fear- ing the fate of Vera Cruz — the horrors of the siege of which had been magnified to them, ten-fold^were inclined to submit to our arms, without making any defense ; and if General Scott, in- stead of issuing his impolitic proclamation, had hastened forward to reap the fruits of his victory, there is no telling what might SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 213 have been the result. It is possible, and even probable, that Santa Anna would have been banished a second time, and a peace forthwith concluded with the United States. To show that I do not exaggerate the degree of exasperation, produced by this cele- brated state-paper, I quote below a passage or two from a pam- phlet, written in reply to it, by an intelligent Mexican: " If a knowledge of our duty had not induced us to embrace with enthusiasm, and with faith, the sacred cause of Mexican in- dependence, the reading of the manifest, which we are about to answer, would have been sufficient to cause us to take an active part in the present contest. Has the North American general properly appreciated the magnitude of the insult which he has offered to Mexicans, and which we will remember in the day of our vengeance ? Did the chief of the invading army propose to himself, to blind some, to divide others, and to deceive all with false promises, and untrue protestations ? If so, he has produced a contrary result ; he has aroused in all hearts a holy indignation; he has made us feel the necessity of union, in order that we may revenge so many outrages ; and, finally, he has inspired us with a noble resolution, of never treating with an enemy, as cruel as perfidious. Fortunately, we are not as imbecile as General Scott supposes us, nor as degraded, as it would be necessary for us to be, to listen with a serene front, to his insults and his threats, in that language of protection and of pity, in which he addresses us. But let us descend to a reply to that defamatory libel upon our name ; let us say something concerning that celebrated document, which, certainly, neither displays the practiced diplomatist, the distinguished military chief, nor the astute and dextrous politi- cian, but the man of conquest, who, to the scandal of the civilized world, enters our territory, at the head of a horde of immoral adventurers, like an Alaric, or an Attila. ***** We reply, with an erect brow and a conscience free from all stain, that whatever may be our condition, whatever our errors, we do not recognize in a stranger, and still less in an enemy, the right to chide us, or to protect us against our will, or to counsel us against our consent ; and that we throw back his offered protection and ac- cept war, preferring death to dishonor. ***** The insidious words of our enemies have caused us much indignation, 214 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. and we have been inexpressibly grieved, at the picture they have drawn of our evils — a picture, unfortunately, too true. Never- theless, we prefer these evils to the happiness which is offered us, at the mouth of the cannon and the point of the bayonet. Alone, we conquered our liberty ; alone, will we judge of what should constitute our prosperity ; and alone, will we pursue it. We have no need of strangers, nor do we ask them for counsel in our troubles — we prefer rather to take counsel of our courage and our reason. We repeat, that whatever may be our condition, we prefer it, a thousand times, to that which is offered us at the price of our independence ; and General Scott may rest satisfied, that all good Mexicans think as we do. * * * * * * jj^g General Scott informed his nation, that beside burning our cities, and assassinating the families who reside in them, and spilling our blood in a barbarous and cruel manner, he chides us like beard less youths for our errors ? Is the hero of the bombardment of Vera Cruz, as dextrous in playing the part of a pedagogue, as in cowardly attacks to destroy a city ?" The American reader perceives, of course, the Mexican propensity to exaggeration and bombast displayed in the above extracts, and the injus- tice done to General Scott, and our people ; but he perceives, also, the deep thrill of indignation which had been produced by the proclamation I have been reviewing — a paper, which, although written with all becolning dignity, and much insight into the con- dition of things in Mexico, revealed too many plain truths to be palatable, and was therefore impolitic. Preparations began to be actively made, soon after the issue of this paper, for our movement upon Puebla. On the 14th of May, a train, consisting of two hundred and twenty wagons, and one thousand and fifty pack-mules, escorted by six hundred men, arrived from Vera Cruz with supplies. It had been General Scott's intention to march immediately upon the arrival of this train, but learning that there would be another up, in four or five days, he resolved to await the arrival of the latter. This train, consisting of one hundred and fifty wagons, having arrived on the 20th, orders were issued for a forward movement on the 22d. In the meantime, Lieutenant Colonel Childs, a tried and veteran soldier, of depided military talents, and cgol and discrimmating; SERVICE AFLOAT AKD ASHORE. 216 judgment, was selected to remain in Jalapa, as commandant of the garrison to be left here, and governor of the town. In the latter capacity he had already been acting for some weeks, and had given general satisfaction, not only to the army, but to the native population. Indeed, he had become so popular with the citizens of the place, that on the eve of our departure, they gave him a very handsome ball, which was attended by many of the better classes, and particularly by the ladies ; which latter, some how or other, seemed always to have less antipathy to the gay uniforms and fine persons of our dashing young officers, than their husbands and fathers. On the afternoon of the 22d, General Twiggs took up his line of march, and proceeded some five or six miles out of the city; where he was to encamp for the night, and be joined, on the follow- ing morning, by the general-in-chief, and the various staff corps. It was a fine sight to see this veteran division, which had won so much fame at Cerro Gordo, file through the streets, arrayed in their best uniforms, with bands playing, and their regimental colors, pierced by the balls and begrimed by the smoke of battle, unfurled to the breeze. The balconies were filled with fair spec- tators ; and as the division had been quartered in the town a month, and as love sometimes makes short work, as well as war, there was no doubt many a gentle sigh heaved on the occasion^ — at the lavandero, at least. Movement is the life of the soldier ; he soon tires of the inactivity and luxury of cities, be these never so luxurious; and the bronzed features of those fine-looking fellows were lighted up with the radiance of anticipation, as they thus commenced anew their progress in' that wonderful and romantic region, the plateaus of the Cordilleras of the Andes. Other fields and other glories beckoned them onward ; and each soldier look- ing, for himself, on the bright side only of the picture of war, saw only its tapestried outlines, unmindful of the grim phantom of death lurking in the background. As Seymour and I belonged to the staflf, by virtue of our mess arrangements, we were to move in the shadow of the commander-in-chief. Our arrangements were soon made. The gallant caterer of our mess (with the able assistance of Monsieur Auguste) relieved us of all trouble on the score of subsistence, so that the tin pots and forked sticks, which 216 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. we had used on the road from Vera Cruz, would henceforth be hors du combat. Seymour, therefore, had only to buy himself an extra plug of tobacco, ■ reeve a new lanyard for his jack-knife, and — take leave of his washerwoman, and we were ready for the road. Everything was bustle and confusion, in our quarters, on the morning of the 23d, as horses were being saddled, valises packed and strapped on, holsters and pistols adjusted, etc. It was Sun- day, and we salHed forth about ten o'clock, a. m., while the church-bells, with their solemn and prolonged peals, were calhng the good people of the town to mass. The notes of the bugle collecting the different squads, and sounding the advance, and the clattering of the iron-armed hoofs of the heavy cavalry horses over the paved streets, presented, in strange contrast, the sounds of war with those of "peace and good-will among men," which are the foundations of the Christian religion. The morning was one of the brightest of the mornings of Jalapa ; and the reader has been informed how bright and beautiful these were. The sun shone forth with his wonted splendor, the air was redolent of perfume and of the song of birds, and the landscape, at all times lovely, seemed still more so on the present occasion. The rains, which had fallen on the two or three preceding evenings, gave a delightfuF freshness to the vegetation, which in the morn- ing sun presented that depth and variety of tint, which I have before noticed as peculiar to the region. Orizaba, with its snow- clad crest glittering like so much burnished silver in the dancing sunbeams ; the Cofre of Perote, and the lesser and nearer spurs of the Cordilleras, added grandeur and sublimity to the picturesque landscape below. For several miles out of town, the road was one string of human beings — ^horsemen ; straggling foot-soldiers, who had been left behind by their regiments, the evening before, and were hurrying forward to join them ; officers ; citizens, who were followers of the army; and even several tidy-looking horse- women — all bound to the " city of the Angels," as Puebla is called, in the vernacular. Sunday being a market-day in Jalapa, crowds of Indians were flocking into town, to church and to market at the same time, laden with country-chairs, and other articles of rude manufacture, vegetables, flowers, etc. It was surprising to SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 217 see what burthens these men, and women too, had, by long habit, enabled themselves to bear. A single Tamame — burthen-bearer will sometimes carry as much as three hundred pounds. With their bodies inclined forward, and their burthens adjusted on their backs, and kept in their places by leathern straps passing round the chest and forehead, they moved along in a kind of doer-trot, without looking either to the right or the left, entirely unmindful, to all appearance, of the brilliant pageant which was passing before them. What cared they for the pride and pomp of war, they were " hewers of wood and drawers of water !" They were all dressed in the coarsest and homeliest garbs, indicating the toil and poverty which were their lot in this land on which heaven had bestowed many of its choicest favors. We crossed the small river Zedano — which, being joined by an- other small stream, falls into the sea as the Atopan — on a massive stone bridge, some three miles from Jalapa. A few miles further on, we passed through the village of Zedano, and beyond this, we overtook the infantry regiments, a large caravan of pack -mules, and a lengthy wagon train, consisting of four hundred wagons. The country on both sides of us was clothed with the richest vegetation, and was still more beautiful, if this be possible, than that around Jalapa, from its being more broken and presenting a greater variety of scenery. The road-side abounded in shade- trees and flowering shrubs, intermingled with fruit-trees of many varieties — among which we noticed the cherry and the apple ; indi- cating, like barometers, our approach to a more elevated region. Our ascent was quite gradual until we reached the little town of San Miguel el Soldado, situated beautifully on a hill-side, and with its white houses embowered in a mass of foliage ; the church spire alone rising above the tops of the trees. From this point, the road winds up steep ascents all the way to La Hoya. In places, it was hewed, as it were, out of the steep hill-side, and was reveted and parapeted for the security of the traveler. From one of these parapets, high above San Miguel, which now appeared a mere speck at our feet, we had a magnificent view of the surrounding country; which reminded us very much of the mountainous parts of Pennsylvania, except that it was much more broken, and was almost entirely devoid of cultivation — a patch of Indian-corn and 19 218 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. barley, here and there, being the only indications of the husband- man. Isolated conical hills, of regular shape, and covered to the very summit with tall forest trees, and romantic valleys, stretching far away into the distance, were predominant features of the landscape. The atmosphere was cool and fragrant, and its tran- sparency most remarkable. The winding road — which here climbed a long and steep ascent — covered, for two or three miles, with white-tented wagons, cavalry and infantry now appearing and now disappearing as they followed its sinuosities, gave life and animation to the beautiful picture, and added to the many associations with which every step, in this interesting country, is fraught. From this height a beautiful waterfall may be seen, many leagues away, appearing like a mere thread of silver thrown over the surface of the rocky bluflf from which it is precipitated. Just before reaching La Hoya, we lose the rich vegetation I have been describing, which is supplanted, in the course of a thousand feet, or so, of ascent, by the growth of an entirely dif- ferent climate. The pine, and other evergreens of high latitudes, now make their appearance, and the country becoming more broken than ever, begins to be covered with fragments of volcanic rock. La Hoya is another of the strong defiles on the road to Mexico. A conical hill, rising to the height of five hundred feet, and reminding one very much of Cerro Gordo, commands the high-road, which winds along its base for the space of two miles and more. This is but the beginning of the pass ; other rooky heights, broken into deep chasms, continue to present themselves, and enfilade the steep ascent. . Breastworks, which must have cost the enemy infinite toil, were constructed along these heights, and timber had been felled, and the undergrowth cleared away, to give free range to artillery and musketry. We found several pieces of ordnance here, which the enemy had abandoned upon his defeat at Cerro Gordo, and which Gene- ral Worth, in his advance, had spiked and otherwise rendered useless. In a small valley, imbosomed in this rocky scenery, and through the green-sward of which meandered a small stream. General Twiggs encamped for the night. His busy little camp, with its white tents, parked wagon train, and picketed cavalry, presenting. SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 219 in contrast with the -wild and jagged liill-tops, one of those beau- tiful and romantic spectacles which the pen is so powerless to describe. We, of the staflf, halted here to rest for half an hour, and then pushed on, intending to spend the night at Las Vigas, hio-her up the mountain. My horse having lost a shoe, in that short half hour a traveling-forge, belonging to Captain Taylor's battery, lighted up its fires and replaced it with a new one. From La Bbya to Las Vigas, the distance is two leagues, and the ascent rapid and continuous. The country continued to be covered with volcanic rock, which presented the appearance of hav- ing been cooled suddenly, while in a state of ebulKtion. The char- acter of the whole scenery was singularly romantic ; hills, now and then sweUing into mountain-peaks of the most fantastic and rug- ged outlines (from whose fissures and crevices sprang the somber pine, with a thick and tangled undergrowth of brush and brier beneath which trickled small streams of water) rose on every hand. Mosses and lichens, and a dwarfed species of the agave Americana, or aloe, also made their appearance. Occasionally, as we toiled up the steep ascent, the view would open upon the country below, and the eye would wander over many leagues of a wild and barren waste, until it rested, in fatigue, on the distant horizon. At an early hour in the afternoon, we reached the village of Las Vigas — the beams — elevated 7812 feet above the level of the sea. It contains some five or six hundred people, who live in rude stone and log houses — the latter covered with pine slabs, pegged on with wooden pins for want of nails. The only object of attraction was a church, not quite finished, with a remarkably tasteful dome. The cavalry picketed their horses in the church- yard, as yet untenanted by the dead, and slept in the body of the building. The General took up his quarters in the cabildo, or town house ; and our mess — quarter-masters having the selection and arrangement of quarters, as their name implies — was com- fortably housed, of course ; that is to say, as comfortably as we could be, in a dirty house without furniture. The inhabitants generally had run off, some days before, and taken with them, or secreted, their effects. The night was clear, and the stars bright, and the keen moun- 220 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOKE. tain a* caused me to wrap my blanket closely around me, and seek tte shelter of a pile of oats in tke straw, which had been left in the room in which I slept. Before we retired, Auguste, who had managed to pick up a few eggs, and a handful of frijoles— beans of the country — ^prepared us an excellent supper ; to which we did ample justice, after our long and toilsome ride among the mountains. With the aid of my friendly pile of straw, I should have passed a capital night, but for the fleas, which assaulted me without mercy. We were astir at an early hour, the nest morning ; and before sunrise, I walked to the small brook, which the natives dignified with the title of rio! — river — and performed my ablutions in its limpid waters, al fresco. I enjoyed the cool morning air as one does the sight of an old acquaintance, and had the satisfaction to feel the tips of my fingers tingle with the frost, as I withdrew them from the mountain streamlet. After being burned to death on the ocean, and in the tierra calienie, for the last eighteen months, it was a charming variety to be frozen ! Leaving Las Vigas at half past seven, we reached Perote at eleven ; the distance being four leagues. After a few miles of Alpine road and scenery, such as we had passed over the day before, except that the lava disappeared (giving place to various laminated rocks and granite), and the hill-sides were more culti- vated, we crossed a little stream, on the banks of which stood a ruined stone building, and in attempting to ford which, at the wrong point, Monsieur Auguste's horse got bogged, and threw him, sabre and all, into the mud, we debouched into the plain of Perote. The road now ran along the base of the Sierra — ^moun- tain ledge — on the left, on which rises the Cofre of Perote, a re- markable peak visible for many miles in every direction, and which I had often gazed upon from the deck of the Somers, as I had been blockading Vera Cruz. I welcomed it as an old friend. As we rode along, we changed it from the form of a square block, or coffer, or chest— whence its name— first into a fortress, and then into a ruined castle. It is below the permanent snow-level, but is sometimes covered with the element during the prevalence of storms, when it resembles a coffin, with a huge winding-sheet thrown over it. The plain was well cultivated— that is to say. SBRVICK AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 221 after the fashion of the country — the man of two thousand years ago turning up the soil with a yoke of oxen, and with the identi- cal plow described by Virgil. The crops, which consisted chiefly of Indian-corn, and a large bean of the country, called the haba (extensively used for food by the common people), were suffering for want of rain. Mount Pizarro, a conical mountain of regular shape, and standing entirely alone, in the vast plain, as if it had been forcibly upheaved like an island in the sea, by some convul- sion of nature, rose upon the view as we turned an angle of the Sierra ; and soon afterward, we espied the castle and town of Perote, relieved against the base of this mountain, which stood beyond it. The alcalde quartered us upon an old woman, the housekeeper of a family non est, who, at first, was terribly alarmed, but whom we soon -succeeded in soothing and putting in a good humor. Seymour, who was not sure but the old beldam might have a pretty daughter, was the principal agent in this process of dulci- fication. Auguste, who, in cooking our supper the night before, at Las Vigas, had nearly smoked his eyes out over a fire, built a la wigwam in the center of the floor, was delighted to find here a regular and well ordered cocina — kitchen. The town of Perote contains about fifteen hundred inhabitants, and has two churches ; the only buildings of any note. The principal of these, fronts on one side of the plaza — public square — and its steeple, which towers to a great height, serves as a land- mark to point out the position of the city, for many leagues over the boundless plain. The center of the plaza is adorned with a tasteful jet d 'eau, affording to the inhabitants an abundant supply of pure and cool water, fresh from the mountains. The mass of the buildings, which are but one story in height, were con- structed of the adohe, or sun-dried brick. In the afternoon, I visited the famous castle of Perote, memo- rable, in the revolutionary annals of Texas, as the dreary prison of many of her captured soldiers. We met a funeral at the main portcullis — some soldier having fallen a victim to war, or the chmate — and halted until it filed past ; the sentinel "present- ing arms" to the body of his deceased comrade, and the notes of the muffled drum, and the moaning fife, falling but too painfully 222 SBEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. on the ear. On the advance of General Worth, the Mexican gar- rison had been withdrawn, and but a single officer, Colonel Vas- quez, was left behind, with orders to deliver up the work upon the approach of our troops. This was accordingly done, upon summons. This immense fortress is a quadrangle, with four bas- tions, and covers two acres of ground. Its parapets are eight feet in thickness, and rise to the height of sixty feet from the bot- tom of the moat, which is counterscarped with stone, and is from fifty to seventy-five feet wide, and fifteen feet deep. The citadel, which is at the same time the quarters of the officers, occupies the center of the fortress, and forms a hollow square. In this, and in the casemates, four thousand troops may be comfortably lodged, although fifteen hundred would be a sufficient garrison. The whole fortress is of the most massive and substantial masonry. It had been stripped of much of its armament. We found- only a few light pieces— 16s being the heaviest. I had the curiosity to measure the diameter of a mammoth brass mortar, of Spanish manufacture, which I saw here — it measured seventeen and a half inches. The armory, capable of containing fifty thousand stand of arms, the numerous workshops, store rooms, etc., ranged around the walls, were in the most complete order. The armor- ers had apparently just left their anvils ; and we saw several bar- rels of leaden balls, of various sizes, from one to eight ounces, which had, no doubt, been cast only a few days before General Worth's arrival. Religion is not lost sight of amidst all this ter- rible array of war, as there is quite a neat chapel in one corner of the square, inclosed by the citadel. President Guadalupe Vic- toria, the first president of the Mexican republic, was buried here ; a plain wooden slab, in one of the walls, points out his resting- place. Such is the strength and completeness of this fortress, that if it had chosen to withstand a siege, it might, if it had been thought worth the trouble, have cost us much labor and patience to have captured it. But except that it is on the main road to the capital, and would have afforded the enemy a convenient point, from which to have carried on a guerrilla warfare against our trains and small detachments, its possession was not of the least value to us. Being built in the open plain, it commands no pass, and does not obstruct, in any manner, the passage of an army. It SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOBB. 223 seems to have been intended, by the Spanish government, as a mere place of arms, to overawe and rule the surrounding country. Like San Juan de UUoa, it has played an important pai't in all the Mexican revolutions; and many of the incendiary state papers issued, from time to time, by the chiefs of the army, have been treasonably concocted within its precincts. The sooner the plow- share is passed over it, and all similar structures in Mexico, the better it will be for the people. As we had approached the town, we had been somewhat puzzled by the appearance of the flag that floated over the castle ; the field of the union being green, instead of blue. We were not sure, at first, but that Colonel Wynkoop, infected by the atmosphere of the place, had made a pronuncia- miento; and at the head of his gallant Pennsylvanians, set up for himself. Meeting one of his captains, who spoke more good Ger- man than Anglo-Saxon, we inquired the cause of the phenomenon ; which he explained to us very lucidly and satisfactorily, as fol- lows : — " Taw, yaw, de green ish not blue, but den, you see, de stars ish white !" By which form of expression, the gallant cap- tain meant to convey to us the idea, that so long as the stars were all right, it mattered not what kind of a field they floated in. The flag had, in fact, been constructed of Mexican bunting, and as Mexico wears no blue in her national standard, we had been obliged to substitute green. Except an occasional straggling plant, in the neighborhood of Jalapa and on the road-side, we saw here, for the first time, the agave Americana, or mague}' plant, as it is vulgarly called, which is extensively and profitably cultivated on the table-lands of Mexi- co. The plant is from five to six years in maturing, and is pro- pagated by means of suckers from the roots. All the cordage, sacks, mats, etc., used for domestic purposes, are made of the fibrous portions of the leaves, which grow from five to seven feet in length ; and the wine of the country, or rather a fermented liquor more nearly resembling our cider, used extensively by the common people, is made of its juices. The process of extracting this liquid, is very simple. When the plant is from three to four years old, the top part of the main stem is cut off, and a hole or basin scooped into it, into which exudes the sap or juice of the plant — without injuring its growth. This is bailed out every morning, 224 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. by a man with a small gourd, who pours the contents into a hog- skin slung over his shoulder. The juice of a single plant amounts, in the course of twenty-four hours, to a pint, or half a gallon, according to its development. This liquid, when it has undergone fermentation, which takes place in from three to ten days, is fit for use. It resembles, in appearance, milk and water, and has, to one unaccustomed to it, a -taste similar to that of buttermilk, which has stood a day or two and become exceedingly acid. It will intoxicate, if taken in large quantities ; and the natives, high and low, are very fond of it. Pulque (the name given this liquor) is only found in the highlands in the interior — the maguey not flourishing in the iierra calienie; and nature seems thus to have located it, to answer a valuable purpose in her economy. — As the traveler ascends the mountain slopes of the Cordilleras, he finds, after reaching a certain height — about the level of Perote and Puebla — that the cutis ceases to perform one of its most important functions ; perspiration being checked so en- tirely, that the utmost exertion is scarcely sufficient to moisten even the forehead. This sudden shock to the vital economy, which might otherwise be highly injurious, is remedied, in a great measure, by the use of the drink I have been describing — the pulque being a gentle diuretic. It is, accordingly recommended with reason, to all new comers. At first, I had to hold my nose and take it as a medicine ; but, after a short time, in common with others, I became quite fond of it ; and Auguste frequently placed this vino del pais on our dinner table. We halted but a single night in Perote, and were in the saddle again by eight o'clock, the next morning. On mustering our forces we ascertained that one of our dragoons had been stabbed and robbed during the night. Although we made diligent search, no clue could be found to the detection of the criminal. The air was delightfully cool and bracing, though the morning was not very bright. Our road continued to traverse the plain, we had entered upon the day before, and the country for a short distance was cultivated in maize and barley— the fields being inclosed by the useful and ornamental maguey, which, with its thorn-pointed leaves, presented very effectual barriers against the encroachments of stock. After riding some five or six miles, all traces of culti- SKBTICK AFLOAT AXD ASHORE. 225 vation disappeared, and ■we entered upon a desolate-looking trnct of barren, sandy country, producing a scant crop of gi-as*. on which were browsing, here and there, a flock of sheep. We witnessed, here, for the first time, the Diimpe, so often spoken of by travelers, and so common in high latitudes, or tlieir equivalents, great elevations. Although we were prepared for this illusion, we were completely deceived by it ; every one being sure that he saw a lake sleeping in tranqtdl beauty, and reflecting back from its surface, the crests of the neighboring Sierra, in a spot where we fotmd as we approached it, there was not a drop of water ! The most curious spectacle of this kind I ever beheld, was oflF the coast of South America, some years ago, while cruis- ing in one of our ships-of-war. We were standing close in for the bold highlands abreast of Caraecas, on rather a dark night, when we distinctly saw reflected, in a cloud that hovered over the city, the lights, and as we fancied, the outlines of the houses. At the hacienda of San Antonio we stopped to water our horses, and rest for half an hour, while the baggage teams were being brought up. This was the only place where water was to be had between Perote and Tepeahualco — a distance of nineteen miles — the well here was two hundred and ten feet deep. The hacienda was little more than a caravanseray, consisting of a cluster of huts, with an immense corral — court-yard — inclosed by high stone walls, for the accommodation of droves of cattle', and their attend- ants. These haciendas are all fortresses, where the people are gathered together in small communities, as a means of protection from the hordes of bandits who infest this wild and sparsely popu- lated region. The remainder of our march to Tepeahualco was through a perfect waste — the plain being on a dead level, and pre- senting the appearance of having once been the bed of an inland sea. Our cavalcade raised clouds of dust, as it advanced over the sun-burned road, and the country was devoid of vegetation, except a few blades of stunted grass that were struggling through the drowth for existence. The mountains, which arose on either hand, and locked us in, as in a basin, seeming thus to give color to the idea of our traversing what had once been the bed of the ocean, were as devoid of vegetation as the plain below ; pre- senting their naked sides, seamed and scarred by the elements, to 226 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. the sun, whioli, by this time had made his appearance, and scorch- ing us, as we occasionally approached them on the one hand or the other, with his deflected rays. The barren and gloomy aspect of the near landscape was relieved and redeemed by the magnifi- cence of the more distant mountain scenery. On our left, the Cofre of Perote and Orizaba, still accompanied us, as they had done most of the way from Vera Cruz, as "clouds by day," chained together by other heights and spurs but little inferior to them in grandeur ; and on our right, we approached and passed, about mid-day, that most singular of mountain cones, Mount Pizarro, before noticed, rising to the height of two thousand feet and more, in the midst of the plain. On its apex had been planted, by some enterprising individuals, a gigantic cross, which towered as a land-mark for many leagues around. A more fit temple for the worship of the All-powerful and Infinite could not have been conceived* A storm of wind and rain overtook us as we were winding around the base of this cone; and the sharp crashes of thunder over our heads, and the playing of the forked lightning around the cross on the summit of the mountain — the vivid flashes being rendered still more vivid by being relieved against the dense, black cloud beyond — presented us with a sub- lime spectacle of the war of the elements. We quickened our pace, and some of us unstrapped and drew on our serapes, but we outstripped the shower, which seemed to prefer to linger around the mountain, and fortunately we escaped a wetting. About one o'clock, p. m., we descried, at a distance, some white- washed walls, and green patches of vegetation, forming what ap- peared to be an oasis in the desert; and soon afterward we entered, not an oasis, but a mud-built town in a maguey planta- tion. The beauty of the prospect, like the mirage of the morning, vanished upon our entry. Several large corrales, a mesom— inn— with portals in front, and two or three hundred huts of the most miserable description, formed the town of Tepeahualco. It was situated near the base of a perpendicular mountain of granite, with superincumbent layers of limestone, whose naked cliffs were unrelieved by a single shrub, or blade of grass ; and down the sides of which had thundered, from time to time, masses of rock, which lay strewed around. SERVICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 227 The church, which we visited — having first assured the igno- rant padre (all priests, in Mexico, are reverentially and affection- ately called padre; that is, father) that we were not Jews — stood in bold proximity to the mountain, like a pigmy at the foot of a giant, seeming to covet its protection. Thus relieved, it formed a beautiful and picturesque feature of the landscape. It was a large, and had once been an elegant, building ; but was now, like almost every noble relic of the past one meets with in Mexico, in a state of decay, fast verging toward dilapidation. Beneath the floor was a cemetery ; a series of wooden trap-doors, or hatches, leading to the vaults, where had been deposited the remains of the dead generations, which had been successively gathered to their fathers, in the last two centuries — the building having apparently about this age. We trod reverentially over these mementoes of mor- tality, and conversed in tones scarcely above a whisper, as we wandered through the silent aisles of the venerable old church — which preached to us more eloquently of the frail tenure of our existence, and of the short span of human life, than could have done the most elaborate discourse. There were much antique carving and gilding, and many bad paintings and worse attempts at sculpture in wood, dispersed throughout the building. There were many ruins in this vicinity, showing that Tepeahualco had formerly been a much more extensive town, than it is at the present day. Beside the houses before noticed, as lying in the plain, and which formed the town proper, there was a number of Indian " huts or hovels perched on a somewhat elevated ridge of lava near by. This ridge or dyke of lava extended several miles, as far as the base of Mount Pizarro, whence, in some former convul- sion, it had, no doubt, issued. It lay piled in the most fantastic shapes ; and, in places where it had been disintegrated by the long action of the elements, it was covered by a luxuriant growth of the cactus, maguey, etc.; among which the natives had built their huts. These frail structures were made of small reeds and sticks, and loose stones piled up, and were covered with grass, bark, the palm-leaf, etc. So abject is the population of this ridge, that many of the families are real troglodytes, living in caves or burrows, like so many rabbits. The women seemed to be pro- lific in proportion to their poverty ; as every hut and cavern was 228 SKEVIOK AFLOAT AND ASHORE. filled vrith naked children. These -wild little creatures peered at us from thoii- holes and hiding-places, like so many elvea, -nhich we should certainly have taken theto to be, had we visited tlieir eyre by moonlight. In the evening, a couple of Mexican officers, who had been paroled at Vera Cruz, called on General Scott. One was a liexi- tenant-colonel, and the other a captain of artillery. They had been as far as Puebla, and were now on their return to Jalapa. — One of them begged a few dollars, which the general ordered to be given him, to pay his way ! and both of them spoke in terms of great hai'shness of Santa Anna, who, as tliey averred, had de- prived them of their pay, because they had refused to break their parole and join him at Cerro Gordo ! This allegation of the faithlessness of the Mexican general, in the matter of parole, was afterward corroborated by indisputable evidence. Just before we entered the town, a party of a hundred or more lancers scampered ofif. We occupied the house in which they had been quartered, and found abundance of fornge for our horses in the stable-yard, in which they had rather hastily "sad- dled up." The view from our balcony was striking and unique. We seemed to be in the center of an extensive valley, and land- locked — to use an expressive sea phrase — by tall mountains of every conceivable form. The evening sky was overcast, and a * dull leaden hue pervaded alike mountain-top and plain below. — As the shades of night began to fall, the most perfect quiet reigned in every direction, and the landscape of "still life" produced a saddening and depressing effect upon the beholder. His feelings seemed to partake of the somber coloring in which all nature was sinking to rest. As our quarters we're removed some distance from those of the main body of the escort, and our household consisted of only eight persons, we found it nectssiiry, as a pre- caution against surprise, to set a watch ; each one of us taking the "look out " for an hour. My tour passed without incident. Be- fore the expiration of my watch, I was obliged to wrap myself more closely in the folds of my sernpe. as it had now become quite cold ; the blinking of the snow, on the top of Orizaba, almost giving me a chill. Missing Page 230 SBEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. occasional patch of sand. The only growth of the mountains many of which rose, like Mount Pizarro, abruptly, and singly in the midst of the plain, was a stunted species of fern, and that universal denizen of barren districts, the prickly-pear. This latter appeared at intervals on the plain also, and instead of the diminutive plant it is with us, grew to the height of from twenty to thirty feet. After we had journeyed some three hours the plain branched off to the northward, between two parallel ridges of mountains, and presented a lengthy vista of meadow-land better covered with grass than that portion of it which skirted our road. Numerous herds of cattle were feeding on this mea- dow; and far away in tbe distance, were seen the white-washed houses and tall church-steeples of the village of Sm J-uan de los Llanos, containing about three thousand inhabitants. About mid- day we halted, for half an hour, at Vireyes, a hacienda pic- turesquely situated at the very base of a steep mountain ridge. Here we procured chocolate, and pulque, and gave' water to our horses — this being the only watering place between Tepeahualco and Ojo de Agua, where we proposed halting for the night. — The whole plain from Perote to this latter point — a distance of thirty -five miles — is impregnated with mineral substances, and the water, which has to be drawn up from a great depth, is very indif- ferent. Around this hacienda were grouped, as usual, the straw huts of the miserable dependents of the estate. After leaving Vireyes, the country, though still almost a desert, improved somewhat in appearance. We passed, on our left, quite an extensive corn-field ; but the land was sandy and poor, and judging from the stalks of the preceding year, which were lying in a field on the opposite side of the road, the crop did not promise to be very abundant. The weather, which had been cool enough in the morning, to bring into requisition our overcoats, now moderated, and the sun bursting forth, soon began to make us feel uncomfor- table beneath his ardent and nearly perpendicular rays. The re- flection of the heat from the naked soil, especially while passing through an occasional gorge or ravine, where there was not a breath of air stirring to mitigate it, became really oppressive, and we had a most uncomfortable ride for several hours. The great objection to the climate of this portion of the table lands of ♦ SEBVICK AFLOAT AXD ASHORB. 