Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1847-12-01
WHOLE NUMBER, 131.s.

.Echecked, are, moreover, il, many spots un-
der water or emarshy for, tMill.b be remstp--
bered, we were. in, the midst Of The wet SEN
lson. though with less rain than usussll, and
We could moi wait for. the fallsof the neigh
bding lakes and the consequent drninoge
1ef the wet groundssat the end Of the city
the lowest in the whole basin. s.,;s ~.
~ After a. eloseT personal survey of, the,
southern gales Covered by Pillows diyis.
ion and iIey' brigafe, os Twiggs' will
four tlhsts our numbers concentrated IN our
Immediate front-I determined, on tie
1Ilth,. 10 avoid thai net work of. .ohslac clesz.
and fp seaSs fdeil ,I; - tic
3south-west and west, less iasorable of.
To economize the lives Of our gallant.
officers and men, as well as to insure sue
coss, it became Indispensable that this, res
olution should be long masked from The
enemy; and again, that the new movement,
when discovered, should be mistaken for n,
feint, and the old as indicating our true and
ultimate point Of attack. .s-l..ts :, :.
Accordingly. on ihe spot, the IIth. | or
dered Quitman's division from Coyacan, 10
join Pillow By daylight, before the south.
ern gates, and then, that the two major
generals, with their divisions, should by
night, proceed 1.-TWO miles) to join me at
Iacubayn, where | was quartered with
| Worth's division. Twiggs, wilh Riley's
brigade and Captains Taylor's and Step
toes field batteres-1he latter of II poun-
1ders-was left in front Of those gates, to
maneuvre, 10 threaten, Or 10 make false
! uffo tn IL.
enemy. Twiggs' other brigade (Smith's)
was left at supporting distance, in the rear,
at San Angel, till the morning of the l3lh,
and also to support our general depot al
Miscoac. The s!ratagem against the south,
was admirably executed throughout the l2lh
ahd down to the afternoon oil the 18Th,
when it was too late for the enemy 10 re-
cover from the effects of his delusion. :. a b
The first step in the new movement was
TO carry Chapultepec. a natural and isolat-.
ed mound, OF great elevation, strongly for.
tilted at its base, on its activities andheights.
Besides numerous garrison, here was the
military college of the republic, with large
number of sub, lieutennnts and other stu
dents. I hose works were VT in direct
f gun shot of the village of Taeubaya, and
: 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 lihat Of
, the lth) heavy batteries within easy rang
es were established, No. 1, on our right.
!, under the command of Capt Drum, 4th
, artillery, (relieved late next day, for some
,, hours, by Lieut.. Andrews of the 30, and
No. 9, commanded by Lieut.. Hagner, ord
. nance-bolh supported by Quitman's diyis-
ion. Nos 3 and 4, on the opposite side,
supported by Pillows division, were COM
minded. the fnrmerby Captain Brooks and
8 Lieut.. s S Anderson, Cd artillery, nller-
/ nately, and the latter by Lieut. Stone, ord
j nance. The batteries were traced by.
!. Capt, Huger and Capt Lee, engineer, ana
:. constructed by thenl with the able assist.
> ance of the, young officers of those corps
and the artillery -. -, -.
. IL To prepare !er an assault, it was fore
> seen that the play ofthe batteries might run
: into The second day; but recent captures
had not only trebled ohr siege pieces, but
also our ammunition: and we knew that we
. should greatly augment botb,. by carrying
r the place. was, therefore, in no haste in
: ordering an assault before the works were
> well crippled by our missiles ~.
,, The bombardment and cannonade, un-
!, der the direction Of Capt, Huger, were COM
. menced early in the morning of the 18th.
). Before nightlall, which necessarily stopped
: our batteries, we had perceived that good
/ impression had been made on the castle and
!, its outworks, and that a large body of the
y enemy had remained outside, towards the
b city, from an early hour, to avoid our FIRE
b and be on hand al its cessation, in order
to reinforce the garrison against an assault
a The same outside force was discovered
= the next morning, after our, batteries hac
- re-opened upon the castle, by which we o
5r gain reduced its garrison to the minimum
needed for the guns. s..e,t al, =. -. ~.
Pillow and Quitman had been in posi-
IF ton since early, in the night. of the l1th
e Major General Worth was now ordered te
is hold his division in reserve, near the loun
,rI dry, TO support Pillow; and Brigndier Gen
n, Smith, of TWiggs' division, had just arriy
ed with his brigade from Piedad, q miles,
IS to support Qultman. Twiggs' guns be
, fore the southern gates, again reminded us
!. the day before, that he, with Riley's brig
!, ade and Stephens and Steptoe's batteries
r, was in activity, threatening the southern
(, gates, and there holding great part ofths
ID Mexican army on the defensive, ,.,s i :. (
rs Worth's division furnished Pillows at
}, tack with an assaulting party Of some CSC
volunteer officers and men, under Captain
,fl Mckenzie, of the I'd artillery; and Twiggs'
IF division supplied q similar one, command,
$ ed by Capt. Casey, I'd infantry, to Quit
It man. Each of those little columns was
e furnished with scaling ladders. .tg. -.
g The signal had appointed for the al
!, tack was the momentary cessation Of, fire
1 on the part.of our heavy batteries. Abosli
# 8 o'clock in the morning Of the 18th, ;udg-
if ing that the time had arrived, by the effect
: of the missiles we had thrown, l. sent an
; aid-de-camp to Pillow, and another 10 Quil-
man, with. notice that the concerted signal
E. was about to be given. Both columns now
= advanced with an alacrity that gave nssqr-
ance, of prompt success. he batteries,
seizing opportunities, threw shot and shells
) upon the enemy over the heads of opr men,
d with good effect, particularly at every az