The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-21
The of in
Zachary Tayorys hospital

lStd III 1 u D. OnutG tiflS ttSc Hds
Zachary Taylory's hospital
thriving city of 100000 people. There
were not one-ffth that number there
when Gen. Taylor besieged it. His jour
ney took several weeks.
1t was made on horseback with an
army of 800 men, most of whom were
on foot There were then no railroads
in Mexico and practically none in the
United States The most of the way was
over the desert and the country gave
but little to feed the army When the
Americans got to Monterey, they found
it in the hands of 10000 Mexican soldiers.
The town had been fortified. The wallis
We're lined with cannon and the streets
and houses were barricaded and planted
with artillery. There were forts about
the city. and the strongest of these was
the bishops palace on a hill at the
southwest.
During my stay In Monterey | walked
about the town, visiting the Grand Plaza
and other places which the Mexicans had
fortified and went to the outskirts and
picked out the spots where the forts were
located. The old palace or church at
the southwest of Monterey. where the
chief engagement took place, still stands
and there is a wall of stones about it
today. | found some of the old Ameri-
can cannon still lying on the slope of
the hill, and / am told that they have
not been moved from their places since
the engagement. In taking the town Gen.
Taylor captured the other forts first, and
then took this one. He now commanded
all the heights about the city ,and began
to shell it, while his men broke their
way through the walls of the houses
until they had almost reached the Grand
Plaza. AT that time the Mexicans. who
had lost many men, came out with
flag of truce and surrendered
Leaving Monterey, / bought ticket
to Saltillo, which lies sixty-seven miles
south of it, in order to visit the place
where the battle of Buena Vista was
fought. Satillo is the capital of the
state of Coahuila. ! 1t is situated on the
slope of a tableland about a mile above
the sea, and it is health resort as well
as a commercial and industrial center.
The battlefield is situated not far from
the railroad about seven miles farther
south, and there Is a station called Buena
Vista right at the place.
1t was there that Gen. Taylor met
Gen. Santa Anna and defeated him. al
though the latter had four times as
many troops. Gen. Taylors force had
been depleted by Congress in order to
carry on the war more effectively with
Gen. Scott in the SOUTH Taylor had less
than 5000 men, while Santa Anna had
over 10000. Indeed the Mexican force
was so large that Santa Anna thought
it ridiculous for the Americans to fight
He demanded of Gen Taylor that he
surrender. A reply was sent back which
afterward became a campaign cry and
aided in the election of Taylor as Presi-
dent. 1t was:
Gen. Taylor never surrenders."
Shortly after that the Mexicans sent
in a party under "a whites flag to in
quire what Gen. Taylor was waiting for,
and "old Rough and Ready sent back
the following: Gen. Taylor is waiting
for Gen. Santa Anna to surrender
All this occurred about February %,
which was Washington's birthday. The
following day the lighting began in ear
nest. The Americans were at first driven
back, and at one time it seemed as
though the battle was lost. Gen. Taylor
then gave his celebrated order to Bragg $
artillery. 1t was, Give them little
more grape, Capt Bragg"
Bragg's artillery was situated on a
hill nearby. He sent showers of iron
hail into the Mexicans. and this threw
int ierl,t he
tie had lasted two days, and when the
night of the second day CAME the rival
armies held about the same positions
that they had had that morning. Our
men slept on the field, and when the
next morning came it was found that
the Mexicans had fled
In that engagement 10000 Mexicans
were beaten by less than 5000 Americans.
Their losses We're about $500 killed and
wounded and 1000 missing. Our losses
We're only little over 700, but that was
almost one-siXth of our whole force.
Gen. Lew Wallace says that the Ameri-
cans were beaten oftener during that
engagement than there were hours In
. the day, but that they did not know
they were beaten. They rallied and
ioHShi, anu idiiicu anu lOuSut, anu at
last 'grung victory from the hands of
defeat
The battlefield of Buena Vista is now
desert-like and barren The ground about
is covered with sage brush and stones
; and the only green vegetation is the tree
under which Gen. Taylor's hospital stood
during that engagement AT least, I
suppose the hospital stood there, for the
, tree still bears the name of the Gen.
Taylor Hospital tree
The battle of Buena Vista was the last
engagement of any account in the north.
1t ended the service of Gen Taylor in
Mexico, and, as | have said, it made him
the hero of the American people Upon
his return to the United States he was
received with the greatest applause. and
that Notwithstanding he liked to keep in
. the background. A story Illustrating his