231 Mexico is, the*e alternations of boat and cold, which ajv OJcoossivo. In the course of a single day, one sometimes p:i*sos throtigh sev- eral changes, from winter to sunamer, and i-ife ti clothe itself, independently of any "base," in military parlance, there is no rear. And then victories in front will al- ways open the rear. Moving on, we entered the village of San Gregorio, another of those twihght towns, situated in a dense olive grove. Here, al- though it was but ten o'clock in the day, we were overtaken by an order from the general-in-chief to halt. We should have reached San Augustin in four hours more, and thus, by a rapid march, have effected a complete surprise of the enemy. The cause of this order, was the appearance in our rear ( General Twiggs was bringing up the rear), of a few thousand horse — between two and three — under Alvarez and Canahzo. As they ap- proached General Twiggs, apparently with the design to cut off some portion of his baggage train, this officer caused his battery of light artillery to unhmber, and deliver a few shots, which SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 373 eflfectually dispersed them without any further trouble. We lost a day, however, by the operation. With the exception of this insig- nificant body of horsemen, there were no tidings of an enemy any- where except in our front. We parked our wagons, and bivouacked our men beneath the wide-spreading branches of the olive trees, which were so thickly interlaced over-head, as to afford compara- tive shelter — ^many of our soldiers were still without tents — against ' the usual afternoon rains. The white tops of the wagons, con- trasting prettily with the bright green foliage, the picketed horses of the cavalry, the camp-fires, around which the soldiers were busy with mess kettles and cooking apparatus, and the long stacks of arms, formed a curious picture in this quaint old olive grove, by the lonely and unfrequented lake side ; and the careless laugh and the boisterous song of the Anglo-Saxon soldier, awakened strangely the sleeping echoes of San Gregorio ! The general and his staff quartered with the Padre, whom we found a merry little fellow, and a sort of Caleb Quotem of the village. He was the alcalde ; the military and civil governor ; and as far as we could judge, bestowed the best of care upon his flock, many of the women and children of which, lived in the same house with him, and called him, the former, by the endearing appellation of father, and the latter, by the more significant one of tio — uncle. He wore a white linen roundabout, and broad-brim white hat, somewhat kinked and weather-beaten, and seemed to have an utter contempt for his more lugubrious clerical robes. He showed us his library, which consisted of his missal, a volume or two of polemics, and an almanac, and entered into a learned dispute with us, to prove that his beloved city of Mexico was the greatest city in the known world 1 When we told him that New York was twice as large, and contained over four hundred thousand inhabitants, he looked at us with the air of a man who had been puzzled in an argument, in which he had been sure of victory, and was evidently half inclined to believe that we were quizzing him. He wished to know whether we would protect religion, when we entered the great city, and was much relieved when we told him that this was one of the fundamental doctrines of our institutions. The merry little gentleman made us an excellent host ; sent out agents and spies, hither and thither, through his wild domain, to gather up 374 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. eggs, aud inspect the condition of the hen-roosts ; and set the female portion of his household to work, to assist Sandy and Abram in preparing our dinner. He was constantly on the more, in the exercise of the functions of his various offices — now super- intending the boiling of the coffee-pot, now receiving the report of an urchin whom he had dispatched on a foraging expedition, and now in his capacity of civil and military governor, laying before General Worth, some complaint he had received from a parishioner, of a soldier's having broken into his corn-field. Colonel Harney, in command of the cavalry brigade, consisting of eight hundred horse, reported for service in the division this evening. General Pillow encamped at Tulancingo, some four miles in our rear, and generals Quitman and Twiggs at Tetelco, some three miles farther. August 17. Morning cloudy and cool, until eight o'clock, when the sun shone forth and gradually dispersed the wreaths of mist that had huiig over, and obscured the lakes, and lighted up the beautiful scenery of the valley. We were in motion again, at an early hour. Soon after, leaving San Gregorio, our road skirted the border of the lake, or rather marsh of Xochimilco ; ledges of rook from the adjacent hills on our left, sometimes pushing so boldly into the marsh, as to dispute the passage with us. This morning we came upon the first obstruction in the road, made by the enemy, consisting of a ditch cut aoross4t, and of some rocks which had been rolled down into it from the impending heights. Lieutenant Smith, with his company of pioneers, having been ordered to the front, set the matter to rights in about half an hour, and we continued our march. We now began to have some skirmishing ; the rancheros, or country militia, taking position among the rocks on the neighbor- ing hills, and firing down upon us, d la Mexkana, from a safe distance for themselves, and a harmless one for us. To "brush away" these country gentlemen, we threw out Lieutenant- Colonel C. F. Smith's battalion of light infantry, as skirmishers. These picked troops ascended the steep acclivities, and bounded from rock to rock, with the eagerness of hunters in pursuit of game. To carry out our hunting simile, they opened whenever they put up the chase, and it was not long before their animated SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 375 shouts, resounding like a shrill war- whoop among the hills, caused the enemy to start up from every nook and crevice, like so many of the men of Roderic Dhu ; not to stand bristling in defiance how- ever, like the brave Gaels, but — ^to show how clever a Mexican is, at taking the hach track, I now understood, for the first time, what was meant, in military phrase, by "brushing away" an enemy, as if he were so many insects. Some three miles from San Gregorio, we left the marshy border of the lake, and emerged into the open country, where we found a firm, well-beaten road. Leaving the town of Xochimilco, near the head of the lake of the same name, on our right, we passed on to Tetelco, a small village situated on a height, some two miles before reaching San Augustin, and from which we had a full view of the city of Mexico, at about the dis- tance of eight miles, and of the surrounding plain. Here we halted to rest the column, and reconnoiter. Captain Mason of the engineers, who afterward became so distinguished in the war, and who had joined us at Chalco just before marching, was pushed forward to examine San Augustin, preparatory to our taking possession of it. The gallant captain was absent about a couple of hours, having entered the town itself, and effectually reconnoitered all the grounds adjacent. There was no enemy to be seen. Our movement had taken him wholly by surprise. Indeed, we afterward learned from intercepted letters, that he was truly astonished to find that we had passed over a route, with artillery and baggage, which he had deemed scarcely practicable for infantry. The great problem of turning the Penon and Mexical- cingo, which had given us so much anxiety in the beginning of the campaign, was now solved. Immediately upon the return of Captain Mason, we put the division in motion, and in an hour afterward entered San Augus- tin, the long sought base of a new series of operations. We had the usual evening rain, but quarters were abundant, and we suc- ceeded in getting the troops under shelter, before they suffered any serious inconvenience. When we turned into our beds that night, we had the satisfaction of reflecting, that the vexations of the campaign were at length at an end, and that henceforth, we should have nothing to do but beat the enemy; which was a sort of plain sailing, that our fellows liked much better than marching 376 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. and countermaroting. General Pillow encamped at Xochimilco, where the general-in-chief also established his head-quarters. Generals Quitman and Twiggs encamped still further in the rear, at Tuliahualco. At an early hour on the morning of the 1 8th, the general-in-chief had arrived in San Augustin, and his various divisions were concentrated in and near the village. On the 15th, the day on which General Worth marched from Chalco, General Santa Anna addressed an order to General Valencia, at Tezcoco, of which the following is an extract : "By repeated dispatches which have reached these head-quar- ters [Pefion] it is positively known, that the enemy has concen- trated all his force at Chalco and its vicinity, leaving but one thousand men, with six pieces of artillery, at Ayotla, who are very soon to follow the movement of the rest of the army; and that the theater of war will undoubtedly be the line of San Anto- nio, since the enemy is about to commence his march for Tlalpam [San Augustin]. His excellency, the president ad. in., and general-in-chief, deems it necessary, therefore, to strengthen that point, by concentrating thither the most select portions of the army, with a view to a general battle. He, therefore, desires me to direct your excellency, to countermarch the army under your command, to-morrow, to Guadalupe Hidalgo, whence you will proceed to Coyocan, to await further orders. General Alvarez has been directed to occupy Ayotla, as soon as the enemy vacates it, and to follow the enemy's rear to Chalco, which he will occcupy in Uke manner, in order that we may have a respectable force in that quarter, with which to annoy him and to interrupt his communications with Puebla." It is seen by this order, that although we surprised the enemy, so far as to reach San Augustin before he could throw reinforcements thither, he was well aware of our contemplated movements, on the very day on which they were commenced. General Valencia made a rapid countermarch in obedience to his orders, and Santa Anna himself hastily withdrew from the Penon, and took up his quarters, alter- nately at Churubusco, and San Antonio. It is now time for us to take a rapid survey of the enemy's new line of defenses, and of the various positions of the opposing armies, before we can intelligibly describe the further movements SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEB. 377 of the latter. San Augustin, the head-quarters of our army, stands at the head of the causeway to which it gives its name. This is the causeway before described, as leading into the great Acapulco highway to the Pacific ocean. It is a raised, broad, well-beaten track, leading still to the city, as old Bernal Diaz described it in his day, in a straight line, "neither turning to the right hand nor to the left," and over a dead-level. The distance from San Augustin to the city is nine miles. About two miles and a half from the former, the enemy had placed his first fortifi- cation, in a village called San Antonio ; two miles and a quarter farther on, he had placed a second, in a village called Churu- busco ; from Churubusco the road was open and free of obstruc- tion to the city gates. Diverging from San Augustin to the left, there was another road leading over broken ground, in the direc- tion of a village called Contreras, near which it debouched into a well-beaten track leading through the villages of San Angel, and Coyocan, either, or both, to the city of Mexico. On a height called Padiema, near the village of Contreras, the enemy had established a field-work, or intrenched camp, to obstruct our passage into this road. These were the only two roads leading from our base of operations into the city of Mexico, and the question presented in military science was, as to which of these should be taken. At eight o'clock on the morning of the 1 8th, General Worth's division was moved forward a couple of miles on the causeway, and took up its position in front of San Antonio, the men encamping on both sides of the road. The general him- self established his head-quarters at a hacienda, called Coapa, a few hundred yards to the right. The general-in-chief now pushed forward reconnoitering parties, on both roads. These reconnois- sances proved, 1 . That the enemy was posted in great strength at San Antonio, in our front ; his defenses consisting of an exten- sive field-work well supplied with heavy artillery. His right rested on the village and on an extensive field of lava, which had been poured down upon the plain in ages long past, by volcanoes now extinct, and which extended all the way to the mountains — thus occupying the space between the two roads, and forming a barrier against the approach of cavalry and artillery. His left extended continuously, to the boggy and marshy ground, partially 32 378 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. inundated, near the head of lake Xochimilco. To carry this •work in front, it would be necessary to erect counter batteries, and storm with scaling-ladders and fascines — it being surrounded by a wet ditch. To turn its left flank, the reader sees, was impos- sible, from the nature of the ground. The bed of lava, by which its right flank was protected, although broken into deep chasms, and presenting jagged and pointed rocks of almost every conceiv- able shape, was practicable for infantry, but infantry alone. 2. That the road diverging to the left, from San Augustin, although exceedingly rough, might, with some labor, be made practicable for artillery, and that the enemy's intrenched camp at Padierna, which commanded this road, might be carried with the bayonet. While Major Smith — still an invalid, but enabled to get out on this occasion — and Captain Mason were making the recon- noissance of San Antonio, an unlucky shot from the enemy's battery killed poor Thornton of the dragoons, of whom I had seen much in Puebla, and of the fine qualities of whose mind and heart, I had formed a high opinion. It was somewhat singular that the first man who was killed in the valley of Mexico, was he whose defeat and capture, on the Eio Grande, had been the proxi- mate cause of the war. Fitzwater, the faithful guide who had conducted Captain Kearney and myself to the Eio Frio, was stunned, and lost an eye by the same shot. Captain Kearney and Lieutenant Colonel Graham, who covered the reconnoissance made by Captain Lee in the other direction, had a handsome little skirmish with the enemy, in which they killed and wounded some five or six, and made prisoners of as many more. After nightfall, I rode in with General Worth, to General Scott's head-quarters, where, after the reconnoissances of the day, the various chiefs, and ofiicers were assembled to make their reports, and consult upon the modus operandi. The army of General Scott was full of talent ; and the general had the judgment and tact to employ it all in the best manner possible. On the pre- sent occasion, beginning with the senior engineer, he called upon each officer, separately, to give an account of what he had done during the day ; to state the number and force of the enemy, at the particular point reconnoitered by him, the manner of approach- ing this point, etc. In this way, he not only elicited the informa- SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEK. 379 tion, but the opinions of his various subordinates, in order that he might tlie more intelligently combine the whole, and draw his own conclusions. He rarely made an examination of the enemy's position, in person, but with perfect confidence was content to see and hear, with the eyes and ears of his subordinates. Ably sus- tained as he was, by active and zealous young men, of fine capa- cities and thorough military educations, I attribute, much of the success which attended the campaign, to this wise poUcy. He was the chief administrator, as it were, of his great army. He fed it, clothed it, kept it together, directed its general movements, but had the good sense to leave movements of a subordinate cha- racter to his generals of division, chiefs of brigade, etc. Among the most prominent of the engineers, were Captain Lee, and Cap- tain Mason — the former serving at General Scott's head-quarters, and the latter at those of General Worth. The services of Cap- tain Lee were invaluable to his chief. Endowed with a mind which has no superior in his corps, and possessing great energy of character, he examined, counseled, and advised, with a judg- ment, tact, and discretion worthy of all praise. His talent for topography was peculiar, and he seemed to receive impressions intuitively, which it cost other men much labor to acquire. — Mason, though a very young man, was scarcely, if at all, his in- ferior in this respect, and he early acquired the esteem and regard of General Worth. On the occasion of which I am speaking, there were two plans presented for the consideration of the gene- ral-in-chief, by these accomplished engineers. Captain Lee was of opinion, that the proper manner of approaching the capital, was by the road diverging to the left, and leading through San Angel, etc. By this movement, we should have but a single obstacle to encounter, the fortified post of Padierna, which he was sanguine of carrying without much loss. Captain Mason, on the other hand, proposed that we should open the main road to Mexico, by carrying San Antonio with the bayonet, by a flank movement over the pedregal, or bed of lava, directed against its right. Both of these opinions were favorably received, and both of them par- tially acted upon. General Worth and myself returned to our camp, at Coapa, about eleven o'clock, and in the stillness of the night, we could hear distinctly the sounds of mirth and revelry in 380 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEB. the onemy's lines. What with the noise of trumpets, drums, and Indian shouts. Bedlam seemed to have been let loose. They were evidently holding a gt&TxA. fandango, in honor of something or an- other — perhaps because of our halt in their front, for the purpose of reconnoitering, which they construed into a check ; especially as they had fired a few shot at us in the morning, which we had not returned. The contrast of this noisy rout, with the silent dis- cipline that appeared in the veteran ranks of the first division, struck me with peculiar force, as we rode along the dusky cause- . way, flanked by the smouldering camp-fires, and the sleeping forms, wrapped in their blankets, of our soldiery. The only sounds of life that met the ear, were the measured tread of the sentinel, and his challenge as we approached, of " Who comes there?" After a night of rain, the morning of the 19th dawned in a cloudless sky, and the sun rose in his usual splendor, to light up the lovely valley of Mexico, in which the shock of contending armies was so soon to be felt. General Scott, in accordance with the recommendation of Captain Lee, dispatched General Pillow, sup- ported by General Twiggs, to open the road in the direction of Contreras and San Angel. The distance from San Augustin to Padierna, the enemy's intrenched camp, is a little over three miles. When our troops had proceeded about half this distance, they were opposed by the advance corps of the enemy, who, however, fell back to their intrenchments, after a little skirmishing. Intervening between our column and these intrenchments, there was a field of lava — the same as described at San Antonio — sloping down toward a ravine ; the ravine running along the base and in front of the works. A front attack upon these works, was therefore next to impossible, in consequence of the difficulties of the ground. About two o'clock, p. m., two batteries of light artillery, and how- itzers, commanded respectively by Captain Magruder, and Lieu- tenant Callender, were nevertheless advanced as near to the front of the enemy's works, as the lava would permit, when a mutual can- nonade ensued, which lasted the remainder of the afternoon : for what purpose, no one can conceive. As yet there was no plan of at- tack formed — indeed there could be none formed, until the ground was reconnoitered, which had not yet been done. The enemy had SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 381 twenty-two pieces of heavy artillery, in battery, behind breast- works and in embrasure ; it was therefore the height of folly to attempt to counter-batter such an armament, with light field- pieces, and howitzers, entirely uncovered. Nay, more, it was criminal, as it subjected our batteries to be cut to pieces (as they, in fact, were), and entailed upon us a loss of many valuable officers and men, who could ill be spared, in the great disparity existing between ourselves and the enemy. From the asotea of General Worth's head-quarters, we listened to the constant roar of artil- lery and musketry, and watched the smoke and flash of the battle with our glasses — we were four miles distant — with great anxiety, all the afternoon. We could see no apparent change in the posi- tions of the two parties ; and from this argued, that generals Pillow and Twiggs, had received a serious check by overwhelming num- bers. Great was our relief, when about an hour after dark, an orderly dashed into our camp, and brought us intelligence of the true state of facts, as above related. In the meantime, General Persifer F. Smith, commanding the 2d brigade of Twiggs' divi- sion, who had been sent forward under a hot fire, to support Ma- gruder's and Callender's batteries, seeing with the eye of a soldier, the nature of the enemy's position, and that a front attack was out of the question, determined to try one of his flanks. Being isolated from his division, and having no ready means of commu- nication with it, he undertook this movement on his own respon- sibility ; reconnoitered the ground, with the assistance of Lee and his engineers, and planned and carried out the attack, which resulted in the glorious victory of Padiema — known more gene- rally as that of Contreras — without let or hindrance, as without suggestion from the commander-in-chief, or generals Pillow or Twiggs. These facts, so honorable to the gallantry and military science of this distinguished officer, are, perhaps, not generally understood by the people of the United States. General Smith, selecting the enemy's left flank as the object of his movement, at once commenced his march — making a long cir- cuit over the lava — in that direction. His two principal objects in selecting this flank were : 1st, to throw himself between the ene- my and his reinforcements ; and, 2dly, to cut off the enemy's 382 SERVICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. I'etreat toward the city of Mexico, after his works should be carried. So far as the first of these objects was concerned — to-wit: the interposing some force between the enemy's intrenched position, and the city, to prevent him from receiving reinforcements — Gene- ral Pillow had conceived the same idea, as General Smith, and had dispatched General Cadwallader, to effect a lodgment in the village of Contreras, with this view. Late in the afternoon. General Scott rode out as near the field of operations, as the bed of lava would permit, and conceiving, or concurring in the idea of gene- rals Smith and Pillow, dispatched Colonel Morgan, of the 15th regiment of infantry, to eflFect the same object ; but he had been anticipated by both these officers, and Colonel Morgan, upon his arrival in the village, found it already in the possession of our troops. I am thus particular in describing all th^se movements, as I would not willingly do injustice to any of the parties inter- ested in them. Soon after General Smith's arrival in the village, Colonel Riley's brigade, which had been skirmishing with some detachments of the enemy, came up and reported to him. It was now after sunset, and nothing more could be accomplished that night. An hour or two afterward, and when General Smith's plans for an attack on the enemy's intrenched camp, on the following morning at daylight, had all been arranged. General Shields, in command of the New York and South Carolina regiments, arrived on the ground. General Smith, acting on the belief that he was the senior of this officer — they were both brigadiers — directed him to hold the village of Contreras, for the purpose of cutting ofif the retreat of the enemy, after his camp should be carried, in the coming assault ; or to operate on the flank of his reserve, should he change front, and attack him (General Smith), while moving toward Padkrna. General Shields, perceiving General Smith's mistake, with regard to his rank, and being unwilling to deprive this officer of the credit of carrying out the arrangements he had already so ably made, with great tact and delicacy, for- bore to undeceive him, and gallantly executed the part assigned him t A victory over the egotism of our nature, which his SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 383 friends should cherish more, than a thousand victories on the battle-field. Let us now take a brief review, of the movements of the enemy up to this point. On the day of our march from Chalco, the reader has seen, that General Valencia was directed to counter- march his division from Tezcoco, and take post at Coyocan. He was afterward moved out as far as San Angel, a village about two miles and a half from Contreras. Upon reconnoitering this village, and the various paths leading to it, by way of Padierna, Contreras, etc. — there were four of these paths, one of them prac- ticable for artillery — he reported to General Santa Anna — then at Churubusco — ^that the post was not defensible, without fortifica- tions, which there was not time to erect, and requested permission to fall back upon some other point d'appui. This was on the 17th, before all our forces had reached San Augustin. General Santa Anna replied to him, on the same day, as follows. It is the min- ister of war who writes : " Having laid before the president, your note of to-day, in which you assign reasons why you should retire from the post you now occupy, I have been ordered to reply to you, as I now have the honor of doing, that there being in Tlalpam [San Augustin] only the vanguard of the enemy's army [Worth's division], consisting of two thousand five hundred men, with four pieces of light artillery, and seventy-five wagons, it is not likely he will undertake to march upon San Angel, to-morrow, both because of the smallness of the force, which is not more than about half your own, and because it would be necessary to repair the road, somewhat, to render it practicable for wagons. — Beside, we do not know but that, to save himself this trouble, he may attempt to force the pass of San Antonio. For these reasons, the president is of opinion, that there is no necessity for abandon- ing San Angel, in such haste ; and without this necessity, it would not be very honorable to do so. His excellency, therefore, desires that you remain where you are, until it is positively known that the enemy intends to take that route. But if, contrary to expect- ation, the aforesaid vanguard should undertake this movement, to-morrow, in that case, and only iii that case, you may fall back upon Tacubaya — taking care to assure yourself that the enemy has really put himself en route ; for which purpose, you should 384 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. push your spies, even into Tlalpam, itself." On the next day, the 18th, the day on which Worth's division moved to take a po- sition in front of San Antonio, and Lee commenced his reconnois- sance of the San Angel road, the minister of war writes to Gene- ral Valencia, from San Antonio, the head-quarters of General Santa Anna, as follows : " The general-in-chief directs me to say to your excellency, that the enemy having now (three o'clock, p. m.) taken up a po- sition on our left with a part of his forces [alluding to Worth's movement], it is clear, that to-morrow, at the latest, he will un- dertake the attack of this fortification, although it appears that there is a movement going on at the same time, on our right [allud- ing to Lee's reconnoissances, covered by Graham and Kearney]. His excellency, therefore, directs that at daylight, to-morrow morning, you will fall back, with the forces under your command, to Coyocan, sending forward your artillery to the fort of Ghuru- busco, and the Ute de poni, at that place." But General Valen- cia, instead of obeying this order — which would have opened to us an unobstructed passage to the city of Mexico, General Worth's movement having effectually deceived Santa Anna as to our intentions — had changed his mind as to the defensibility of the post he occupied, and moving out to the hill of Padierna, had thrown up the field-work, which we have seen, and which General Smith was about to assault. Declining to obey the order to fall back upon Coyocan, he wrote his general-in-chief a reply, of which the following is an extract : "I should like much to be able to obey this order, but in view of present circumstances, my conscience as a military man, and raj patriotism will not permit me. I beUeve the national cause would be lost, if I should abandon these posi- tions, and the road leading from San Augustin through Padier- na, to this point [he is writing from San Angel]. To me it is as clear as the light of day, that the enemy will undertake his attack, if not to-morrow, the day after ; that he designs to make two attacks, at the same time — the one true, and the other false — and that should he find, at the commencement of his movement, one of the points of attack abandoned, as this, for instance, he will pass by this route, with all his forces, and thus be enabled to as- sail our flank, and turn our rear. Or if he prefer it, he may pass SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 386 on, without obstruction, to the city of Mexico." In the above extract, I have given the gist, rather than the precise words, of General Valencia's reasoning, which was unquestionably sound, and based upon a more correct appreciation of our intended move- ment than that of his chief. This could not excuse his disobedi- ence, however. I am thus particular in describing the movements of the enemy, as General Santa Anna, afterward, laid the whole blame of his discomfiture on bis disobedient general. This letter of General Valencia was written on the 18th. On the 19th, occurred the cannonade between him and General Pillow, already described, and the movements of Smith, Shields, Cadwallader and Riley. As the reader has perceived, there was no battle fought, unless our ill-advised cannonade be regarded as one ; but only some indecisive skirmishing, as the various brigadiers were moving to take up their positions, preparatory to the assault of the following morning. I have elsewhere remarked, in these pages, that the Mexicans always beat us, in their dispatches, before the fighting came on. So it was on this occasion. General Valencia, in his dispatch to General Santa Anna, dated at eight o'clock, on the evening of the 19th, informed his chief, that he had gained a complete victory, having put the whole of our forces to shameful flight. The opening words of this celebrated dispatch are: " After a despe- rate combat with all the Anglo-American forces, I have the high honor of informing your excellency, that I have put thena to shameful flight, with the valiant army which I have the honor to command," etc. On the strength of this victory he was guilty of the absurdity of so far transcending his authority, as to make a large batch of promotions, including generals of division ! In announcing this promotion to General Santa Anna, he says : "The honor of the republic, most excellent sir, was intrusted to proper hands, when it was confided to the brave officers under my command, and I have, therefore, had no difficulty in conferring upon all the generals, chiefs, and officers who participated in this glorious battle, the several promotions to which they are entitled." As an excuse for this conduct of General Valencia, it has been said that he was drunk, at the time, which is quite probable, as he was a man of notoriously intemperate habits. General Santa Anna, it 33 386 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. seems, was