The record-union., 1897-07-29

Chapultepec is well named, for in the
Aztec tongue the word means the Hill
of the Grasshoppers. It is an eleva-
ton of 165 feet above the level, crown
ed by a castle, with wings. baStions.
parapets, redoubts, and batteries Of
heavy stone work over 900 feet in
length Surrounding this seemingly
impregnable fortress at the time of the
battle were two stone walks strongly
built, and from two to fourteen feet
in hight. The hill is an isolated rock
with steep, precipitous sides on the
north and east and part of the south.
1t was fanked also by high walls along
the main roadway or causeways and
by a strong aqueduct wall twelve or
sixteen feet high Soldiers to escalade
these barriers, arms in hand. fighting
their way step by step, must be as agile
as grasShopperS, as sure footed as the
mountain goat. The men who led off,
who struck the first blows, who
preached the walls, drove the Mexicans
from the parapets and turned their own
guns upon them, inspiring their follow
ers to come on and send the wedge
home. were also fifty named for the
work in hand They We're voltigeurs.
literally vaulting soldiers, men selected
and trained for daring deeds.
The first step was the capture of the
strongest outwork Of the citadel, Ell
Molinos del Rey mills of the Kings.
The structure was of sandstone, with
walls extending three or four feet above
the roof. Its length was 600 feet. Scott
ordered the place stormed, and bat
talon of 800 strong rushed forward un-
der a cross fire of musketry, round, and
grapeshot They took a battery and
turned it upon the Mexicans, but the
enemy rallied on the roofs and walls
and poured an awful fire upon the
gallant stormers. In the first five min
utes ten officers out of twelve, who led
the companies, were shot down. After
all but fragment Of the gallant party
had perished the American reserves
rushed forward. The Mexicans fought
stubbornly, disputing every inch or
ground of the courtyard and every
room inside of the building one after
the other Some of the Americans were
overwhelmed and barricaded inside OF
the building, but they fought their way
to the roofs The Mexican garrison at
the Mills numbered 1900. The most
conspicuous hero of the attack upon
the Mills was Captain Sumner. With
270 picked horsemen he gallOped down
the field under fire from the castle walls
and deployed in front of 5000 Mexican
cavalry, preventing them from attack
ing the S,torming party on the Hank
Sumner was wounded and brevetted
Lieutenant Colonel. Captain Robert
Anderson, Pemberton, FitZ-John Por-
ter. and Longstreet We're brevetted for
gaLantry at the Mills; also Armistead
w. H. T. Walker Edward Johnson, }.
G.. Walker, and Charles P. Stone. An
derson. the two Walkers and Porter
were wounded. More than 100 men
fell. and the awful slaughter proved
to have been useless because the Mills
turned out not to be a. key to Chapulte-
pee. as supposed before the assault. 1t
was itself dominated by the guns of the
castle and had to be promptly aban-
doned. But when il was given out in
Scotts camps that the castle itself
should be stormed and that two parties
of 80 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 regu-
lars and Volunt eerS were eager for the
place of danger.
In the ranks of the skirmishers and
storming parties and bands of en-
thusiastic fellows crowdinG at their
heels were all the heroes named in the
above list, the elite fifty American
leaders, who won their spurs at Chapul-
tepec. Joseph E. Johnston commanded
a special battalion of Voltigeurs and
foot riflemen, which he had recently
organized and was to give its baptism
of fire in storming castle walls. When
the signal sounded for the storming
parties to advance Johnston preceded
them with his four companies of Volti-
geurs. having received orders to force
an entrance through the immense wall
enclosing the castle park. In the face
of 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 few
minutes the enemy broke from the
parapet and ran across the park to
line of interenchments. The Vtoltgeurs
followed, Johnston leading them all in
their wild run. The flag of his battalion
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, al
ready 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 Voltiguers
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 consequence, 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 We're praised and re-
warded. Mcclellan and G.. w. Smith
got their brevets for constructing two
bushes close to the castle walls, from
which the first guns of the lombard
ment We're fired; Charles p. Stone for
gallantry at a gun in one of these bat
teries: Lee for laying platforms under
fire on the aqueduct walls used as gun
staging, and for carrying battle orders
over the field until he tainted from a
wound received early in the fight
There was literary hero also, who cap
tured a brevet for gallantry at the bat
teries and parapets-Lieutenant Mayne
Reid. the famous novelist. Reid and his
company OF New York volunteers be