AFTER THE SURRENDER OF VERA CRUZ; TO THE OCCUPATION OF PUEBLA.
From the capitulation of Vera Cruz, on the 29th of March, until we left
that place on the 13th of April, the engineer company was principally
engaged in assisting engineer officers in making surveys of the
fortifications and surrounding ground, in dismantling our own batteries,
magazines, &c.; and aiding the Quartermaster's Department in landing and
placing in depot the general engineer train of the army.
In the meantime, on the 7th of April, I reported, through the senior
engineer, to the Adjutant-General of the forces, that the engineer
company would be ready to move with the advance division of the army on
the 8th, if transportation for its train could be furnished.
Transportation, together with orders to move with the advance division,
were applied for. "The reply was that General Scott would, at the proper
time, order such transportation for the engineer company as he deemed
sufficient--and would, when it was his pleasure, order the company
forward."[3]
Twiggs's division left on the 8th; Patterson's on the 9th; on the 11th
Worth's division was ordered to move on the 13th; Quitman's brigade had
been previously sent on an expedition to Alvarado; the garrison of Vera
Cruz was designated. Thus, every soldier in the army, except the
engineer company, had received instructions either to go forward or to
remain.
On the night of the 11th, in my evening report to the Adjutant of
engineers, I asked the Senior Engineer[4] then serving with the army;
when and where the engineer company was ordered; what I was ordered to
do; and what transportation, if any, I was to have.
On these subjects not one word had been stated, in either written or
printed orders, that had come to my knowledge. On the morning of the
12th, General Scott consented that the engineer company should, if
possible, move with the General Headquarters, which left at 4 P. M. that
day.
I then applied direct to the Chief Quartermaster for transportation. He
told me that it was impossible to let me have any teams at that
time--all the good teams had been taken by the army, General Worth was
getting the last.
A positive order from headquarters, was then procured by the Adjutant of
engineers, requiring the Quartermaster's Department to furnish
transportation for the engineer train, etc. The teams, such as they
were, came into our camp about dark on the 12th. That night the wagons
were loaded; and we started half an hour before daylight on the 13th.
The mules were wild, the teamsters could not speak English, some of them
had never harnessed an animal; and it was soon apparent that the men of
the company would have to put their muskets in the wagons and give their
undivided attention to the mules. At 2 P. M., after struggling through
the deep sand, west of the city, we struck the firm beach, and could
make better progress, for about three miles, to Vergara, where the road
leaves the coast, and again passes through deep sand.
In the meantime one team had become broken down and useless before we
got beyond the city. In order to procure another I had to take some of
my own men into the mule pen. Three Mexicans were given me to lasso the
mules, and five men were required to put them in harness--seasick, wild,
little animals. One teamster deserted; one had his hand, and another had
his leg broken; and a number of mules in different teams, were crippled.
At Vergara, half the load of each wagon was thrown out, before we
entered upon steep ridges and deep sand immediately after leaving the
beach. All the men were engaged in helping along the half loaded wagons.
That night we slept in the sand ridges.
On the 14th, we reached Santa Fe, eight miles from Vera Cruz, threw out
the half loads, and returned to Vergara. Before we again reached the
beach, the men had actually to roll the empty wagons up every hill, the
mules not being able to drag them. By 10 P. M., we were again at Santa
Fe, having killed three mules, and the men being worked nearly to death.
Fortunately for us, several good mules that had escaped from preceding
army trains, came out of the chaparral to our feed troughs, were caught,
and "pressed" into engineer service.
From Santa Fe the road was much better, but at every hill the men had
to take to the wheels and help the mules--this too, after throwing out
half the load at the foot of some of the steeper hills. In this way, we
reached the National Bridge, at 3 P. M. on the 16th.
General Worth's division was about starting from that place to make a
night march to Plan Del Rio. He informed me that our army would attack
the enemy, at the Cerro Gordo Pass, on the afternoon of the 17th; and
said he desired that the engineer company should accompany his division.
I informed him that my men and animals were utterly exhausted and could
not go any further without several hours rest. But I assured him that we
would be in Plan Del Rio by noon of the next day. We rested at the
National Bridge until 11.30 P. M., on the 16th and reached Plan Del Rio,
about 11 A. M., on the 17th.