better informed as to the true state of things. Upon hearing the cannonade, he had marched with six thousand men, and five pieces of artillery, to reinforce General Valencia, but was not able to effect a junction in consequence of the difficulties of the ground, and the timely precautions generals Pillow and Smith had taken to occupy the village of Contreras ; which latter intervened, as has been remarked, between himself and General Valencia's position. The usual evening rains coming on, he retired to San Angel, to put his men under shelter ; and notwithstanding the receipt of General Valencia's bulletin announcing a glorious victory, sent an aid-de-camp to this officer, directing him, again, in the most positive manner, to withdraw from his position, and fall back upon San Angel. But this order, like the first, was dis- obeyed. The reader now understands the positions of both armies. We have General Smith, in the village of Contreras, with generals Shields, Cadwallader and Eiley, each with his respective brigade, and Major Dimick commanding, for the time being, Smith's own brigade, in all about 3300 strong ; but without cavalry or artillery. General Valencia was. posted on the hill of Padiema, with about six thousand men, and there were ten or twelve thousand more, within supporting distance. General Smith, in reviewing the criti- cal position in which he was thus placed, between two separate corps of the enemy, either of which was his^perior in numbers, saw at once, that the most energetic action was required of him. He says in his dispatch, "I therefore directed an attack on the works of Contreras [Padiema], by turning their rear before day ; and Captain Lee, of the engineers, offered to return to General Scott (a most difficult task) — [in consequence of the darkness, and intricacy of the way] — and inform him of our position, and that I would march out by three o'clock, a. m., so that any diversion that he could make in our favor from that side, might be prepared accordingly." Captain Lee reached General Scott's head-quar- ters, in San Augustin, at a late hour in the night ; informed him of the various movements of the day ; of the position of General Smith, and his intended plan of attack, and of this officer's request that a diversion might be made in his favor. This diversion was intrusted to my friend. Ransom, of the 9th, having with him, SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 387 beside his own regiment, some companies of the 3d, 12th and Eifles. A word more remains to be said of the topography, before General Smith puts his column in motion. It has been remarked that a ravine ran in front of General Valencia's camp. A branch of the same ravine extended, also, along the left flank, and toward the rear of the camp. It was up this latter ravine that General Smith designed to march. Lieutenants Tower and Beauregard, of the engineers, and Lieutenant Brooks, aid to General Twiggs, had closely reconnoitered the ground during the night, and were to conduct the different brigades. At precisely three o'clock, on the morning of the 20th, the troops were put in motion. The path was very narrow and rocky; it had rained all night — the men having slept on their arms, in the mud, and without fire — and was still raining, and the night was so dark, that General Smith, to prevent his rear files from going astray, was obliged to order the men to keep within touch of each other. The order of march was as follows : First, Colonel Eiley's brigade; next. General Cadwal- lader's, and lastly. General Smith's own brigade, under Major Dimick. The march was so tedious, owing to the darkness of the night, and the badness of the road, that it was daylight before the head of Cadwallader's brigade filed out of the village, into the path which descends into the ravine. Having followed up the ravine to a point whence it seemed possible to approach the work. General Smith halted his column, and closed up the rear ranks — the march having been by a flank, the column was neces- sarily very much spread. The veteran Colonel Riley, who was to be the first to give the assault, here examined his arms, and caused such of them as were wet to be re-loaded. He then moved on, and turning to his left, in the direction of the rear of the camp, left the ravine, and ascended the hill on which the camp was placed; but still sheltered from its fire by a slight swell in the ground. Here, having halted for a few moments to reform his ranks, he moved forward upon the swell, and presented himself in full view of the enemy. He was immediately opened upon by a fire of artillery and musketry, not only from the work, but from a force on his right flank. Throwing out his first two divisions as skirmishers, to protect his flanks, he now rushed headlong into the work, which he soon cleared with the bayonet and clubbed mus- 388 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. ket. The engineer company, under Lieutenant Smith, and the Rifles, having in the meantime been thrown across the ravine, under the brow of the slope, swept it, from this position, in front; and then inclining to the left, joined in the attack on the troops outside the left flank of the fort. Ransom (who, as we have seen, had been detached to cause a diversion in favor of the main attack), coming up at the same moment, poured into the work, and upon the fugitives, a deadly fire of musketry. Cadwallader moved on to the support of Riley, following the same route that had been taken by the latter. Major Dimick had been ordered to follow Cadwallader, in turn ; but when he came abreast of the work. General Smith seeing his flank threatened by a large body of the enemy, faced him in that direction, and moved him forward to the attack in line. The attack was made in fine style, and the rout soon became complete. The cavalry, which at first made a stand, was put to flight by the bayonet, and trampling underfoot their own infantry, made a precipitate retreat. General Shields' brigade, under his skillful management, not only protected in a great measure, the movement of Smith, but intercepted great numbers of the fugitives, who were either cut down under the sure fire of the South Carohna rifles, or were made prisoners. In short, without pursuing details, it is sufficient to state, that seven hundred of the enemy were killed in this battle, and fifteen hun- dred made prisoners ; twenty -two pieces of" artillery were found in the fort, and a large number of small arms ; seven hundred pack-mules, etc., etc., were captured. Thus was fought, by a gallant son of Louisiana, the first brilliant battle in the valley of Mexico ; a battle which opened to us the whole road to the capital, and placed the success of our campaign beyond doubt. At the conclusion of the battle General Valencia was nowhere to be found ! He had probably been sleeping ofi' the efiects of the previous night's debauch, when he was aroused by the crack of Riley's rifles, and the frightful yells of his men ; and being half stupefied, and bewildered, made a hasty retreat, regardless of everything but life. He made his way to Toluca, as was after- ward known, and disappeared from the theater of the war. His second in command. General Salas, who had been president ad. in., of the republic, wrote tlie dispatch on the occasion, which, as it SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 389 throws some light on the enemy's proceedings during the battle, I transcribe : " To the minister of war and marine. — On the 19lh, at about twelve or one o'clock, p. m., the enemy presented himself in the attitude of attacking this position, on the heights of Contreras [Pa- dierna]. We, at once opened upon him, in succession, a vigorous fire of artillery and musketry, as he presented himself at the various points occupied by our troops, and succeeded in holding him in check, until night put an end to the contest. In this en- gagement, all classes of the army gave evidence of their courage, and of the decision with which they were willing to sacrifice their lives in defense of our nationality. But on the morning of the 20th, thanks to the bad position which we occupied, and the care- lessness with which the movements of the enemy, made with a view of enveloping us, were regarded, we were routed in all directions by more than six thousand men — our own numbers amounting to three thousand infantry, cut off from all succor. As soon as I observed the dispersion of our forces, I made every effort to rally them, shouting victory for Mexico! and ordering the bugles to sound the charge. I succeeded in halting them for a moment, when I ordered General Torrejon to charge with his corps ; but this ofiicer, instead of obeying my order, betook him- self cowardly to flight ; the cavalry following his example, tramp- ling under foot the infantry, and completing the general disorder. It would appear ridiculous to present recommendations of those who were present in a lost battle ; but nevertheless, I feel obliged to speak favorably of the oflJcers generally, who made great exer- tions to rally their troops, and withstand the attack of the enemy. In doing this, many of them were made prisoners. His excel- lency, the general-in-chief, Don Gabriel Valencia, disappeared from among us, at the commencement of the battle, and as I am ignorant of his abiding-place, I have deemed it my duty to make you this report," etc. M tu Brute! General Salas, who makes this report, had condescended, the night before, to receive from the hand of his now missing general, the grade of general of division ! Being second in command, one would think he might himself have taken some precautions against being "enveloped," while his 390 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. chief and patron was at his orgies at the supper-table. General Torrejon was another of Valencia's eleves — he had been made general of brigade. The circumstances attending this battle, give us considerable insight into the morale and organization of the Mexican army. All the chiefs were the secret, if not open ene- mies, of each other. In the various revolutions of the country, they had been more or less in hostile array, and although they were now compelled to dissemble their hatred, and act together in the common defense, upon the first reverse, they turned against each other, and each endeavored to fasten upon his neighbor, the odium of the disgrace. Generals Santa Anna and Valencia first exchange private letters, in which the most endearing expres- sions are introduped. General Valencia then seeing an opportu- nity, as he thinks, to push his fortunes, to the disadvantage of his friend and chief, disobeys his orders, and intrenches himself at Padierna. He and General Salas are now intimate, and he makes the latter a general of division. Salas, although perhaps as culpable as Valencia, takes the first opportunity to hold up his friend and patron to ridicule ; and in turn is disobeyed by Tor- rejon, his gallant confrere in the victory of the preceding day! No wonder we beat such generals. General Santa Anna threw the whole blame of his subsequent defeat at Churubusco, upon General Valencia ; but manifestly without reason, as Padierna was a very proper point to be defended ; and if it had been reconnoi- tered in time, and suitable batteries constructed, might have held us in check, and put us to serious inconvenience. And then, even on the supposition that Valencia had obeyed his orders, and left an important road to the capital open to us, without the necessity of our fighting a battle to open it, bow could we have been preju- diced ? I have said that General Smith fought and won this battle, without suggestion or direction. General Twiggs, to whose division he belonged, gives him this credit, with great magnani- mity, in his report. He says, "For the particulars of this aff'air, I would respectfully refer the general-in-chief, to the reports of General Smith and Colonel Riley, to whom, and to the other offi- cers engaged, is due all the credit that attaches. I was unable, for the reason given above [a lame foot] to come up to my divi- SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. 391 sion, until the affair was over, and the road opened for my horse." The merit of making some of the preliminary dispositions for this battle, was afterward disputed by General Scott and General Pil- low, before a court of inquiry ; but if we except the general order given by both those generals to their subordinates, to endeavor to reach the San Angel road, there seems to be no foundation for the claim of either. CHAPTER XIX. Woeth's encampment before San Antonio — Storming of this place — March of the army upon Churubusco — Worth commands the right of attack — The battle of Churubusco — The storming of the Ute de pont, and the fall of San Pablo — Consequent defeat and rout of the enemy — Gathering together the ■wounded, and burial of the dead — March of Scott and Worth upon Tacubaya — The policy of fighting the battle of Churubusco consi- dered, as also our failure to enter the city of Mexico — Armistice. While the events, described in the last chapter, were transpir- ing at Contreras, General Worth's division was encamped before San Antonio. The enemy, finding us thus inactive, had during the 19th thrown a few shells at us, and now and then sent a ball whizzing through the walls of the hacienda, knocking the white- wash and plaster about our heads, without, however, doing us any damage. Our ears were regaled nearly the whole night by the songs and shouts of merriment, and the beating of drums, and sounds of musical instruments, in the enemy's line. They were celebrating General Valencia's victory ! Worth's veterans, who had been chafing and fretting at this inaction, had been drawn up under arms nearly all day, expecting a momentary sum- mons to Contreras, but none came ; and at nightfall they lay down in and on the sides of the road, and covering themselves with their wet blankets, endeavored to snatch a few moments of repose, to nerve themselves for the bloody events, which they foresaw, were to ensue on the morrow. It was a terrible night ; the black and lowering clouds poured down torrents of rain, and the mimic roar and flash of the battle, which had been raging all day, were succeeded by the awful thunder and lightnings of the heavens. Notwithstanding this war of the elements, our fellows, worn out with fatigue and watching, slept soundly, perhaps dreaming of their far-off homes, and the comforts of their firesides. Alas ! before sunset the next day, many of them slept that sleep from which the trump of the archangel alone will awaken them. I (•392) SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 393 have before remarked the exceeding regularity of these rains, and the certainty with which a night of storm and darkness is followed by a morning of sunshine. It was so on this occasion ; and as the glorious orb of day lifted himself above the horizon, not a cloud or a wreath of vapor was to be seen in any direction. The magnificent valley, which had charmed and led Cortez on to conquest, now wreathed in smiles, and looked down upon by its peerless volcanoes, whose snow-clad summits dazzled the vision as they glistened in the morning sun, equally beckoned us on to fulfill our destiny. Like our great predecessor, whose descen- dants we had come to destroy, we were equally the children of fate, rolling up that dark curtain of the future, behind which an AU-wise Providence has concealed from our feeble vision his mys- terious designs. But let us to work. General Worth, who up to the period of Smith's victory, had been ordered to mask and threaten San Antonio, but not to attack it, was now directed to carry it, if possible, and then act as circumstances should require ; it being General Scott's intention to move on to the assault of Churubusco with his whole army — less Quitman's brigade, which he had ordered to remain as a garrison in San Augustin, for the protection of the general dej)6t. San Antonio has been before described as being a strong work thrown across the road, and accessible only on its right flank. It was, therefore, determined to carry it by sweeping around this flank, and assaulting it in the rear. For this pui-pose, Clarke's brigade, under the guidance of Captain Mason and Lieutenant Hardcastle, engineers, was de- ployed over the field of lava, on our left. The general ordered me to dismount and accompany the engineers, which gave me the opportunity of witnessing what I describe. Passing through a small thicket of thorn and briers, that skirted the road, we soon entered upon the field of lava, over which it was impossible for any one but a footman to pass. I cannot better describe this pedregal, than by comparing it to a sea, which having been lashed into fury by a tempest, had been suddenly transformed, by the wand of an enclianter, into stone. We picked our way, like so many chamois hunters, over and between these stony billows, and leaped from crest to crest, as a fissure would present itself. The reader will readily perceive that the inequality of the surface 394 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. protected us from tlie fire of artillery; and as a skirmisLing ground for infantry, it was the best I ever saw. Clarke's brigade could have held it against the Mexican army. Soon after we commenced our march, the 4th infantry, under the guidance of Mackall — assistant adjutant-general — was deployed also to the left, and ordered to choose a route betwen the one we were pur- suing and the road, either to sustain our movement, or, if oppor- tunity oflFered, to rush upon one of the batteries. The enemy, perceiving our movement, sent out a few skirmishers to check us, if possible, and at the same time — influenced, no doubt, by the fall of Contreras, which had occurred a few hours before — com- menced an evacuation of his works. Brushing away the skir- mishers, we hurried forward, and having collected together a couple of companies — Merrill's and McPhail's — made a dash for the road, in time to cut the enemy's retreating column in two ; driving General Bravo, with four pieces of light artillery, over the meadows, in the direction of Dolores, while the remainder made the best of its way to Churubusco. Nothing could exceed the scene of confusion, which was here witnessed. The magnificent causeway, lined on both sides by rows of stately shade trees, was filled, as far as the eye could reach, with masses of the flying enemy — three thousand. Cavalry, artillery, and infantry were all rushing forward pell-mell, amid the shouts of the officers, as they gave their confused and hurried orders, the rumbling of artillery and baggage-wagons, as the horses were whipped up to their full speed, the yells of teamsters and arrieros, and the shrieks of the wounded and dying, as they were tumbled from their saddles by the unerring aim of our mus- kets. We made a great many prisoners, many of whom threw themselves at our feet, in the utmost alarm and consternation. I happened to witness an amusing scene, just as I came out upon the road. I saw lying prostrate, under one of the shade trees, a remarkably bulky-looking figure, in the uniform of a Mexican general, and a soldier of one of our companies standing by him. Supposing the officer to have been killed, I inquired of the soldier if this were the fact. " Oh, no, sir," said he, "he is only a little out of wind, being a fat man ; I have just run him down." The general afterward informed me, that in the hurry of the retreat, SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 396 Lis aid-de-camp had run off witli his horse, and that this was the cause of his being captured ! A thing which, I suppose, could only occur in Mexico. General Worth, as soon as he perceived that Clarke had opened his fire, directed Garland to advance rapidly in column, and attempt a direct assault, previously detaching a company in advance to draw the enemy's fire, and discover the magnitude of his batteries in that quarter ; but it appeared that the guns at that point had been hastily withdrawn in the hope of getting them away. Garland's column, therefore, accompanied by Duncan's battery, passed into and through the work without opposition. Some six hundred yards beyond the work, our two brigades were reunited, and we pushed on in pursuit of the enemy toward Churubusco, not stopping to attend to the details of securing prisoners, or paying much attention to General Bravo and his fly- ing masses, who were running in the wrong direction for us. Let us now pause a moment, to look at the works and the nature of the ground before us, and to cast a rapid glance at the movements of the other divisions of the army, for the great battle of this eventful day — the battle of Churubusco, in which all the forces on both sides were engaged — is still to be fought ; the bat- tles of Contreras and San Antonio having been mere preludes. It has been said that the village of Churubusco was about two miles and a quarter from San Antonio, by the route we were pursuing — the great causeway of San Augustin leading to Mexico. From Padierna or Contreras, it is three miles to San Angel ; from San Angel to Coyocan, it is one mile and three quarters, and from Coyocan to Churubusco, it is one mile. This last route was the one taken by General Scott, and the remaining divisions of the army. Both these approaches were strongly defended ; the great- est attention having been paid, as a matter of course, to the defenses of the principal route, which, as the reader sees, was the one taken by Worth. Just in the rear of the scattering hamlets, known as the village of Churubusco, there was a wide and deep canal, cutting the causeway and continuing over the plain per^ pendicularly to the road, a long distance to the left (enemy's left). This canal was bridged at its intersection with the cause- way ; and at the hither end, or head of this bridge, there was 396 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEB. constructed- a field-work, known in military nomenclature, as a tite de pont. This work had been planned and constructed in the most scientific manner (Mora y Villamil, Robles, and other Mexi- can engineers,^ having deservedly a very high reputation for skill in their art), was regularly bastioned and curtained, and sur- rounded in every part, except at the gorge, by a formidable wet ditch. It commanded the main approach by the causeway, and that also, by its left flank. There were four guns in this work ; two in embrasure, bearing in front, and two — one in embrasure, and one en barbette — bearing on its left flank. Dikes, extending along the banks of the canal, and of sufficient elevation to afford protection for infantry, had been constructed in ages gone by to g^ard against inundations. These, for the distance of a mile and more, to the left of the tite de pont, were now converted into ram- parts, and occupied by dense masses of infantry. The ground, in front of this murderous dike, was occupied by corn-fields (the corn six feet high and more, and waving its green leaves and silken tassels most invitingly, but treacherously, in the gentle breeze that was blowing) and straggling fruit, and other trees. The plowed ground, though not miry, was still heavy, and a net-work of cross ditches and dikes, obstructed our rapid approach. When it is recollected that we were maneuvering on a dead-level, in front of these forniidable defenses, and entirely without protec- tion, the reader will have an idea of the bloody work which Gene- ral Worth had before him. To the right of the tete de pont, about three hundred yards from it, and somewhat in advance of it, on the road debouching into the causeway from Coyocan, was another fortified position, commanding the approach from that direction. This work — the fortification of San Pablo — consisted of a stone church, that served as a sort of citadel, and two walls, one within the other. The outer wall constituted a regular field-work, was pierced with embrasures, and was defended by three pieces of artillery. This work was open on the rear and on the right flank- that portion of it not having been completed. The flat roof of the church and the steeple, afl'orded excellent positions for marks- men, who could see every one who approached while they were themselves covered by parapets and walls. The nature of the ground on the right was pretty much such as it has been described SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 397 on tte left. The reader thus sees the work which General Scott has before him. Beside the seven pieces of artillery in the two fortified positions, the enemy had various other batteries of movable pieces on the ground. His troops, all told, amounted to about twenty-five thousand men ; long lines of infantry and cavalry being drawn up on the causeway, and many detachments occupying houses — every house being in itself a fortification — on both sides of the road, and the cross dikes that cut up the fields. There is one more remark necessary to give the reader a correct view of the whole ground, as a military position. The tUe de pont was situ- ated, as I have said, on the left-rear of San Pablo (see map). It was also considerably elevated above it, and commanded it with its guns ; it was, therefore, the km/ to the whole position. When carried, San Pablo fell, as a matter of course ; and the way being opened to the rear of the dikes, perpendicular to the road, the enemy's infantry was uncovered, and the battle gained. I claim for General Worth the merit of having won this battle ; with the gallant and able assistance, to be sure, of the other divi- sions of the army, but which divisions, from their positions, were necessarily reduced to the necessity of playing a subordinate part. I shall, of course, offend by this statement, the egotism of the less liberal or less enlightened of the other divisions, but I appeal fearlessly to the facts, and to the reasoning of the unprejudiced reader, upon those facts. The good fortune which fell to the lot of the 1st division, on this occasion, was not by any pre-arrange- ment — it was purely one of the chances of war. Nor is it meant to arrogate to this division, or to its commander, any superiority over the other divisions or other commanders of the army. There was no plan of battle, other than such as was formed on the spot, and in the heat of pursuit, by the commanders themselves. And this, for a very simple reason, viz : that there had been no recon- noissance of the enemy's position and defenses ; and without a knowledge of the ground, neither General Scott, nor any other military man, could have given an intelligent or intelligible order in regard to it. It must be presumed, too, as a matter of course, that if General Scott could have foreseen the paramount impor- tance of Worth's operations, he would have assumed control of 398 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. these operations himself, by moving upon Worth's line, instead of upon the line from Padierna. As it was, the army was divided into two great divisions or wings, each isolated from the other, and moving by convergent roads upon the same object — the right division or wing being commanded by Worth, and the left by Scott. Except that they both had the same object in view, these two wings, so far as there was any interchange of orders and movements, were essentially two different armies. But let us move on to the attack. We left Worth's division in hot pursuit of the enemy, whom he had routed at San Antonio, and who was falling back, in a disorderly retreat, upon Churu- busco. A retreating foe, with balls and bayonets at his back, always flies faster than a pursuing one. We overtook but few of these fugitives, therefore. Beside, General Worth, knowing well that there was another battle in advance of him, and the ground being new to him, checked the pursuit, after the first few minutes of ezoitement, and moved forward, coolly, with his divi- sion well in hand. As we advanced, first the enemy's artillery from the tete de pont, which enfiladed the road, and then his musketry, opened upon us. General Scott had got into action, on the enemy's right, a short time before us, owing to our delay at San Antonio; and now a tremendous roar of artillery and small arms was heard from one end to the other of the enemy's fine, extending more than a mile. Like old Bemal Diaz, I seem to hear this crash of battle still. The stunning explosions of the cannon, at rapid intervals, were accompanied by an unceasing and a sharper, and if possible, more startling rattle of musketry. The day, as I have before remarked, was perfectly clear, but the smoke, as it arose over the heads of the combatants, formed a dense canopy, that partially obscured the sun, and reflected back, as is sometimes seen with regard to the lightning in a thunder- storm, the quick and vivid flashes of the various fire-arms. The scene was grand beyond description ; there was now scarcely a breath of air stirring ; and while the stillness of the valley was broken by the dire thunders above described, nature, in striking contrast to the bloody work which was going on, seemed only to smile ; and presented to the eye of the beholder, her green fruit trees, and tall grain bowing low with refreshing plenty. SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 399 Worth, halting- a moment for reconnoissance, and casting his eagle eye rapidly over the field, with that quickness of combina- tion and military reasoning, for which he was so justly celebrated, saw at once the true points of attack, and marshaled and moved forward his forces accordingly. Garland's brigade was thrown out promptly to the right of, and directed to move in line (of columns) obliquely to the road, so as to strike in its advance, and deployment, the enemy's line (of infantry) at a like angle — Dun- can's light battery moving on the right. Clarke's brigade — with the exception of the 6th infantry — was ordered to move also to the right, and by a flank parallel to the road, while the 6th in- fantry was directed to move boldly up the road (taking shelter along its sides as far as possible), and storm the Ute de pont m front. These able combinations were formed in less time than I have been describing them, and the movements were as rapidly put in execution. The field through which Garland and Clarke were moving, was filled, as the reader has seen, with standing corn, which, while it afforded no protection to our troops, oflfered great advantages to the enemy for concealment. We sufl'ered, therefore, terribly for a while, until we had driven the enemy's advance from this favorable position upon the dikes in the rear. When the battle was over, we counted one hundred dead bodies of our brave fellows lying in this corn-field, within the space of an acre ! It was soon ascertained that Duncan's battery, which would have been of infinite service to Garland, could not be got over the ground, by reason of the cross-dikes, before described. It was therefore, ordered to fall back, and be held in reserve until opportunity should occur for its services, which was not long in presenting itself. The 6th infantry moved forward with great steadiness, to assault the field-work in front, as it had been di- rected, but was met by so destructive a fire, ripping and cutting its ranks in pieces, that it was forced to recoil and fall back ; which, however, was done with the coolness of a parade. Meanwhile, Clarke, with the remainder of his brigade, more favorably situated, but still under a galhng and destructive fire, from the two pieces of artillery described as commanding the ap- proach on the flank, and from musketry, dashed past at " double quick," the deep wet ditch that surrounded the work, and carried 400 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. it with the bayonet ; men and officers rushing, pell-mell, into the embrasures and over the walls, without the help of ladders. The enemy could no longer withstand the shock, but gave way, and in a moment more, the cheers of our brave fellows announced that we had possession of the tete de pont; the key to the battle-field. General Pillow had joined us, a short time previously, with one of his brigades — Cadwallader's — and is entitled to a share of the honor of this exploit. Let us now see what the left wing of the army, under General Scott, has been doing. This officer, when he arrived at Coyo- can — one mile from Churubusco — halted, a short time, as Gene- ral Worth had done, to make a hasty reconnoissance. This being accomplished, he dispatched General Twiggs, with one of his brigades — that of General Smith, less the Kifles — and Captain Taylor's field-battery, to attack the fortified position of San Pablo ; following the movement, soon afterward, himself. He then directed General Pierce, with his brigade (Pillow's division), to follow another road, to the left, with a view to attack the ene- my's right and rear, and at the same time favor Twiggs' move- ment. This brigade he subsequently reinforced, by Shields' bri- gade, composed, as the reader knows, of the gallant South Carolina and New York regiments. Shields, being Pierce's senior, assumed command of the whole ; and as he had a bad habit of getting into hot places, he was obliged to be still further reinforced, before the close of the action, by the Rifles, which, up to this time, had formed General Twiggs' reserve, and by Cap- tain Sibley's company of dragoons. Twiggs was soon hotly en- gaged, and Taylor's battery, which had imprudently been placed in an exposed position, was disabled by the enemy's heavier metal, and compelled (by superior orders) to retire. Shields, advanc- ing about a mile toward the right and rear of the enemy, on the road leading in that direction, left the road, at this point, and bent his course more toward the causeway, passing through a heavy corn-field, and reaching a position, in a swampy meadow, in which was situated the Hacienda de los Portales. His object was to penetrate to the causeway, if possible, and attack the ene- my in rear, or intercept his retreat when he should be driven from his position in front, by Worth and Twiggs. There were SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 401 four thousand of the enemy's infantry drawn up on the causeway, covered by some three thousand cavalry, extending on their right. Shields, at first, endea*)red to out-flank this force, by a move- ment to the left (his left) ; but finding the enemy to answer his movement, by extending himself to the right, and to do this faster, because of the firm ground on which he maneuvered, than he (Shields) was able to move, he withdrew his men to the hacienda, and resolved on a front attack. " I selected," says he, " the Palmetto regiment as the base of my line, and this gallant regiment moved forward firmly, and rapidly, under a fire of musketry, as terrible, perhaps, as any which soldiers ever faced." The Palmetto thus forming the center of the attack, the New York, 12th, and 16th regiments were deployed in support, on the right, and the gallant 9th, under my friend, Kansom, was moved to the left. The whole Mne now advanced steadily, open- ing their fire as they came up. They were faced by overwhelm- ingly superior numbers, however, and a most deadly conflict ensued. Of the two hundred and seventy -two men of the gal- lant Palmetto regiment, who went into action, on this occasion, one hundred and thirty-seven fell on this bloody field ! among them were the lamented Colonel Butler, first wounded (but refus- ing to retire), and then shot dead, and Lieutenant- Colonel Dick- enson, mortally wounded. In consequence of the bad ground on which the gallant brigadier operated, and the vastly superior forces of the enemy, he must have been cut to pieces, but for the events which followed, in other parts of the field. We left Worth, just as he had carried the tUe de pont. At this moment, the battle was raging, as we have seen, with unremitting fury, on the left. Twiggs, with but a portion of one of his bri- gades, and with his battery of light artillery cut in pieces, was held in check before San Pablo — his men advancing in detached parties, under such shelter as they could find, and making but little progress, notwithstanding the cool courage they displayed ; and Shields barely maintaining his ground, by the most desperate valor, and at the expense of frightful loss. As soon as our men rushed into the tUe de pont, as described, captains Larkin Smith and Bomford, who were among the foremost, immediately seized upon the enemy's artillery, and turned it upon San Pablo, which 34 402 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. the Ute de pont, from its superior elevation, commanded, as has been stated. At the same moment, Duncan's battery (which General Worth, instead of ordering it to batter superior metal, and thus subjecting it to be cut to pieces, as Taylor's battery had been, had prudently kept masked and in reserve) was hurriedly brought up to the front, and opened also, upon San Pablo. This celebrated battery was only about four hundred yards from its