Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-07-17
SANTA ANNA'S COACH,
"reminiscences of an old Soldier
Who Was With General Winfield Scott
During the Mexican Campaign
and Who Had a Hand i'm the
Capture OF This Curious
Relic,

Relic.
There are in this city many interesting
characters, many of whom, though tbey
may not have held high positions still have
lived and done service with persons whose
names are historic, says the Washington
Post. When once in talkative mood
such persons as this can give very inter
estlng accounts of incidents which are
now almost forgotten. Just such a char
acter as this is Sergeant John Walters.
now one of the watchmen at the state war
and navy department building under Can
tam Tyson. of Arctic fame. Sergeant
Walters served under Captain (afterward
General) Sedgewick, in the Mexican war.
and was for many years the orderly at the
headquarters OF the army and navy under
General Winfield Scott. and was with him
IN Mexico. Sergeant Walters was born
May D, 1871, or, as he states, 1.-THE very day
the great soldier Napoleon Bonaparte left
this world | came into it" Sergeant
Walters entered the army by enlisting in
the Second Regiment of artillery then
commanded by Colonel Bankhead. Jan
uary. q, 1S45, and with the regiment
went to Mexico.
Before the siege of Terra Cruz he was de-
tailed as an orderly at the headquarters of
General Scott. When the seige commenc-
ed he rejoined his company and was in
charge of three mortars planted about a
mile from the city. The landing was made
in March, from the 9th TO the 18th. and
the little band of 1880 men opened
trenches, threw up breast-works and plant
ed the mortars. Upon the city refusal to
surrender fire was opened and on the 10Th
the garrison surrendered and the Ameri-
can troops entered the walls. According
to Sergeant Walters, General Scott seemed
disappointed that the force promised him,
! $4,000 men, had not been sent, but. new
| ertheless on April II he started out for
the City of Mexico.
At the battle of Cerro Gordo, April Is,
Sergent Walters said his company, Com
pany H, Second Artillery, was on the
point OF Hawking the Mexicans, when it
spled the coach of Santa Anna in gulch
not far off. This coach had been left be-
hind, and the Mexican chief and some half
! dozen of his suite were seen nearly mile
distant, riding off rapidly on American
horses. Duncan's battery opened fire on
them, but the Mexicans made good their
escape. The coach was what would now
be regarded as an old-fashion hack, and
the harness, which was still fastened to it,
showed that the mules or horses had been
cut loose In a hurry. In the carriage were
found the wooden leg of Santa Anna and
number of boxes of gold and silver coin
This capture. says Sergeant Walters, was
the foundation of the Soldiers Home.
The money was very considerable, but he
does not know just how much there was.
There was some controversy at the time
as to whether the capture should be paid
into the treasury, but General Scott claim
! ed that it belonged to the army. Conse-
quently, he turned it over to the quarter
masters department to be spent in pro-
viding home in which old and wounded
soldiers could spend the latter part of
their days. To this sum was added the
amount levied on the inhabitants of the
City OF Mexico on It's surrender
Mr.. Walters says that when General
Scott returned to this city he sent for
General Wood, and the two went out to
the present location of the home and were
shown over the place by Mr. Riggs. 1t
was not, however, until they had sampled
the iron water in the spring that they con-
Guided that the location was the proper
one, although they had already admired
the views from various sections of the
grounds. ''As far as know said the
old sergeant, III am the only man alive
who participated in the capture of that
coach. There may be others who were in
the battle. but of Company FL, Second Ar
tlllery, do not know single survivor"
Sergeant Walters on the way to the City
of Mexico was wounded at Cherubusco,
and says that after the city had capitulat-
ed General Scott accosted him in the plaza,
with the result that he was made orderly
at headquarters again. This time his APP
polntment was made permanent, for he
did not leave General Scott till after his
retirement Then he served for a short
time under General Halleck. There were
on General SCOTS staff at the time Col
onel FL. c. Scott, General Lorenzo Thomas,
the generals son-in-law and Lieutenant
(afterward GeneraD Schuyler Hamilton.
Il remember" said the old sergeant,
''that while the general was writing his
dispatches in the halls of the Monnezumas
two shots were fired from housetop near
by They entered the window and whizz-
ed by in dangerous proximity to him. The
old general quietly called: Sergeant, run
out the sixty-eight FOUNDER and take that
street. We had two guns of that caliber,
and our artillery was parked in the square.
We fired two rounds and every window in
that section of the city was. broken. Need
less to say there were no more shots fired at
US from that street. There was some bad
feeling at this time in consequence of
charges made against General Pillow,
growing out of the failure to turn over a
captured Mexican gun. A courtmartial
was convened on the case, but the hearing
was adjourned to the States.
when the order came to return Gener-
al Pillow was anxious to get back before
General Scott. The latter, however, start
ed before day and reached Vera Cruz first.
Taking passage on schooner, he reached
New York about May co. and all were
glad enough to get out of the reach
of the dreadful black vomit' which
was prevailing at Vera Cruz at the time.
The headquarters of the army were then
at New York, but during President Fill
more's administration General Scott had
his Office removed to the old War Depart
ment Building.
Sergeant Walters says that during the
entire time he was with General Scott he
never saw him angry. Toward his officers
and men he was one of the kindest and
most affable of men, his conduct toward
them strongly contradicting his appear
ance, which was such as to make one
suppose him to be man Of an
hauty and overbearirg dis
position.
The Secret of Happiness