AT CERRO GORDO. Soon after our arrival at Plan Del Rio, I was
ordered to detail an officer and ten men of the engineer company to
report to General Pillow for temporary service with his division.
Lieutenant McClellan was placed in charge of that detail.
With the remainder of the company, I was directed to report to Captain
R. E. Lee, then acting as Chief Engineer of Twiggs's division; who
instructed me to allow the men to rest, whilst I accompanied him to the
front, where Twiggs's division was about going into action. Captain Lee
informed General Twiggs that the engineer company was at Plan Del Rio,
and had been ordered to serve with his division. I was directed by
General Twiggs to return at once, and bring the company to the front as
soon as possible.
The action of the 17th was over before the engineer company arrived.
Captain Lee directed me, with a portion of my men and a large detailed
working party, to construct a battery that night, in a position he had
selected on the heights we had gained that afternoon. This was a work of
some difficulty, owing to the rocky nature of the ground and the small
depth of earth--in some places none, and nowhere more than a few inches.
About 3 A. M. on the 18th I sent one of my men to the foot of the hill
to awaken Lieutenant Foster, who was sleeping there with the company,
and tell him he must relieve me for the rest of the night.
After putting Foster in charge I started to join the company--and became
sound asleep whilst walking down the hill. Stumbling into a quarry hole,
I found myself sprawling on a dead Mexican soldier--his glazed eyes wide
open, within a few inches of mine. For a moment I felt that horror of a
corpse which many persons have, at times, experienced. The probability
that, in a short time after daylight--in storming the strong position
of the enemy--I might be as dead as the man upon whom I was lying,
forced itself upon me.
Before I could regain my feet streams of men were rushing past me in the
darkness; and I heard and recognised, the voice of Lieutenant Peter V.
Hagner, of the Ordnance, calling in no measured tone or language, upon
these stampeded men to stop. Whilst promptly aiding Hagner to bring the
fugitives to a halt, I forgot the dead Mexican, and the whole train of
thought connected with the corpse.
When something like order was restored on the hillside I learned from
Lieutenant Hagner that he had been detailed to take one of our heavy
guns up the hill to the battery. A regiment of Volunteers had been
placed at his disposal to man the drag-ropes. Their arms had been left
at the foot of the hill. On finding his way blocked by trees, Hagner had
sent to procure axes from the engineer train; and in the meantime the
regiment at the drag-ropes had been permitted to lie down. Of course
they went to sleep. Suddenly awakened by a false alarm that the Mexicans
were upon them, they rushed down the hill to get their arms. Hagner soon
procured the required axes and the gun was delivered at the battery in
good time.
At daylight I was again at the battery. A slight epaulment had been
finished for three pieces of artillery, the platforms were laid, and the
guns in position. I was then instructed by Captain Lee, to send ten men
to report to him for special service; to order Lieutenant Foster with
eight additional men, to report to him (Lee) for the purpose of opening
a road for the light artillery around the foot of the heights; and I was
ordered, with the rest of the company, to report to Colonel Harney, who
was then in command of Persifor Smith's brigade, of Twiggs' division.
I was instructed to accompany that brigade when it moved forward to
attack the enemy in position on a hill immediately in front of, and
higher than that on which our battery had been constructed. The Mexicans
were in strong force on the higher hill.
From our lower position we could not clearly see their lines nor
determine how they were fortified. The hill they occupied was flat on
top and their lines were set back from the crest of the precipitous
slope which faced us. The storming brigade was ordered to halt and
reform just before reaching the top of the higher hill. At this point
they were below the plane of the enemy's fire, and were when lying down,
perfectly protected. In this position they were ordered to rest, until
the order should be given to rise, charge and carry the enemy's works
by open assault.
When the line was thus formed, I requested Colonel Harney not to give
the order to charge until I could go on the plateau, get a clear view of
the enemy's works, and report their character. I soon informed him that
their main line was not more than forty or fifty yards from where our
men were then lying, that the fortifications were very incomplete,
offered no effective obstacle, and we could dash over the works without
a halt. I then ordered my men to drop their tools and use their muskets.