target ; and I never before witnessed so rapid and destructive a fire. The gallant lieutenant-colonel had his men in fine training, and I am afraid to say how many discharges — from four pieces — were made in a minute, lest I should tax the credulity of the reader ; but there did not appear to be an intermission of more than three seconds between the reports. The efiect was speedy and decisive. The devoted fortress, which up to this moment, had not in the least slackened its fire, having now its artillerists driven from their guns, and the sharp-shooters from the church top and steeple, at once succumbed, and hung out a white flag from the church balcony ; which being seen by General Worth, who, like the rest of us, was near Duncan's pieces, watching his beautiful " exercise," with admiration, he ordered the fire to be discontinued, and dispatched an officer to accept the surrender. — Leaving thus, to his subordinates, as he always did, the details of receiving swords and flags from the enemy, and of looking after prisoners, in which smaller minds find so much gratification, he hurried on, in pursuit of the now flying enemy — ^the long and beautiful causeway leading to the city gates, being filled with his masses of cavalry and infantry, in a confused and disorderly re- treat. The moment the enemy had begun to waver, and show signs of confusion. Shields, with the remnants of his gallant regi- ments, had rushed forward, and now reached the causeway, just as the head of Worth's column came up. He fell into our ranks, and joined with us in the pursuit. Pillow, who was with us, here reunited his division, and the three generals pushed on together. It is four miles from Churubusco to the city of Mexico. The united forces continued the pursuit for two miles and a half, to Candelaria, when General Worth (who had no orders from Gene- ral Scott, and who was ignorant of his intentions), in consultation with the other generals, called a halt. He was soon afterward SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOBE. 403 OTertaken by an order from General Scott, to desist from the pur- suit. In the meantime, however. Colonel Harney coming up with two squadrons of cavalry, he was permitted, by Worth, to make a dash at the rear of the enemy. In the eager pursuit, Kearney, who with Captain McReynolds, of the 3J, headed the charge, rushed up to the very gate of the city, sabring all in his way — ^not with impunity, however, as he' lost an arm. McRey- nolds and Graham were also wounded, and Lieutenant Ewell, who had succeeded to the command, had two horses shot under him. Major Mills, of the 1 6th infantry, who was a volunteer in this charge, was killed at, or within, the gate. This gallant feat of my friend Kearney, performed with less than a hundred men, proved our ability to have entered and possessed ourselves of the city, within two hours after the battle. If the reader has followed me attentively, through the details of this eventful and long-continued struggle — it lasted more than three hours — he has seen that I have made good my assertion, that it was mainly fought and won by General Worth. If the facts be true, as I have stated them, it appears, 1st, that the iete de pont was the key to the enemy's position ; 2dly, that when this work was carried, no abatement had taken place in the battle, on our left, where Twiggs and Shields, under the orders of the gene- ral-in-chief, were both held at bay ; 3dly, that soon after Larkin Smith, Bomford, and Duncan opened upon- San Pablo, that work surrendered ; and 4thly, that the giving way by the enemy, in front, as a consequence of the capture of these two places,- ena- bled Shields to charge up to the causeway, in time to join Worth in the pursuit. There is no escaping from this chain of military reasoning ; and the only dispute, if there be any, must be about the facts. It is not denied, that Worth captured the tUe de pont, before an impression had been made on any other point. And it is not denied, that Smith, Bomford, and Duncan turned their ar- tillery upon San Pablo, some twenty minutes before that fortress fell ; but a claim has been set up by General Twiggs' division, of having captured this latter work, inasmuch as Captain Alexander, of one of Twiggs' regiments, received the surrender ; which. General Worth, as we have seen, had dispatched one of his sub- ordinates to receive. Nothing is more natural, than that these 404 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. differences of opinion should arise among chivalrous and honor- able men, who look at the events they describe, from different points of view. Captain Alexander, and his brave associates, were bearding San Pablo, in front, and were, of course, intent only upon their own operations. When they observed the fire of the fortress slacken, they rushed forward, and entering the work, sword in hand, believed they had carried it, not having seen Worth playing upon it, in flank and rear, and with his artillery — they having nothing but muskets — opening the way for them. General Worth and his staff witnessed all these operations, from a point not more than four hundred yards distant ; and when we pushed forward, in pursuit, -neither the general, nor any one of us, had the least idea that any counter-claim could possibly be set up, to the capture of this place. General Worth's officer, whom he dispatched to accept the surrender, had to pick his way through many obstructions, in an attempt to take a short cut to the fortress, and was finally compelled to turn back, and pass through the tete de pont, to be able to reach it. By this time, Worth's column was well on its way, in pursuit of the enemy, and Captain Alexander had already entered, and received the surrender. But to set this question at rest, I will quote the enemy himself, who, of course, is the best judge of the motives which influenced his surrender, and of the facts which occurred within the pre- cincts of his own fortification:. General Rincon commanded San Pablo, and General Anaya — afterward president, ad. in., of the republic — the tete de pont; the whole being under the command of General Santa Anna, who, being general-in-chief, w4s well in the rear. General Eincon, in assigning causes for his defeat, in his dispatch to the minister of war, says : " The bridge redoubt (tete de pont), situated on the San Antonio road, and which was not under my orders, was assaulted and taken by the ,enemy, which enabled him, Ubremente envolver nuestra posicion, que mira gl sur" — freely to envelop our position, which looks to the south. In other words. General Rincon regarded the tSle de pont as the key to his position, uncovering his rear, and assigned the capture of this work, by Worth, as the cause of his defeat. Fur- ther : the commander of the artillery, under' Rincon, in making SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 406 his report to his chief, uses the following language : "Having in- formed your excellency that the battery on the right [in San Pa- blo] was disabled of its artillery, I received an order from your excellency, to reinforce that flank, by withdrawing the piece." from the front, when, to my horror, I discovered that the enem} had already charged and carried the tete de ponL" These guns were not shifted, and plainly, because the commandant of artille- ry, like his chief, regarded that all had been lost, in losing the tite de pont. Much of the loss, as well as the glory of this battle, fell upon Worth's division, although all the strategic skill of the commander was put in requisition to spare his men, as much as possible. The relative numbers of the killed and wounded, gath- ered officially, after a battle, always show where the fighting was done. Worth's loss, on this occasion, was three hundred and forty- nine ; General Shields', whose command was much less numerous than Worth's, was two hundred and forty ; General Twiggs', whose division was about the size of Worth's, was two hundred ; and General Pillow's, whose division was the largest on the ground, something short of two hundred. The enemy's loss was but little, if any superior, to our own, owing to his having fought be- hind defenses, and to his wonderful speed of foot, in saving him- self when routed. A large number of prisoners was taken in San Pablo — ^thg enemy having retreated from the Ute de pont into that work. Among others, there were captured some twenty- seven deserters from our army, most of whom had deserted dur- ing the war, and entered voluntarily into the enemy's ranks. The penalty of death awaited them. General Worth, in speaking of these miscreants, says : " These wretches served the guns — the use of which they had been taught in our own service — and with fatal effect upon the persons of their former comrades." Thus was fought, on the 20th of August, 1847,. the battle of Chu'rubusco, one of the most brilliant exploits of our arms, and in which larger numbers had been engaged, on both sides, than in any previous battle of the war. General Worth, who had seen much hard fighting in two wars, after having described the move- ments of his division, expresses, in the following language, his sense of the triumph we had achieved. "When I recur to the nature of the ground, and the fact that the division (2600 strong. 406 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEB. of all arms) was engaged from two, to two and a half hours, in a hand-to-hand conflict, with from 7000 to 9000 of the ene- my, having the advantage of position, and occupying regular works — which, our engineers will say, were most skillfully con- structed — the mind is filled with wonder, and the heart with gratitude to the brave officers and soldiers, whose steady and indomitable valor has, under such circumstances, aided in achiev- ing results so honorable to our country — results not accomplished, however, without the sacrifice of many valuable lives." General Scott generously and eloquently expressed his appreciation of the services of his subordinates, as follows : "So terminated the series of events, which I have but feebly presented. My thanks were freely poured out on the diflferent fields — to the abihties and science of generals, and other officers — to the gallantry and prowess of all, the rank and file included ; but a reward infinitely higher — the applause of a grateful country and government — will, I cannot doubt, be accorded, in due time, to so much merit, of every sort, displayed by this gallant army, which has now over- come all difficulties — distance, climate, fortifications, ground, and numbers." General Shields, in his official report, makes the fol- lowing honorable mention of my gallant friend, and co-lieutenant, Shubrick, who as the reader recollects, joined the staff of this officer just before our march from Puebla. "Lieutenant Shubrick, of the navy, who accompanied me, attached himself to the Pal- metto regiment of his native state, and fought in its ranks, and is spoken of handsomely, in the report of its commander." He was one of the hundred and thirty-five who escaped unhurt out of the two hundred and seventy -two of the gallant South Caroli- nians, who had gone into battle. Pillow makes like honorable mention of my protege, Rogers, in quest of whom I had come all the way from Vera Cruz. "My personal staff. Captain Hooker, my adjutant-general and chief of my staff; Lieutenant Rains, 4th artillery, and Lieutenant Ripley, 2d artillery, aids-de-camp, and Passed-Midshipman R. C. Rogers, volunteer aid-de-camp, greatly distinguished themselves by their fearless and gallant conduct, as well as by their judgment and skill in leading forward my diffe- rent commands, and placing them in position for effective service, throughout these long and desperate conflicts. I trust the SERVICB AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. , 407 general-in-chief will deem their conduct wortliy of his special notice." And now, in imitation of other chiefs, I must not forget to bring to the notice of the reader my "personal staff." Seymour, arrayed in his tarpaulin hat, with about three yards of ribbon around it, and with his pea-jacket buttoned up to the chin — he always wore this garment because it had capacious pockets for the convenience of stowing away menavelins — and girded taut around the waist, by a flaming red sash, and mounted on a rough-looking Mexican pony, which was in the habit of having ^.fight with him and throwing him every twenty-four hours, was sometimes visible and sometimes invisible ; taking a fancy, every now and then, to make an independent cruise, to see what was going on, in .other parts of the field, in order, as he said, that we might "put it down, all right" in our log-book. He swears he killed two Mexicans with his own hand — but he adds, that being "bloody gray -jackets," he considers them of little consequence. I can testify, with more certainty, to his having pryed my horse out of a ditch, into which I had fallen chin-deep in water while attempting to leap it, with a fence-rail, which he called a capstan-bar; and to his having gotten hold, by some of those means which sailors only know — there were sundry shops in the village, from which the afirighted Mexicans had run off — of a pocket-full of puros — cigar's — and a flask of aguardiente; and that the aguardiente was not "bad to take," after a hard day's ride. General Worth encamped in advance of the other divisions of the army — a position he had so nobly won — and very near the place where he had been halted by the general-in-ohief. It so hap- pened that we pitched our tent on the very spot (Ladrillera, known formerly as Xoloc) on which Cortez had established his head-quarters, some three centuries and a quarter before, while prosecuting the siege of the city, which we were now attempting, in our turn, to enter. A hospital was hastily prepared a short distance in our rear, and thither were carried all the wounded that could be found, in the short space that intervened before dark. Notwithstanding our exertions, however, many a brave fellow, who had been bereft of a limb, or otherwise mutilated, spent the night, on the now deserted field of his glory, alone with 408 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. his wounds and his anguish ! As the shades of night began to close around, the sky became overcast by dull murky clouds, and a misty rain set in — a befitting pall for the dead who lay strewn over the battle-field. Now that the excitement of the battle and of the pursuit was over, we had leisure to reflect upon the terrible work, in which we had been engaged ; to recall to mind, with sorrowful hearts, the various comrades who had fallen by our sides, and to shudder at the thought, that the battle of Churu- busco, while it had crowned the generals with laurels, would carry mourning and desolation into the heart of many a wife and helpless orphan ; would crush to the earth, never to rise again, many a fond and doting mother ; and would array fathers, and brothers, and sisters in tears. In view of this darker picture of the great Moloch of the human species, War, terrible indeed, is the responsibility of him who lightly or thoughtlessly provokes it. We almost hated ourselves for the elation which we had per- mitted to take possession of us a few hours before, while rending the air with the shouts of victory. "We can better brook to behold tie dying, Deep in the tide of their warm blood lying. Scorched with the death-thirst and writhing in vain. Than the perishing dead who are past all pain. There is something of pride in the perilous hour, "Whate'er be the shape, in which death may lower. For fame is there, to say who bleeds, And honor's eye on daring deeds I But when all is past, it is humbling to tread. O'er the weltering field of the tombless dead. And see the worms of the earth and fowls of the air. Beasts of the forest, all gathering there." Our total loss, in killed and wounded, was eleven hundred, of whom eighty-four were officers. This great disproportion of ofiS- cers shows the secret of our success ; the gallant fellows led, and the men followed them. The next day was devoted to the sad duty of collecting and burying the dead — the corn-fields, dikes, and ditches, and other broken ground, being carefully searched for any unfortunate wounded, who might not yet have been found. At 1 1 A. M., we broke up our encampment, by order of the general-in-chief, and marched for Tacubaya. Having been SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 409 halted an hour and a half, on the way, by superior orders, we did not arrive until 6 p. m. General Scott had preceded us, escorted by Harney's dragoons, and taken up his quarters in the archiepis- copal palace, which, crowning the village — that occupied a hill- side — overlooked it, and commanded a fine view (at the distance of about a mile and a half) of the city of Mexico. At this stage of our proceedings two questions very naturally present themselves to the reader's mind. The first is, "why was the battle of Churubusco fought?" and the second, "why did not General Scott enter the city of Mexico immediately after the battle ?" It would be difficult to answer either of these questions satisfactorily. The mass of our people, rendered enthusiastic by the brilliant events of the campaign, have hitherto bestowed but Uttle reflection on the subject ; and perhaps even now, such is their taste for blood and glory, that they would not have one of these battles unfmigM, if they could. But the time will come, when (the freshness of the events having disappeared) the military critic and the moralist will both demand answers to these ques- tions. In the eye of philosophy, no more blood should be shed in a war, than is requisite to attain its purposes ; all waste of life beyond this, is criminal ; and if a fearful responsibility rests upon the civil power, in developing a war, an equally fearful one rests upon the leaders of armies, in its conduct. Let us test the battle of Churubusco by these principles. The object of General Scott's campaign was to strike a vital blow at the enemy, by reaching and possessing himself of his capital. By reference to the map, the reader will perceive, that General Smith's victory, at Contre- ras, opened half a dozen roads — all of them practicable for wagons and artillery — to this point. After leaving San Angel, one might take the Nino Perdido road, the Piedad road, or the road to Ta- cubaya, without being obliged to approach Churubusco, nearer than a mile and a half. Now Churubusco being an isolated fortress, four miles from the city, it is impossible to point out a single sound reason, why it should have been assaulted ; and if assaulted at all, why it should have been assaulted in front,* since * The following was a favorite maxim with Napoleon. "It is a well un- derstood maxim, in war, never to do what the enemy wishes you to do, for the simple reason, that he does wish it. One should always avoid, therefore, 35 Missing Page SKRVIOK AFLOAT AND ASHOBE. 411 coramaudcr-in-chief. IJut wc had already abandoned this "ques- tion of the rear" (which, indeed, had had no application to our circumntancos, Rincc wo left Jalapa) when, in the words of Gene- ral Worth, we had "crossed the Ruliicon," by crossing the Rio Frio. We had, as I have before remarked, U;(t the PeBon and Mexicalcingo behind us, and why should we not have left Churu- busco also, which was farther from Mexico than Mexicalcingo ? I fearliissly invite the examination of these views by military men, in the full confidence that their criticisms will sustain me. I can imagine but a single reason which the apologists of the campaign — and there arc men, who not content with extolling its real points of excellence, are blind to all its defects — can urge with any show of plausibility, in favor of this battle ; and that is, that it beat and weakened the enemy, and rendered our entry into the city more easy. A moment's reflection will show us the fallacy of this. Armies contend for superiority, in open field — it is there they try to weaken eaeli other, with a view to ulterior results. But who ever heard of one army assaulting another, in fortifications, for this purpose, or for any other purpose, but to possess itself of the fortifications, which have become obstructions to its further pro- gress ? Further, wo were not in a condition to play this weaken- ing game, being in the heart of the enemy's country, beyond the reach of reinforcements, and having but 10,000 men to his 30,000. We were precisely in the position of Cortez, who husbanded his men with so much care for his final assault upon the city. Where we lost one man, the enemy could afford to lose ten, and gain by the operation. In his eight millions of population, he had plenty of recruits to step into the shoes of his dead soldiers — we had none. Beside, this argument loses all its force, by what afterward took place. We did not enter the city of Mexico, but, as the reader will perceive, as we progress, ■ instead of taking advantage of the splendid and costly victory we had gained, we gave the enemy ample time to recover from the effects of his defeat; thus imposing upon ourselves the necessity of doing all our work over again. The reader has seen, that the gallant Captain Kearney charged, by Worth's permission, up to the city gate, and that the no less gallant Major Mills, of the 1 6th, was killed at, or as some say, actually within the gate. This demonstrates the facility with 412 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOKB. wMch we might have entered ; not because the enemy was so much weakened, that he had not proper garrisons for the protec- tion of his batteries and the service of his guns, as few men would have sufficed for this, but because he could not close his gates or fire upon our troops, without closing them and firing upon his own men also. We should have entered pell-mell with him, as a delay of a single day would enable him to rally, and deprive us of all our advantages. It is but just to General Scott to let him speak for himself, and assign his own reasons why he failed to enter the city of Mexico. He says, in his dispatch : "After so many victories [he means, Contreras, and San Antonio, and the three battles into which he divided Churubusco], we might, with but little additional loss, have occupied the capital the same evening. But Mr. Trist, com- missioner, etc. , as well as myself, had been admonished, by the best friends of peace^intelligent neutrals, and some American residents — against precipitation ; lest, by wantonly driving away the government and others dishonored, we might scatter the ele- ments "of peace, excite a spirit of desperation, and thus indefi- nitely postpone the hope of accommodation." One of these "intelligent neutrals" was a Mr. Mcintosh, the British consul, a man who had married in the country, was thoroughly Mexican, and was, beside, a creature of Santa Anna. He acted an impor- tant part in the preliminary negotiations which followed ; and it was at his house in Tacubaya, that the commissioners afterward met to negotiate the armistice. Our friend Kendall, of the New Orleans Picayune, known favorably and extensively, by his " Santa F6 Expedition," and by his more recent and elegant work, entitled "Battles of Mexico — Illustrated," was sitting in our tent, on the evening of the battle — it was about twilight — when this gentleman arrived, in company with the Mexican general, Mora y Villamil, and one or two others, to propose a truce to General Scott. The commission was entertained a few minutes by Gene- ral Worth, and then dispatched, under an escort, to the rear, to General Scott's head-quarters. When they had gone, Kendall, with the bluntness and frankness which characterize him, ex- claimed : " It's no use, we're humbugged— Mcintosh is among them !" Kendall, some years before, had been a prisoner, in SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOKE. 413 Mexico, and knew the man well. So it turned out — we were humbugged, as the reader will perceive. It was only astonish- ing that any man who had been six months in Mexico, should have learned so little of the Mexican character, as to have sup- posed the people capable of being " dishonored," by being beaten ; or possessed of public virtue enough, to be driven, in any ex- tremity, to " desperation." It was not two months since Santa Anna and the congress had laughed at us, and played off upon us the farce, which I have described a few pages back ; and it was evident to every one, except to Mr. Trist and General Scott, both of whom had strong political reasons, for concluding the war as soon as possible, and negotiating a peace, that Santa Anna's only object, was to gain time, and that he would never consent to treat with us, in good faith, until we drove him from the capital. "We had as yet, but penetrated his outer line of defenses, and he was, of course, not going to yield the city without a struggle, after having bestowed upon its fortifications so much money, and such unheard-of exertions. With regard to General Scott's fears of " dispersing the ele- ments of peace," by driving the government out of the capital, we were obliged to disperse these elements at last, after much hard fighting, and many heavy losses, and they seemed' to reas- semble at Queretaro all the more rapidly, for the dispersion. And this will always be the case, as an enemy never refuses to make peace, because he has been too much, but because he has been too little, beaten. But a speedy peace, both General Scott and Mr. Trist were resolved to have, and in their eagerness to secure it, they were overreached by the astute Santa Anna, who played upon their credulity until he was ready to resume defen- sive operations, and then defiantly threw off the mask. This scheme will be developed as we proceed. CHAPTER XX. The Armistice continued — Exchange of letters between Santa Anna and Eejon — The trickery put in play by the former, to dupe General Scott — Armistice promulgated to both armies — Negotiations for peace — Amusing diplomacy — Rupture of negotiations — Stoning of the American wagons, in the city of Mexico, by the populace — The armistice declared at an end — Sharp correspondence between General Scott and General Santa Anna — The village of Tacubaya described — ^Execution of the deserters captured at Churubusco — Reflections upon the campaign — ^Eyents pre- ceding the battle of Molino del Eey. Having- asserted, in the last chapter, that the Mexican general did not entertain, from the beginning, the most remote idea of mak- ing peace, and that the armistice into which he entrapped us, was nothing more than one of those tricks, known as a ruse de guerre, I proceed to make good the assertion. This will be made suffi- ciently apparent from the two letters which follow, and which fell into my hands, by accident, after we entered the city of Mexico. Eejon, the writer of the first of these letters, was one of the prin- cipal politicians of Mexico, and had, in former years, occupied a post in the cabinet under Santa Anna. " QtjEEBTAEO, August 29, 1847. " To his excellency, Don Antonio Lopez Santa Anna : "My eespected Friend and Senob : — I avail myself of an ex- traordinary courier to write a few lines only, as I have not time for more. With the greatest pain I have learned, that since the unfor- tunate aflfair of the 1st division, under General Valencia, you are talking of entering into negotiations for peace ; and that the minister of foreign aflFairs has directed to the president of congress a com- munication offensive to our army, and humiliating to the republic. No, my general ! the war ought to be prosecuted ; and if the capi- tal cannot be saved, abandon it, as you did Puebla, and withdraw our troops to continue the war against the enemy in the best man- (414) SEBVIOE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 416 ner they can. Resources will not be wanting, as the states, with the slightest encouragement, will supply them. Peace will destroy you, whereas the continuation of the war will cover you with honor and glory ; and, if you will but carry it on without truce and with energy, nothing will be able to alienate from you the affections of your countrymen. In this quarter the disgust has been general, since we first heard of these sad negotiations, and yesterday morning a courier passed through here from Toluca for the interior, with communications from the state of Mexico, arous- ing the states to revolt against any authority that should attempt to make peace in the capital. I know this, as I received one of these communications myself; and to be frank with you, as a friend, I must inform you that I am committed to this course. — Ccflitmue the war, and I will perish by your side. " Manuel Rejon." General Santa Anna, in reply to the above, writes as follows : "Mexico, August 31, 1847. " To Don Manuel Eejon, Queretaro. — My esteemed friend. — I have received your gratifying favor of the 29th inst., and in reply, I have to say to you, that I have read with the most bitter regret the charges you have made against the government, for the course it has pursued since the unfortunate affairs of arms, of the 1 9th and 20th inst. After the defeat sustained by General Valencia at Padierna, I was under the necessity of falling back upon the last line of fortifications of the capital ; first having encountered all the enemy's force, at the Puente de GJiurvJmsco. On the day after this affair, when I was preparing to renew the combat, the enemy solicUed an armistice, in order that the commissioner of the United States, Mr. Trist, might be heard, which I granted; be- cause the suspension of hostilities would give my troops rest, re-estab- lish their morale, and enable me to collect the dispersed, and adopt other measures to insure a reaction. I wished beside, to strengthen the justice of our cause, by listening to the propositions of the United States ; because, to speak frankly, our obstinacy in refusing to receive these overtures from the United States, placed them in the right in continuing the war. The negotiations have com- 416 SERVICE AI'LOAT AND ASHOKB. menced, but I assure you, in the name of a true Mexican, whicli I have the honor to bear, that my government will not accept any propositions of peace, which shall detract from the dignity of the nation. If our honor cannot be saved, the war continues, and shall continue with obstinacy and energy, until the United States recognize the justice of our c^use, and make reparation for the insults they have offered us. This is my purpose ; so you may at once set yourself at rest, and continue your efforts to keep public opinion in the proper channel, and to encourage all good Mexicans to co-operate with loyalty and confidence, in the defense of the common cause. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna." From the context of the above letter it is seen, that the writer's only objects were, first, to gain time to collect his scattered forces, and to renew the morale of his army, for another struggle ; and secondly, to strengthen his cause by appearing to listen to propo- sitions he never meant to accept ; for he knew very well before- hand, in what our propositions consisted, and that their object was not "to recognize the justice of our cause, and make reparation for the insults they have offered us." The reader has not failed to remark the expression used in this letter, to the effect, that while the writer of it was preparing to defend himself, on the day after the battle of Churubusco, the enemy, that is, General Scott, solicited an armistice, which he, the writer, granted. This is a contradiction of my previous statement, that the proposition came from the enemy ; but both statements, paradoxical as it may seem, are true. This requires some explanation ; and the explanation will serve to show the reader how thoroughly we were duped, and how adroitly Santa Anna played his cards, not only to obtain the armistice, which was to save him from destruction, but to relieve himself from the suspicion of being inclined to peace. It was artfully represented to General Scott, and afterward to the com- missioners who negotiated the armistice, that although General Santa Anna was seeking the negotiation in good faith, there was a large party opposed to him, eagerly watching his move- ments ; and that if it should appear ofiScially, that he had made the first advance, in bringing about the armistice, this party would seek to crush him, and thus, perhaps, postpone indefinitely, our SERVICK AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 417 hopes of concluding the war. It was insisted, therefore, that in all the pubhc documents connected with the armistice, it should appear that the proposition came from us. This suggestion, alone, should have put us on our guard ; have shown us that the Mexican people were not yet prepared for peace, and that the commanding general, who was the mere creature of the people, could not be acting in good faith — notwithstanding any representations to the contrary, made by "intelligent neutrals, and some American resi- dents." But the artifice succeeded, as will appear from the fol- lowing correspondence of the two generals-in-chief. It will be recollected, that on the evening of the battle, viz : on the 20th, Mcintosh, one of the "intelligent neutrals," came out to our camp, in company with General Mara y Villamil. They had an interview Tvith General Scott, and the next day the correspondence took place, as follows : " Head-Quabters of the Army, U. S. America, "Coyocan, August 21, 1847. "To his excellency, the president, and general-in-chief of the re- public of Mexico : " Sir : — Too much blood has already been shed in this unnatural war between the two great republics of this continent. It is time that the differences between them should be amicably and honor- ably settled; and it is known to your excellency, that a commis- sioner on the part of the United States, clothed with full powers to that end, is with this army. To enable the two republics to enter on negotiation, I am willing to sign on reasonable terms, a short armistice. I shall wait with impatience until to-morrow morning, for a direct answer to this communication ; but shall, in the meantime, seize and occupy such positions outside of the capital, as I may deem necessary, to the shelter and comfort of this army. ^ "I have the honor to remain, with high consideration, etc., " Your excellency's most ob't serv't, "WiNFiELD Scott." "Ministry of War and Marine, Mexico, Aug. 21, 1847. "Sir :■ — The undersigned, minister of war and marine of the gov- ■ ernment of the United States of Mexico, is instructed by his excel- 418 SEEVICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. lenoy, the president, commander-in-cliief, to reply to your commu- nication, in which you propose to enter into an armistice, with a view to avoid the further shedding of blood between the two great republics of this continent, for the purpose of hearing the proposi- tions which may be made for this purpose, by the commissioner of his excellency, the President of the United States of America, who is at the head-quarters of the American army. It is certainly lamen- table, that in consequence of the disregard of the rights of the Mexican republic, the shedding of blood has become inevitable, between the first republics of the American continent ; and your excellency, with great propriety, qualifies this war, as unnatural, as well on account of its origin, as the antecedents of the two people, identified by their relations and their interests," etc. "Alcokta." The reader thus perceives that the official account of this tran- saction, represents us, as pausing in the career of victory, to sue for an armistice, which had, in fact, been begged by the enemy. But for the circumstances which I have above detailed, it would put us, in the eye of the historian, in the humiliating attitude, of continuing to beg for a peace, which the enemy scorned to grant us. And then, the insulting tone and temper of Alcorta's note ! Where were the wits of Mr. Commissioner Trist and of General Scott, that they did not see that this was not the mood in which a negotiator, desirous of peace, enters upon his duties ? At the very moment of consenting to grant us an armistice, we are insult- ino-ly reminded of the wrongs we have inflicted on Mexico, and are told that the war is, indeed, an unnatural one, on account of its origin, etc. Verily, one on reading this correspondence, would suppose, that we had at length become convinced of our error in wao-ing war upon our enemy, and were desirous of an opportu- nity of making him an humble apology. The reader recollects the ludicrous struggle whicli took place between Santa Anna and congress, some six weeks before this, in which each contended that the other should take the initiative, in receiving Mr. Trist's propositions, and the remark which was then made of the insincerity of Santa Anna's scruples. Here is the illustration of it : When Santa Anna was desirous of another SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 419 battle, his constitutional