, 1860-04-23
The B0mbardment of Vern Cruz,
Correspondence Of the!S. !. Evening Post.I
USEEp STATES sA1r SArA7oaA, ,

fHaA CEr<. NIrr4 q, 1s60.}
Peace once mora prevails here, although the
ravages Of war are fearfully evident throughout
this unhappy city. The bombazdment continued
until the 18th with great damage to the houses,
but with little loss Of life nearly oil the women
and children were in the castle and on board
ships. We have had seventeen guests in our
little ward room-ladies and children: alto
Ssssther oTer thirty on board. Yesterday We
Transported them back to their nulG;:ccs, some Of
which are literally torn 10 pieces by tue bombs
and SHELLS. went to the house Of I'm acquaint-
anec. u German lady, who had been married but
9 fortnight, and had beautiful house elegantly
furnished. One huge bomb, fourteen inches
IN diameter, nad exploded in the entry, after
entering the wall Of the house, eighteen inches
thick aud Of stone, end entirely destroying her
drawing and dining. room, and two chambers,
with every article Of furniture in them. Her
bedstead was torn in pieces hardly llrgc enough
for toothpicks. She had only risen from it
twenty minutes before the friag commenced on
that morning, and been hurried on board ship.
Ny friend Mrs. IS house lad two cannon
and one she'll in it /; the latter s.rnck and burst
nearly in the centre Of the dining groom, destroy
ing everything around. No one Wis hurt there
She, her sister and child were On board Of our
ship. These houses are fair samples Of many
more struck by the balls.
Fire thousand balls, shells cad bombs we're
thrown INTO city about four PiliIadelphia
squares deep and twelve or fourteen squares
long. The loss Of life Wis small, as for weeks
families had been moving away. St;!! us no
one imagined Miramon would bo1ubard the citv,
many remained. AS many as possible Of these
last were carried o7er TO the Castle after the
firing commenced, and the fifteen or twenty
vessels ~ port took rs many as they could on
board. The soldiers were the safest, as the shot
with the exception Of those thrown against
one battery--were all thrown wantonly into
ii En hop hath II
and children the government would DO COM
PEELED to surrender. Infamous rs this Was,
only about ten or twelve were killed, and thirty
wounded. Miramon is the first Mexican who,
in all their civil wars, has ever bonsbarded 4
Mexican city. lie has now fed towards the
city OF A1exlcO, having sent before decree or
dcrng every American to quit the country. 1t
is runoEed That, lie has orters. tia conG5cation
Of their property likewise.
It is quite possible there may he another
Mexican war. If so it will be carried On chiefly
bJ our army, Is every harbor IN Mexico is a.
friends, Who are certainly trying to make u
friendly treaty with us. Our ship is the atmi-
ration Of every one, and they express their gra-
titude to the officers when meeting them on the
streets: AL say, md the truth is evident, the
Literal cause would have been entirely lost
and Vera Cruz taken, if we had not captured
tue two steamers laden with ammunition and
provisions. siirGmoa remained until his we're
a!l exhausted, or he had only enough left 10
take him buck to Mexico. Tie capture must
create discussion. hut the fact is, utter all, the
steamers would not have been captured or the
light taken place, it they had not fired into us
Ii Mira,non had taken the city, and could
hare reached us with 1ls guns, it would hare
Tiled his heart with e1ultation. The posi-
bliity OF it was most rivldly impressed upon
my mind while we were anchored oil
the Castle during the bombardment. 4
sseTcre guile had been blowing for Two days,
keeping US exactly stern on the sea batteries OF
tile city. WeWerc so near We could hear the
city clocks strike in ordinary weather. l went
on deck nbout eleven o'clock to see what the
city was doing, 1t was one Of the lniIdcst OF
nights; the darkness was jllunliued every few
minutes BY the flying and bursting Of Shells
thrown INTO tue city BY Miramou. If he had
carried the walls by storm that night, such was
| his rage against US, he would not hare left q
| splinter Of us when the gun rose. lie could
have sunk lis ut our anchors without onr being
able to help ourselves, for the steam power Of
the world could not have brought us broadsidy
! to the wind and them
The English approve our course entirely.
The Spanish have clustered, but when the Ad-
mi7al arrived, after the correspondence had
been closed, and the steamers and crews sent TO
| New Orleans, he Was extremely civil, never
once referred to it, aud invited the officers Of
the Sarai0ss::. aud the ladies' we had on board,
| to u grand concert CT board the srigate, which
we could not, however. accept.