Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1847-12-09

/
the gate of San Cosmp.
! A, this Junction Of roads we iir>'
passed one Ct ifl"Se 'ihfihi'l;sbIt s,>.r,u>
! of city deItn>->, spoken of as above,
and it had not a su!il IA strong proof
Il. That tie enemy han! .ryp"c ed
us to fail in the attack upon 'ChapuI-
teprc, even if we mean, anything
more thai, fem; 2. That, in either
case, we de>ip neI, in :ll> belief, to re-
turn and double our fnrcce against the
southern gateS---a delusion kept up
by THE active drmonS'rasi rs OF
TwiggS and the 'fnrcr> posted nn thar
side; and ;. That advancing 'ialitt!,
!, from the reduction oi'Chapul'epec, lh-
enemy had not'time 10 shift guns our
previous captures b. d left him, com
para,ive!y, but f.w-lr'm the southern
gates.
Within those disgarni>hed works, !
found our troops engaged in a stree,
| fight against fire enemy posted in gar
ders, at windows ard on house tops
all fiat, with parape,s. Worth or
dered forward the mountain howitz"rs
of Cadwalader's brigade, preceded by
skirlnishps and pioneers, with pick ak
rs and cfobars, to force windows anu
doors, or TO 'burrow through walls
! The assailants we're soon III an equal
ity of position fatal to the enemy. By
8 o'clock in The evening, Worth had
carried two batteries in this suburb
I According to my instructions lie here
posted guards and -sentinels, and plac-
ed his troops under Shelter for the
night. There was bnt one more >o5
stacle-the San Cosme gate custom
house) between hun and the grea,
square in front of the cathedral and
palace--the heart Of the city: and tina,
barrier, it was known, could not, by
daylight, resist our siege guns thirty
minutes.
! had gone back to the foot Of Cha
pultcpec, the point from which the
1.-TWO aqueducts begin to diyerge, some
hours earlier, in order to be near the
new depot, and in easy communication
with Qui,man and Twiggs as well as
with Worth.
From this point ordered all de-
tachmehts an'r -siragslers to their re-
spective corps, then in advance; sent
to Quitman additional siege guns, am
munition, entrenching tools; directed
Twiggs' remaining brigade (Riley's)
from Piedad, to support Worth, and
| Captain Step!oe'x field battery, also al
Piedad, 10 re Join Quitman' dlvislon.
l 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, there
fore. intended that Quitman should
only mannnvre and threaten the Be
len or southwestern gate, in order to-
favor the main attack by Worth know
ing that the strong defences at the Be
len were directly under the guns Of the
much stronger fortress, called the cita-
del, Just within. Both Of these defen-
ces Of the enemy were also within Ed
sy supporting distance from the San
Angel, Tor .Nino Pordido) and San
Antonio gates. Hence, the greater
support, in numbers, given TO Worlii's
| movemen, as the main attack.
Those views repeatedly, in the
course of the day, communicated to
Mai. Gen. Quitman; BUT, being in a.
hot pursuit-galant himself, and ably
supported BY Brig. 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-Qui,man 'con,in-
ued to press forward, under flank and
direct fires; carried an intermediate
battery of two guns and then the gate,
I before two O'Clock in the afternoon,
but not wilhon, propor'iona'e loss, in
creased by his steady man'ainance Of
that position. e. - | 8za r
Here, Of the heavy bat'+ry-4h ar-
lillery-Capt. Drum and Lieut.. Ben
ianin were MORALLY wounded, and L..
Porter, its third in rank slightly fhe]
loss Of those two mos: distinguished
officers the army will long MOURN
Lieuts. j. B. Moragne and VIM. Car
/ ty, of the South Carolina volunteers,
also ef,high merit, fell on the same ocls
i cas,on--besides mary Of our bravest'
non commissioned officers and men
particularly in Capt. DRUMS veteran
company. l cannot. in This place,
I give names or number: bnt fall returns
Of the killed and wounded of all
corps, in their recent operations, will
accompany this report.
/ Quitman, WITHIN the city-adslingI
several new defences to the position
he had won. and shtlterIng his corps
as we'll as practicable-now waited
J - 60 L. -: II