Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-11-19

OFFICIAL DISPATCHES
RaTTLEs OF MEXlcO-CAPTURE OF
THE CITY


Sir: At The end Of acothef series o. aluuou,
and bfilIian, operations oil more man 'o'E as
hours continuance, this glorious army hoiS'r,
on The morning OF The ii u, M ooio's " wy
States On The walls Of this palace.
The victory OF the 9Th. al The Mnnos "e' NY
vas followed By daring leconHoissahees on .ne
nart OF our distinguished ens'neeIs 49, -,
isurs Beauresaid Stevens and Io"es-ndJo,
Smith senior, being sick and Capt Mason ,nlIu
IN rank. wounded Their operations were ulee'
ed principally 10 the south, towards 'ne gaeS VI
the Piedad, San Angel, (NIno peraio'') 1ah 1'"'
tonic, and the Paseo lie la Visa' =, na
This city stands on slight sven Oh gio"no
moor The centre of an irregular basin, and Is CUR
hle canal of great breadth and deplh-very diff
cult 10 bridge in the presence OF an enemy, ant
serving Al once Tor drainage custoE-house puf'
noses and military defence; leaving eishl en'1ah'
ces or gates, over arches-each OF wnicn We
found defended by system Of strong WORKS, .na'
seemed 10 REQUIRE nothing but some men anu suns
10 be impregnable. Gao. II ,hose
Outside aui within the cross h'eS Vi NJ n,,.
gales. we found 10 the south olhei oos He'ss W.
liule less formidable. All the approaches nea.
the civ are over elevated causewaysc ~ .iSn
bv d;,cbes also OF unusual dimensions. Inc nu-
merous cross roads are fianked, in like manner
ha ZINC BRIDGES al the intersections. recently o'o-
ken The meadows thus checkeTed, are, more
over. in many spos, under water or matshy; l'f,
il will be remembered we were in The mas, %
the wei season. though with less ram tnan usua
and we could not wal, FOL the fall OF lhe neigh'
boring lakes anl III. consequent damage OF l.'e
wet grounds at the edge Of The city Inc lowest III
the whole basin. ,,oro
Aher a close personal survey Of the soniherh
oates covered hy Pillows division and Riley :
Sr;oaac al Twiees'-wi;h four times our num-
hers concentrated in onr immediate t'on.-i ue'
,erm;ned on the lI,h, 10 avoid the network OF CO.
stacles and TO seek, BY sudden INVERSION 10 'ne
southwest and west, less untavorable approaches.
To economic The lives Of our gallant ollicefs
and men. as well as 10 insure success, u occathe
indispensable that this resolution shonll oe long
masked from the enemy; and again, mat 'ile new
movement, when discovered, should be mistaken
for teint, and the Oh as ihaicasinS o"' uae anu
ultimate point OF attack.
Accordingly. on The spot, the lllh, ordered
Qui,man's division from Coyacan, 10 join Phi.
low, BIZ day,,ght, before The southern gates and
then that the two major generals, with their divi-
sions. should, Jv night, proceed two miles, 10
Join me al Tacubaya, where | was quafeieo
with Worlhs division. T~ggs, with Riey's
brigade and Caps. Taylors and Slepioe.S lcid
batIeries-the latter of l2-pnuaders-was le'i ~
front OF hose gates, 10 man9uvre, 10 'hreaten, .!
10 make false attacks in order 10 occupy aha ae-
ceiye The enemy. Twiggs' other brigade (SmIhsl
was left al supporting distance, in The rear, at San
Angel, ill The morning Of the 18th, aud also 10
support our generate epo, at Miscoac. The SRA
taeem against the south was admirably executed
Throughout, The 18th and down 10 the afternoon oil
the 18th when il was too late Tor The enemy 10
recover from the effects OF his delusion.
The first step in the new movement was 10 cat
nv Chapuepec natural and isolated mound OF
great elevation, strongly fortified at lis base, on
its activities and heights Besides a numerous
garrison, here was the military college 4 the re-
public, with large number oil sub-llentcnants
and other students. These works were wllh!n
direct gun shot OF The village oil lacuoaya, aha'
until carried, we could not approach The city on
the west. Without making circuit too wide and
too hazardous.
