CHAPTER XIX.
FALL OF THE CAPITAL.
August-September, 1847.
Panic at Mexico — Scott is Lured into an Armistice — Delusive Peace Negotiations — Patriotic Sentiments — Santa Anna Manœuvring to Gain Time — Mutual Recriminations — Molino del Rey — Capture and Recapture of the Battery — Some Mexican Heroes — A Barren Triumph — Inner Defences of the Capital — The Hill Fortress of Chapultepec — Bombardment and Storming of the Castle — Worth Carries the Gate of San Cosme — Quitman's Operations against Belen — Santa Anna Evacuates the City — Entry of Scott — A Patriotic Uprising
Within the walls of Mexico all was panic and con fusion. The very stillness following the battle had cast an ominous chill upon the people, which spread with the creeping shades of night and the threatening clouds — a fitting pall for the scattered slain. None knew but that the Yankees might be stealing up in the darkness, or lurking beneath the walls; and the bugle-sound of the retreating bands, now growing fainter in the distance, might fall with startling blasts before the coming dawn. There was relief, therefore, in the patter of the rain, in the calls of stalking sen tries, and in the excitement of preparations for de fence, with the hurrying adjutants bearing orders, the tramp of marching regiments, and the bustling noise of sapper parties. Santa Anna was the guiding spirit. With all his blunders and failures, he was still the only one to whom the people could turn, with his energy arid tact, his resolution and ability for providing means and organization.
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