The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-03-19


bnt before this could be done tho gallant oniccr who
had planted II and held It shot. aided IN got-
ting him down. ono OF tho two men who had charge
Of that flag when his ofncor was wounded WAC bmssif
shot as he cape1 down from the shed. Another fell
with the nag IN his hand No event Of that day,
With Its subordinate surroundings Is moro distinctly
remembered by than tho Gag raising the Garita
dc Been There are many crcumstances besides
these herein stated fixing II so strongly and definitely
upon my mind that feel I cannot be mistaken
Ana u Is due 10 Tie trath Of history. since tho Senate
have thought proper 10 make II tho subject Of inquiry
that II should he accurately and dcnnely stated cx
acty IS II took place. AS far as my memory serves
the value Of the statement In other respects II Is
nlnly dlsluleresed. know Of no other aagplantcd
81 the Gaiia dc Iielen on the 18Th of September,
lHi7, Than tile one have Just mentioned.
In the year 1880 was on dnty at tho Military Acad-
| omy, and visited Washington few days after the
report OF the committee. Gen. pullman was Rep
resentatve In Congress and chairman Of tie Military
| Committee In the House. lie spoke q having called
to see hm) OF the resolutions that had been referred
to and reported upon by the committee aud said had
| he known that was so near he would have sug-
gested to the committee that they write to me- as he
knew was well Informed as to what occurred on
September 10; but, he added there were gentlemen
here In the city who could give the desired iniorma-
| tlon. When the report printed he sent me a
copy. | wrote him, giving him my recollection Of
the flag, etc. He answered. and said It was correct.
| viii now even at this late date and ut the ilsk OF
being little tedious give my version OF the display
on the 18th Of September isi7, and which took place
thrty-nve or forty feet inside the Garita de Delen.
was not present at the head Of the column when the
battery at the City Gate was captured I had been
sent to the rear to have artillery ammunition fuses,
| ETC., brought M. on returning found the troops
had advanced considerably, and within about two
hundred yards from the gate met Col Lorng, Of the
Mounted Rifles, going to the rear with broken arm,
had been wounded by grapeshot little further on
saw Gen. pullman standing on the parapet left side
OF the aquenct, facing TO the rear, waving his hand
kerchei. lust before Joined him he turned around,
| and as was much fatlgued sat down on the
parapet near him. lie remarked ''ho had none Of
his staa with hlm---ha,i broken them all down.
replied, No, you have one" He turned, facing
to the rear, saying, :" beg Your pardon" Gen.
Perslfer f. smith came up at that instant ccngratu
| lated Gen. Quitman, and, with watch In hand re-
| marked, "Tweniy after one o. clock
Gen. Quitman tlon stepped down from the parapet
inside the gate Used under the aqueduct to the right
side, and said to me, Have Gag waved from tile
aqueduct that friends In rear may see where we
are.' understood ''our friends - TO be his own
Command. ran TO the rear, and about thirty yards
6htside the gate | Lieut.. Selleck OF the South
Carolina regiment, requested him to get the nag Of
his regiment, To he quick and brlug It inside for the
General had directed that one should be displayed
from the aquednct Inside the Garita, on the right
as we entered, and II remembered correctly, the
left side also. was shed resting against the aqueduc
The Mexicsns could uas 1t as banquctte for stand
Ing on 1t. they could fire. over the aqueluct
which would cover most OF their bodlesat least this
was what supposed at the time to DO intended.
Seeck soon made his appearance with the Palmetto
flag Two or three men Of the regiment were
with him. These mon aud myself assisted Selleck
upon the she'd Ie gave me his hand and he and the
men helped me up. We both then took the flag.
But this was awkward; each waved 1t alter
nately. There was slight cheering among this men
that we've near the gate. After 1t had been displayed
some time the General said, "That VIII do; get
| down. I jumped down immediately, and as I
struck the ground was considerably shocked aud al
most turned around by musket ball striking pistol
worn my left side under the sash aud sword belt.
The ball attcned ITSELF fell to the ground, and
picked up. Selieck did not leap down directed,
but said No, once more,n (meaning one more
wave of the fag;) but before he had finished the
he fell on the shed with severe musket wound In one
OF his legs. Both bones below the knee were brokeu,
and one of the men that aided In getting Him down
from the shed was Killed aud two Others wounded
The Hag was, as before stated, waved, or displayed,
some thirtynye forty feet inside the Garita on The
right side las we entered the city, Of the aqueduct.
| Gen. Qutnan was standing on the ground the
shed at the time OF this display OF the flag. There
were at the time nat many men Inside the gate.
was not rendered unfit for duty by the confusion
| received, though there soreness for near two
weeks and, discoloring OF the skin for the
| length of the pistol. After the displaying of
| OF the nag our men advanced along the aqueiuct
into the city several hundred yards under constant
artillery and infantry fire, the former from battery
TO the left, In the psseo; and from the citadel bss-
toned work the nearest salient OF which was less than
threehnndred yards from the gate; the musEery fire
was from the citadel and from the tops Of houses to
| the left aud right Of the aqneduct. Artillery also
raked the road on either side the aquednct from a
! point near the end OF the aQueduct Ia the city.
1t probably Two bouts after the gate had been
entered that was ordered to have the men with
drawn back 10 the Garta, there TO take such shell
| ter rs 1t AMI few buildings near 1t afforded. Ia the
| execution of these orders Mai. GLADDEN., command
| Ing the Palmetto regiment, was found about 100
yards inside the gate, leaning against pier of the
aqueduci, holding the colors Of his regiment stream
of blood had run on the ground yard or more from
his feet, asked VI he was hurt. lie replied, 'yes
wounded through the thigh.n When asked why he
had not gone TO the rear he replied he did Ike
| leave Ills men. lie was Informed that the order was
to retire TO the gate and lie was ordered hack; and
went forward myself after his and uen az the Rifles,
who we've considerably advanced ran along the alue-
duet from pier to pier until point reached about
opposite tie centre of the curtain Of tie citadel
| facing the aquednct There were II few men beyond
this these reached by passing the order on from
| man to man, All had been Withdrawn hut a short
| time when considerable body sc Mesicans came
charging down the Rad either side Of the aque-
duct. Some came within sixty eighty yards of the
gate; our infantry and rife fire draye them back.
After this there was an Irregular ige Ut artillery
infantry at long range. The latter doing hut little
harm | have given my recollection OF some Of The
incidents occurring at and the Gdrlti de Helen
| 18th September lsi7; many more could be related.
have tolerable memory, which has been Offen re-
freshed by reading journal Kept daily In penc.land
rewritten In Ink weekly; hat the matter OF the lag
raising at the Gariia was Of such character that it
| fad 81 haIn
been kept. O. NJ. WILcoN.
EoTE.-Gen. Qntman, in his oficiil report of the
| assault and capture OF The lieltn Gate says:
"The obstinacy of thcdefense at the Gaiita may be
accounted for by our being opposed at that lDint by
Gen. Santa Anna In person. who Is said u have re-
treated by the PaseO TO the san CnslO road there
try his fortune against Gen. Worth.
|
fNine cannon Ia close range, aud ? 200 or D. COO ill.,
| fantry,
I All the orders borne by aides de-eanp this day
were borne on foot.
+Capt Naylor was with the men that assisted Ia
getting Selleck down.