scruples prevented him from treating with us, but now that an armistice had become necessary to him — all things remaining as before — he saw no difficulties whatever in his way, in approaching us. Indeed he expressly declared that he did so, in virtue of the permission given him by congress, to ex- ercise his ordinary functions ; which permission, he had declared, on the former occasion, to be insufficient ! This was the wily chief with whom we had to do, and whom we good-naturedly permitted to cajole us into the loss of a thousand more men. The commissioners to negotiate the armistice met, as I have before said, at the house of Mcintosh. They were, on our part, generals Quitman, Smith and Pierce; and on the part of the enemy, generals Mora y Villamil, and Quijano. Major Palacios, a g^tleman, who having been educated in the United States, spoke Eri^lish, attended the Mexican commissioners, as secretary and interpreter, and I accompanied the American commissioners in the same capacity ; which gave me the opportimity of witnessing the tortuous and insincere policy of the enemy as above described. We sat up the whole night, disputing with our opponents, about the wording of a few articles, to the precise phraseology of which, Senor Mora, who did all the talking on the Mexican side, attached great importance. He was a creature of Santa Anna, and assured us, with the gravest countenance, that his chief was in earnest, in desiring to put an end to the war. Our own commissioners acted under precise orders from their general-in-chief, and carried out his instructions. Ratifications of the armistice were exchanged on the 23d — three days after the battle — and it was forthwith promulgated by both commanding generals. On the same evening on which we were engaged at the house of Mr. Mcintosh, in negotiating the armistice, General Santa Anna assembled the generals of his army ; laid before them a statement of his means for carrying on the war, and urged them to persevere in the struggle, in the event of our attempting to impose any dishonor on Mexico, in the conferences which were to ensue, between Mr. Trist, and the Mexican commissioners. — With mock humility, on this occasion, he endeavored to find some Miltiades, among his generals, who would undertake the charge of the public defense, volunteering to wave his rank, and serve 420 SEBVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. under him. All of whicli was duly bulletined to the nation, by his minister, Pacheco. On the 25th, General Herrera, formerly president of the repub- lic, Senor Monjardin, a justice of the supreme court, and Senor Garay were appointed commissioners, on the part of Mexico, to meet Mr. Trist, and enter upon negotiations for peace. AU three of these gentlemen declined to serve ; but General Herrera, at the earnest solicitation of Santa Anna, changed his determination, and afterward sat on the commission. General Herrera assigned as his reason, for not wishing to serve, the following : " That being at the head of the government, in 1 845, when the United States sent a commissioner to arrange the difficulties, which had arisen on the subject of Tezas, his administration had been calum- niated, and himself separated from the government, because^,he had been of opinion that the said commissioner should be received, in order that his propositions might be heard," etc. To which Santa Anna replied that this was the very reason why he insisted on his serving ; they both being of the same opinion, with regard to "the propriety of at least listening to the enemy's proposi- tions." The commission was afterward rendered complete, by the appointment of Messrs. Gouto and Atristain, and General Mora y Villamil. On the 24th of August, and the day after General Santa Anna had held his council of war, a cabinet meeting was called, and among other items, the following were agreed to, as instructions for the commissioners, viz : 1st. The general basis on which the commissioners are to treat is, that Mexico has triumphed in the war, and is in a condition to carry it on with success; 2d, that the American commissioner should be required to declare what were the motives and inten- tions of his government, in provoking and prosecuting the war ; 3d, that the United States should claim no rights as growing out of the war; but that the negotiation should be conducted as a friendly one throughout ; 4th, that the independence of Texas might be recognized, in consideration of an indemnity, but that the limits of Texas should be understood to be those which were prescribed by the treaty of 1819, and not to extend to the Rio Grande, as a congress of pretended Texans had declared ; 6th, 6EEVICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 421 that it should be understood, that Mexico relinquished her claims to Texas, not in consequence of annexation, or conquest, but by virtue of sale ; 6th, indemnity to be made for damages, loss of property, and the extraordinary expenses of the war which had been waged on the Mexican territory ; 7th, indemnity to be made to the families of Matamoros, Monterey, Vera Cruz, and other ■ towns, villages, and haciendas, who had suffered in consequence of the war ; 8th, indemnity to be made for depredations commit- ted by the American troops ; 9th, that the United States be re- quired to exclude slavery from the acquired territory ; 10th, that all captured ships and trophies be returned ; 1 1th, that the cap- tured Irish prisoners be restored ; 12th, that this treaty is not to be definitely ratified in a shorter time than one year, etc. To these items of instruction (which I have gathered from the context of the original document — see Diario del Oohiemo, of the 9th of September, 1 847 — and numbered without any reference to the order in which they were placed by the Mexicans themselves), others were afterward added. If, up to this time, the reader has had any doubt as to the real object with which Santa Anna entrap- ped us into granting him an armistice, that doubt must now be dis- pelled. The mahce of the defeated chief could not have enabled him to cast a more studied insult upon us, than he had done by these items of instruction to his commissioners. He not only required of us impossible things, with a view to render the nego- tiation nugatory, and enable him to carry on the war, which he never meant to put an end to, so long as he could remain at the head of it ; but he taunted us with points entirely foreign to the war ; the wily chief knowing well, that he touched a vital ques- tion, when he alluded to the exclusion of slavery from Texas. — But he reckoned without his host, when he supposed that such men as Herrera and Couto, would consent to act under such in- structions (their authority being farther limited to simply hearing, without deciding anything until reference could be had to him). Not only these two leading members of the commission, but the whole five resigned in a body, when the instructions were sent them ; and only consented to serve afterward, on condition of a part of the instructions being withdrawn, other parts modi- fied, and their general powers amplified. 422 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. On the 26th, Mr. Trist notified Mr. Pacheco, that he was ready to enter upon the negotiation, and was informed, on the following day, that the commissioners woxild meet him, at four o'clock, on the evening of the 27th, at Atzcapozalco, a hamlet intermediate between the two armies. They met at the appointed time and place, and it was soon ascertained, that the pretensions of the two parties, notwithstanding the modifications which had been made by Santa Anna, were wholly irreconcilable. The negotiations, however — the place of meeting being removed to a more conve- nient point (the house of ^Alfao), on the causeway of Chapulte- pec — were spun out for several days, until it was convenient for Santa Anna to show his hand. The principal dispute, of course, was about the boundaries of the two republics ; Mr. Trist requir- ing Texas to the Eio Grande, New Mexico, and both Califomias — the United States paying an indemnity for all, save Texas — and the Mexican commissioners, although consenting to the sale of Upper California, refusing to part with Lower California, New Mexico, or that portion of Texas included between the Nueces and the Eio Grande. Mr. Trist, after a day or two, abandoned his pretensions to Lower California, and offered, if the territory between the Nueces and the Eio Grande should be the only point of dispute, to refer this question to his government ; which would require the armistice to continue some forty-five days. But Santa Anna decided, that he would not await this reference, which he declared, beside, to be useless, as the retention of New Mexico, and of this strip of territory, was a sine qua non with him. He was well aware, that the war grew, mainly, out of our claim to Texas to the Eio Grande ; and he knew, if Mr. Trist did not, that the war would be continued unless this point was yielded— which was the very result he was aiming at. Although he had aban- doned many of his arrogant pretensions, in deference to the better judgment of Herrera and liis associates, he by no means intended to forego his secret, as well as avowed determination, of continu- ing the war. The Mexican commissioners placed their desire of retaining the barren strip of territory, between the Nueces and the Eio Grande, principally, on the ground, that had been pointed out to them by Humboldt, some forty years before, viz : that it was their natural military and commercial frontier. They wished, in SBRVIOB AFLOAT AND ASHOEK. 423 imitation of children, who attempt to obstruct a stream with tiny bulwarks of sand, to interpose this barrier (which was to remain unpeopled) between us and them, to prevent further encroach- ments, and thus preserve tiheir territory intact for the future. — They feared, too, and with justice, that our proximity would de- range their narrow system of commercial restrictions, and render an additional line of internal custom-houses necessary. They had no sound policy on which to base their retention of New Mexico ; but insisted that it would be dishonorable to abandon one of the most loyal of their provinces, to its fate. Mr. Trist seems to have conducted this negotiation, if not to a favorable conclusion, at least with much temper and discretion, as the Mexican commis- sioners, in making their final report to the government, speak of him;, in the following flattering terms : " It remains for us to say, that in our intercourse with Mr. Trist, we have found only mo- tives to appreciate his noble character, and, if some day the work of pacification shall be completed, it will be done by means of ne- gotiators adorned with the estimable traits which, in our opinion, distinguish this minister." The negotiations were brought to a close on the 6th of Septem- ber. Santa Anna had thus had a respite of seventeen days ; a period sufficient to enable him, to " give my troops rest, re-estab- lish their morale, and enable me to collect the dispersed, and adopt other measures to insure a reaction." His bad faith had not only been shown, by his course with regard to the negotia- tion, but had been manifested in various other ways. Among other things, it was provided by one of the articles (7th) of the annistice, as follows : " The American army shall not, by vio- lence, obstruct the passage from the open country, into the city of Mexico, of the ordinary supplies of food, necessary to the con- sumption of its inhabitants, or the Mexican army, within the city : nor shall the Mexican authorities, civil or military, do any act to obstruct the passage of supplies from the city or the country, needed by the American army." My friend, Hargous, with whom the reader is acquainted, as one of the most active financiers and purveyors of the army, having made arrangements for drawing supplies for General Scott, from the city, on the 26th, we dis- patched sixty wagons, for this purpose. The wagons were met 424 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. at the gate by an escort of about forty Mexican lancers, and were permitted to enter. They penetrated as far as the grand plaza ; but before they could receive their loads, a mob assembled around them, and began to assault the unarmed teamsters, with sticks and stones. This movement was commenced by the^oys, then joined in by the women, and finally some of the better classes of the population took part in it. It was now reported by some one, that our entry into the city in this manner, was a con- spiracy to take armed possession of it. With this, the mob grew more furious, and shouting, " Mueran los Yankees — muera el Oeneral Santa Anna, por traidor!" — death to the Yankees — death to General Santa Anna as a traitor! — ^began to stone the Mexican escort, as well as the wagoners ; and the affair becoming alarm- ing, our commissaries gave up the effort to obtain supplies, and made the best of their way back to the camp. One of the team- sters was killed, and several badly hurt, in this affair, which would have resulted much more seriously, but for General Herrera, who fearlessly threw himself into the midst of the mob, and shamed the people, telling them that they should be "valiant on the field of battle, but humane toward the defenseless." Although there were, twenty thousand troops in the city, there was no efl!brt made, by Santa Anna, to repress this mob — he was, on the contrary, no doubt, well pleased at it. A similar effort to obtain supplies was made On the following day, but resulted as before, and we were obliged to abandon all attempts, to avail ourselves of the benefits of this article of the armistice. General Scott, at length, having his patience exhausted, and being informed by Mr. Trist, that the negotiation was at an end, addressed a note to General Santa Anna, accusing him of sundry breaches of the armistice, and informing him, that if a satisfactory excuse was not rendered by noon, on the following day (Septem- ber 7th), he would declare the armistice at an end. In reply to this note, Santa Anna writes : "The civil and military Mexican authorities have not prevented the passage of provisions to the American army ; if the transmission of these has been retarded, it has been because of the imprudence of the American agents, who have not previously put themselves in concert with those au- thorities, and have thus given occasion to the popular effervescence, SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 425 which it has cost the government much labor to repress. It is false that any new work of fortification has been undertaken, there having been only some repairs made to one or two works, to put them in the condition they were in at the time of concluding the armistice. I was, on the contrary, informed at an early day, that you had established a hidden battery in Tacubaya ; but I forbore to take any notice of it, because I was unwiUing to make the peace between two great republics depend upon things which though grave in themselves, were of but little account in compari- son. I have been profoundly affected, also, by the complaints which have come to me, from the fathers and husbands dwelling in the villages occupied by your troops, of the violence which has been done to their daughters and wives. These same villages haVe been robbed, too, not only in violation of the armistice, but in contempt of the laws of civilized nations. I have kept silence until now, in order that I might not obstruct a negotiation which promised to terminate a scandalous war, which your excellency has justly characterized as ' unnatural.' But I will not insist upon oflfering you apologies, as I am well aware that the real cause of your threats to terminate the armistice, has been my refusal to sign a treaty which would not only deprive my country of a considerable portion of its territory, but of the honor and decorum, which she is determined to defend at all hazards," etc. Thus was terminated, in ill-humor, on both sides, an act which was begun in folly on ours, and in treachery on that of the enemy. The reader must not suppose that the opposition of Mexico to a peace, at this time, grew out of any generous resolve (as the concluding paragraph of the above letter would lead him to believe) to defend the national honor, and preserve, intact, the Mexican territory. He has been told more than once, that there was no " people" in Mexico, in the sense in which this term is understood in the United States. In other words, that there was no enlightened public opinion, descending through the various classes of the population, and controlling the action of the govern- ment. The ignorant, and but half civilized masses, were opposed to us, from a feeling of caste and a sort of barbarian hatred, com- mon to savages, against all strangers. The hatred of the upper classes was not less intense, and arose out of comparisons but 36 426 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. little favorable to themselves, which they could not but make between the two nations, and out of a jealousy of our power, and a certain undefined dread of future encroachments on our part. But notwithstanding this hatred of the upper classes — ^who alone formed the body politic — many of them were inclined to peace, from prudential considerations ; being apprehensive, if the war continued, that they would ultimately be compelled to make greater sacrifices than those demanded of them at present. They knew, full well, that the honor of a beaten nation, and especially of a weaker one, was not compromised by its making peace, on the best terms it could procure, when it could no longer defend itself ; and, as for territory, they saw the policy of parting with, at least, Upper California and New Mexico, which, owing to the internal disorders of the repubUc, they had ceased to govern, with any regularity or system, for several years. But, unfortunately, faction stepped in to prevent any concert of action between these men, and the impulses of patriotism gave way, in many instances, to egotism. They were politicians, and belonged to the " out party," and had less dread of the American army, than of Santa Anna and his adherents. They knew very well, that if the fifteen or twenty millions of dollars, which we were to pay for the ceded territory, once got into the hands of their political opponents, it would all be absorbed by them without their being able to share in the plunder ; and they feared that with this money, Santa Anna, with his army, would fasten himself upon them, perhaps, for a lono- term of years. They were, therefore, not so much opposed to the peace as to Santa Anna's being the person to conclude it. On the other hand, Santa Anna, whom the people began to despise, on account, among other things, of his numerous defeats, was sanguine of being able to defend himself in the capital. Al- thouo-h, with his shrewdness, he must have seen the necessity of very soon bringing the war to an end, and the advantages which would result to him, as being the instrument to effect this, he was well aware that, but for the army, his party would be in a minori- ty, and he was afraid to undertake so decisive a step until he should haye strengthened himself by some temporary advantage over us. The reader thus perceives some of the hidden motives which actuated those very patriotic gentlemen, the politicians of Mexico, SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 427 about this poriod. All parties claimed, of course, to act in the name of honor and patriotism — words which form a part of the unmeaning vocabulary of the politician in Mexico, as elsewhere. While the negotiations for the armistice, and afterward for peace, were progressing, the army, cantoned in Tacubaya and the adjacent towns, remained inactive. Tacubaya is a pleasant little village, containing about fifteen hundred inhabitants, and is a kind of watering-place in the neighborhood of the capital. — Many of the city merchants have extensive villas here with highly cultivated gardens, luxurious baths, etc. Several clever English families met us here, with a frankness and cordiality inspired by a community of race, language and laws ; and many pleasant re- collections linger in the memory of the writer, of evenings spent in Tacubaya, in the society of these agreeable people. We had free access, at all hours, to their houses and gardens, billiard tables and baths — John Bull manifesting, here, as everywhere, the independence which belongs to his character, and not seeming to care a whit about what the Mexicans might think of his un- equivocal conduct in the premises. He knew that it was sufficient for him to say, in imitation of the ancient Koman, "1 am an Eng- lish citizen," to insure his being respected, in person and property, even amidst the wars and revolutions of Mexico ! In Tacubaya, we were within about twelve hundred yards of Chapultepec ; the flags of the two belligerent armies waved, therefore, in close de- fiance of each other, and the report of the morning-gun, and the music of the reveille of one camp, were re-echoed by the other. From the azotea of the house of one of our friends, we occasionally amused ourselves watching the various movements of our enemies, as they relieved pickets, sentinels, etc. ; the very colors of their uniforms, and an indistinct outline of their features being percepti- ble through our glasses. At night, the " all's well" of the Ameri- can sentinel, was responded to by the " alerta" of the Mexican. In order that the thread of my narrative of our future opera- tions may not be hereafter broken, I must beg the reader's per- mission to anticipate events, by a few days, that I may take a passing notice of a sad tragedy which was performed in the camps of generals Pillow and Twiggs — the former quartered in Miscoac, and the latter in San Angel. The reader will recollect the hopes 428 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOKB. entertained in the beginning of the war, by the Mexican chiefs. of large desertions from our army, and the exertions made by them, by the issue of seductive proclamations and addresses, to bring about this result. These delusive hopes were inspired by a number of miscreants, who had deserted at different periods mostly during the war — and gone over to the enemy, filling his greedy ears with the most extravagant stories of the disaffection and disorder prevalent in the American camp. Twenty-seven of these persons were captured in the fortress of San Pablo, at Chu- rubusco, and others at other points. They had been enrolled in a battalion composed of foreigners, called the battalion of S^ Patricio, and had served the enemy's artillery, with great success. They fought like devils, in the tUe de pont, and San Pablo, and shot down some of the officers under whom they had formerly served, and whom they recognized as they advanced at the heads of the different storming parties. It was these prisoners about whom Santa Anna was so solicitous, when he instructed his com- missioners for negotiating the peace, to demand their being de- livered up to him. They were tried' — to the number of fifty — by a court-martial, of which the veteran Colonel Riley was president, and all found guilty, and condemned to be hanged. General Scott commuted the sentence of three of them, who had deserted previous to the war ; two, who were recommended to mercy by the court, and four others, in whose favor there appeared some mitigating circumstances. All the rest were executed in con- formity with their sentence. These executions, which would have been proper at any time, were peculiarly so now, as we were in the midst of the enemy's country, with a desperate struggle be- fore us, and with greatly inferior forces ; there were many for- eigners in our ranks ; some of them not even naturalized citizens, and the enemy was making every effort still, to entice them away. The salvation of the army might depend upon an example being made of these dishonored and dishonorable men, and General Scott had the firmness to make it. The brave Irish, who remained faithful to us, and who were always among the foremost, and most devoted of our troops, were more rejoiced at this event than the native-born Americans even, as they had felt keenly the stigma which this conduct of their countrymen had cast upon them. SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 429 Let us now pursue the events of the campaign ; and first of all, let us cast a glance at our condition, after having been now thirty days in the great valley of Mexico, in which events of such vast moment, as I have described, followed each other in such rapid succession. We had made the masterly movement around Chalco, had fought the battles of Contreras, San Antonio, and Churu- busco, and had reached a new base of operations at Tacubaya. But with the exception of turning the Pefion and Mexicalcingo, and forcing the pass of Contreras, what had we accomplished ? Nothing. We had turned aside from our road, to fight the battles of San Antonio and Churubusco, without results ; nay, more, with bad results, as we had lost eleven hundred men ; more than one tenth our whole force. We were in Tacubaya, it is true, but the reader has seen, that after forcing the pass of Contreras, it was not necessary to have fired a single musket, to accomplish this. And then, after we had made the mistake of assaulting and carrying a fortress which, when once isolated, would have been of no more use to the enemy, than if it had been in mid-ocean, we had failed to take advantage of a state of things which had not been foreseen, when the battle was commenced, and of which, if we had availed ourselves, we might have entered the city of Mexico. We had thus thrown away eleven hundred men to no purpose; and after having humiliated ourselves, first, to beg a truce — officially — and then to beg a peace, which the enemy not only refused us, but refused us insultingly; we had all our work to do over again, with crippled and reduced means ! I know it is easier to criticise a campaign, after it has been made, than to con- ceive and execute it properly, and unquestionably great allowance must be made on this score ; but still, I think the reader must acknowledge, that with every indulgence, great errors were com- mitted — errors, which, h priori, he would not have been inclined to impute to General Scott. But errors have not yet ceased, as the reader will perceive. We have, as yet, but penetrated the enemy's outer line of de- fenses. He beards us with an immense city, in which every house is a fortification, and the approach to which must necessa- rDy be over causeways swept by cannon. Napoleon, when speak- ing of the siege of Valeiicia, in Spain, by Moncey, in which th^ 430 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. latter was beaten off, says, "a city with 80,000 inhabitants, barri- caded streets, and artillery placed at the gates, cannot be taken by the collar;" but this was precisely what we had to do, with regard to Mexico, with 200,000 inhabitants. There were four principal ffaritas or gates of the city, on the side on which we were operating from south to west— to wit, the gate of San Antonio, that of the Nino Perdido, that of Belen, and that of San Cosme. The first stood at the entrance into the city of the great causeway of San Anto- nio, leading direct from San Angustin, and passing through Churubusco ; the second commanded the causeway leading into the city, from a point a short distance this side of San Angel; the third commanded the causeway leading from Chapultepec into the city; and the fourth, that of San Cosm^, leading from Tacuba, and joined also by another causeway from Chapultepec. The grotmd between these several causeways was low and marshy, and in the lainy season — ^in which we were operating — partially inundated by detached pools of water. It was, therefore, imprac- ticable. Several cross-roads passed from one causeway to another ; sometimes two or more of these entering the city, at or near the same gate. These various approaches were cut from point to point, and were defended by breastworks and artillery. In addition to the batteries which commanded the direct ap- proaches, other batteries were placed on the flanks of these, so as to fire across the road, and at the same time, upon the flanks and rear of the first batteries, when these should be carried. Each city -gate was a fortress, and the walls of the city were sur- rotmded by wet ditches of great width and depth, constructed for the purpose of drainage, and now coming conveniently into play for defense. Other ditches and dikes, which had been constructed for a like purpose, extended in various directions, in the neighbor- hood of the citT, and crossed and recrossed each other in a con- fused net-work. Every foot of this ground, at all approachable, had been taken possession of by the enemy, and fortified by breastworks and artillery. As we rode over these various posi- tions, after the capture of the city, we were struck with amazement at the strength of the whole, and at the vast amount of labor which had been done, in the two or three preceding months. We no longer wondered that Santa Anna had been playing with SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 431 US, in the farcical proceedings of the armistice, and negotiations for peace, and that he had been sanguine of being able to defend himself. On the 7th of September, the day after that on which General Scott had written his letter to Santa Anna, requiring of him an apology for violating the armistice ; it was reported to the former, that the enemy was showing himself, in some force, on the neigh- boring heights around Chapultepec and Molino del Rey. It has been remarked, that the bishop's palace, where General Scott was quartered, stood on the crest of a hill overlooking the village of Tacubaya, and commanding an extensive prospect of the valley. From the asotea of this building. General Worth, accompanied by several members of his staff, and General Scott, accompanied in like manner, reconnoitered the enemy's movements — having a good view of them. The two generals discussed very freely the probable object and intentions of the enemy, and stated the con- clusions at which they respectively arrived. General Worth thought the enemy desig-ned to offer, or invite a general battle, and advised General Scott to attack him with all his disposable force, before he should have time to complete his arrangements. But General Scott thought differently, informing General Worth, that Molino del Rey was a foundery in active operation, busily engaged in casting guns and shot, boring cannon, etc., and stated that, no doubt, this display of force was intended to protect these operations ; the enemy being inuch in want, as he had been informed, of materiel. We could see none of the evidences of Molino del Rey being a foundery, there being no smoke apparent, nor indeed any chimney from which smoke could issue. We were quite near enough too, to have heard the sound of machinery, if there had been any in operation. Nevertheless, as General Scott spoke positively, General Worth did not contradict him. It was understood, that Mr. Trist, who spoke the language, had got the information from some confidential Mexican sources, and that there could be no doubt about the facts. General Scott, deeming the destruction of the foundery of importance to his future opera- tions, directed Worth with his division, in a careless, off-hand manner, to "brush away" the enemy, under cover of the coming night, cripple the machinery, spike or destroy the guns, and then 432 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. withdraw his troops to Tacubaya. I am particular in describing these circumstances, as General Scott's cowp de main, to destroy the enemy's supposed foundery, proved to be the bloodiest and hardest fought battle of the campaign. General Worth forthwith addressed himself to the performance of his task. He caused the ground to be twice reconnoitered during the day, first by Captain Mason, of the engineers, alone, and then by this officer in company with Colonel Duncan. Two more talented and accomplished mili- tary men were not to be found in the army. These reconnoissances were pushed with a boldness bordering on temerity; and all the information concerning the position, and numbers, and defenses of the enemy, which it was possible to obtain under the circum- stances, was obtained. General Worth, who had been satisfied from the beginning, by his own observation (confirmed by these reconnoissances), that the enemy had other objects in view, in making his demonstration, than the protection of the foundery, was apprehensive that the work might be too heavy for his division unsupported ; and to provide against contingencies, requested that he might be reinforced; which request was granted, and Cadwal- lader's brigade was brought up from Miscoac, and ordered to join him. With a soundness of military judgment, which was afterward verified bv the event, and much applauded in the army, he re- solved to take up his position in the night, but to vary the order of the commander-in-chief so far, as to delay his attack until day- lisjhi. Assembling around him his chief officers, who were to take important parts in the coming engagement, he explained to them his plan of attack, illustrating his contemplated movements bv the map and by a sketch which had been prepared by Captain Mason. It was a fine sighr to see tiiese noble fellows bending over the table firo-md their distinguished chief, in eager examina- tion of the various points they were to assault, and receiving their orders fn>m his Up with a deference to his mflitary abilities, which did bv^:h them and him so much honor. It is only necessary to mention the names of Gtirland. Clarke. Mcintosh, Scott, C. F. Smith, and Duncan, to show how much talent surrounded that table ; and to show, alas ! that some of the brave fellows, who were theje assembled, met a soldier's death the next day before ten o'clock, on the batde-field. General Worth having sketched bis SKRVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 433 plan of battle, and made each of his subordinates, not only ac- quainted with his particular part, but with the whole, in order that he might act the more understandingly, retired for the night, being quite unwell. Soon afterward, the ordnance officer, in charge of the heavy guns for the morrow, came to General Worth's quarters, and in- formed several officers there present, that he was directly from General Scott, to whom he had explained General Worth's dispo- sitions, and that he (General Scott), disapproved them, saying that General Worth must have misunderstood or disregarded his instructions, as he intended the attack to be made in the night, and the troops to be withdrawn to Tacubaya before daylight. Instead of communicating this intelligence to General Worth, now asleep, it was deemed advisable that an officer should go to Gen- eral Scott, and state to him, again, what General Worth's disposi- tions were, and the reasons which had influenced him, in making them ; in order that there might be no misunderstanding on the part of General Scott, in relation to the approaching operations. This was accordingly done. The officer found General Scott at supper, with several other officers present ; the subject of his visit was immediately taken up, and discussed, in length and breadth, by General Scott, who stated, that from the most reliable sources, he had positive information, that Molino del Rey was a foundery, in fuU blast, casting guns and shot, from bells taken from the churches, in the city ; that our recent captures had so crippled the enemy, in maieriel, that many of his works were without guns to defend them, and that he was bending his whole energy to supply this important deficiency. General Scott also discussed, at length, the subject of military night attacks, saying all that anybody could say in favor of them, and a great deal more than sound military theory could approve, or experience illustrate. The prin- cipal, if not the only argument he urged against an attack by daylight, was, that our troops would be exposed to the "destruc- tive fire from Chapultepec." After having exhausted this side of the question, he took up the other side for discussion. His principal arguments on this side, were, 1st, that it was at least possible that the work might prove more difficult, than was antici- pated ; 2d, that our artillery fire, which, in daylight, would be of 37 434 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. great value, in the night would be useless, and might prove worse than useless ; 3d, that all experience showed, that artillery fire from elevated positions, need not be dreaded, and Cerro Gordo and Monterey were cited to illustrate that Chapultepec would ex- ercise but little influence in the battle. This proved to be the fact ; we did not lose a single man from the fire of this fortress ! General Worth's order of battle was again laid before, and ex- plained