Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/83

From French sources we have it that the investing force consisted of 26,300 men.^[1] Every assault except the last made on Fort Iturbide — which resulted in its capture on the 29th of March^[2] — had been repulsed. The taking of this fort cost a good deal of blood. Before that whenever a body of the besieged troops wished to break the lines, it rarely found difficulty in doing so.^[3] After the loss of the Iturbide, Ortega strengthened his second line running between forts Hidalgo and Reforma, his left being supported by the former and his right by the latter.^[4]

Forey now began a systematic inroad on the line of house blocks behind the Iturbide works, and his success from the first caused much alarm among the besieged. General Diaz, who had been commanding Berriozábal's second brigade, was detached and placed in charge of the most exposed quarter, consisting of seventeen blocks, the strong point of which was the Iriarte house, or meson de San Márcos. He planned a new system of defence, but before it could be completed, the French, who had worked the whole day at opening breaches and advancing their guns, canie upon him in force. Toward sunset the balls crashed through the masonry of the San Márcos, and soon made yawning breaches at both extremes. Then,

Col Prisciliano Flores was adjutant-general of infantry, and Col J. Nicolás Prieto of cavalry. Id., 41-2, 44.

1. Eighteen thousand infantry, 1,400 cavalry, 2,150 artillerymen, 450 engineers, 2,300 troupes d'administration, 2,000 Mexican allies. Niox, Expéd. du Mex., 247. Arrangoiz, Méj., iii. 112, gives the force at 36,000, which is probably somewhat in excess, 'tan superior al sitiado, en número, disciplina, y recursos,'
2. This was effected by first capturing El Penitenciario, which had not been at first fortified; the fall of the Iturbide following as a consequence. According to Arrangoiz, Forey might have taken it the same day that he came in sight of Puebla. Méj., iii. 111.
3. In the night of April 13th, O'Horan and Col Vicente Riva Palacio with about 1,500 cavalry broke the lines and marched to Tlascala through a narrow road, though guarded by the French 83th, a number of whose men were slain and wounded, and some taken prisoners. The escaping force did not lose a man.
4. At this time Comonfort, in order to carry out a plan of attack, asked Ortega for 5,000 or 6,000 men, who were not furnished him, for obvious reasons. Juarez in a confidential letter justly approved of Ortega's action. Ortega, Parte Gen., 65-6.