The Second Conquest Of The Capital Of Mexico


The ancient city of Mexico, the capital of the Aztecs and their Spanish

successors, has been the scene of two great military events, its siege and

capture by Cortez the conqueror in 1521, and its capture by the American

army under General Scott in 1847, three and a quarter centuries later. Of

the remarkable career of Cortez we have given the most striking incident,

the story of the thrilling Noche triste and the victory of Otumba.


series of interesting tales might have been told of the siege that

followed, but we prefer to leave that period of mediaeval cruelty and

injustice and come down to the events of a more civilized age.



One of the most striking scenes in the campaign of 1847 was the taking of

the fortified hill of Chapultepec, but before describing this we may

briefly outline the events of which it formed the dramatic culmination.

Vera Cruz, "the city of the True Cross," founded by Cortez in 1520, was

the scene of the American landing, and was captured by the army under

General Scott in March, 1847. Then, marching inland as Cortez had done

more than three centuries before, the American army, about twelve thousand

strong, soon began to ascend the mountain-slope leading from the torrid

sea-level plain to the high table-land of the old Aztec realm.



Sixty miles from Vera Cruz the American forces came to the mountain-pass

of Cerro Gordo, where Santa Anna, the president of Mexico, awaited the

invaders with an army of thirteen thousand men. The heights overhanging

the road bristled with guns, and the lofty hill of Cerro Gordo was

strongly fortified, rendering the place almost impregnable to an attack

from the direction of Vera Cruz. Scott was too able a soldier to waste the

lives of his men in such a perilous assault, and took the wiser plan of

cutting a new road along the mountain-slopes and through ravines out of

sight of the enemy, to the Jalapa road in the Mexican rear. An uphill

charge from this point gave the Americans command of all the minor hills,

leaving to the Mexicans only the height of Cerro Gordo, with its

intrenchments and the strong fortress on its summit.



On the 18th of April this hill, several hundred feet in rugged height, was

assailed in front and rear, the Americans gallantly climbing the steep

rocks in the face of a deadly fire, carrying one barricade after another,

and at length sweeping over the ramparts of the summit fortress and

driving the defenders from their stronghold down the mountain-side. Santa

Anna took with him only eight thousand men in his hasty retreat, leaving

three thousand as prisoners in the American hands, with forty-three pieces

of bronze artillery and a large quantity of ammunition. Within a month

afterwards Scott's army marched into the city of Puebla, on the

table-land, sixty-eight miles from the capital. Here they rested for

several months, awaiting reinforcements.



On August 7 the army resumed its march, now less than eleven thousand

strong, the term of several regiments having expired and their places been

partly filled by untried men, none of whom had ever fired a gun in war. On

they went, up-hill still, passing the remains of the old city of Cholula

with its ruined Aztec pyramid, and toiling through a mountain region till

Rio Frio was reached, fifty miles from Puebla and more than ten thousand

feet above the level of the sea.



A few miles farther and the beautiful valley of Mexico lay suddenly

revealed before them like a vision of enchantment. It was a scene of

verdant charm, the bright green of the fields and groves diversified with

the white walls of villages and farm-houses, the silvery flow of streams,

and the gleaming surface of winding lakes, while beyond and around a wall

of wooded mountains ascended to snowy peaks. It was a scene of summer

charm that had not been gazed upon by an invading army since the days when

Cortez and his men looked down upon it with warm delight.



The principal lakes visible were Lake Chalco, with the long, narrow lake

of Xochimilco near it, and seven miles to the north Lake Tezcuco, near the

western shore of which the city of Mexico was visible. Between Chalco and

Tezcuco ran the national road, for much of its length a narrow causeway

between borders of marsh-land. Near Lake Xochimilco was visible the

Acapulco road. Strong works of defence commanded both these highways.






ON THE BORDER OF LAKE CHALCO.





Scott chose the Acapulco road for his route of approach, the national road

being commanded by the lofty and strongly fortified hill of El Penon,

precipitous on one side, and surrounded by marshes and a deep ditch on the

other. The Acapulco road was defended by strongly garrisoned fortresses at

Contreras and Churubusco, but seemed more available than the other route.

Still farther north and west of the capital was a third approach to it

over the road to Toluco, defended by works at Molino del Rey and by the

fortified hill of Chapultepec. It was evident that the army under Scott

would go through some severe and sanguinary fighting before the city could

be reached.



It is not our purpose to describe the various engagements by which this

work was accomplished. It must suffice to say that the strong hill fort of

Contreras was taken by a surprise, being approached by a road leading to

its rear during the night and taken by storm at sunrise, seventeen minutes

sufficing for the important victory. The garrison fled in dismay, after

losing heavily.



An advance was made the same day on the nearby Mexican works at San

Antonio and Churubusco, and with the same result. The garrison at San

Antonio, fearful of being cut off by the American movement, evacuated the

works and retired upon Churubusco, hotly pursued. The Americans, inspired

by success, carried all before them, taking the works at the bridge of

Churubusco by an impetuous charge and soon putting the enemy to flight.

Meanwhile, General Shields attacked the Mexican reserve, consisting of

four thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry, whose line was broken

by a bayonet charge.



The whole Mexican force was, by these well-devised movements, forced back

in terrible confusion, and was quickly fleeing in panic. The fugitives

were cut down by the pursuing Americans, who followed to the immediate

defences of the capital, where the pursuit was checked by a heavy fire of

grape-shot. Thus in one day the Americans, nine thousand strong, had

captured three strong positions, held by three times their number, the

Mexicans losing in killed, wounded, and prisoners over six thousand men,

while the American loss in killed and wounded was less than a thousand.



