The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-07-21

tIcs which made him famous were such a.
be ought 70 have learned 10 his young man
hood, and he had proved poor student Of
hiAaFt u be did not. There were before him
In his Mexican campaigns and In the cur.
rent text books and war histories Of his
military professionally days numerous In.
stances Of successful flank movementA
Scott, who was his chieftain and must have
been hia exemplAF. wAs q master hand At
Banking, and won his llrst laurels with
that style Of tactics at Lnndy's Lane In the
1912 war. I repember that, a. . boy, In
leBl-2. heard my older comrades discuaS
thear matters and assert that the best way
TO heat enemies who stood across your
path 70 dispute it with great guns was 70
"come Scott over them" that IL, turn their
position by flank attack. This may have
been q rrminiacence Of achoolboy battles
with HnoWhallH, but It was sound policy all
the same and Il boots little who originated
the maneuver.
Forrest, the illiterate slave trader. who
became the greatest cavalry general on
this continent, used tactics that won Fred
erick the Great hisRrandest victories with.
out ever having heard Of the famous PTuS'
sian and his battles.
Jackson may have brought little out d
his Mexican campaigning to light the way
for his Manassas and ChAneelloFsville ex.
ploita, but not 30 bis commander, Robert
Z. Lee. Lee doubtless put Jackson up 70
every great stroke he made a. q corps leader
in the Army Of Northern Virginia. He had
been with Scott In Mexico. and was .
prominent factOr In the exploit At CeFTo
Gortlo where Santa Anna, with choice Of
position. superiority Of numbers and much
more In hia favor. was not only 0uthankod
BY Scott, ~ neatly ~ Hooker was BY Stone.
wall at Chancellorsville, but his army was
completely routed and virtually destroyed.
Scott made q clean sweep.
CerFo Gordo was Scott's eTSt bQnt with
Santa Anna Il was after the successful
siege Of Vera Cruz. when Scott had set bis
face toward the Mexican capital, the an
eient seat Of the MontezumaS Gen. Zach.
ary Taylor. who had been humping the
willy dictator on the Rio GrAnde line, sent
hia best trOOpa 10 REINFORCE Scott, and
santa Anna fastened 10 the scene 70 sam
pie the new American leader. The route
from Vera Cruz 70 the City Of Mexico 10
along the great national highway running
through JAlapa and Puebla- Al q point
twenty miles east Of Jalapa the MexicAns
had taken position TO dispute ScOtt's ID.
Nhuce, anu 70 tnAt place bAnSA anna Ut
rpeted all bis troops from the Rio Grande,
and the re-eniOFcementA gathered from the
country at large Cerro Gordo was . col
lection Of huts belonging to 4 ranch on the
slopes between the mountains and the Rio
del Plan. East Of Cerro GOrdo the ua-
tional road winds among bare elevations
aloping toward the American approaches,
and commanding the roadway for q long
distance
The Mexican defenses formed q semi.
circle. both ends resting on the river. On
the right three separate heights, 100 feet
above the plain, were fortified and secured
By abatis and manned with an aggregate
Of l,so0 troops and o cannonA Parallel
with the road behind these heights was an
extensive bFeaatwork, with go men and
cAnnOnA. and across the road ut an arrow
pass between mountain and river were Z
cannOna and 200 men. Farther 70 the west
and the Mexican left and looking down
upon the pass was q conical bill 80 feet
high, known ~ Cerro TelsgTafo This hill
was fortified near its summit with works
Of stone and logs and was protected By
fallen trees. q was the key Of the position.
On the extreme left mound above Cerro
GoFiO ranch was occupied by force with
Z cannonA All told the Mexlcans had u, 000
men on the field the day Of the fight. April
10 1871
Between the fortified elevations there
were deep gorgos and low plains, all swept