edge of the city, overlooking the river, ran a stone wall four feet thick, with embrasures for guns, and banquettes for infantry. Upon the west was an isolated hill, called Loma de Independencia, towering up to a height of seven hundred feet, and sloping towards the town on the east, but presenting a steep and almost perpendicular acclivity on the west. On the summit of this hill was a gun-battery, with a breastwork of sand-bags, and about midway of the slope a strongly fortified structure, called the Bishop's palace, with outworks of masonry, containing two or three guns mounted in barbette. About six hundred yards south of the hill of Independence, and on the opposite side of the Arroyo San Juan, between the two gorges of the Saltillo road, was Federacion hill, with strong batteries on its crest, and the Soldada fort on the same height, but retired about six hundred yards from the batteries. This hill not only commanded the hill of Independence, but guarded all the approaches to the town in that quarter. The city itself was one continued fortification. The plazas and streets were barricaded and defended by artillery. Breast works were thrown up in every direction. The walls of the cemetery on the west side of the town, the sides of the houses, the parapets on the house-tops, and even the garden walls, were pierced with crénelés and loop-holes for musketry; and wherever the firm mason-work was deemed insufficient, sand-bags were provided for the protection of those behind them. The cathedral in the main plaza was the principal magazine for the ammunition. Months had been spent in completing these defences; fortytwo pieces of artillery were planted in different quarters of the town; and General Ampudia had with him about 7,000 regular troops, and two or three thousand 164 GENERAL WORTH DETACHED. volunteers and citizens,-yet strongly fortified as was his position, by nature and art, it was doomed to fall before the resistless energy of the American soldiers. Reconnaissances of the city and its defences were made, on the eastern side, by Captain Williams of the topographical engineers, and on the west by Major Mansfield, of the corps of engineers. The latter reported that the enemy's position could be turned by throwing forward a column to the Saltillo road, and carrying the detached works in its vicinity. General Worth was selected, with his division and Colonel Hays' Texan regiment, to execute the important enterprise. He commenced his march from General Taylor's camp, at two o'clock in the afternoon of the 20th; his men being supplied with two days' rations, but taking no tents. Making a wide circuit to the right he reached the Presquina Grande road at six o'clock, having traversed only six miles, on account of the delay in making the route practicable for artillery. Halting his division out of range of the battery on the hill of Independence, a reconnaissance was made to the intersection of the Presquina Grande road with the Saltillo road, and the troops bivouacked at their position during the night. The movement had not escaped the notice of the enemy, and reinforcements were thrown towards the Bishop's palace and the height above it. In order to divert their attention, General Taylor directed the divisions under Generals Butler and Twiggs to be displayed in front of the town until dark. In the night the mortar and twenty-four-pounder howitzers were placed in battery, with a view of opening a fire upon the citadel on the succeeding day. Early in the morning of the 21st, General Worth put his division again in motion, having written a note to SKIRMISH AT SAN JEROMINO. 165 General Taylor, suggesting a diversion in his favor, on the north and east of the town. The road wound in and out around the ridges projecting from the mountains on the west, and sometimes brought the column. within range of the batteries on the hill of Independence. On turning one of these angles, at the hacienda of San Jeromino, a strong force of Mexican cavalry and infantry came suddenly upon the advance, which consisted of Hays' Texans, supported by the light companies of the first brigade under Captain C. F. Smith, and Duncan's battery. The rangers met the charge with a deadly fire from their unerring rifles, and the light companies also opened upon the attacking party. Duncan's battery was in action in a moment, together with a section of Lieutenant Mackall's battery. The conflict lasted about fifteen minutes, when, as the whole first brigade had now formed to the front, the enemy retired in disorder along the 'Saltillo road; closely followed by the Americans, who took possession of the gorge, and thus prevented their return to the city, and excluded all reinforcements and supplies from entering in that direction. The enemy left one hundred of their men, either killed or wounded, on the ground, and among them a colonel of lancers. General Worth halted his division at the opening of the gorge, but on discovering that his men were still within reach of the enemy's fire, he advanced about half a mile further on the Saltillo road. At twelve o'clock, Captain C. F. Smith was detached with four companies of the artillery battalion, and six companies of Texan rangers, on foot, under Major Chevalier, about three hundred men in all, to storm the batteries on Federacion hill. The movement could not be masked, • "General Worth rode up as the command moved off, and pointing |