Negotiations for peace followed, but they came to nothing, the armistice

that had been declared terminating on the 7th of September. The problem

that now lay before General Scott was a very different one from that which

Cortez had faced in his siege of the city. In his day Mexico was built on

an island in the centre of a large lake, which was crossed by a number of

causeways, broken at intervals by canals whose bridges could be removed.



During the centuries that succeeded this lake had disappeared, low, marshy

lands occupying its site. The city, however, was still reached by

causeways, eight in number, raised about six feet above the marsh level.

In these ended the five main roads leading to the city. A large canal

surrounded the capital, and within its circle were smaller ones, all now

filled with water, as this was the rainy season. The problem of bridging

these under fire was one of the difficulties that confronted the

Americans.



General Scott decided to approach the city by the causeways of San Cosme,

Belen, and Tacubaya, which were defended by formidable works, the

outermost of which was Molino del Rey, a fortified position at the foot of

a slope beyond which a grove of cypresses led to the hill of Chapultepec.

It consisted of a number of stone buildings, some of which had been used

as a foundry, but which were now converted into fortresses. This place was

carried by storm in the early morning of September 8, and the stronger

position of Casa de Mata, a quarter of a mile from Chapultepec, was

captured by a fierce assault the same day. Only Chapultepec now lay

between the Americans and the Mexican capital.



The stronghold of Chapultepec, of which the places just taken were in the

nature of outworks, remained to be captured before the city could be

reached from that quarter. Chapultepec is an isolated rocky hill, about

one hundred and fifty feet in height, and was surmounted by a large stone

building which had been used as the bishop's palace, but was now converted

into a strong fortress. It was well prepared for defence in guns and

garrison, and was the most difficult to win of the fortifications of the

capital. The western side was the most accessible, but the face of this,

above the grove of cypresses which covered its base, presented a steep,

rocky, and difficult ascent.



To deceive the enemy, a feigned advance upon another section of the city

was made on the 12th of September. The two divisions engaged in this

returned that night to Tacubaya, near Chapultepec, though a force still

threatened the southern causeways. Four batteries had been posted within

easy range of the castle of Chapultepec during the night of the 11th, and

all next day they kept up a steady fire upon it, driving its defenders

back and partly wrecking the walls. On the morning of the 13th the

batteries resumed their fire, while the forces chosen for the assault

approached the hill from different directions through the fire of the

enemy.



Two assaulting columns of two hundred and fifty picked men each, from

Worth's and Twigg's divisions, advanced with scaling ladders, while the

batteries threw shot and shell over their heads to drive the defenders

from the walls. Major-General Pillow led his division through the grove on

the east side, but he quickly fell with a dangerous wound, and General

Cadwalader succeeded him. Before him was a broken and rocky ascent, with a

redoubt midway in its height. Up the steep rocks climbed the gallant

stormers, broke into the redoubt with a wild cheer, and put its defenders

to flight. On up the steep they then clambered, passing without injury the

mines which the Mexicans had planted, but which they could not fire

without killing their own men. In a few minutes more the storming party

reached the summit and climbed over the castle wall with shouts of

victory, driving back its defenders. Soon the United States flag was seen

floating over the ramparts, a roar of cheers greeting the inspiring

spectacle.



On the southeast Quitman's column of assault was making like progress,

while Smith's brigade captured two batteries at the foot of the hill on

the right, and Shield's brigade crossed the meadows under a hot fire of

musketry and artillery and swept up the hill to the support of the

stormers.



Thus the castle of Chapultepec, the last and strongest citadel of the

Mexicans, had fallen before an impetuous charge up a hill deemed

inaccessible, in the face of a hot fire, and the city itself lay at the

mercy of the invaders. The causeway which it defended formed a double

roadway on each side of a great aqueduct, with stone arches and pillars.

Shields charged impetuously along this causeway, towards the city, two

miles distant, while Quitman pursued the fleeing enemy along the

neighboring causeway of Belen.



An aide sent by Scott came riding up to Shields to bid him halt till

Worth, who was following the San Cosme causeway, could force its defences.

The aide politely saluted the eagerly advancing general and began,

"General Scott presents his compliments



"I have no time for compliments just now," roared out Shields, and spurred

briskly onward to escape the unwelcome orders which he felt were coming.

Soon he had led his men into the suburbs of the city, while Worth and

Quitman charged inward over the neighboring causeways with equal

impetuosity.



A strong force was quickly within the streets of the city, assailed by

skirmishers firing from houses and gardens, who could be reached only by

forcing a way in with pickaxes and bars. Two guns were brought in by

Worth's column and planted in position to batter down the San Cosme gate,

the barrier to the great square in the city's centre, and which fronted

the cathedral and palace. Quitman and Shields had to fight their way

through as hot a fire, and as they charged inward found themselves before

the citadel, mounting fifteen guns. At this point a severe loss was

sustained, but the assailants held their own, mounting guns to attack the

citadel the next morning.



These guns were not used. Before daylight a deputation of the city council

waited on General Scott and announced that the army had evacuated the

city, and the government officials had fled. It was not long afterwards

before the Stars and Stripes were floating over the National Palace and in

the great plaza.



Fighting continued for a day longer between the Americans and about four

thousand soldiers and liberated convicts, who fought with desperate fury

for their country and were not put down without considerable loss. On the

morning of September 16 the army of the United States held undisputed

possession of the famous old capital of Mexico. Fighting continued,

however, elsewhere for some months later, and it was not till the 2d of

February, 1848, that a treaty of peace was signed.



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