Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-03-31
force in the north, by overwhelming


ed north against Taylor, who had s..
900. Taylor fell back to the pass oi
Angostura, a narrow defile in the
mountain directly in front of the ha-
cienda of Buena Vista, and there
awaited the coming Of the enemy.
On the morning of Washington
birthday Santa Anna halted two miles
from Taylor's line and sent dispatch
calling for his surrender. You are
surrounded" he wrote. by 10000 men
and cannot avoid being cut to pieces
wish to save you this disaster and
summon you to surrender"
"Old Rough and Ready" as his men
called him, replied at once; Il decline
to accede to your request"
Santa Anna worked out an elaborate
battle plan, involving an attack by the
Mexicans in three columns, with a
force in the rear to cut off Taylors
retreat.
The battle began at sunrise and
lasted all day. At times 1t looked as
If the Americans would be overwhelm-
ed. But they had the advantage OF
the ground and of the artillery. Re-
peatedly the American batteries swept
the attacking lines from the field. On
one occasion the arrival of Colonel
Jefferson Davis, later president Of the
Confederacy, with his regiment of Mis-
sissippi infantry, saved the day.
The roster of officers foreshadows
the greater conflict Of the civil war
Sherman, Thomas, Bragg, Reynolds
were In command of batteries.
1t was a bloody day. The Ameri-
cans lost nearly a fifth of their entire
force in killed and wounded. The
Mexican loss was $500. That night
Taylor's army slept on it's arms, ex-
pecting to renew the fight In the
morning. But Santa Anna retreated
before dawn and left the Americans in
possession of the field.
Buena Vista made Taylor the next
president. Also 1t was the occasion
for the writing of two remarkable
poems. Whittier's Angels Of Buena
Vista" is familiar, beginning:
Speak and tell us our Ximena, look
ing northward, far away,
Ger the camp Of the invaders, DER the
Mexican array,
Who Is losing? who Is winning? are
they far, or come they near?
Look abroad and tell US, sister, whith-
er rolls the storm we hear.
Down the hill of Angostura, still the
storm of battle rolls,
Blood is flowing, men are dying; God
have mercy on their souls!'
Who is losing? who is winning? over
hill and over plain.
/ see but smoke OF cannon clouding
Through the mountain rain"
Still better known are Theodore
O'Hara's fine lines, written after the
news was received-and incidentally
II was more than a month after the
battle before the outcome was known
'in Washington:
The muff1ed drums sad roll has beat
The soldiers last tattoo;
No more on life's parade shall meet
That brave and fallen few.
On Fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And Glory guards with solemn round
The bfvOuac OF the dead.
The next month after Buena Vista
Scott landed near Vera Cruz with 12,-
900 men. After a siege Of few days
he captured the castle and town, and
little later started on his march along
the highway to the capital Of the Az
tees, over the route that Cortez and
his little band had traversed just 32S
years before.
The march was a repetition Of Tay-
lor's brilliant campaign in the north,
Scott stormed the heights Of Cerro
Gordo, occupied Jalapa, Perote and
Pueblo and on August 10 the City OF
Mexico was in sight.
Polk repeatedly tried for peace dur
ing the progress Of the war, but all
his overtures were rejected. Santa
Anna intimated that for a considera-
tion of $4,000 he might be able to end
the fighting. He got the money from
Scott, but was unable to carry out his
agreement.
Polk announced that he would CON
quer a peace" and the campaign went
on. To capture the capital Scott de-
cided that it was necessary to storm
the castle Of Chapultepec, which stood
on a rock rising $50 feet from the
plain.
The taking Of the castle by Pillows
command was one of the most gallant
exploits of the war. His men rushed
the hill without waiting for the seal
ing ladders. There was delay al
the summit until the ladders could be
brought, and then the soldiers scaled
the high walls and took the fort.
Scott now occupied the City Of Mex
leo and raised the American flag over
the halls of the Montezumas.
Meanwhile an expedition under Col
onel Stephen w. Kearny had set out
from Fort Leavenworth in June, 1S46
over the Santa Fe trail. 1t paused at
Bent's Fort, at the crossing Of the Ar
kansas river, and then proceeded to
New Mexico. After taking Santa Fe
Kearny started for California.
Before he could reach there John c,
Fremont, the pathfinder, had cooper
ated with the disaffected American
settlers in establishing the Bear State
Republic" But with the news of the
declaration of war the bear flag was
hauled down and the Stars and Stripes
substituted for it. Commodore Stock
ton, who was on the coast with fleet.
co-operated with Fremont, and they
held California until Kearny's arrival.
Mexico at last was ready to sue for
peace. A peace Commissioner. n. P.
Trist, had accompanied Scott, prepar-
ed to make terms. His conduct had
displeased the administration and he
had been recalled, Polk feeling that In
view of the prolongation Of the war
severer terms must be exacted than
those at first contemplated.
But in disobedience to orders Trist
stayed and negotiated the treaty of
-, n. taI, n