Complete history of the late Mexican war/Battle of Mexico
BATTLE OF MEXICO.
Sept. 7th, General Scott began to reconnoitre the different approaches to the city within his reach. In the afternoon, a large body of the enemy were seen around the Molinos del Rey (Mills), about a mile and a third from Tucubaya, the head-quarters of our army. These mills were repositories of ammunition, and there was a foundry there for casting cannon. There was a formidable castle in the hands of the enemy on the heights of Chapultepec, between the mills and the gates of the capital. There were eight city gates strongly fortified. It was impossible to stop communication between the mills and the capital, without first taking the castle. Preparatory to storming it, it was thought best to capture the mills. Accordingly, on the 8th, General Worth's division, re-enforced by Cadwallader's brigade. Pillow's division, three squadrons of dragoons under Major Sumner, and some heavy guns of the siege train under Capt. Huger of the ordnance, and Capt. Drum of the 7th artillery, undertook the enterprise. They moved towards the enemy and soon met them. There was much energy manifested on both sides. The enemy several times were re-enforced, and the action becoming much more general than was expected. General Scott called to our aid from the distance of three miles, Gen. Pillow, with his remaining brigade (Pierce's), and then Riley's brigade of Twiggs' division. These forces approached with great rapidity; but the victory was won just as General Pierce reached the ground and placed his command between Worth's division and the retreating enemy. Thus again were our forces victorious. Various daring reconnoisances now took place, of the castle and approaches to the city. The latter stands on a slight swell of ground, near the centre of an irregular basin, and is girdled with a ditch in its greater extent—a navigable canal of great breadth and depth—very difficult to bridge, in the presence of an enemy, having eight entrenches or gates, over arches—each of which was defended by a system of strong works that seemed to require nothing but some men and guns to be impregnable.
Outside and within the cross-fire of those gates, to the. south, are other obstacles but little less formidable. All approaches near the city were over elevated causeways, cut in many places (to oppose us) and flanked on both sides, by ditches also of unusual dimensions. The numerous cross-roads were flanked, in like manner, having bridges at the intersections, recently broken. The meadows thus checked, were, moreover, in many spots, under water or marshy.
After close observation, it was decided, on the 11th, to move round to the south-west and west part of the capital, believing that the approaches would present less formidable obstacles. Accordingly, Scott ordered Quitman's division from Coyoacan, to join Pillow by daylight, before the southern gates, and that they should by night, proceed (two miles) to join Scott at Tucubaya, where he was quartered with Worth's division. Twiggs, with Riley's brigade and Captains Taylor's and Steptoe's field batteries—the latter 12-pounders—was left in front of those gates—to manœuvre, to threaten, or to make false attacks, in order to occupy and deceive the enemy. Twiggs' other brigade (Smith's) was left at supporting distance, in the rear, at San Angel, till the morning of the 13th, and also to support our general depot at Miscoaque. The stratagem against the south was admirably executed throughout the 12th, and down to the afternoon of the 13th, when it was too late for the enemy to recover from the effects of his delusion.
The first step in the new movement was to carry the Castle of Chapultepec. Besides a numerous garrison, here was the military college of the Republic with a large number of sub-lieutenants and other students. Those works were within direct gun-shot of the village of Tucubaya, and until carried, we could not approach the city on the west without making a circuit too wide and too hazardous.
During the same night (that of the 11th) heavy batteries were established. No. 1, on the right, under the command of Capt. Drum, 4th artillery (relieved late next day, for some hours, by Lieut. Andrews of the 3d), and No. 2, commanded by Lieut. Huger, ordnance—both supported by Quitman's division. Nos. 3 and 4, on the opposite side, supported by Pillow's division, were commanded, the former by Capt. Brooks and Lieut. S. S. Anderson, 2d artillery, alternately, and the latter by Lieut. Stone, ordnance.
The bombardment and cannonade, under the direction of Capt. Huger, were commenced early in the morning of the 12th, and before night a good impression had been made on the castle and its outworks.
Pillow and Quitman had been in position since early in the night of the 11th. In the morning, Worth was ordered to hold his division in reserve, near the foundry, to support Pillow; and Brigadier General Smith, of Twiggs' division, had just arrived with his brigade, from Piedad, [2 miles] to support Quitman. Twiggs' guns, before the southern gates, again reminded us, as the day before, that he, with Riley's brigade, and Taylor's and Steptoe's batteries, was in activity, threatening the southern gates, and there holding a great part of the Mexican army on the defensive.
Worth's division furnished Pillow's attack with an assaulting party of some 250 volunteer officers and men, under Capt. McKenzie, of the 2d artillery, and Twiggs' division supplied a similar one, commanded by Captain Casey, 2d infantry, to Quitman. Each of those little columns was furnished with scaling ladders.