In the course Of the same night Qhai oil Inc
lIth) heavy batteries within easy ranges were es,
,ablished. No. |, on the right, under command
of Captain Drum 4,h artillery, (reeved late next
day for some hours, Ivy lieutenant Andrews, OF the
3d,) and No. ,, commanded by lieutenant Has-
ner, oTdnance-bo,h supported BY 0ni'man's d.
vision. Nos. and 4, On The opposite side, sup
ported by Pillows division, were commanded, me
former By captain Brooks am lieutenant ;. ,
Anderson ID artillery, alternately, and The laiieF
were traced BY captain Huger and captain Lee,
engineer, and constructed by them, with Inc able
assistance OF the young officers OF those corps and
The artillery.
To prepare for an assault, II was ioreseen mat
The play Of the batteries nigh, Iun inlo .ne Sc
coni day; but recen, captures had mol only ire
bed our siege pieces but also our ammunition;
and we knew iha. we should greatly augment
both by carrying the place. ! was therefore, IN
no haste in ordering an assault, before the "oi"s
were we'll crippled by our missiles.
The bombardmeni and cannonade, under The
direction OF captain Huser, were commenced ear
~ in the morning oil the 18th. Before nish.iali,
which necessarily stepped our batteries, We had
perceived that good impression had been made
on The castle and lis ouiworks, and thai large
body OF the enemy had remained outside, towards
The civ. from an early hour, 10 avoid our ire, and
10 he a; hand on lis cessation, IN order 10 reinforce
The garrison against an assault. Inc same out
side force was discovered The next morning, a,leF
our batteries had reopened upon The castle, ~
which we again reduced the garrison 10 lis MINI
mum needed Tor lhe guns.
Pillow and Quitman had been IN position
since early in The nigh, Of the llth. MAJ: Gen.
Worth was now ordered to hold his division in
reserve near The foundry. 10 support Pillow; and
Brig. Gen. Smith, OF Twigss' division, had just
arrived with his brigade from Pielai e miles, TO
support Quitman. Twiggs' guns before the
southern Gates, again reminded US, us the day
before, that he, with Riley's brigade and faylors
and Step,oe's batteries, was, in activity threaten.
ing the southern gates, and there holding grea
par, OF the Mexican army on the defensive
Wor,h's division furnished Pillows attack
with an assau,iing party oil some 2oO volunteer
officers and am, under Captain Mckenzie, OF
the ID artillery; and Twisgs' DIVISION sa?plira
oh h,C III.
fantry, to Quitnlan. Each OF those little columns
was furnished with scaling ladders.
The signal had appointed Tor the attack was
the momenlary cessation OF fire on The part OF
our heavy batteries. Abou, o'clock in the
morning of the 18th, judging that The time had
arrived, by the effect OF the missiles we hac
thrown, | zen, an aid-de-camp To Pillow, and an.
other 10 Qui,man. with notice that the concerted
signal was abou, 10 be given. Both columns
now advanced with an aiacfiy that gave assn
rance OF prompt success. The batteries, selzihs
opportunities, threw shots and shells upon TN
enemy over the heads OF our men, with good ct
feet, particularly al every a,lempt 10 reinforce
The works from without 10 meet our assault.
Major General Pillows approach, on The .ges
side, lay through an open grove, filled win shari
shooters, who were speedily dislojsed; when be
ing up with the front Of the attack, aud emefgin:
into open space, al the foot OF a rocky ACTIVITY
that gallant leader was struck down by an ago
nizing wound. The immediate command de
volved on Brigadier General Cadwalader, in III
absence OF the senior brieadier (Pierce) Of III
same dyisiun-an invalid since The events o
Angus; 10. On previous call Of Pillow, Wor;
hal Jus, sent him reintorcement-Col. Clark
brigade.
and strong redoubt, midway, 10 be carried, I've
49, c,to no hatC hfS mo
vance OF our brave men, led ~ brave OH
GERS, though necessarily slow, was nnwaverins
over rocks, chasms and mines, and under hi
hottest fire OF cannon and muskelry. The redonb
now yielded TO resislless valor, and the shout!
ina, followed announced 10 The castle the fate tina
impended The enemy were steadily driver
from shelter to shelter. The retreat allowed no
time to fire single mine without the certainty o
blowing up friend and foe. Those who at dis
lance attenp:ed 10 apply matches 10 the Ions
trains, werc shot down by our men. There
was death below as we'll as above ground. A