The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-10-29
From the Marion Iimcri,un.
THE PALMETTOES IN MEXICO.
by ONE OF TIE TWO HUNDRED.

tie is nigh
And the morn Of the conflict is breaking"
On the morning of the 18th of March
lS46, sixty slips had moorcd at the rcndcz-
vous, at Anton Lizardo, ten miles south of
Vera Cruz. Gen. Scott had been DELAYED
three weeks beyond his expectations, and
E:for an entire month the Vera Cruzans had
expected our arrival every day. 1t was in
dispensable to the health of the army, and
to the success of any advance into the in
terror that Vera Cruz should be taken, hy
the 1st of May, ano the army advanced as
far as seventy miles into the interior, where
the "tablc lands afford security from Tic
yellow fever. Not a day WIS to bc lost,
and at once preparations were made for
landing.
The weather was mild, and Lcau,iful.-
Our slips were about two miles from land.
We could distinctly Sec e Mrxicans at
the little rancho of Anton Lizar,!o, aud see
horscmcn riding along the beech. Before
us spread out brilliant and picturesque
panoramic view f the interior. Just above
the beech rose range OF hills covered with
the dense chapparcl; far beyond them
stretched out Il chc1ucrcd champaign, ris-
ing gradually to mountain peaks and be-
yond all a hundred miles distant rose the
snow.capped peak Of Orizabu, its f,igid
snow fields gistening in the bri ght rays of
M unclouded sun. On the south rose up
the blue mountain caps Of Yucatan, wlicl,
reflected the waves Of the blue pacific. Ten
miles to the north rose the tall aud glitter
lug church. spires Of Vera Cruz, its rcd
walls, its frowning bat,lcmcnts, and its
mountain sand-hIls. \ thousand wards
out in the gulf, stood the grim castle of
San jus" dc UIloa, guarding like huge
Cerberus, the watcrgatc to the city. Just
out of reach Of the gums Of the castle our
blockading squadron was lying at anchor.
In the bay were a few merchant slips OF
neutral nations, ard armed ships Of France,
England, Spain, and belgium. The 9th
Of March, was a mild and lovely day. 1t
was, believe, the christian sabbath, and
it WAS natures sabbath too. The tropical
sky was without cloud; the gulf was still!
and unruffed by wave; there was all
around a solemn Stiffness. Nature herself
seemed awcd and lusled ut the contcm,,la-
ton Of what man was about to do.
On the 1lh the expedition came very
near being tllwarted by an accident, Which
would have left the army without IL General
officer.
Gen. Scott assembled all his Generals,
Patterson, Pillow, Quitman, Worth, Shields,
and Cadwallader, on board Il small steamer,
and made trip Of reconnaissance around
the city and castle. Eentur'ng too rashly
within range Of the guns of the castle,
number Of shells were thrown at the little
vessel, and from the explosion Of two Of
them, she narrowly escaped destruction.
A single shell might have sent her to
the bottom, and all the Generals with her.
Sucl, disaster would have spread confu
sion and dismay through the army, and
most probably have caused the expedition
to be abandoned; disaster from which for
tune rescued lis, in spite Of the indiscrcet
tcmcrity Of our General. There need not
have been such an accompaniment on a re-
connaisance; nor in fact was it necessary
that Gen Scott would perform sucl, duty in
person.
The gallant little Steamer, came back to
Anton Dizardo safe and sound, with all
aboard" and was Ii artily chccrcd by the
army.
On the 9Th, the troops were put on
board the naval vessels and transports, and
the landing would have been effected on
that day, but was postponed on account of
an appreiendcd nortl,er.
Early on the morning Of the 9th the
: fleet of transports, under the armed escort
of several Of our naval vessels spread their
canvass and bore up to the city. 1t was a
grand, gay, animated scene. The decks OF
all the vessels were crowded with soldiers
and spectators-eager to see every move.
sient, and every moment expecting to hea,
the guns of the Castle, or masked battery
on the beach open on us. We bore up
kravely towards the castle, and tho
eannoniers stood by their guns with lighted
fres, ready to belcI out their fury upon us
But having come within four miles of the
castle, our slips suddenly changed their
eourse, and anchored behind the little IsIa,1
Of Sacrifcios, which was three miles from
che city and castle. 1t was the best poin
fos the landing, being just bcy ond reach o
the enemys guns.
|: The fleet anchored alont n thomsan,
yards from the beach. Wccertainly locke,
for some resistance to our landing. 1t wa
IN opportunity which brave and vigilan
sasmy would not have neglected. One O
I~s,s sfnamevs ran near fha hoo ri, on,l e ro