The signal for the attack was to be the momentary cessation of fire on the part of our heavy batteries. About 8 o'clock a. m., of the 13th, Scott sent to Pillow and Quitman, with notice that the concerted signal was about to be given.
Both columns now advanced. The batteries threw shots and shells upon the enemy over the heads of our men, with good effect.
Major General Pillow's approach, on the west side, lay through an open grove, filled with sharp shooters, who were speedily dislodged; when, being up hill with the front of the attack, and emerging into open space, at the foot of a rocky acclivity, that gallant leader was struck down by an agonizing wound.
The immediate command devolved on General Cadwallader. On a previous call of Pillow, Worth had just sent him a reinforcement, Col. Clark's brigade.
The broken declivity was still to be ascended and a strong redoubt midway to be carried, before reaching the castle on the heights. The advance of our men, though necessarily slow, was unwavering, over rocks, chasms and mines, and under the hottest fire of cannon and musketry.
The enemy were steadily driven from shelter to shelter.—The retreat allowed not time to fire a single mine, without the certainty of blowing up friend and foe. Those, who, at a distance, attempted to apply matches to the long trains were shot down by our men.
There was death below as well as above ground. At length the ditch and wall of the main work were reached; the scaling ladders were brought up and planted by the storming parties; some of the daring spirits first in the assault were cast down—killed or wounded; but a lodgment was soon made; streams of heroes followed; all opposition was overcome, and several of our regimental colors flung out from the upper walls, amidst long-continued shouts and cheers, which sent dismay into the capital. No scene could have been more animating.
General Quitman, supported by Generals Shields and Smith, [P. F.] his other officers and men, was up with the part assigned him. Simultaneously with the movement on the west, he approached the southeast of the same works over a causeway with cuts and batteries, and defended by an army strongly posted outside, to the east of the works. Those formidable obstacles Quitman had to face, with but little shelter for his troops or space for manœuvring. Deep ditches, flanking the causeway, made it difficult to cross on either side into the adjoining meadows, and these again were intersected by other ditches. Smith and his brigade made a sweep to the right, in order to present a front against the enemy's line (outside), and to turn into intervening batteries, near the foot of Chapultepec. This movement was also intended to support Quitman's storming parties, both on the causeway. The first of these, furnished by Twiggs' division, was commanded in succession by Capt. Casey, 2d infantry, and Capt. Paul, 7th infantry, after Casey had been severely wounded; and the second, under Major Twiggs, marine corps, killed, and then Capt. Miller, 2d Pennsylvania volunteers. The storming party, now commanded by Capt. Paul, seconded by Captain Roberts of the rifles, Lieut. Stewart, and others of the same regiment. Smith's brigade, carried the two batteries in the road, took some guns, with many prisoners, and drove the enemy posted behind in support. The New York and South Carolina volunteers (Shields' brigade) and the 2d Pennsylvania volunteers, all on the left of Quitman's line, together with portions of his: storming parties, crossed the meadows in front, under a heavy fire, and entered the outer enclosure of Chapultepec, just in time to join in the final assault from the west.
Generals Pillow, Quitman, Shields, Smith, and Cadwallader, distinguished themselves in these brilliant operations. Also Colonel Andrews, Lieut. Col. Johnstone, Major Caldwell. Captains Barnard and Biddle.
These operations all occurred on the west, southeast, and heights of Chapultepec. To the north, and at the base of the mound, inaccessible on that side, the 11th infantry, under Lieut. Col. Hebert, the 14th, under Col. Trousdale, and Capt. Magruder's field battery, 1st artillery—one section advanced under Lieut. Jackson all of Pillow's division—had, at the same time, some spirited affairs against superior numbers, driving the enemy from a battery in the road, and capturing a gun. Col. Trousdale, the commander, though twice wounded, continued on duty until the heights were carried. Early in the morning of the 13th, Scott ordered Worth to support the movement of Pillow from our left. The latter soon called for that entire division, standing momentarily in reserve, and Worth sent him Col. Clark's brigade. The enemy in the road in front of Quitman's right, was receiving reinforcements from the city—less than a mile and a half to the east—and Worth, on our opposite flank, was ordered to return to Chapultepec with his division, and to proceed cautiously by the road at its northern base, in order, if not met by very superior numbers, to threaten or to attack, in rear, that body of the enemy.
Worth promptly advanced with his remaining brigade—Col. Garland's—Lieut. Col. C. F. Smith's light battalion, Lieut. Col. Duncan's squadrons of dragoons, under Major Sumner.
Having turned the forest on the west, and arriving opposite to the north centre of Chapultepec, Worth came up with the troops in the road, under Col. Trousdale, and aided by a flank movement of a part of Garland's brigade in taking the one-gun breastwork, then under the fire of Lieut. Jackson's section of Captain Magruder's field battery. Continuing to advance, this division passed Chapultepec, attacking the right of the enemy's line, resting on that road, about the moment of the general retreat consequent upon the capture of the formidable castle and its outworks.
