The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-25

Sumner was wounded and brevetted
lieutenant colonel. Captain Robert An
derson. Pemberton, Fitz-John Porter
and Longstreet were brevetted for gal
lantry at tn Mills: also Armistead, w.
H. T. Walker. Edward Johnson. ]. G..
Walker and Charles P. Stone. Ander-
son, the two Walkers and Porter were
wounded. More than 700 men fell, and
the awful slaughter proved to have
been useless because the Mills turned
out not to be a key TO Chapultepec, as
supposed before the assault. 1t was it
self dominated by the guns of the
castle and had to be promptly aban-
dOned. But when it was given cut in
SCOTS camps that the castle itself
should he stormed and that two par
ties of men each would have the post
of honor in advance, the officers and
soldiers came forward in excess of
numbers, and the choice finally had to
be made by drawing lots. Both regulars
and volunteers were eager for the
place of danger.
In the ranks of the skirmishers and
storming parties and bands of enthu-
siastic fellows crowding at their heels
were all the heroes named in the above
list, the elite 30 American leaders, who
won their spurs at Chapultepec. Jo
seph Z. Johnston commanded special
battalion of Voltigeurs and foot rifle
and was to give its baptism of fire in
storming castle walls. When the sig
nal sounded for the storming parties
to advance Johnson preceded then;
with his four companies of Voltigeurs
having received orders to force an en-
trance through the immense wall en-
closing the castle park. In the face of
a steady fire from the walls and the
gate the Voltigeurs deployed and
turned their rifles upon the Mexicans
on the top of the wall. After a few
minutes the enemy broke from the par
apet and ran across the park to line
of intrenchments. The Voltigeurs fol-
lowed, Johnston leading them all in
their wild run. The flag of his battal-
ion was the first American banner
planted upon the outer walls of this
ancient citadel. Infantry columns and
batteries quickly advanced to seize the
ground cleared by the Voltigeurs
Leaving the prizes TO them. the brave
colonel, already wounded. hurried his
men across the park to the rear gates
to cut off the garrison from retreat
This feat was accomplished in the face
of a sharp and close fire poured upon
the Voltigeurs from the park terrace
in their rear. One of Johnston's men,
private w. A. Gray. discovered and
destroyed a train of powder leading to
the mines which Mexicans had planted
under the walls and which, in conse-
quence, they failed TO explode
The attack of the stormers had been
preceded by a bombardment. and gal
liant deeds performed at every stage
of the battle were praised and reward
ed. Mcclellan and G. w. Smith got
their bfevets for constructing two bat
teries under slight screen of bushes
close to the castle walls. from which
the first guns of the bombardment
were fired; Charles p. Stone, for gal
lantry at a gun in one of these bat
teries; Lee for laying platforms under
fire on the Aqueduct walls <sed as gun
staging. and for carrying battle orders
over the field until ne tainted from a
wound received early in the fight
There was a literary hero also. who
captured a brevet for gallantry at the
batteries and parapets-Lieutenan
Mayne Reid, the famous novelist. Reid
and his company of New York volun-
teers became excited and dashed after
the storming parties. catching up with
them before they crossed the walls
Mansfield Lowell was breveted for a
bold reconnaissance. in which he dis
covered two concealed Mexican bat
teries: Captain Paul for advancing a
light detachment of 80 men as an out
post to guard against a sortie of the
Mexicans: the gallant Reno for NOV
ing his battery along with the storm
ing column. Reno afterward caught
up with Johnston's voltigeurs, with one
howitzer, and was wounded while fir
ing it, $500
Stonewall jackson ran his section of
artillery up to within point-blank
range of the enemy. The horses at his
guns were all killed, but he hauled one