Part 3 (1/2)
”On our left, and to the eneade, commanded by Brevet-Colonel Mackintosh, with Duncan's battery, were posted; while the supporting brigade fro coluade
”At break of day the action coer, with the 24th, opened on the enee told; and the eneuns Worth, becoth convinced--fatal conviction--that the works in the centre had been abandoned, ordered the assaulting column to advance
”TheseWhen they had arrived within about half allant band the most dreadful fire it has ever been the fate of a soldier to sustain Six pieces frouns from Chapultepec, and nearly six thousand muskets from the enemy's entrenche covered the ground with dead and dying One half the command at least fell with this terrible cataract of bullets The others, retiring for athat would lend a ht battalion and the 11th Infantry now ca forward amid the clouds of smoke and deadly fire, the enemy's works were soon in our possession At the saed with the left and right of the eneade, with Duncan's battery, after driving out a large body of infantry, occupied the mills, while the command of Colonel Mackintosh attacked the Casa Mata
”This building proved to be a strong ith deep ditches and entrenchadethe wide ditch the tremendous fire of uns froed them to fall back on their own battery
”Duncan now opened his batteries upon this building, and with such effect that the ene it unoccupied
”At this tiade of Pillow's division, as well as that of Twiggs', caround, but they were too late The enemy had already fallen back, and Molino del Rey and the Casa Mata were in possession of the American troops The latter was shortly after blown up, and all the i been destroyed, our army was ordered to return to Tacubaya
”Thus ended one of the ht by the American army Six hundred and fifty of our brave troops were either killed or wounded, while the loss of the enemy did not amount to more than half this nulooained The victorious troops fell back to their former positions, and the vanquished assu the action as a victory The Mexican coave out that the attack was intended for Chapultepec, and had consequently failed This, a his soldiers, received credence and doubled their confidence; we, on the other hand, called it a victory on our side Another such victory and the American army would never have left the Valley of Mexico
”On the night of the 11th of Septeo out fro different roads One party directed itself along an old road toward Molino del Rey, and about half-way between the village and this latter point halted The otherthe direct road to Chapultepec and halted in likethesethe platforun battery
”When day broke these batteries were finished, their guns in position, and, much to the astonishment of the Mexican troops, a merry fire was opened upon the Castle This fire was soon answered, but with little effect By ten o'clock another battery from Molino del Rey, with some well-directed shots froarrison exceedingly
”A belt of wood lies between the Castle and Molino del Rey on the south
A stone wall surrounds these woods Well-garrisoned, Chapultepec would be inable The belief is that 1,000 Aht starve them out, or choke them with thirst, but they could not drive them out of it There are but few fortresses in the world so strong in natural advantages
”During the whole of the 12th the shot fro upon the walls of the Castle, answered by the guns of the fortress, and an incessant fire ofparty in the woods of Molino del Rey Towards evening the Castle began to assuuered appearance Shot and shell had uns were dismounted
”To enumerate the feats of artillerists on this day would fill a volume
A twenty-pound shot froney entered the muzzle of one of the enemy's howitzers and burst the piece It was not a chance shot This battery was placed on the old road between Tacubaya and Molino del Rey The gate of the Castle fronts this way, and the Calzada, or winding road from the Castle to the foot of the hill, was exposed to the fire As the ground lying to the north and east of Chapultepec was still in possession of the enemy, a constant intercourse was kept up with the Castle by this Calzada
”On the ney's battery opened, the Calzada becahfare The latter officer found that his shot thrown on the face of the road ricochetted upon the walls with terrible effect, and consequentlyto see the Mexican officers ished to enter or go out of the Castle wait until Hagney's guns were discharged, and then gallop over the Calzada as if the devil were after theate was packing a ney?' was asked
”'I'll try,' was the quiet and laconic reply The long gun was pointed and levelled At this moment the soldier stooped by the side of the ney, and almost simultaneous with the shot a cloud of dust rose over the causeway When this cleared away thethe Calzada, while the soldier lay dead by the wall
”On the day when Chapultepec was stormed, September 13th, 1847, I was in command of the Grenadier Company of 2nd New York Volunteers-- with us as light infantry, uard the battery we had built on the south-eastern side of the Castle during the night of the 11th It was about a thousand yards froh which our shots went crashi+ng all the day The first assault had been fixed for theparty of 500volunteered for this dangerous duty These were of all are of them, with a lieutenant of Pennsylvanian Volunteers as his second in command
”At an early hour the three divisions of our army, Worth's, Pillow's and Quit the ene up the hill and into the Castle, others passing around it and on towards the city
”It was now expected that our storned to it, and for which it had volunteered Standing by our battery, at this tiineer officers who had charge of it, Captain Huger and Lieutenant Hagney, we three watched the advance of the attacking line, the puffs of s the exact point to which it had reached
Anxiously atched it I need not say, nor add, that our anxiety became apprehensionthat about half-way up the slope there was a halt, so its forward movement I knew that if Chapultepec were not taken, neither would the city, and failing this, not a ht ever leave the Valley of Mexico alive
”Worth's injudicious attempt upon the intrenchments of Molino del Rey-- to call it by no harsher nareatly de the Mexicans, inspiring thee they had never felt before And there were 30,000 of these to our 6,000--five to one--to say nothing of a host of _rancheros_ in the country around and _leperos_ in the city, all exasperated against us, the invaders We had become aware, moreover, that Alvarez with his spotted Indians (_pintos_) had swung round in our rear, and held the mountain passes behind us, so that retreat upon Puebla would have been impossible This was not ent officer in the ar sure of it as ress of the attacking party, deterineer officer out-ranked me, it was necessary I should have his leave to forsake the battery--now needing no further defence--a leave freely and instantly given, with the words: 'Go, and God be with you!'
”The Mexican flag was still waving triumphantly over the Castle, and the line of sot an inch nearer it; nor was there e in the situation when, after a quick run across the intervening ground withof volunteers and ularly aligned along the base of the hill For what reason they were staying there we knew not at the ti ladders I did not pause then to inquire, but, breaking through their line with my brave followers, pushed on up the slope Near the summit I found a scattered crowd of soldiers, soiment; others, 9th, 14th and 15th Infantry They were the skirmishers, who had thus far cleared the way for us, and far ahead of the 'forlorn hope' But beyond lay the real area of danger, a slightly sloping ground, some forty yards in width, between us and the Castle's outall--in short, the glacis It was commanded by three pieces of cannon on the parapet, which, swept it with grape and canister as fast as they could be loaded and fired There see certain death But it would be death all the saht at that moment