to. General Scott, by the accomplished officer who had undertaken this duty, and it was approved in every particular, except the following :— Worth had ordered Garland, with his brigade, in case circumstances favored the movement, to follow up the blow on Molino del Eey, and make a lodgement in the grove, at the base of Chapultepec, with a view to facilitate an assault upon this work, should it become necessary, or be thought advisa- ble. This, General Scott disapproved, decidedly, and ordered the officer who had waited upon him, to return to General Worth, and inform him that it was his (General Scott's) positive instructions, that no matter how tempting the opportunity might be, not to make any demonstration toward Chapultepec ; that from all the informa- tion he had received, his line of aitach upon the city would be to the right of Chapultepec, and that once in the city, Chapultepec would fall, by its own weight. (How many valuable lives might have been spared, if he had so reasoned with regard to Churubusco ? ) General Scott's instructions on this point, as well as his approval on others, were duly communicated to General Worth, the same night, and the battle was fought the next morning, in that soldier- like style, which must forever challenge the admu-ation of the historian. To corroborate the above statements, with regard to the intent with which the battle of Molino del Eey was fought, which intent is already beginning to be disputed or explained away, by General Scott's friends, I quote from this officer's own dispatch, upon this point. It must be recollected that this dispatch was written on the 11th of September, four days after the above conversation took place, and when subsequent reconnoissances had caused him to waver, somewhat, in his original determination of entering the city by one of the causeways, to the right of Cha- pultepec, thus leaving this fortress, in the rear, to "fall by its own weight." He writes to the secretary of war, as follows — "The SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 435 same afternoon [7th] a large body of the enemy was discovered, hovering about the Molinos del Rey, within a mile and a third of this village, where I am quartered with the general staff, and Worth's division. It might have been supposed that an attack upon us was intended ; but knowing the great value of those mUls [Molinos del Bey], containing a cannon-foundery, with a large deposit of powder, ill Casa-Mata, near them ; and having heard, two days before, that many church-bells had been sent out to be cast into guns, the enemy's movement was easily understood, and I resolved at once to drive him, early the next morning [having abandoned his project of a night attack, as we have seen], to seize the powder and destroy the foundery. Another motive for this decision — leaving the general plan of attack upon the city, for full reconnoissances — ^was, that we knew our recent captures had left the enemy not a fourth of the guns necessary to arm, all at the same time, the strong works at each of the city gates ; and we could not cut the communication between the foundery and the capital, without first taking the formidable castle on the heights of Chapultepec, which overlooked both, and stood between. For this difficult operation, we were not entirely ready, and moreover, we might altogether neglect the castle, if, as we then hoped, our reconnoissances should prove that the distant southern approaches to the city, were more eligible than this south-western approach." The reader has now sufficient evidence before him, to convince him. that the battle of Molino del Rey was conceived and fought, without the least reference to any subsequent attack on Chapulte- pec, and as a military operation it must stand or fall, by this cir- cumstance. So far from its having been regarded as the incident, and Chapultepec as the principal, the case was reversed ; Molino del Rey was the principal object to be assaulted, and Chapultepec was regarded as a mere incident in the plan of attack. CHAPTER XXI. Battle of Molino del Rey — Order of battle — Desperate charges of Wright and Mcintosh — Great slaughter that ensued — Duncan's light artillery re- pulses a charge of the enemy's horse — ^Piercing the enemy's center, and carrying of the Molino — ^Fall of the Casa^Mata — Total rout of the enemy — Reflections upon this battle — Its consequences — Bombardment and storm- ing of Chapultepec. Having thus fixed the responsibility of this battle — a responsi- bility, wHcli if it had not been saved, in part, by the southern approaches to the city proving more difficult than was believed, and thus throwing the commander-in-chief, in spite of himself back upon Chapultepec, as will be hereafter seen, would have been grave, indeed — ^let us proceed to show the masterly manner in which Worth obeyed the orders of his chief. The reconnois- sances of the engineers showed that the enemy's left rested on a group of strong stone buildings (El Molino), at the western slope of Chapultepec, and about half a mile from the base of the hill ; that the right of his line rested on another stone-building, called Casa-Mata (a Spanish word, from which we derive our word "casemate," used in fortification, to express a covered archway, or embrasure, jn which a piece of artillery is mounted), situated at the foot of the ridge, that slopes gradually down from the heights above the village of Tacubaya, to the plain below, and distant from the first building about one-third of a mile ; that these two buildings were more or less connected by irregular dikes, planted with the maguey, affording excellent cover for infantry ; and that the enemy's field-battery occupied a position, midway between the two buildings, supported by infantry, on either flank, lying perdue behind the dikes. Both Molino del Eey and Casa- Mata were filled with infantry, the long azotea of the Mohno, in particular, affording them an excellent position from which to pick off our troops as they advanced. The military reader perceives SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORB. 437 of course, that the weak point of the enemy's position, as here described, was his center. Worth's order of battle was as follows : — Garland's brigade was ordered to take position on the right (our right), strengthened by two pieces of Drum's battery, to look to El Molino, as well as to any support which might be attempted to be sent to this position from Chapultepec, under whose guns it partially was. This brigade was to place itself also, so as to be within supporting distance of Huger's battery, of twenty-four-pounders, which was directed to take position on a ridge between Tacubaya and El Molino, within about six hundred yards of the latter, which it was designed to shake somewhat, previous to the assault. An assaulting party of five hundred picked men and officers under Major Wright, of the 8th infantry (Worth's own regiment), was posted on the ridge, to the left of the battering guns, to force the enemy's center. Mcintosh's brig- ade (Colonel Clarke, its regular commander, being sick), with Duncan's battery, was assigned to a position still farther to the left, opposite the enemy's right, to look to our left flank, to sustain the assaulting column of Wright, if necessary, or to attack the ene- my himself (the ground being favorable), as circumstances might require. Thus, to recapitulate briefly, the enemy's left, center, and right, were opposed, respectively, by Garland, Wright and Mcintosh ; Huger being with Garland, and Duncan with Mcin- tosh. Cadwallader's brigade was held in reserve, in the rear of our line, and within easy supporting distance of any part of it. I invite criticism by the military reader, of these arrangements, conscious that they will stand the test of the severest scrutiny. They were carried out in the deadly conflict which ensued, with coolness and courage, and resulted in the complete, though bloody triumph of our arms, against overwhelming numbers. The new combinations which became necessary in the moment of battle, and which no man can foresee, were made by General Worth, on this occasion, with that quickness of perception, and celerity of thought, which distinguish the truly military man from the soldier of the closet. We were astir, at head-quarters, at half-past two, a. m., on the morning of the memorable 8th, and the various columns being report- ed ready, they were put in motion at about three, on their respective 438 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. routes. It was not yet liglit, as we moved out of Tacubaya ; but the troops took up their positions,' with the utmost precision, ac- cording to the order of battle, without the slightest mistake being made. We, of the staff, rode along in silence, the general only exchanging an occasional word with the engineer, as to the route ; we seemed to have a sort of presentiment of the bloody tragedy which was to be enacted. The night was perfectly clear, but without moon, and the sun afterward rose in all his glory, over the battle-field, to light up the work of carnage and death. At the earhest appearance of dawn in the east, Huger opened with his heavy pieces, which, for awhile, gave forth the only sounds that broke in upon the perfect silence of the field. Chapultepec seemed fast asleep, and it was some minutes before it could be aroused into returning our fire. When Huger had fired a few rounds at Molino, and this place was supposed to be somewhat shaken, Wright, with his storming party — under the guidance of Mason and Foster — rushed gallantly forward to assault, and pierce the enemy's center. He was met by a most appalling fire of musketry, and grape and canister, which at once revealed to General Worth, the formidable numbers he had opposed to him. Nothing daunted, however, he rushed on, driving infantry and artillerymen, at the point of the bayonet, but at terrible loss. — The ground, as before remarked, formed a gradual slope down to the enemy's lines, and it was down this slope (forming a slightly inclined plane) that our brave fellows were compelled to march, without so much as a twig to shelter them ; while the enemy lay concealed behind the dikes, and maguey plants, or was protected by the walls and parapets (around the azotea) of the Molino. — The enemy's field-battery was taken and the guns immediately trained upon his retreating masses. Before, however, they could be discharged, the enemy, perceiving that he had been dispos- sessed of this strong position, by a mere handful of men, rallied, and returned to the charge, aided by a tremendous fire of mus- ketry, from the troops in and on the top of the Molino — within pistol shot. Eleven out of the fourteen officers who composed the command — the gallant major and his two engineers among the number — were shot down by this murderous fire ; and the rank and file sufi'ered in proportion. The remainder were of necessity SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 439 driven back, and the enemy regained possession of his pieces, haycmMing the wounded, with a savage delight ! This was a criti- cal moment with us ; and the fine military face of our chief, now compressed into sternness, exhibited more anxiety than I had ever before seen upon it. His division, and particularly the regi- ment he loved so much, was being cut in pieces before his eyes, but there was no help for it ; his soldier's heart told him, that the battle, now that we were in it, must be woh, at every sacrifice, or our morale would be gone, and in this lay our chief power.* He did not once think of falling back, therefore, but ordered Smith's light battalion — which had been so terribly cut up, at Churubusco, and was now under the command of Captain Kirby Smith, the gallant lieutenant-colonel being sick — and the right wing of Cadwallader's brigade to advance, promptly to the sup- port of the repulsed storming party. This order was executed in gallant style, and the enemy (being now hard pressed by Gar- land, on his left) gave way in the center, and his battery was captured a second time. . In the meantime. Garland's brigade, sustained by the battery of the gallant Captain Drum, assaulted the enemy's left, and after an obstinate and severe contest, drove him from the strong works of the'Molino. The battering guns Under Captain Huger, were now advanced to the captured position, and were opened, together with the enemy's own guns, on his broken and retreat- ing forces. While these operations were progressing, on the ene- my's left and center, Duncan's battery opened on his right, and the 2d brigade, under Mcintosh, was ordered forward to the as- sault of this point. The direction of this brigade, soon caused it to mask Duncan's battery — the fire of which, for a moment, was discontinued^and the brigade moved steadily on to the assault * The following was Napoleon's maxim on this point : " The glory and honor of his arms, is the first point to be considered by a, general who oifers or accepts a battle ; the preservation of his men is a mere secondary con- sideration. Indeed, the best means of preserving these, is to contend with courage and obstinacy for victory. In a retreat, to say nothing of the loss of honor, there are more men lost, than in two battles. A general should, therefore, never despair, so long as he has a few valiant men left to bear aloft his standards." 440 BERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. of the Casa-Mata, which, instead of being an ordinary stone house, as had been supposed by the engineers, proved to be a citadel, surrounded with bastion intrenchments, and impassable ditches — an old Spanish work, recently repaired and enlarged. The recon- noissance had been as close as possible, and this mistake as to the character of the work, had been unavoidable — the work being situated in low ground, and the lower portions of it being masked by dikes and maguey plants. While Mcintosh was moving for- ward to assault this formidable work, a large body of cavalry (it afterward appeared from the official reports of the emeny, that there were four thousand of them, under Alvarez) was seen ap- proaching us, on our extreme left, as with a view of charging us on that flank, or endeavoring to turn and envelop that position. — As soon as Duncan's battery was masked, as before described, by the interposition of Mcintosh's brigade between him and the Casa-Mata, he was ordered to change front, to hold the enemy's cavalry in check, which he did rapidly, moving a little farther to the left. The Voltigeurs, under Colonel Andrews, were sent to support him ; and Major Sumner, with his two hundred and seven- ty dragoons, was ordered also to place himself in position, near by, to profit by events, and pursue, if opportunity should invite, the enemy's retreating forces. In taking up this position, the gal- lant major, in order to avoid some ditches which impeded his march, was forced to pass within pistol shot of the Casa-Mata, when his command suffered considerably ; the enemy knocking several oi his dragoons from the saddle, and the affrighted and wounded horses careering wildly over the field. One of the ene- my's brigades (two thousand, under Alvarez himself) moved boldly forward (Duncan purposely withholding his fire, to invite it), until it had come within good canister range, when the gallant lieu- tenant-colonel opened upon it one of those exceedingljr rapid and terrible fires, for which his battery was so celebrated. The enemy could not withstand the shock, but was first checked, and then thrown into confusion, the front of his column recoiling in disorder upon its center, and this again upon its rear, until the whole mass commenced a disorderly retreat. The 2d brigade, under Andra- da, which was forming to support Alvarez, was involved in the disorder and retreat of the 1 st, and the whole four thousand horse SEEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 441 disappeared from the field. While Duncan was in the midst of these operations, General Worth dispatched an aid-de-camp to him, to direct him to be "sure to hold the enemy's cavalry in check" — ^to this message, this prince of artillery officers returned (scarcely taking his eye from his pieces) the following character- istic reply : " Tell General Worth to make himself perfectly easy, I can whip twenty thousand of them !"* Let us now return to Mcintosh, whom we left advancing upon the Oasa-Mata. As his gallant brigade came within easy musket range, the enemy opened a most destructive fire upon him, cut- ting down ofl&cers and men in fearful profusion. But Mcintosh was a man whom danger never daunted, and he moved on amid this storm of balls until he was cut down mortally wounded. The brigade, under the lead of the gallant Martin Scott, continued on, however, imtil it reached the very slope of the parapet that surrounded the citadel. By this time Scott himself was shot dead ; his next in command, Major Waite, was knocked down, badly wounded, and a large proportion of the gallant fellows were destroyed. A momentary recoil, and some disorder ensued, and the remainder of the brigade now fell back for support upon Dun- can's battery, which, having repulsed the enemy's horse, as we have seen, had by this time returned to its former position. Duncan being now at liberty to renew his fire, opened again upon the * Previous to the war, the Mexican cavalry had been the boast of the na- tion. It formed a large proportion of the Mexican army, and was composed chiefly of lancers. General TVaddy Thomson, who, when our minister in Mexico, had seen some choice corps of it maneuver, has paid it a high com- pliment, in his "Reminiscences of Mexico." These commendations proved to have been wholly unmerited, as the cavalry turned out to be the most worthless portion of the Mexican army. Although the men were, individually, good horsemen, either for the want of proper leading, or of proper organiza- tion, they never could be brought to the charge, in masses. Our infantry, after a little, came to hold them in so mu«h contempt, that it never thought of forming itself, in square, to resist a charge. But neither men nor officers were wholly to blame for this ineiiiciency. Their horses were too light. — According to the maxim of the great Frederic, of Prussia, the spur, in a charge of cavalry, is of more importance than the sabre; but the spur could not give momentum to men mounted on ponies. The Mexican lancer makes a capital vidette, and would be formidable in the rear of a retreating army, but for front operations, in masses, is entirely useless. 442 SERVICK AFLOAT AND A8H0EE. Casa-Mata, with a furor, if I may so express it, inspired by the bloody repulse of Mcintosh ; and in a few minutes, thereafter, we had the satisfaction of seeing the enemy abandon this strong- hold, and betake himself to flight, over the fields, where it was impossible to pursue him, both on account of Chapultepec, and of the broken character of the ground. The enemy was now en- tirely routed, having been driven from every point of his lines, which he had defended with more courage and obstinacy, than we had seen him display during any previous battle of the campaign. Instead of "brushing away" the enemy, as G-eneral Scott had intended, we had fought a most desperate and bloody battle, with a force which, as was feared by General Worth from the begin- ning, was entirely inadequate to the undertaking. With three thousand men, including reinforcements, we had assaulted and driven from strong positions, a force of fourteen thousand, under command of Santa Anna himself, assisted by his ablest generals. But what will be the reader's surprise (if he has not already an- ticipated me), when I inform him that the object for which aU this blood had been shed, never had any existence, except per- haps in the insidious and interested tales of Mexican spies, and in the imaginations of General Scott and Mr. Trist. Upon reach- ing the Molino, which was no molino — mill — at all, no vestige could be found of furnace, toels, or any other apparatus for the cast- ing of cannon ; and as for the church-bells, these rang forth, that same night, merry peals, in the city of Mexico, in honor of Santa Anna's triumph. This chief, supposing we meant to follow up our attack, on the Molino (as General Worth had, in fact, proposed to General Scott), by an assault on Chapultepec, and finding that we did not do so, very naturally concluded, and so stated in his bulletin, that we had been checked. When the battle was all over. General Scott rode out on the field, and complimented Gene- ral Worth, for the gallant and soldier-like manner in which he had executed his work ; which the latter received courteously, but with a clouded brow, and a troubled heart, as he had lost the flower of his division, and some of his most devoted friends, in the ill-advised contest. Having been directed to withdraw our troops to Tacubaya, wagons were sent for, and the mournful task was commenced, of collecting our dead and wounded, which SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 443 occupied us for several hours — the enemy, all the while, firing at us from Ohapultepec, and particularly at the wagons, although he could "see, most plainly, what was going on ; an instance of barbarism but seldom recorded of civilized armies. Our loss amounted to nine officers killed, forty-nine wounded, and seven hundred and twenty-nine, rank and file, killed and wounded ; making in all, seven hundred and eighty-seven ! or a little more than one-fourth of the whole command. Out of a force of but httle more than one-half the numerical strength of General Tay- lor's army, we had had more men killed or wounded, in about forty minutes, than had been killed or wounded in the two glorious days of Buena Vista. The most bloody charge on record, is that which was made by the 23d regiment of Enghsh dragoons, at Talavera, in which they left one-half their number on the field, killed or wounded. Wright's charge on the enemy's center, was even more bloody than this, as eleven out of the fourteen officers who belonged to the command, were cut down, and the men suf- fered very nearly in the same proportion ! The only modem bat- tle which occurs to my mind, in which one of the belligerents lost more men, in proportion to the whole number engaged, than we did, in this contest, was the battle of Medellin, on the Guadiana, in which Marshal Victor defeated the Spanish general, Cuesta. In that battle, the Spaniards lost ihree-fifthi of their whole number, but most of them were cut down in pursuit, and not as our noble fellows were, in desperate charges against the enemy's for- tified lines. The enemy's loss, in killed and wounded, as we learned from prisoners, and other sources, could not have been short of one thousand five hundred. We made eight hundred prisoners. Kendall, of the Picayune, before spoken of, joined us in this battle, as did also, Major Borland, since become a distinguished senator from the state of Arkansas. My former messmate, Har- gous, with Captain Wyse (an American and formerly a Captain in the Mexican navy), came also gallantly to the rescue. General Worth speaks as follows, in his report, of all these gentlemen : "And I desire to express my particular obligations to Major Borland, Arkansas volunteers, lately a prisoner of war ; G. W. Kendall, Esq., of Louisiana ; Captain Wyse, and Mr. Hargous, 444 SERVICE AFLOAT AND A6H0KE. army agent, who came upon tlie field, volunteered their accept- able services, and conducted themselves, in the transmission of orders, with conspicuous gallantry." On the day after the battle (the 9th), the honored dead were interred with the rites of war, on the heights of Tacubaya. A large trench was dug, in which the bodies were carefully and af- fectionately placed by the messmates of the deceased, after having been first followed to the ground by a mournful procession, with funeral music, and flags enshrouded in crape. The service of the Episcopal church was read in an impressive tone ( General Worth, surrounded by a numerous cortege of officers, bending low and uncovered, to listen to the solemn admonitions of the chaplain), and at the words "dust to dust," the sappers and miners, who were in attendance with their spades, covered up from the view of their brethren, forever, another holocaust to the angry passions of mankind. The enemy's battlements of Chapultepec were crowded with spectators, looking forth upon the solemn scene, which a bright sunlight rendered quite distinct to them, and our minute-guns, as they were fired from time to time, were echoed (as we fancied, angrily) by the rocky heights on which the for- midable old castle was seated. But we took our revenge. No battle of the war has been so little understood as this battle of Molino del Key. Although it was, as the reader has seen, the most sanguinary struggle that ever took place on the American continent, and one in which great valor and great military talents were displayed, it was preceded and followed by events of such magnitude as comparatively to overshadow it. Other causes, too, contributed to withhold it from the notice of the people, or to pre- sent it to them in an imperfect light. General Scott gave it but little prominence in his report, for reasons which the reader has not failed to perceive. While he had originated it in error, and caused it to be fought, with inadequate forces, for an object which had no existence, a rival general, whose fame was rapidly cul- minating, and whom he had already begun to regard with a feel- ing of jealousy and dislike, had covered himself with glory in executing his orders — a glory which will shine all the more eiful- gently for these causes, when the mists of prejudice and misrep- resentation shall have passed away. When it was seen, too, in SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. 445 how unfavorable a light the " truth of history" would represent this famous battle, for the chief of the campaign, interested writers in and about general head-quarters, undertook to " set history right" on the subject. They sought to show that it should have been a mere "brushing away" operation, instead of a great bat- tle ; and that much of the loss which ensued, was attributable to Worth's not having sufficient artillery on the ground. Let us en- deavor to fix the responsibility of this, as we have done that of the origin of the battle. The reader has seen the difference of opinion as to the probable magnitude of the impending operation, which existed between General Scott and General Worth ; the former regarding it as a mere coup de main, for the capture of cer- tain cannon molds and church-bells, and the latter regarding it as a general battle. General Scott designed, at first, that Worth should operate with his own division only, but upon application of the latter, afterward reinforced him with Cadwallader's brigade, and Drum's battery. The officer, who, as has been stated, waited on General Scott, to explain to him Worth's order of battle, laid stress on the necessity of these reinforcements; when General Scott replied to him, "that whatever work was to be done, must be done by Worth with the means he had placed at his disposal ; and if he called upon him for more, he would do a very foolish thing." It is well known by many officers of the army, that, although we had captured a good deal of artillery and ammuni- tion at Contreras, San Antonio, and Churubusoo, we had captured but few shot suitable for guns of a heavy caliber, and it was ap- prehended that, in the then critical state of our affairs, brought about by the armistice, we should have use for every pound of these in our efforts to reduce the city. It was probably this con- sideration, among others, which induced General Scott to assign so little artillery to Worth. No amount of artillery would have obviated the necessity of Wright's charge on the enemy's center, for at that point we had a formidable battery opposed to us, which it was necessary to carry; and we have seen, that during Mcin- tosh's charge on the Casa-Mata, Duncan's battery, which might have covered and facilitated the charge, was called off to repel an overwhelming force of cavalry, that menaced our left and rear. This latter was the only point, then, at which we felt the want of 446 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. another battery — Drum and Huger being still actively engaged in other parts of the field — and if we had had one, a part, no doubt, of Mcintosh's loss might have been avoided. There is another thing to be recollected too, with regard to this charge. The engineers, as has been stated, were unavoidably deceived as to the character of the work ; and Mcintosh's loss must, therefore, be regarded, as one of those chances of war, which no amount of talent or ingenuity can guard against or prevent. The great battle of Churubusco was fought on a reconnoissance of half an hour, while Molino del Key had been reconnoitered for an entire day. Although this bloody contest failed to effect the object intended by the commander-in-chief, it produced marked results with refe- rence to the future success of the campaign. General Scott had not had the poor satisfaction, it is true, of receiving even so much as a cannon mold, or a church-bell, in exchange for eight hundred (in round numbers) gallant men ; but General Worth had gained a battle, which lyroke the power of the enemy more effectually than any other battle of the campaign. It was a favorite maxim with Napoleon, that " In war, the moral is to the physical power as three parts to one." This great lever, the moral power, was put into our hands by the noble old hero of Palo Alto, Monterey, and Buena Vista, and we had wielded it, as the reader has seen, with wonderfiil effect up to the period of the fatal armistice of Tacu- baya. This armistice had been so adroitly procured and managed, as to impress the Mexican people and army with the belief, that we had asked for it ourselves. They knew very well, that they had been beaten at Churubusco, but they asked each other very pertinently, if we had not been beaten too 1 When they reflected, that we had marched from Puebla with but ten thousand men ; that we had already lost eleven hundred of these ; and that instead of feeling ourselves strong enough to enter the capital, we had halted before the gates and demanded a cessation of hostihties, they very naturally concluded, that the tide of victory was, at length, about to turn in their favor. Their morale, thus finding a rallying point, was wonderfully restored, during the seventeen days, that the peace negotiations continued. They gained cour- age, as the reader has seen, to display their forces in open SERVICE AFLOAT AND A8H0EE. 447 field, in the neighborhood of Tacubaya and Molino del Rey, as if to invite a battle, on the very day on which the armistice was terminated. The battle of Molino del Rey broke anew this moral power of the enemy, and set it back again to where it had been immediately after the battle of Chxirubusco, and before the unfor- tunate armistice had been sprung upon us. When the Mexican army, fourteen thousand strong, upder the lead of Santa Anna himself, intrenched in what it deemed an impregnable position, and resting on the giant old fortress of Chapultepec, as a poird d'appui, found itself beaten by three thousand one hundred men, the latter not giving an inch of ground, although one-fourth of their number had been destroyed, it lost all courage and all hope of further resistance. It began, then indeed, to regard us as invincible. It is known from indubitable testimony, that two thousand of the enemy deserted their colors, that very night; and I refer the reader to General Bravo's dispatch, to show that it was with the utmost difficulty, that this ofificer could retain his garrison in Cha- pultepec, from this time onward, until that fortress was carried. There is another point in which Fortune (who with her mantle, broad as that of charity, covers up so many of the blunders of war) favored the commander-in-chief, with regard to this battle. The reader has seen that General Worth asked permission to effect a lodgment in the grove, intervening between Molino del Rey and Chapultepec, with a view to facilitate an attack upon the latter, but was refused. He did this because, with that intuitive percep- tion, which belonged to him more than to any other man in the army, he saw that this was the true point of approach to the city. General Scott, at this time, thought otherwise, and was pushing his reconnoissances in the south, with the confident expectation of finding a less difficult route in that direction ; intending to let Chapultepec "fall by its own weight," as he expressed it. All the engineer force of the army was called into requisition, with this view; but after the most diligent examination, General Scott was forced to abandon his opinion, and coincide with General Worth. This was not until the 11th, however, three days after the battle of the cannon molds had been fought. It being resolved to ad- vance to the city over the Chapultepec causeway, it became 448 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASUOBE. necessary that tliis fortress should be oarried ; and to carry it, it would have been necessary, if Molino del Eey had not already been carried, to carry it also. The reader thus perceives how easy it is, for the friends of General Scott, to save his military reputation, in this particular, by manifesting a little regard for the "truth of history," and stating that their chief fought the battle of Molino del Eey, as a necessary preliminary to the assault of Chapultepec. But to judge of this transaction rightly, as a military operation, let us suppose that General Scott had found, as he had hoped, one of the southern approaches to the city more practicable than the causeway of Chapultepec, and that, in attempting to enter thereby, he had been beaten oflF for the want of the eight hundred brave men, whom he had sacrificed at Molino del Eey. What would the world have said of the affair of the cannon molds and church-bells in that event ? It will be said that this was only a mistake of General Scott. True : that is all I mean to charge ; but when mistakes are so pregnant of life and death, and of the safety and success of an entire army, a general-in-chief should practice all due precaution, and exercise his judgment upon facts, under a fearful responsibility. As the lion's share of the glory of a campaign belongs to him (how many lions soever he may have under him), he should be made, at least to bear his own proper share of the blunders. After the battle of Molino del Eey, and while the reconnoissances were being made, which were to determine our choice of a route, by which to enter the city, a perceptible gloom fell upon the army, and it began to be whispered, with what truth I know not, that one, if not m ore of the general ofi&cers, was' in favor of intrench- ing ourselvea where we were, and awaiting reinforcements. Out of the ten thousand men, with whom we had entered the valley, we had lost nineteen hundred on the field of battle ; very nearly a fifth of our whole force. Worth alone had lost out of this num- ber, eleven hundred and forty men, his veteran division having dwindled, from twenty-six hundred, to about fourteen hundred and sixty! Beside these, a large number of sick were in hospital; so that after deducting a necessary guard for the camp and bag- gage train, it was found that we could not muster seven thousand f ffectives, with whom, in the words of Napoleon, to take Mexico SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 449 "by the collar." The dissatisfaction was very great, and men began to see and comment upon the mistakes which had been made. I do not believe that this despondency extended to the rank and file, so as to set back in any degree their morale. The oflScers were too prudent for this. It is due to General Scott to state, that he bore himself with great equanimity and firmness during this dark period of the campaign, and that he never ap- peared to lose confidence or waver, in the least, in his intention of forcing the city> Like his great co-laborer in the war, on the eve of the battle of Buena Vista, he seemed determined to accom- plish his object, or to sacrifice himself and his army. Success crowned the efforts of both generals alike, and it is by this stan- dard, mainly, that military, as other events, are judged. All the chances of war were against them, and if they had been beaten, they would have been ruined in the estimation of all military men ; but they cast everything boldly upon the "hazard of the die," and the die turned up favorably for them. There was, in reality, but little occasion, however, for this despondency, in the case of General Scott. Worth, at the battle of Molino del Eey, had opened for us the passage into the city of Mexico, more effectually than was then supposed. It was not known, while the powerful castle of Chapultepec was bearding us, and apparently defying any attempt to enter the city, that two thousand of the enemy had deserted on the night