There are two routes from Chapultepec to the capital—the one on the right entering the same gate, Belen, with the road from the south, via Piedad; and the other obliquing to intersect the great western, or San Cosme road, in a suburb outside of the gate of San Cosme.
Each of these routes (an elevated causeway) presents a double roadway on the sides of an aqueduct of strong masonry, and great height, resting on open arches and massive pillars, which, together, afford fine points both for attack and defence. The sideways of both aqueducts are, moreover, defended by many strong breast works at the gates, and before reaching them.
Worth and Quitman were prompt in pursuing the retreating enemy—the former by the San Cosme aqueduct, and the latter along that of Belen. Each had now advanced some hundred yards. The enemy fled in dismay.
Scott now despatched from Chapultepec—first Clarke's brigade, and then Cadwallader's, to the support of Worth, and gave orders that the necessary heavy guns should follow. Pierce's brigade was, at the same time, sent to Quitman, and, in the course of the afternoon, some additional siege pieces were added to his train. Scott joined the advance of Worth, within the suburb, and beyond the turn at the junction of the aqueduct with the great highway from the west, to the gate of San Cosme.
At this junction of roads, we first passed one of those formidable systems of city defences spoken of above, and it had not a gun!
Within those disgarnished works our troops were engaged in a street fight against the enemy posted in gardens, at windows, and on house-tops—all flat, with parapets. Worth ordered forward the mountain howitzers of Cadwallader's brigade, preceded by skirmishers and pioneer with pickaxes and crowbars, to force windows and doors, and burrow through walls. The assailants were soon in an equality of position fatal to the enemy. By 8 o'clock in the evening Worth had carried two batteries in this suburb. He here posted guards and sentinels, and placed his troops under shelter for the night. There was but one more obstacle—the San Cosme 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.
Scott had gone back to the foot of Chapultepec, the point from which the two aqueducts begin to diverge, some hours earlier, in order to be near that new depôt, and in easy communication with Quitman and Twiggs, as well as with Worth.
General Scott ordered all detachments and stragglers to their respective corps, then in advance; sent to Quitman additional siege guns, ammunition, entrenching tools; directed Twiggs' remaining brigade (Riley's) from Piedad, to support Worth, and Captain Steptoe's field battery, also at Piedad, to rejoin Quitman's division.
Quitman, supported by Shields and Smith—Shields badly wounded at Chapultepec and refusing to retire—as well as by all the officers and men of the column—continued to press forward under flank and direct fires; carried an intermediate battery of two guns, and then the Belen or South-Western gate, before two o'clock in the afternoon, but not without severe loss, increased by his steady maintenance of that position.
Here, of the heavy battery—Capt. Drum and Lieut. Benjamin were mortally wounded, and Lieut Porter, its third in rank, slightly. Lieuts. J. B. Moragne and Wm. Canty, of the South Carolina volunteers, also of high merit, fell on the same occasion—besides many of our bravest non-commissioned officers and men.
Quitman, within the city—adding several new defences to the position he had won, and sheltering his corps as well as practicable—now awaited the return of daylight, under the guns of the formidable citadel yet to be subdued.
At about four o'clock next morning (Sept. 14), a deputation of the ayuntamiento (city council) waited on General Scott to report that the federal government and the army of Mexico had fled from the capital some three hours before, and to demand terms of capitulation in favor of the church, the citizens, and the municipal authorities. Scott promptly replied that he would sign no capitulation; that the city had been virtually in our possession from the time of the lodgments effected by Worth and Quitman the day before; that he regretted the silent escape of the Mexican army; that he should levy upon the city a moderate contribution, for special purposes; and that the American army should come under no terms, not self- imposed—such only as its own honor, the dignity of the United States, and the spirit of the age should, in his opinion, imperiously demand and impose.
At the termination of the interview with the city deputation, Worth and Quitman were ordered to advance slowly and cautiously (to guard against treachery) towards the heart of the city, and to occupy its stronger and more, commanding points. Quitman proceeded to the great plaza or square, planted guards, and hoisted the colors of the United States on the national palace, containing the halls of Congress and executive apartments of federal Mexico.
Soon after we entered, and were in the act of occupying the city, a fire was opened upon us from the flat roofs of the houses, from windows and corners of streets, by some 2,000 convicts, liberated the night before by the flying government—joined by, perhaps, as many more soldiers, who had disbanded themselves and thrown off their uniforms. This unlawful war lasted for more than twenty four hours, in spite of the exertions of the municipal authorities, and was not put down till we had lost many men, including several officers, killed or wounded, and had punished the miscreants.