Whilst I was making this report to Colonel Harney, our attention was
drawn to quite a sharp fire that the Mexicans had suddenly opened from a
point close to the left flank and in the prolongation of our line. I
told him I was certain there were no fortifications in that position;
and I had seen no troops there. The fire increased from that direction,
and Colonel Harney ordered me to proceed rapidly with my men to the left
of our line, direct two companies on that flank to wheel at once, to the
left; and when he gave the order to charge, these two companies and the
engineers would move to the left against the force that was firing upon
us from that side.
These dispositions on our left were made in a very few moments, and the
order to charge was given immediately thereafter. The brigade sprang up,
dashed over the short intervening space, and were almost instantly
inside of the Mexican incomplete works.
After a short, but bloody, hand to hand struggle, in which bayonets,
swords, pistols, and butts of muskets were freely used, the Mexicans
retreated in great disorder. The troops that had been faced to the left
just before the order to charge was given, immediately found themselves
in the midst of a detachment of Mexicans, in a nest of surface quarry
holes which gave them protection from distant fire and effectually
concealed them from view until we were among them. The struggle here was
hand to hand, and sharp for a short time. But they were driven from
their quarry holes, back on their main line which gave way, and their
own guns were turned upon them before they could get off the field.
Thus, Persifor Smith's brigade, under Colonel Harney, carried, and held
possession of, the key-point of the battlefield of Cerro Gordo.
After the battle the various details of engineer soldiers joined in the
pursuit of the enemy, were collected together at Encerro, and the
company remained with Twiggs division until it reached Jalapa. At this
place it was furnished by the Chief Quartermaster with the finest mule
teams in the army. This gave great satisfaction to the men who had
struggled so hard to get the engineer train forward, through deep sand,
from Vera Cruz. To add to their elation, they had now left the "hot
lands" of the coast behind them, had reached a temperate climate, 4,000
feet above the level of the sea, had escaped the dread _vomito_ of Vera
Cruz, and had participated closely in the great victory gained by
Scott's army at Cerro Gordo.
From Jalapa, Worth's division led the way, the engineer company at its
head. During the halt of a few days, at Perote, I procured the transfer
of First Sergeant David H. Hastings, from the Third Artillery to the
engineer company. He was considered one of the best sergeants in the
army, and was at once, made first sergeant of the engineer company.
Previous to that time we had only an acting first sergeant. The company
entered Puebla with Worth's division, and on the arrival of General
Scott at that place we were again ordered to report to general
headquarters.
During the three months delay of the army, at Puebla, awaiting
reinforcements before moving into the valley of Mexico, the regular
instruction of the company--both as infantry and as engineer
soldiers--was resumed. Besides the "School of the Sapper" as taught them
before they left the United States, the men were now instructed,
theoretically and practically, in the "School of the Miner". They were
engaged too in work upon the fortifications of Puebla; and had practice
in loop-holing walls, and received instruction for placing towns,
villages, etc. in a state of defense. Whilst at Puebla the company
received the sad news of the death of their Captain.
General Scott, in his official report of the battle of Cerro Gordo,
says; "Lieutenant G. W. Smith led the engineer company as part of the
storming force [under Colonel Harney], and is noticed with distinction".
(Ex. Doc. No. 1, p. 263).
General Twiggs, in his official report of the same battle, states:
"Lieutenant G. W. Smith, of the engineers, with his company of Sappers
and Miners, joined Colonel Harney's command in the assault on the
enemy's main work, and killed two men with his own hand". (Ex. Doc. No.
1, p. 278).
In Colonel Harney's official report of this battle it is stated:
"Lieutenant G. W. Smith, of the engineers, with his company, rendered
very efficient service in his own department, as well as in the storming
of the fort". (Ex. Doc. No. 1, p. 281).
FOOTNOTES:
[3] Taken from my official report for the month of April, 1847. G. W. S.
[4] Colonel Joseph G. Totten. Chief Engineer, had left Vera Cruz and
returned to his duties in Washington City. Major John L. Smith then
became Senior Engineer with General Scott's forces.