Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-09-24
Bombardment of vera Cruz.
BY EMERSON BENNETT.


BY EMERSON BENNETT.
Few persons know anything about the
horrors of beleaguered and bombsrded
city. We shall attempt TO describe few
of the awful scenes at Vera Cruz during
its investment by the American army
From the dispatches of General Scott, we
learn the leading features of the invest
ment, the position and numbers of the at
lacking force, the opening, continuance and
close of the bombardment, the capifulation
of the enemy. and our own aggregate loss;
but scarcely more Of the real scenes 0. de-
structiOn, desolation. carnage. suffering and
| misery OF the inhabitants of the unfortu-
nate town, than if our balls and bombs had
battered against mountain of rock
On the 22d of March, 1747, at two O'Clock
IN the afternoon, General Scott, being all
prepared for offensive action, Formerly se-
manded the surrender OF the town within
the short space Of two hours. The answer
being a firm refusal, the deep stiffness was
broken at precisely 4 O'Clock by the loud
roar of a mortar. A shell rose, and seemed
to hover over the ill>fated city, and then,
| descending rapidly, burst in the Plaza de
Armas, killing four and wounding three
The contest had begun-the hour of doom
! and woe unfortunately was at hand.
1t Is not our purpose to give general
description of the fight, but only of such of
the scenes which followed as will serve to
convey to the mind shadowy picture of
the awful whole. From the moment when
the first shell burst in the Plaza de Armas,
at four O'Clock on the afternoon of the ODD
OF march, for four bays and four nights
horrid days and sleepless nights to the
wretched inhabitants shut up in that be,
leaguered tCwn-a Gordon of artillery, on
sea and land, continually belchiDg forth its
tongues of flame, made the whole earth for
miles around tremble with its thunderous
rear, and sent its thousands of destructive
missiles into the very heart of the devoted
| City of the True Gross. Let us enter with
in the walls of that fated place, and look
! upon the work of the grim King of Ter
rors, as he rides triumphant upon the
hurting ball, the crashing bomb. and the
| fiery rocket.
Night draws on apace, and darkness set
ties over the gloomy city. Flashes here
and there reveal the active batteries. whose
awful thunders shake the earth. The dark
vault above is scanned with concentric, fiery
lines, which show the course Of the de,
struetive bombs, and fearful crashes here
and there, succeeded by human shrieks aud
groans, tell where they fall No place is
safe from these terrible agents of death
neither church nor convent public hall nor
private dwelling.
In the surgical hospital of the Convent
Of SantO Domingo was crowd of pafe~
| faced, hollow eyed patients some shriekinp
with pain, some gasping for breath, and
some insensibe to all earthly things. They
had recently been brought in wounded -
some slightly, some tsrribly-and fair nuns
were in attendance upon some and solemn
priests upon others, and the surgeons and
their assistants were busy with their fear
full implements of science Near the CEN
tire Of the room, poor fellow was stretched
| upon table, under the torture of amputa-
ton, and two men were holding him, aud
tso were holding lights, and the bloody
scalpel of the fifth was rapidly doing it's
work. Suddenly there was an awfu. crash,
a terrible explosion, the lights were extin~
| guished, and the apartment was filled with
an almost suttucatiDg vapOr. New shrieks
and new groans arose, and terror reigped
supreme. Another party from another
! apartment came rushing in with lights,
/ and 10 the patient and his surgeon and one
OF the attendants were torn to pieces, and
| three other attendants, priest and a nun,
we've stretched upon the floor. mangled and
| dying. A shell had fallen through the roof,
and burst in their midst
An officer in the prime Of life was bend
ing over pale, lovely woman, lying upon
bed In darkened room. The incossant
thunders Of the encircling batteries shook
her physical frame and filled her mind with
| terror.
oh, husband, my dear Bernardo, you
will not leave me again ?" she said
cat least, my sweet Teresa, l will en-
deavor tn be back socn."
"Oh, Bernardo, do not go, feel that our
next parting will be final"
MY honor. my duty % replied the agi-
tated husband, pressing his lips most fond
ly to hers.
"Oh, my sweet Teresa, remember the
foreign invader is at our doors. and Mexico
! calls upon her every son to raise his arm in
her defence! The Holy Virgin save us
! Would to God we had lived in more peace.
full time! But tell me, dearest-you are
better, are you not ?"
IL would be, my dear husband, If could
have quiet and peace but this awful ttun-
der of cannon and crashing of bombs, and
the strange, wild cries | sometimes hear
from the street, give me little or no rest
But tell me-what of the battle?"
'Alas, Teresa, l fear We have little to
hope"
Then why not surrender and save this
carnage-this fearful destruction of life and
property"
Never !" said the officer, drawing him
self up with pride; "rather let US have q
funeral pyre aud all perish togetheri"
''Oh, if we could only die together, my
dear Bernardo, it would be so sweet often
and often pray it may be So"
I'VE will rather hooe to live together
yet awhile, my sweet little wife. But
must go-one kiss MORE"
1t was the last. While yet the lips of the
devoted husband were pressed to those Of
the being he loved above all others on
earth, there came crash, and the head of
the wife was borne away by a cannon ball,
leaving him untouched For a minute he
stood paraly zed with horror; and then, with
a shrek, he rushed madly from his DWELL
ing, shouting, Vengeance, oh, God p lie
was subsequently shot from his horse, aad
instantly killed, while 10 the act of convey
ing an order from his superior.
| Two soldiers were carrying a wounded
comrade along the street to the surgical
hospital, when a shell Gislodged the mason.
ry of large building beside them, and the
three we're crushed and buried uLder the
rubbish.
10 the redoubt at Santiago. where mum
Der of artillery men where HARD at work, a
bomb exploded and blew up the magazine,
killing every man except the sergeant 10
command.
Besides the disaster already mentioned at
the Convent of Santa Domingo, it was sub
sequently set on fire in different places
and while the police and troops we're en-
gagged in entiDguishing the flames. the
shells, which fell constantly among them,
killed ten and wounded as many more.
| bomb came crashing through the roof
Of a church, killing priest at the altar,