Battle of Chapultepec.

parties, crossed the meadows in front, under a heavy fire and entered the outer inclosures of Chapultepec just in time to join in the final assault from the west.

Those operations all occurred on the west, south-east, and heights of Chapultepec. To the north, and at the base of the mound, inaccessible on that side, the 11th infantry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert, the 14th, under Colonel Trousdale, and Captain Magruder's field battery, 1st artillery-one section advanced under Lieutenant Jackson-all of Pillow's division-had, at the same time, some spirited affairs against superior numbers, driving the enemy from a battery in the road, and capturing a gun. In these, the officers and corps named gained merited praise. Colonel Trousdale, the commander, though twice wounded, continued on duty until the heights were carried.

Early in the morning of the thirteenth, I repeated the orders of the night before to Major-General Worth, to be, with his division at hand, to support the movement of Major-General Pillow from our left. The latter seems soon to have called for that entire division, standing, momentarily in reserve, and Worth sent him Colonel Clarke's brigade. The call, if not unnecessary, was at least, from the circumstances, unknown to me at the time; for soon observing that the very large body of the enemy, in the road in front of Major-General Quitman's right, was receiving reinforcements from the city -less than a mile and a half to the east-I sent instructions to Worth, on our opposite flank, to turn Chapultepec with his division, and to proceed, cautiously by the road at its northern base, in order, if not met by very superior numbers, to threaten or to attack, in rear,

Capture of Chapultepec.

that body of the enemy. The movement, it was also believed, could not fail to distract and to intimidate the enemy generally.

Worth promptly advanced with his remaining brigade -Colonel Garland's-Lieutenant-Colonel C. F. Smith's light battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan's field battery -all of his division-and three squadrons of dragoons, under Major Sumner, which I had just ordered up to join in the movement.

Having turned the forest on the west, and arriving opposite to the north centre of Chapultepec, Worth came up with the troops in the road under Colonel Trousdale, and aided by a flank movement of a part of Garland's brigade in taking the one gun breastwork, then under the fire of Lieutenant Jackson's section of Captain Magruder's field battery. Continuing to advance, this division passed Chapultepec, attacking the right of the enemy's line, resting on that road, about the moment of the general retreat consequent upon the capture of the formidable castle and its outposts.

Arriving some minutes later, and mounting to the top of the castle, the whole field to the east lay plainly under my view.

There are two routes from Chapultepec to the capital -the one on the right entering the same gate, Belen, with the road from the south via Piedad; and the other obliquing to the left, to intersect the Great Western, or San Cosme road, in a suburb outside of the gate of San Cosme.

Each of these routes (an elevated causeway) presents a double roadway on the sides of an aqueduct of strong masonry, and great height, resting on open arches and

Flight of the Mexicans.

massive pillars, which, together, afford fine points both for attack and defense. The sideways of both aqueducts are, moreover, defended by many strong breastworks at the gates, and before reaching them. As we had expected, we found the four tracts unusually dry and solid for the season.

Worth and Quitman were prompt in pursuing the retreating enemy-the former by the San Cosme aqueduct, and the latter along that of Belen. Each had now advanced some hundred yards.

Deeming it all-important to profit by our successes, and the consequent dismay of the enemy, which could not be otherwise than general, I hastened to despatch from Chapultepec-first Clarke's brigade, and then Cadwalader's, to the support of Worth, and gave orders that the necessary heavy guns should follow. Pierce's brigade was, at the same time, sent to Quitman, and, in the course of the afternoon, I caused some additional siege pieces to be added to his train. Then, after designating the 15th infantry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Howard-Morgan, the colonel, had been disabled by a wound at Churubusco-as the garrison of Chapultepec, and giving directions for the care of the prisoners of war, the captured ordnance and ordnance stores, I proceeded to join the advance of Worth, within the suburb, and beyond the turn at the junction of the aqueduct with the great highway from the west to the gate of San Cosme.

At this junction of roads, we first passed one of those formidable systems of city defenses, spoken of above, and it had not a gun!-a strong proof-1, That the enemy had expected us to fail in the attack upon

Street fight in the city of Mexico.

Chapultepec, even if we meant any thing more than a feint; 2, That, in either case, we designed, in his belief, to return and double our forces against the southern gates a delusion kept up by the active demonstrations of Twiggs and the forces posted on that side; and 3, That advancing rapidly from the reduction of Chapultepec, the enemy had not time to shift guns-our previous captures had left him, comparatively, but fewfrom the southern gates.

Within those disgarnished works, I found our troops engaged in a street fight against the enemy posted in gardens, at windows, and on house-tops-all flat, with parapets. Worth ordered forward the mountain howitzers of Cadwalader's brigade, preceded by skirmishers and pioneers, with pick-axes and crow-bars, to force windows and doors, or to burrow through walls. The assailants were soon in an equality of position fatal to the enemy. By eight o'clock in the evening, Worth had carried two batteries in this suburb. According to my instructions, he here posted guards and sentinels, and placed his troops under shelter for the night. There was but one more obstacle-the San Cosme gate (customhouse) between him and the great square in front of the cathedral and palace-the heart of the city; and the barrier, it was known, could not by daylight, resist our siege guns thirty minutes.

I had gone back to the foot of Chapultepec, the point from which the two aqueducts begin to diverge, some hours earlier, in order to be near that new depot, and in easy communication with Quitman and Twiggs as well as with Worth.

From this point I ordered all detachments and strag

Quitman in the city of Mexico.

glers to their respective corps then in advance; sent to Quitman additional siege guns, ammunition, intrenching tools; directed Twiggs's remaining brigade (Riley's) from Piedad to support Worth, and Captain Steptoe's field battery, also at Piedad, to rejoin Quitman's division.

I had been, from the first, well aware that the western, or San Cosme, was the less difficult route to the centre and conquest of the capital; and, therefore, intended that Quitman should only maneuver and threaten the Belen or south-western gate, in order to favour the main attack by Worth-knowing that the strong defenses at the Belen were directly under the guns of the much stronger, fortress, called the citadel, just within. Both of these defenses of the enemy were also within easy supporting distance from the San Angel (or Nino Perdido) and San Antonio gates. Hence the greatest support, in numbers, given to Worth's movement as the main attack.

Those views I repeatedly, in the course of the day, communicated to Major-General Quitman; but, being in hot pursuit-gallant himself, and supported by Brigadier-Generals Shields and Smith-Shields badly wounded before Chapultepec, and refusing to retire-as well as by all the officers and men of the column-Quitman continued to press forward, under flank and direct firescarried an intermediate battery of two guns, and then the gate, before two o'clock in the afternoon, but not without proportionate loss, increased by his steady maintenance of that position,

Quitman, within the city-adding several new defenses to the position he had won, and sheltering his corps as well as practicable-now awaited the return of