of the 8tk, after the battle of Mohno del Rey, and that General Bravo was obliged to set guards over his garrison, to prevent it from running away, in hke manner. These facts came to light after the fall of this ■ place, and after our comparatively easy entry into the city. In short, the morale of the enemy (or three-fifths of his power) was broken and gone ; but of this we had no knowledge at the time. The reconnoissances being ended. General Scott announced as follows, to the secretary of war, his intended change of opera- tions. "After a closet personal survey of the southern gates, covered by Pillow's division, and Riley's brigade, of Twiggs' — with four times our number concentrated in our immediate front — I determined, on the 1 1th, to avoid that net-work of obstacles, and to seek, by a sudden inversion to the south-west and west [Cha- pultepec], less unfavorable approaches." Chapultepec being thus 38 450 SEEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. selected as the real point of attack, it was resolved to practice a feint before the southern gates, in order to deceive the enemy if possible (which, with his spies constantly in our camp, it was hard to do) as to our intention. For this purpose, on the 11th, Quitman was ordered from Coyocan with his division, to join Pil- low, by daylight, before these gates ; both generals being directed, after nightfall, to join General Scott at his head-quarters, at Tacubaya (where Worth was still stationed) — ^leaving General Twiggs, with Eiley's brigade and Taylor's and Steptoe's batteries, to continue the feint. The fortress of Chapultepec, which it was now designed to attack, has not yet been described. It stands on a rooky and picturesque mound, at the head of the causeway of the same name, and within close cannon-range of Tacubaya. The waters of lake Tezcoco formerly washed its base, and in the days preceding the conquest, it was a favorite resort of the unfortunate Montezuma. He had a palace here ; and the cypress grove on the west of the hill, through which we fought our way to the fortress, afforded him a gloomy, but picturesque promenade, in his hours of recreation and retirement. Many of the venerable old cypresses, in this grove, which afforded us such friendly shelter from the enemy's balls, are three and four feet in diameter, and have . probably stood from four to five hundred years; like the "cedars of Lebanon," witnessing the coming and going of many generations, and preaching eloquently of the nothingness of man. On the north, the hill is entirely inacces- sible, it being a blufi' precipice of rock ; and it is surrounded, in its other parts, by two massive stone walls with ditches. The inner of these walls is from twelve to fifteen feet high. Within this wall, and on the apex of the rugged height, stands a tasteful and rather elegant building, with dome and colonnades, com- manding an extensive view of the city of Mexico, and the magni- ficent valley around. This is, at the same time, the military college of the republic, and the citadel of the fortress. Hence proceeds all the science which has taught and prompted the Mexi- cans, for so many years past, to make a domestic battle-field of their unfortunate country. On the west, the hill descends, by a gradual slope, to the grove of cypresses, before described, and it was seen at a glance, that this was the side on which to assault it. SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 451 Previous to the assault, however, it was deemed necessary to "shake" it, in military phrase, with heavy artillery; and for this purpose, Lee and Huger were set to work to trace out and establish batteries. Four of these were established on opposite sides of the hill, and on the 12th they were opened under the gallant Drum, Anderson, Hagner, Brooks, Stone, and Andrews ; Quitman's and Pillow's divisions, which had been brought up the over-night, as the reader has seen, covering. The fire of these batteries was' continued the whole day, with very perceptible effect. From the azotea of General Worth's head-quarters (we, of the 1st, being as yet hors du combat) we had an excellent view of these opera- tions, and could trace distinctly with our glasses the damage done, from time to time, by our skillful artillerists, to the face of the building. The enemy's armament consisted often pieces of artil- lery — seven light, and three battering. The former were soon disabled by our fire, and the latter produced but little or no efiect upon our lines — there not having occurred more than two or three casualties during the day. Night put an end to the fire on both sides. General Bravo, who had already lost a large portion of his garrison by desertion — the entire battalion of Toluca (four hundred and fifty), with the exception of twenty-seven men, having run ofi^, since the battle of Molino del Rey — says in his dispatch, that the morale of his men was much depressed by this cannonade, in which he lost a considerable number in killed and wounded, and that the desertions continued during the night, though in less numbers than before. He sent urgent requests to Santa Anna to reinforce him, but the latter failed to do so. On the morning of the 13th (the day of the assault), he states his force to be as follows : in the cypress-grove, two hundred and fif- teen men; in the Glwieta (a redoubt half way up the hill, on the west side), and other portions of the lower defeiises, three hun- dred and seventy -four ; and in the military college, something less than two hundred ; so that his whole garrison consisted of about seven hundred and eighty, all told. There seems to have been a difierence of opinion between General Scott and General Santa Anna, with respect to the importance of this fortress. While the former regarded it as the key to the city, and a sort of turning- point of the campaign, the latter treated it as a point of but little 462 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. importance, in his general system of defense. He left it to be defended by a feeble garrison, altbough he had plenty of men at his disposal, and seemed to rely almost entirely upon his defenses at the city gates. His was, probably, the most correct view of the two ; although it was a point on which military men might well differ. The fortress commanded the approach to the city, by the causeway of the same name, but it was by a plunging fire only, from a great elevation, which, even on a road without shelter, could have done us but little damage, as the battle of Molino del Rey proved ; and this fire, little as it was to be feared, would have been rendered entirely harmless, by the shelter afforded our troops by the arches and massive pillars of the aqueduct. On the San Cosm6 road its fire would have been nugatory. If it had been well defended, it would have cost us half our army to carry it ; but fortunately we captured it with but little loss, as the reader will perceive, owing to the causes already detailed. On the evening of the 1.1th, a party was dispatched to take possession, again, of Molino del Rey, which, as the reader recol- lects. General Worth had abandoned on the evening of the 8th, by the orders of the commander-in-chief. The enemy made no resistance, although it would have been easy for him to have re- occupied it on the same evening on which we had abandoned it, and to have compelled us to fight the battle over again for its pos- session. But General Scott's mistake in not continuing to hold it (he intending, at that time, to enter the city by one of the southern approaches), was remedied by Worth's having so com- pletely destroyed the enemy's morale, that he no longer had cour- age for anything. On the evening of the 12th, after the cannon- ade above described. Pillow and Quitman were ordered to prepare for the assault, on the following morning. The whole army was rejoiced to see the latter, who had hitherto been kept guarding the rear, at length brought forward, to take an active part in the struggle. He had with him the gallant battalion of marines, which gained much merited distinction, in the brilliant series of events which followed. Worth, with the remainder of his veteran division, which, up to this time, had borne the brunt of the cam- paign, was ordered to take post near the Molino, with a view to support Pillow, who was to charge on this side ; and General SEKVICB ArLOAT AND ASHORE. 463 Smith, wlio had So nobly unlocked for us the approaches to the ctiy of Mexico, by the victory of Contreras, was ordered to hold himself in readiness to support Quitman, who was to advance to the as- sault on the south-east, by the Tacubaya road, which debouches into the causeway at the eastern base of the fortress. Beside supporting Pillow, our division supplied him with an assaulting party of two hundred and sixty strong, under command of Cap- tain McKenzie, 2d artillery ; and Twiggs' division supphed a simi- lar party, under Captain Casey, 2d infantry, to Quitman. All necessary arrangements being made, at daylight on the morn- ing of the 13th, General Scott ordered his batteries to reopen upon Chapultepec, directing Pillow and Quitman to move forward to the assault, upon the cessation of his fire. This occurred about eight o'clock, and both generals immediately put themselves in motion. Pillow, having diiven the enemy from his intrenchments, in front of the cypress-grove, by the aid of Magruder's and Reno's batteries, pushed forward the Voltigeurs, in two detachments, under Colo- nel Andrews, and Lieutenant- Colonel Johnstone, respectively, into the grove as skirmishers, closely followed by McKenzie, with his storming party, and by the 9th and 1 5th regiments of infantry. Some skirmishing occurred in the wood ; but the enemy gradually retired before Andrews' and Johnstone's rifles, and Reno's mount- ain howitzers. The grove terminates at the base of the hill, but many detached bowlders of rock stood out boldly on the abrupt hill-side, and afforded our men partial cover, under which to as- cend to the Olorieta; a redoubt already described as standing about half way up the acclivity. They soon gained possession of this, not without some loss, however. Among the first to fall was my gallant friend Ransom, who was shot dead while leading his regi- ment (the 9th) to the assault. His was a brave and noble spirit^ and the pen pauses involuntarily to pay him this tribute. His friends will long mourn him, but perhaps selfishly, as he probably met that death, which, if the choice had been left to him (apart from the consideration of friends and family), would have been most welcome to his soldier's heart. He was born a soldier, edu- cated a soldier, and died a soldier. Bequiescat in pace. At this point. General Pillow having been wounded, and being no longer 9.ble to lead, our troops were brought to a stand, and were firing 464 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. from the walls of the Olorieta, and from the cover of the rocks, with little or no effect, against the walls of the fortress. If the defense had been at all vigorous, we must have been foiled ; but General Bravo tells us, that the garrisons of his outposts, instead J of falling back upon the citadel, as they had been directed, re- treated in various directions, and made their escape ; which con- duct so disheartened the few men he had with him (less than two hundred), that he could scarcely keep his cannoniers at their guns. He ordered, too, he says, certain mines to be fired, which he had prepared for our destruction ; but when the officer, Don Manuel Aleman, who had' been charged with this duty, was hunted for, he was nowhere to be found ! Pillow, when he saw his troops falter, called for Worth's divi- sion to reinforce him, telling Worth's Aid, who by the orders of his chief had put himself in communication with him, to request the latter " to bring up his whole division, and make great haste, or he feared he would be too late." Clarke's brigade of Worth's division was immediately dispatched, in conformity with this re- quest, and arriving opportunely, followed up the assault ; which Pillow's division, seeing how feeble was the defense, had by this time renewed. A few gallant officers and men, seizing scaling ladders, rushed forward from the Glorieta, and other points, where they had been sheltered, and planting them against the inner battlements, scaled the walls and possessed themselves of the fortress, with but little loss. A company of marines, and one of the New York regiment entered nearly at the same moment. My friend Passed-Midshipman Eogers, of Pillow's staff, was among the foremost of the stormers on this occasion. Let us now follow up Quitman, who encountered hotter work on the other side of the castle, where Santa Anna had planted several batteries, and assembled a large force, to guard the cause- way to the city. Quitman's storming parties were composed, be- side the reinforcement from Twiggs' division, under Captain Casey, of a picked volunteer force, under Captain Reynolds, of the marines, and of one hundred and twenty men, under Major Twiggs, of the same corps. The road over which he advanced, beside being cut, so as to render it nearly impassable, was swept by a battery in front, and fired upon in flank, by other batteries SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 465 on the causeway. Long lines of infantry lay behind dikes, and occupied erery other point which aiforded them the least shelter. It seemed impossible for men to advance in face of such obsta- cles ; but the gallant Mississippian, with his storming parties in front, moved forward boldly to the assault. On his left, a short distance from the road, there were some stone and adobe houses, which afforded him partial shelter, and thither he moved by a flank. Between these houses, and the outer wall of the fortress, there was a low meadow, intersected by wet ditches, partially co- vered from view by long grass. General Shields was directed to move obliquely over this meadow, in the direction of the fortress, preparatory to the assault ; which he did gallantly, in the face of an appalling fire, from which he suffered severely, being himself among the wounded. This movement was followed, in like gal- lant manner, by Lieutenant- Colonel Geary, of the 2d Pennsylva- nians. In the meantime, General Smith, who had been instructed to move in reserve on the right flank of the assaulting column, to protect it from skirmishers, or more serious attacks in that quar- ter, had advanced over the meadow to the right of the road, and was threatening to cut the enemy's line (extending toward the city), and take him in the rear. All being now ready, at the same time that the assaulting parties dashed forward to ascend the steep acclivity of the fortress. Smith with his rifles, made a rush for the road. The former arrived in time to join in Pillow's assault, which by this time had been renewed, as I have stated, and the latter gallantly carried one of the enemy's batteries, cutting his line, as he had threatened, and possessing himself of the cause- way. The gallant Major Twiggs, of the marines, fell, much lamented, in the commencement of these operations, while lead- ing forward the storming party of his own corps. He was a brother of the general of the same name, so often distinguished in this war. Thus was carried Chapultepec ; an almost impregna- ble fortress, which promised us much trouble and great loss, but which for the want of morale, on the part of the defense, fell into our power almost without a struggle. CHAPTER XXII. Battles of the cause-ways — ^Worth's operations on the causeTray of San CoBin6 — Quitman's operations on the causeway of Chapnltepec — En- trance of the army into the city of Mexico — The post of honor given to General Quitman on this occasion — Insurrection of the populace — Suppression of the insurrection — Santa Anna vacates the presidency and expatriates himself — Meeting of the Mexican congress and ratifi- cation of peace — Reflections' upon the war and its results. While Pillow and Quitman had been employed in carrying Chapnltepec, as described in the last chapter, Worth had not been idle. After having dispatched Clarke's brigade, as before stated, to the succor of the former, he moved with Garland's brigade. Smith's battalion of light-infantry, and Duncan's battery, around the north-eastern base of the hill of Chapultepec, with the view of holding in check, or attacking, if opportunity offered, the enemy's right. He was directed by the generaJ-in-chief, to move cau- tiously with his now small command, lest he shotdd be over- whelmed by superior numbers. We had not proceeded far, before we came upon one of the batteries of the enemy, which had been gallantly assailed by Magruder's field-guns, particularly the section under Lieutenant Jackson, who had manfully continued at his post until he had lost all his horses, and nearly all his men. The road was literally choked up with dead men and animals. — The enemy's fire ceased soon after our appearance, influenced by Garland's movement, who had been deployed over the field to the left, and had met and put to flight the enemy's right that rested on some scattering huts, in that direction. The gallant Colonel Trousdale, since governor of Tennessee, had also pre- ceded us on this road, and been hotly engaged with the enemy. He was still at the head of his regiment, although badly wounded in the arm. Driving the enemy before us, we entered the San Cosm6 causeway, about the same time that Smith (general) had pierced that of Chapultepec. Nothing beyond the capture and (456) SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 467 occupation of Chapultepec, seemed, as yet, to have been thought of, or planned by the general-in-chief ; and the several divisions, in the absence of orders, were left, for some time, to their own discretion. Worth, seeing the importance of following up the blow struck at the enemy by the capture of this fortress, did not wait for instructions, but pushed forward in pursuit, on the San Cosm6 road. Quitman did the same thing on the Chapultepec road. The Chapultepec road runs to the city in a straight line, whereas that of San Cosmfi makes an elbow or angle to the north. Both roads are broad avenues, flanked by deep ditches and marshy grounds, on either side, and an aqueduct, supported by arches of heavy masonry, runs along the middle of each. Each causeway thus presents two roads, one on either side of an aque- duct ; and the reader perceives at a glance, the facilities afforded by such avenues, both for attack and defense. We are mainly in- debted to these causeways for our easy access to the city. They are thus romantically connected with both " conquests of Mexi- co;" or at least one of them is, that of Chapultepec — San Cosm6 having been built subsequent to the first conquest. Quitman was soon met and checked, by a breastwork and ditch thrown across the road, which it was impossible to turn, and which he must have been compelled to carry, by a front attack at great loss, had it not been for the friendly assistance of Worth, who, delaying the march of his own division, pushed Duncan boldly forward on a cross-road, with a section of his battery, covered by Smith's light battalion, to within four hundred yards of the enemy's posi- tion, and opened one of those destructive fires upon his flank, and rear, which nothing could withstand. The enemy soon gave way, and while falling back, in great confusion, Duncan's grape told with fearful effect upon his flying ranks. Quitman, who had, at the same time been gallantly bearding the work, with a howitzer, under Drum, and with Smith's Kifles, followed up his advantage with spirit, and fought his way bravely to the gate of Belen, which he carried by assault (being among the foremost in the assault himself), some hours before Worth entered that of San Cosm6, as will hereafter be related ; the greater length of Worth's route (the road making a detour, as has been before remarked), and this assistance rendered our chivalrous rival, delaying conside- 39 458 <, SERVICE AFiOAT AND ASHOKE. rably our advance. The 2d brigade, under Colonel Clarke, now joined us, and with our veteran division once once more reunited, ■we moved forward and carried a second battery, and afterward a third, both of them strong works, and enfilading the road. The enemy had withdrawn his guns, before we reached them, proba- bly for the defense of the.^anto. This brought us to the Campo Santo, or English burying-ground (where, afterward, many of our gallant dead, who had died in the city, of their wounds, were deposited), near which the road and aqueduct bend to the right, and proceed in a straight line to the city gate. At this point, the general-in-chief came up, with his staff, and instructed General Worth to press on, and carry the gate of San Cosm6, and, if pos- sible, to penetrate to the Alameda. The day was now well advanced. Soon afterward, General Cadwallader joined us, by the orders of the general-in-chief, and Colonel Riley came up, with his bri- gade, between eight and nine, p. m., after we had carried the gariia. The gallant colonel had been kept, all day, before the southern gates, to continue the feint which had been begun in that quarter, some days before. General Cadwallader was posted, by Worth, at the Campo Santo, to hold that point as we advanced, and to look to our flanks and rear. A short distance beyond the Campo Santo, we came upon another battery ; and some two hun- dred and fifty yards farther on, and sustaining it, was the last de- fense of the enemy, the garita of San Cosme. The approach to these two defenses was in a right line, and the whole space was literally swept by grape, canister, and shells, from a heavy gun and howitzer ; added to which, severe fires of musketry were delivered from the azoteas of the adjacent houses, and churches — the road from the Campo Santo to the garita being occupied by a straggling village, the stone-walls and flat roofs of the houses of which, afforded the enemy great advantages for defense. Our advance was here, for the first time, seriously checked ; and it became necessary to vary our plan of operations. A glance at the localities enabled General Worth so to dispose of his division, as to drive the enemy from his positions, almost without loss on our part, notwithstanding the formidable preparations for defense. With the speed of thought. Garland was thrown to the right (his SEKVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. 469 brigade within, and masked by the aqueduct), and instructed to dislodge the enemy from the buildings in his front, and endeavor to reach and turn the left of the garita, taking advantage of such cover as might offer, to enable him to effect these objects. Clarke's brigade was, at the same time, ordered to take the buildings on the left of the road, and by the use qjirbars and picks, burrow through from house to house (as our gallant chief had done with so much success at Monterey, with the assistance of his brave Texans), and in like manner carry the right of the garita. While these orders were being executed, a mountain-howitzer was placed on the azotea of the church of San Cosm6 on the right, and another on a commanding building on the left. Having been sent to superintend the placing of the latter, I thought I discovered in the officer who had charge of it, a sprinkling of salt-water. In transporting his piece up the stair-way, in the peculiar method of handling his handspikes, and in the semi-nautical phrase, and pointed and energetic manner in which he delivered his orders, there was no mistaking the sailor. The gallant captain (Edwards of the Voltigeurs), had indeed, close-reefed to many a gale, as I found upon inquiry, out of the port of Norfolk, Va. I was re- joiced to meet, as the reader may be sure, in so novel a place, as a housetop on the causeway of San Cosm6, in the great valley of Mexico, a brother seaman, who had laid aside his marline-spike, and come "booted and spurred," as a "dashing voltigeur," to revel in the "Halls of the Montezumas." The gallant captain, though erst of the merchant service, handled his piece, and threw his shells with as much skill and abihty, as if he had come fresh from the quarter-deck of a man-of-war. The howitzer on the church did equally brisk and effective work ; and while the sappers and miners were boring their way patiently, but surely, from house to house, toward the garita, numerous detached parties were car- rying on a brisk skirmish with the enemy, under such cover as could be found. At this period it became necessary to advance a piece of artillery, to the deserted breast-work before described, as situated about two hundred and fifty yards from the garita. As the road was continually swept by discharges from heavy guns, this was a most desperate undertaking ; but desperate as it was, it was accomplished in gallant style, by Lieutenant Hunt, of Dun- 460 SEBVIOK AFLOAT AND ASHOEB. can's battery. Watching his opportunity, and moving at full speed, he reached his position, and came muzzle to muzzle with the enemy, in less time than I have been describing the operation ; but in these few moments, he lost one killed and four wounded, out of nine men. The "borers" having at length worked their way to a convenient position, from which to make an assault upon the last stronghold of the enemy in our quarter, our men sprang, as if by magic, to the tops of the houses, into which they had thus quietly and unobservedly made their way, and to the utter sur- prise and consternation of the enemy, who was still busy with his guns at the gate, opened upon him within easy range, a most deadly fire of musketry. The effect was electric ; a single discharge, in which many of his gunners were killed as they had stood, with their rammers and sponges in hand, was sufficient to drive him in confusion from the breastwork, when a prolonged shout from our brave fellows, announced to their comrades below, that we were in possession of the garita of San Cosm6, and already in the city of Mexico ! This occurred about sunset, on the evening of the 13th of September, 1847. Thus we had, indeed, at length overcome, as General Scott had prematurely announced to his government, after the battle of Churubusco, "all difficulties — distance, climate, fortifications, ground and numbers." General Worth slept that night with his staff, and most of his division, a short distance within the city gate. There was nothing to prevent us from marching, whenever we chose, to the grand plaza, in the center of the city, and as we sank to rest, on our weary pillows, after the toils and dangers of the day, our feelings may be better imagined than described. A merciful Providence had conducted us, in safety, through many hard-fought battles to the ancient and renowned city of Mexico, and we had written a page in its annals, which will connect, in all time to come, the romantic and chivalrous deeds of Cortez, Al- varado, and Sandoval, with those of the glorious httle army of our repubUc, under Scott, Worth, Quitman, Twiggs, Pillow, Smith, and other chiefs whose fame is as undying, and will be almost as romantic, a century or two hence, as that of their mail-clad pre- decessors. These latter came fresh from the battle-fields of Italy and Grenada, to gather still greener laurels in the then wonderful SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 461 region of the new world, and to supplant a semi-civilization, which though but comparatively recent, had already become decrepit and corrupt, with the newer and more vivifying civilization of the cross ; and the former had come in their turn, not to sweep away, indeed, the civilization of the cross, but to revivify it, and infuse into it that spirit of progress which had well-nigh been crushed by the heel of despotism, under which it had writhed for three cen- turies. Both were the agents of an overruling and all-wise Pro- vidence, carrying out his inscrutable designs with regard to the destinies of mankind. Worth had fought his way to the city, over the celebrated causeway of Tacuba, by which Cortez had retreated on the memo- rable Nbche Trisie. We had passed through the once populous quarter (now a mere suburb) of Tlaletolco, where according to Cortez and old Bemal Diaz, forty thousand people had been wont to "traffic in the market-place," and we had identified, amid the whistling of balls and the shout of battle, the famous "leap of Alvarado." No wonder that we were agitated by strange and indescribable feelings, as we lay down to rest, that night ; waking, we were in a land of poetry and romance ; sleeping, in a land of dreams. I must not omit to notice here, a strange mistake, which occurs in the dispatch of the general-in-chief, while relating the events of this day to the government. It is as follows : " By eight o'clock in the evening. Worth had carried two batteries in the suburb. According to my instructions he here posted guards and sentinels, and placed his troops under shelter for the night. There was but one more obstacle — ^the San Cosmfi gate (custom-house) between him and the great square in front of the cathedral and palace — the heart of the city; and that barrier, it was known, could not, by daylight, resist our siege-guns thirty minutes." I have already stated that we had carried the San Cosm6 gate, about sunset, and that we slept within the city, with no obstacle between us and the great plaza. The historian who should be guided by this dispatch, would naturally conclude, that while Quitman had effected a lodgment within the gate of Belen, and consequently within the city of Mexico, during the afternoon of the 13th, Worth, not having been able to do the same with regard to the 462 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOBE. gate of San Cosin6, had encamped for the night outside of the gate, in order to await the return of daylight to enable him to bring into play his " siege-guns ;" which was not the fact. When it is recollected that General Scott wrote with General Worth's report before him, in which the facts are distinctly stated as I have recorded them, the mistake shows a culpable want of care, in not consulting with proper diligence, the papers from which he was compiling his dispatch. He knew that the capital was the " goal of general ambition ;" and when the question of taking it was concerned, it was certainly inexcusable, from any cause what- er, to give a wrong version of the affair. Not only was this in- justice done General Worth, in the historical relation of the facts given by the general-in-chief, but the former was halted by order of the latter at the Alameda, near the center of the city, which we had reached as early as six o'clock the next morning, in order that General Quitman might precede him to the grand plaza, and there have the honor of hoisting on the capital, the proud emblem of our nation — the glorious stripes and stars which we had borne in triumph from Vera Cruz. Next to our own chief, we, of the first division were delighted that this honor should fall upon Quitman, but we could not help remarking upon the apparent partiality of the act. Indeed General Scott seems to have been self-accused of this, and he has endeavored to excuse himself in his dispatch, as follows: "In this grateful service [hoisting our flag on the capital], Quitman might have been anti- cipated by Worth, but for my express orders, halting the latter at the head of the Alameda (a green park), within three squares of that goal of general ambition. The capital, however, was not taken by any one or two corps, but by the talent, the science, the gallantry, the prowess of this entire army." This was all very true, but it does not explain, why Worth should be turned back, in order that Quitman might precede him. It would certainly have seemed but fair that Worth, having the ability to march to the grand plaza before Quitman, should have been permitted to do so ; and that he had this ability, will be apparent from the following brief statement of facts : The gate of Belen is a remote suburb of the city of Mexico, and Quitman, when he had entered it, found himself bearded. SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 463 not only by a formidable battery on the Paseo, but by tbe citadel, a heavy-armed work of large extent, which was not only sufficient (taken in front) to hold him, but the whole army in check. Nor did he advance a single step beyond this until after the surrender of the city. On the contrary, General Scott sent him reinforce- ments and intrenching tools, and he employed himself the whole night, in endeavoring to fortify himself in his position, and in con structing new batteries to be opened upon the enemy in the morning. And when the morning came, and ._a white flag was hoisted on the citadel, as a token that the city had surrendered, the fact Was so inexplicable to him, that he sent two members of his staiF to inquire into the truth of the matter, before he would base any movement upon it. In the meantime, let us see how the sur- render was brought about by Worth. This officer says, in his dispatch: "The remainder of the division was now marched within the city gate [about twilight] and Captain Huger, of the ordnance, who had been directed by the general-in-chief to report to me with heavy guns sometime before, was desired to advance a twenty-four-pounder and a ten-inch mortar, place them in position at the gariia, obtain the direction, and open a few shot and shell upon the grand plaza and palace, assumed to be sixteen hundred yards distant. This battery opened at nine o'clock — ^three shot being- fired from the gun, and five from the mortar. They told with admirable effect, as at one o'clock at night, a commission from the municipality came to my advanced post, announcing that im- mediately after the heavy guns opened, the government and army commenced evacuating the city, and that the commission was deputed to confer with the general-in-chief, to whose head- quarters it was passed, under Asst. Adjt. Gen. Mackall. At five o'clock, A. M., on the 14th, my troops and heavy guns advanced into the city, and occupied the Alameda, to the point where it fronts the palace, and there halted at six o'clock ; the general-in- chief having instructed me to take a position, and await his further orders." It thus appears, that while Quitman was forti- fying himself in the Belen gate, unable to advance a foot. Worth had opened upon the plaza and palace, and caused the evacuation and surrender of the city; was at liberty at any moment to advance and occupy it ; and that he did, in fact, advance and occupy it, 464 SBKVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. before any other corps of the army could do so. If, as General Scott declared, " In the glorious conquest all had contributed — early and powerfully — the killed, the wounded, and the fit for duty — at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Oontreras, San Antonio, Chu- rubusoo (three battles) the Molino del Eey, and Chapultepec — as much as those who fought at the gates of Belen and San Cosm§," why was one officer turned back, in order to give precedence to another ? Nay, more, why was the officer, who was turned back, the very one who had opened the way for the others to enter ? Our troops, to the number of about six thousand, entered the great city of Mexico in the undress uniforms, in which they had marched so many weary miles and fought so many desperate battles. To behold so novel a spectacle, the various streets poured forth their thousands of spectators, and the balconies and house-tops were filled beside, with a gay and picturesque throng. So dense was the crowd, that it was frequently necessary to halt until the pressure was removed. The Galle de Plateros, through which we marched to the grand plaza, is the street in which all the prin- cipal shops are found ; and although these were closed, the gay curtains that fluttered from the balconies above ; the numerous streamers and flags that were hung out (almost every house had prepared and hung out a neutral flag, as English, French, Spanish, etc., as a means of protection), and the fashionably- dressed women, who showed themselves without the least reserve at doorways and windows, gave one the idea rather of a grand national festival, than of the entry of a conquering army into an enemy's capital. General Scott, arrayed in his full uniform, and surrounded by his numerous stafi^, dressed in like manner, the whole presenting a very imposing and military-looking cavalcade, was escorted by Harney's dragoons to the national palace. He had scarcely reached this point, however, before a change came over the scene. A miscreant fired from a house-top among a group of officers of Worth's division, and seriously wounded Colonel Garland. Other reports of small arms were heard simultaneously, in various other directions, and it soon became evident that there was a fermenta- tion among the populace, and that our work had, as yet, been but partially done. We were but six thousand, all told, and were in SBRVICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 465 the midst of a city of two hundred thousand inhabitants ! There vrere apparently men enough in the streets, to have crushed us ■with the paving-stones, if they had possessed but a tithe of the patriotism or valor, whioh had inspired their noble ancestors at the siege of Saragossa, under the brave Palafox. But this was no patriotic uprising of a great and indignant people, in defense of their firesides. Alas, for poor Mexico ! the people (as the reader has had abundant evidence in almost every page of these Me- moirs) were a dead and unleavened mass, as incapable of the sentiment of patriotism, as of the other nobler virtues. Still our position was somewhat critical. We were exposed in the midst of streets, that were flanked on either side by massive stone houses (some of them three and four stories high), with flat roofs and parapets, answering all the purposes of fortifications, and unless energetic measures were adopted, we might lose many valuable lives before the insurrection covild be quelled. In a moment, therefore, everything was in motion. The quick move- ment of troops in various directions, the rattling of artillery at fuU speed through the streets, the galloping hither and thither of aids and orderlies, the shrieks of the women as they disappeared in haste from the balconies, and the firing from the house-tops, which increased every moment, indicated that more blood was about to flow, and that we could not as yet sit ourselves down quietly in the city of Mexico. "Worth immediately placed his howitzers and Duncan's battery in position to command the several streets, whence the firing pro- ceeded in his quarter, and detached skirmishing parties in various directions, with orders to make their way into the houses, take positions similar to those of the enemy — pursuing him wherever practicable — and shoot down every man who should be found skulking on a house-top, or screened by a window, with arms in his hand. Similar measures were taken by other corps, and very soon, a sort of running skirmish ensued in various parts of the city. Some of the enemy becoming so bold as to show themselves m the streets, the artillery was opened upon these, and they were swept with grape and canister. Now and then a house, which had been taken possession of by our assailants, was battered with a round-shot. But the artillery fire was continued no longer than 466 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. ■was necessary to clear the streets ; as we were unwilling to do more damage to property, than the case absolutely required, or to involve the innocent in the fate of the guilty. An animated skirmish was kept up with small arms, however, until night put an end to the contest. Worth now posted his division in the Ala- meda, and established his head-quarters in a commodious and handsomely-furnished house, belonging to Pena y Pefia, after- ward president of the republic, fronting this most beautiful of the parks of Mexico. The uprising, which had at first appeared to us an insurrection of the people, proved to be nothing more than the ill-concerted action of some three thousand prisoners, whom Santa Anna had released, the night before, from their confinement in the several jails of the city. These villains, in the interval between the departure of their patron and our entry into the city, had already begun to rob the public oflfices, and commit other depredations, and had opened their fire upon us, for the sole purpose of con- tinuing a disorder, amid which they might plunder their unfortu- nate countrymen. The municipal government, and the better order of citizens, seeing that no good could result from this species of warfare, at once arrayed themselves on our side, and exerted all their influence to suppress it. The firing, nevertheless, continued through the greater part of the next day, our men fol- lowing the vagabonds up so closely, as to kill great numbers of them. This matter of being killed was not (to use a Hibernicism) what they had been accustomed to. In their numerous civil broils, they had been in the habit of firing at each other from behind walls and parapets, at a safe distance, and the government of Mexico has been known to change hands after a bloody revolution, in which no more than half a dozen leperos have lost their worth- less lives. But when, instead of being fired at from a like safe distance, by our troops, they were followed up, and shot down in their hiding-places, why, this was another aft'air. They soon succumbed, and order was restored to the city after the lapse of a day or two. General Scott, having established, in concert with the munici- pality, a rigid police, the citizens resumed confidence, reopened their shops, and went about their usual avocations. Notwith- SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. 