de honor formed a part, started from Orizaba, accompanied as far as El Ingenio by some French officers and a number of citizens. Early in this month Cuapiaxtla was occupied, and the next place entered by the auxiliaries was Huamantla. Comonfort then extended his army of the centre to the town of Ixtacuixtla, and went to Tlascala to see to its defence. Marquez established his headquarters at Ixtenco. Juarez visited Puebla in February and reviewed his army. Gonzalez Ortega had been working incessantly on the fortifications. The city was surrounded by nine important outworks, besides other minor fortifications, with ditches, ramparts, and parapets. The following were the names of the nine forts, and hills on which they were built, namely: Guadalupe, on the hill of the same name; Independencia, on La Misericordia; Zaragoza, on Los Remedios; Ingenieros, on the Totimehuacan; Hidalgo, on the Cármen; Morelos, on the Parral; Iturbide on the San Javier; La Reforma, on the Santa Anita; Cinco de Mayo, on the Loreto.[1] The inner line depended upon the blocks of buildings, strong where they centred around some one of the numerous churches and convents with their massive walls. These had parapets, and were crenellated, and connected across the streets by a network of barricades with embrasures, the number of cannon being about 200.[2]
At last on the 23d Forey began his march, after a
- ↑ The defence of the line comprised between forts Cinco de Mayo, Guadalupe, and Independencia was intrusted to Gen. Berriozábal of the 1st division, with generals Hinojosa, Gayoso, and Osorio under him; that between forts La Reforma or Demócrata and Iturbide, to Gen. Antillon of the 3d division, with Col Macías and Gen. Rojo under his orders; that between forts Hidalgo and Morelos, to Gen. Aiatorre of the 4th division, with Gen. Ghilardi and Col Auza, in command of those forts respectively; that between forts Zaragoza and Ingenieros was in charge of Gen. La Llave of the 5th division, the forts being commanded respectively by generals Pinzon and Patoni. Ortega, Parte Gen., 15-16; Niox, Expéd. du Mex., 250-1, 256-7; La Estrella de Occid., Jan. 16, 1863.
- ↑ Gen. Mejía, commanding a detached brigade, was under the immediate orders of gen. headquarters, and had charge of the interior defences. Gen. Negrete, commander of the 2d division, formed with it the general reserve of the army corps.
