The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-10-12
BsHoP's PALACE, MONTEREY,
September "a, 1886.

/
i BusHoP's PALACE, MoErEREY,
| September "a, 1886.
! GENTLEMEN: dale both my letters on one day,
4 because obliged to foot up the news Of the last
| four days, having had no writing materials along
Even now, though write n a palace, am obliged
to hold the sheet of paper in one hand my knee,
for want Of desk. But have no time for extra
remarks-a chance offers to send you the news and
| must hurry to give you glance at what has been
i done here before the express goes off. On the
morning Of the 2lst, Col. Chlds, Of the artillery
battalion, with three Of his companies--one com
| manded by Capt. Vinton, another by Capt. J. Ii.
Scott, and the third by Lieut. Ayres, and three
panies of the 9th infantry-company A, commanded
| by Lieut. Longstreet, and Lieut.. Wainwright; B
company, Lieut.. Holloway, commanding, and
Lieut. Merchant; company, Capt. scrivner and
NIT Of Palace Hill. The colonel left camp at 3
o'clock, a. M, and climbed the mountain through
the chappars and up the steep rocks, with such
secresy that at daybreak he within one hun
dred yards OF the breastwork Of sandbdgs before he
was discovered. The Mexicans poured their mus
kerry into them, but they rushed up the preciplce
and soon had the place. Three of the artillery aen,
having rushed ahead too fast, found themselves 10
the hands Of the Mexicans. They surrendered: the
Mexicans took their muskets and shot them down
with the very pieces they had given up. lsaw the
poor fellows lying there.
| n
must therefore defer the particulars of the sorming
| Of the palace until have more time. Col. Stani-
ford up daylight with the balance Of the 9Th,
and Major Scott led up the 9Th. The Louisiana
boys the hill with the 5th, at o'clock,
One of Duncan's howitzers, in charge of Lieut.
| Rowland, was dragged up, or rather lifted up, and
opened on the palace, which was filed with troops.
The Mexicans charged on the howitzer, but were
driven back. constant firing was kept up for sew
eral hours particularly by Blanchard's men, who
| left dozen Mexcans dead upon the bill side. At
| length a charge was ordered, and our men rushed
down upon the palace, entered hole in door that
had been blocked up but opened by the howitzer,
and soon cleared the work Of the few Mexicans who
remained. Lieut.. Ayres the lucky one who
first reached the halyards and lowered the flag. One
| lS-pound brass piece, beautiful article manuiac-
tured in Liverpool in l842 and short brass ~
| pound howizer, were captured with large quant-
j ty OF ammunition, and some muskets and lances
The fort adjoining the palace walls is not completed
but is very neatly constructed far as it is built
| The killed our side, in taking the palace, was
seven--wounded, twelve. Lieutenant Wainwright
1 was wounded in the arm and side by musket ball.
but will soon recover, it is hoped. Mr.. John Fran
cis Of New Orleans, belonging to Blanchard's COM
pany, was killed. will give full account of this
affair at another time. Col. Chlds, Capt VInton,
Capt. Blanchard, Lieut. Longstreet, Lieut.. Clark,
/ (Adutant ofthe Sh,) Lieut.. Ayres, Lieut.. McCown
and the two Nichols seem TO have been the heroes
! of the day The two latter 90 did the thing up
| bro xn," and not only Judge Nichols but old Lou
siana may well be proud of such sons. The Mex
leans lost at least thirty kiled-wenty-one had been
| buried this morning, and have seen a number ly.
ing on the hill side, that not discovered by
men when they brought in the dead
Yesterday morning the whole division under Gen.
Worth entered the town this side, and have been
hgntins there ever since The heart of the city is
nothing but one fJ.ti6cation the thick walls being
pierced for muskets, and cannon being placed so as
| 10 rake the principal streets. The ROOFS Beng fiat
and the front walls rising three four feet above the
| roof of course every street has line of breast
works on each side. A ten-inch mortar came around
from Gen. Taylor last evening, and ii is now placed
| in the largest plaza to which our troops have fought,
step by step, and from house to house. Duncan's
batteries are in town. and the present impression is
| that the place will be taken. Gen. Worth has
gained all the strongholds that command the city,
and has pushed the enemy as far as they can go
| without falling into General Tayors hands on the
other side of the city. All this has been done with
| the loss Of only about seventy killed and wounded
The achievement is glorious sufficiently so to
satisfy the ambition of any man on earth | was
\ expecting to see Gen. Worth rushing his men into
4 unnecessary danger in order to win for them and
himself great military fame, but his conduct has
4 been very different from this. His great study has
| been to gain these commanding points with the
least possible sacrifice of life AT first seemed to-
1 tally impossible to storm these heights-it looked
| like charging upon the clouds--but has been DONE
| The Bishops palace which is as strong as it has
| been represented to be- has been stormed and taken
| by our brave soldiers. | should have stated that
/ Col. Hays, with body Of his troops and Captains
| Gillespie and McCulloch were at the taking of the
| palace. Capt. Gillespy was morally wounded, and
died yesterday morning, regretted by the whole ar
| my
| cannot keep up at all with the rangers. Their
| services have been invaluable to Gen. Taylor from
| the commencement Of the campaign. They fight
j with all the seadiness Of old soldiers, and con-
stanty on the move. The country owes them much
for their noble conduct. say nothing, yet, about
Gen Taylor's proceedings on the other side Of the
| town, because the information have received is not
well authenticated. Mr.. Kendall and both came
out with this division, neither knowing that the
other coming with il until it was too late to re-
turn, and there is no communication between the
divisions except by armed bodies Of men, The gem
eral has, however, taken three batteries near the
town on the other side, in doing which he has lost
about three hundred men, killed and wounded do
not know the exact number killed, but will be able
to ascertain before this letter goes and will try to
| give other particulars.
| Gen. Taylor has arrived at Gen. Worih's head
quarters to-day, and is now engaged in town with
! Ampuda's messengers, considering the enemy's
proposals for surrendering the town and the large
tort at tho northeast side Of it, That fort is very
strong and is believed to contain at least twenty
guns Hostilities have ceased until the conference