467 standing the best exertions of all parties, however, a dastardly system of assassination, which threatened to decimate our num- bers, was continued for ten days and more after our entry. Although the most stringent orders were given by the various generals of division, to prevent their men from straggling, some few would find their way out after night-fall, and being decoyed by women, or made drunk in the low groggeries, were invariably murdered, sometimes to the number of fifteen or twenty in a single night ! General Quitman was appointed civil and military governor ; and administering the duties of his ofiSce with firmness and ability, the city of Mexico, from having been the hot-bed of faction and turbulence, for so many years, very soon became a thrifty mart of commerce, and a well-ordered and peaceful capital. Citizens, who had run away from us in alarm, returned to find their per- sons and property respected, and to compare, much to our advan- tage, the present with the former government. One of the most pleasing features of this campaign, was the good order and high state of discipline, in which our troops en- tered this rich and populous city. Although we had carried it by assault, and were entitled, in consequence, according to the barbarous practices of European warfare, to disgrace ourselves by sack and rape, no one thought of such things — the common soldier no more than his officer. With the exception of some thieving that was carried on, on a small scale, in our rear, by the " outsiders " (these were civilian followers of the army, who hov- ered around us, like greedy cormorants, and whom it was found impossible to get rid of), the utmost respect was paid to both person and property. An example of which General Scott may well be proud, and which we may hold up, triumphantly, to our neigh- bors over the water, who make so many more pretensions to civ- ilization than ourselves, and who still regard us as comparatively barbarian. Indeed, in whatever light we regard this campaign, it is one of the most wonderful on record. It is not wonderful that we triumphed over Mexico. This was to have been expected from her physical, and still more from her moral weakness. But like the knights of old, we seemed to have scorned to avail 468 SBEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. ourselves of the weakness of our enemy ; nay, more, we invited him to combat on terms highly advantageous to himself. With the single exception of Cerro Gordo, we had constantly met him with inferior numbers (sometimes in the proportion of one to four, as at Molino del Rey), and he had always had the advantage of us in position. We had beaten him signally, and fatally in every contest, from the time of our landing at Vera Cruz, to our entry into the city of Mexico. The small scale on which our war with Mexico was conducted, prevents this famous campaign from tak- ing rank, in point of numbers, with those gigantic military ope- rations of Europe, which from time to time have absorbed the attention of nations ; but in this respect alone. < Tested by any other standard, it will compare favorably with any one of them. In marches, in successful strategy, in hard fighting, and in its decisive results, it may be placed side by side with any of Napo- leon's Italian campaigns, and gain, rather than lose, by the com- parison. With a mean force of ten thousand men, we landed in the season of tempests, on a coast where pestilence annually sweeps off its thousands, and marched through a nation of eight millions of people, triumphantly to its capital, a distance of two hundred and fifty miles. This march, too, was performed, for the most part, in a mountainous region, so strongly fortified by nature, that the Spanish government, and after it, the Mexican, never dreamed of the possibility of its being invaded, or so much as thought of the necessity of constructing a single defensive work, with a view to such a result, until the heads of our columns already began to show themselves on the steps of the mountains. That errors were committed in the course of this campaign, it is useless to deny ; but the human mind is fallible, and in what cam- paign have not errors abounded ? These errors, too, served but to bring forth into bolder relief, the indomitable courage and the self-reliance of the American soldier. Hard -fought battles promptly rectified mistakes, and with diminished numbers we performed those prodigies, which would otherwise have been performed by our whole force, with diminished glory. But I have already wearied the reader, -I fear, by the endless details of march and battle through which he has followed me. Let me SKBVICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 469 bring my narrative to a close, and leave him to pronounce upon the campaign his own eulogy, as he may see this written in the facts and results. General Santa Anna, on the night of the 13th, when Worth's shells began to burst over his head in ,he national palace, and to threaten Mexico, as its terrified inhabitants believed, with the fate of Vera Cruz, retreated with the fragment of his army (great numbers deserting him, and dressing themselves in citizens' cloth- ing, mixing with the people, in a manner to escape detection) to Guadalupe Hidalgo. He retired in such haste, as to leave behind him, in the public ofiSces, much valuable correspondence relating to the movements of his army, forty pieces of artillery, and large quantities of ammunition. His lady, who had been in the habit of accompanying him in his campaigns, was consigned to the care of that "intelligent neutral," and intimate friend of his, the Brit- ish consid, of armistice memory. With a gallantry becoming the leader of an American army. General Scott, at the request of this gentleman, detailed an escort of dragoons, after quiet had been restored in the city, to conduct her to the arms of her husband. On the 16th of September, the latter resigned the presidency (which, indeed, he had previously forfeited, by putting himself at the head of the army, in August, without the consent of con- gress), and nominated Pena y Pefia to succeed him ; appointing as adjuncts. General Herrera and Senor Alcorta. The whole of this proceeding was irregular. By the Mexican constitution, the resignation of the president must be accepted by congress, to be complete ; but there being no congress in session, the fallen chief dispensed with this formality, by accepting his own resignation. His nomination of Pena y Pena was supererogatory, as this gen- tleman, being chief justice of the supreme court, became ex officio president, upon the occurrence of a vacancy, until congress could elect a president, ad interim, for the remainder of the term ; and his appointment of adjuncts was altogether illegal, as this ap- pointment is required, by the constitution, to be made by the ex- ecutive council ; which, like the congress, was not in session. Pena y Peiia, upon being duly notified of these events, assumed the office of president, but refused to acknowledge the legality of the appointment of Herrera and Alcorta, as his adjuncts. He 470 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. proceeded (being in retirement on his estate of Canaleja) to Quere- taro a few days afterward, called the congress together, and directing General Santa Anna to turn over the command of the army to a successor, whom he named, placed this chief in arrest, until a court-martial could be convened for his trial, for the loss of the several battles in which he' had been beaten, and for his conduct generally in the war. Santa Anna (who in the mean- time had marched with a small force upon Puebla, to try his for- tune against Colonel Childs, who had been left in command at that place and by whom he was beaten as effectually as he had been by General Scott), seeing the turn things had taken, made a desperate effort to regain his power. He declared that his resignation was invalid, and insisted upon being permitted to resume the reins of government ; vaunted of his exploits in the war, and sent his friend Eejon (who, as the reader recollects, pro- mised to die by his side in the city of Mexico) and other faction- ists to Queretaro, to keep alive the war spirit, and intrigue for his restoration to the presidency. But it was all to no purpose, the people had become tired of him. With" much justice, they traced to him, and to similar military patriots, all the evils which had be- fallen their unhappy country — the long series of domestic broils and misgovernment which had preceded the war, and which had so corrupted and depraved the great mass of the population, as to render patriotism a by-word, and honor a jest. They saw that he, and such men as he, who, arrayed in gorgeous uniforms, had trampled under foot the civil power, and governed the country as they would a camp ; who boasted of their courage and their skill, and of their ability to march to the Sabine, and wrest Texas boldly from our embrace ; were as craven on the battle- field, as they had been valiant in the oppression of their fellow- citizens. The more intelligent asked very pertinently, where is that army which has battened on us, for so many years, and which, when the war was being developed, promised to stand by us in the hour of need ? Gone ! routed and destroyed, by a handful of valiant men, whom it ought to have crushed by its numbers alone ! And such will always be the case under similar circumstances. We have only beheld in Mexico, in our day, the same drama which was performed in Italy and the east, fifteen SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 471 hundred years ago. We have but seen a decrepit and corrupt people overthrown by a more virtuous and vigorous race from the north ; the only difference being in the comparative civilization of the two conquering nations. Venality and the corruption of manners have been as rife in the city of Mexico, as they were in Kome and Constantinople, when the empire of the Caesars was wont to be put up at pubHc auction, by the Pretorian bands of these respective capitals. Courage in civilized man is a noble attribute, based upon virtue alone. Corrupt the individual, and you remove from him all those high incentives to honor and patriotism, which are the only sure guarantees of the safety of states. Mexico, unfor- tunately, lost sight of this fundamental truth, when she got up her ill-advised quarrel with us, on the subject of Texas. She still spoke the language of a chivalrous and virtuous people ; but this language was mere form, the substance had long since departed. Santa Anna finding it, thus impossible, to set on foot another revolution, and being abandoned by his followers, who, in the language of politicians, found him no longer "available," made his way to the small port of Antigua, near Vera Cruz, and aban- doned his country to that fate, which he had, himself, in a great measure, prepared for her. Better counsels began now to prevail. Although there was still much senseless opposition to peace, this opposition was gradually overcome by the influence of such men as Herrera, Pena y Pena, and other intelligent and true patriots, who had no military aspi- rations to be gratified by a continuance of the war. The " ele- ments of peace," which General Scott and Mr. Trist had been so fearful of dispersing, by beating the enemy too much, began now rapidly to assemble at Queretaro. On the 1 1th of November, General Anaya (whom we had made prisoner at Churubusco), was elected president ad interim, to serve the remainder of Santa Anna's term. In the following December, the congress which had been called by Pena y Pena, adjourned (the terms of its members having expired), after a good deal of angry discussion, on the all- absorbing topics of peace and war. A new congress was elected, and having met in better temper than the last, the great question of peace was forthwith taken in hand. Anaya's fragment of a term expiring before a new election could be made, Pena y Pena 472 SBEVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. returned to the executive chair, and it was under his auspices that the peace was finally concluded. Our government, with that forbearance which had characterized it during the whole course of the war, made no new demands upon our prostrate enemy, but was content to accept the same terms, it had proposed to him, after the battle of Churubusco. These terms were now agreed to without hesitation, and early in February, 1848, not quite two years after the breaking out of the war, a treaty of peace was definitively signed by Mr. Trist and the Mexican plenipotentiaries, Messrs, Couto, Atristain, and Ouevas. I have thus brought my memoirs of " Service Afloat and Ashore, during the Mexican "War," to a close ; and it only remains for me, before taking leave of the reader, to cast a hasty glance at some of the results of this contest, both as they afi'ect our late enemy and ourselves. And first, as to our losses. These may be stated (in round numbers) at twenty thousand men; some fifteen thousand of whom perished in campaign, by a violent death, or by the hand of disease ; the remaining five thousand perishing in the two squadrons, in the Gulf of Mexico, and on the Pacific coast, and in going to and returning from the theater of war. General Scott lost two thousand seven hundred men, in his campaign of the Valley of Mexico. I have more than once asserted, that in this campaign, General Worth bore the principal part, and fought most of the battles, the other divisions being mere accessories. Let us see how this statement is borne out by the figures of arith- metic, which, after all, are worth more, in our search after facts, than figures of speech, At Churubusco (including San Antonio), he lost three hundred and forty-six men ; at Molino del Rey, he lost seven hundred and eighty-seven, and at Chapultepec, and the gate of San Cosm6, he lost one hundred and thirty-seven ; making a total of one thousand two hundred and seventy, or very nearly one-half of the whole loss ! There were four divisions, a brigade of cavalry, a corps of engineers (with a company of sappers and miners), and a corps of ordnance, with ordnance men attached. The division which sustained the next greatest loss, was that of Quitman (to which General Shields was attached). Its loss was five hundred and forty-eight, not one-half that of Worth ! The expenses of the war may be stated at about one hundred SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 473 and twenty millions of dollars, i%&luding the fifteen millions paid for New Mexico and California. I leave to small politicians the task of counterpoising and comparing this outlay, with the neces- sity we were under of chastising an insolent foe, and with the gains which we have made in territory. I have no talent for per contra sheets of this kind. But in a political and commercial point of view, no man can yet estimate the great advantages which are to accrue, both to Mexico and ourselves, from this war. In my opinion, the salvation of our institutions depends, in a great degree, upon a reasonable extension of our limits. This is the only thing which will rob faction of its bitterness, if it does not entirely destroy it. Fanaticism, whether religious, political or social, is always local; it never spreads, unless, indeed, it be spread as the great Arabian enthusiast spread his faith, by the sword. And the reason why it does not spread is, that it is error ; and error, although it may be contagious in small districts, like the plague, can never inundate a vast country. Of what compara- tive importance is it at the present day, when our immense terri- tory extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean, that a meeting to denounce a law of the Union, or for any other disloyal and treasonable purpose, is held in Faneuil Hall, in the good city of Boston. The little actors on this little stage may make themselves as ridiculous as they please, but the President of this great repub- lic will quietly point them to the map, to remind them that the Massachusetts of the old thirteen, is not the Massachusetts of thirty — ^forty — fifty — a hundred states 1 And that she is as pow- erless now for evil, as she was formerly powerful for good. The federal officers, armed with a posse comitatus, if need be, from the Pacific, will disperse her mobs, however composed, and exe- cute the process which represents the majesty of twenty — thirty — forty — fifty millions of people ! As our territorial limits increase, the individual states will become less and less important, and local jealousies and heart-burnings will scarcely produce more effect upon the nation at large, than does the gossiping of a re- mote village upon a metropolitan city. Shay's rebellion in Massa- chusetts, and the whisky rebellion in Pennsylvania, threw the whole country into commotion, and caused the Executive much anxiety, and a good deal of trouble before they could be quelled. 40 474 SERVICE AFLOAT AND A,SHOBE. We should regard these things, at the present day, as mere "tem- pests in a tea-pot." And where is the solution for this? In the fact that then St. Mary's, in Georgia, was our southern boundary, whereas now, our flag floats proudly on the shores of the bound- less Pacific ! The diversity of climates, productions and pursuits will be so many additional motives for adhesion, making us, com- paratively, more dependent upon each other, and binding us to- gether, in one great free-trade's union. While these great ends are accomplished, each state will be as independent in all local concerns as before, and except in a few prescribed particulars, will be, to all intents and purposes, sovereign. It is this peculiarity of our system, which (as I have before remarked in these pages), befits it for extension almost ad vnfinitvm, in contradistinction to central and consolidated governments. As for commerce, it is only necessary to remark that our Pacific front opens to us, and will enable us to monopolize, almost all the commerce of the East Indies, and of the west coast of America, north and south. This will make us the carriers and the factors of the world. Twenty years hence, and it will no longer be Britannia, but America " rules the waves." But it would require a volume to enumerate all the advantages which have accrued and are yet to accrue to us, from the Mexican war. Let us turn from so gigantic a theme, therefore, to contemplate, for a moment, its probable effect upon our late enemy. We have seen, in the opening pages of these memoirs, the for- lorn condition at which Mexico had arrived immediately preceding the war. We saw her society composed of various heterogeneous elements, struggling the one against the other, her commerce nearly destroyed, and her agricultural and mining interests at the lowest possible state of depression. In the course of two years (from 1844 to 1846), Santa Anna, Herrera, and Paredes were each hurled from the chief executive chair, by revolutions which agitated the country from one extreme to the other, and threat- ened a total dissolution of all government. Many of her states- men of respectable abilities began to despair altogether of the success of republican institutions, and to turn their eyes upon the monarchies of Europe, as their only resource to guard them from the anarchy which impended. It is well known, that tinder the SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 475 presidency of Parades (a dissolute military chieftain), an avowed monarchical party was established, which boldly set up an organ in the capital (El Tiempo), and disseminated thence its princi- ples through all parts of the country, with an ability and zeal which drew over to it many of the less thinking portion of the people. Strange as it may appear, the project was seriously en- tertained of calling over one of the Bourbon princes, probably the Due d'Aumale, or the Prince de Joinville, to wield the scepter of Iturbide. Fortunately for the country, the war with ourselves broke out, and put an end to all these disorders. The pressure from without produced a more or less perfect union among the parties within. Paredes was banished, Santa Anna recalled from ban- ishment, and republican Mexico, recoiling from the monarchical extreme toward which she was fast verging, made one more effort to save herself, by adopting her old federal constitution, which some years previously, had given place to centralism. Pre- vious to the war, Mexico, the most ill-governed and one of the most ignorant of the American republics, thought herself the wisest and one of the most powerful and chivalrous nations of the earth ! Her state-papers bore the tone of arrogance, and some- times of insolence toward foreign powers (as the reader has, more than once seen, in the course of these pages) ; her legislation was exclusive and offensive, and her boast of " marching to the Sa- bine " was no fantastical, unmeaning threat, but sober earnest — ^the bastard descendants of Gonsalvo de Cordova and Cortez believ- ing in their ability to perform it. These illusions were all very natural ; the Mexican people inhabiting, as the mass of them did, vast inland plains, isolated from intercourse with the rest of the world by stupendous ranges of mountains, and by the Chinese policy which they had inherited from their peninsular ancestors. It was absolutely necessary to their future progress that these illusions should be dispelled ; and this was effectually done by the war. They were brought by this event, into rude and rough contact with a people whom they had been taught to despise, but whom they soon found superior to them, in civilization and the arts, as well as arms. The moral shock has been eminently bene- ficial to them. They have been taught, anew, to admire our insti- tutions, to wonder at our unexampled progress, and to inquire 476 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. into its causes. I believe that there is not now a monarchist in Mexico ! It remains to be seen, whether they will be able to imitate us successfully. If they do, it will, perhaps, prolong their political existence a century ; no longer, as that man is blind who does not read, in what is passing around him, the inevitable de- crees of fate. It is impossible to place two people, of such widely differing constitutions and temperaments, in juxtaposition with each other, without one of them being absorbed by the other. — But this absorption need not be violent ; nor need it be a cause of alarm on the part of the Mexican people, as ours is not a great central government, which, in imitation of Kome, will send a pro- consul to govern them, and a quaestor to deplete them, but a fede- ral republic, like their own, into which all tliose who enter are equals. The only difference to Mexico will be, that instead of occupying a subordinate station in the family of nations, she will be entitled to be inscribed in the foremost rank. In the mean- time, if she profit by the lessons of the war, she will set herself diligently to work to prepare for the great change which awaits her. While the Sibyl is spinning the web of her fate, she should civilize and educate herself, to render herself the more worthy of the em- brace of the young bridegroom to whom she is afiSanced. The great mistake which Mexico has hitherto made, with regard to her policy, is the manner in which she has treated her Indian population. To this she owes most of her weakness. The Indians found in that country, at the time of the conquest, were not like our own. They were not ferocious and untamable savages, who disappeared upon the approach of civilization, like the frost be- fore the sun, as did the natives of Forth America, but a docile and comparatively civilized people. As they could not be got rid of, the only other course open, was to educate and elevate them to the rank of citizens ; not to that nominal rank which they do, indeed, enjoy, but to that real rank which springs out of, and finds its sustenance in, social equality. Nature has interposed no barrier to this, by planting an unconquerable antipathy in the breast of one of the races, to the other, as she has done in regard to the white man and the negro ; and if the amalgamation be encouraged by the proper laws, in the course of three or four generations it will become complete. It is questionable, in my mind, too, whether SEEVICB AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 477 there would be any adulteration in this process ; as I regard the Indian, in most parts of Mexico, as, physically, the superior of the compound of the Celt and the Moor, which is there denominated the white man. But whether this be palatable or not, it is the only alternative ; for it is idle to suppose that the population of any country can live together in harmony and prosperity, when it is divided mto two distinct classes, equal in the eye of the law, but unequal in everything else — particularly in a social point of view. The two classes must either miz, or one will govern the other. — The latter has always been, and still is, as the reader has seen, the case in Mexico ; five-sixths of the eight millions of that coun- try being either in peon servitude, or in a worse condition. How could Mexico be strong, in her contest with us, with but one-sixth of her population governing and overriding the rest, and leading it, like so many ignorant and besotted slaves, to the battle-field ? The army, that great incubus of Mexico, which has weighed down her energies for so many years, has, it is hoped, received its death-wound in this war. The military feeling of the country has not been destroyed, however, it has only received a salutary check. It has been too deeply rooted to be so summarily disposed of. The fondness for military titles (the title of colonel carrying with it the prefix of "excellency") and for the trappings and tinsel of a uniform, has amounted to a perfect passion with the Mexican people ; and they have been in the habit of making the greatest sacrifices to enrol themselves as military men. In the smallest villages, perched like eyries on the mountain peaks of the Andes, one beholds the ludicrous mixture of military affairs with the every-day occurrences of life ; not unfrequently a colonel of the nd- Uda. activa — active miUtia — may be seen, with his uniform on, ar- ranging the bunches of garlic in his shop, or selhng a bundle oipuros to a chance customer. This fondness for titles, and for the glare and ornament of official dress, always accompanies the early stages, as well as the decay of civihzation ; and one scarcely knows to which of these causes to attribute it in Mexico, in which are seen so many of the features of both conditions of society. Even, since the war, we have seen these people elevating a military chieftain (Arista) to the chief magistracy; which is certainly a bad augury for the future prosperity of the country, especially whep 478 SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. it is recollected that this chief is one of the old revolutionists — ^he having headed, with General Duran, some years ago, the revolu- tion entitled "la revolucion de la religion y de las leyes" — the revolution of religion and the laws. In the best organized coun- tries, military men will carry with them into the executive chair, the habits of command which they have contracted in the camp. Even in our own country, we have had more than one example of the difficulty with which the despotic will of a military chieftain is confined within the pale of the constitution and the laws. In Mexico, military men, to the entire seclusion of civihans, have tyrannized over the country for a generation, without the least restraint. What has been, will be again. It is absolutely neces- sary, therefore, for the Mexican people, if they wish to establish the supremacy of the laws, to throw all these military men over- hoard; let them belong to what school they may. They are all dangerous, for the reason that they are military men, if for no other ; their habits, their love of power, their education, all unfit them for the discharge of civil duties. And then, it is humihat- ing in the last degree, that in the midst of the civilization of the nineteenth century, when the profession of arms has sunk to that subordinate condition, in which it should always remain in well organized states, that a people, by dint of party-organization and faction, should be denied the privilege of selecting their rulers from among the great statesmen of the country, and compelled to put up instead, with the talents of third and fourth-rate men, merely because these possess that sort of ad captandum prestige which appeals to the more barbarous parts of our nature ! If the military were merely a class in Mexico, perhaps it would not be so difficult to get rid of it, but unfortunately it has its roots so deep in the hearts of all classes, that it cannot be torn out without great convulsions. The soldier represents all parties, and is, by turns, identified with them all. He foments and keeps alive civil commotions, but he does not alone produce them. He is the exponent of the church, of the agricultural interest, of the manu- facturing interest, of centralism, of federalism, in fine, of every- thing. Without him commotions may not entirely cease, but with him they will be sure to continue. The first step, therefore, is to get rid of him. And now is the most opportune moment, when SERVICE AFLOAT AND ASHORE. 479 he has lost most of the prestige which he possessed previous to the war. The army once removed, by a slow and gradual process (as by permitting the turbulent old chiefs to retain their commis- sions on half pay, and not filling vacancies, as they are removed by death), the elements of society which remain, will have a better opportunity of coalescing. These elements, as yet, are many and discordant, but the discord, which exists among them, is a discord of details, and not of principles. All men are agreed as to the fundamental form of government ; and surely matters of mere policy may be discussed and arranged, without the gov- ei-nment's being rent in pieces by the discussion. In the thirty years of convulsions which have ensued, since the declaration of Mexican independence, many of the sharp points of party have already worn off, and much experience in the art of government has been gained. Let us, therefore, hope that a new era will arise in Mexico, and that she will profit by the lessons of expe- rience she has already received, and particularly by the last and terrible lesson of the war. Kespeet is the first step toward a last- ing friendship ; our turbulent and proud sister has been taught to respect us, and I have but little doubt, that henceforth, she will cultivate with us the most friendly relations. The next genera- tion of Mexicans may have cause to look back with satisfaction upon the struggle of their country with the United States, as the starting point whence a new impetus was given her, in that great race of civilization, which is to fit her for her ultimate incorpora- tion into the Anglo-American family. ADDENDUM. It will be recollected that Commodore Perry relieved Commo- dore Conner in the command of the Home Squadron, during the .siege of Vera Cruz. An impression has, in consequence, gone abroad in the navy, that the former officer sought the command of this squadron, and was therefore guilty of some want of gene- rosity toward the latter. I deem it but justice to Commodore Perry to state, that I have seen abundant evidence to the con- trary. The command of the squadron was spontaneously tendered him by Mr. Secretary Bancroft, more than a year before — at the expiration of Commodore Conner's regular term of service. — Commodore Conner, when relieved, had served a year longer than the prescribed period, and Commodore Perry's orders were positive to assume the command. These two gallant men have no superiors in the navy, in all those qualities which should adorn the naval officer ; and while ample justice should be rendered Commodore Conner, for his untiring and self-sacrificing services in the war, like justice should be rendered his successor, for the disinterested manner in which he became possessed of the com- mand, and for his many bold and daring enterprises, undertaken and prosecuted with signal energy and ability. (480)