The ancient city of Mexico, the capital of the Aztecs and their Spanish
successors, has been the scene of two great military events, its siege and
capture by Cortez the conqueror in 1521, and its capture by the American
army under General Scott in 1847, three and a quarter centuries later. Of
the remarkable career of Cortez we have given the most striking incident,
the story of the thrilling _Noche triste_ and the victory of Otumba. A
series of interesting tales might have been told of the siege that
followed, but we prefer to leave that period of mediaeval cruelty and
injustice and come down to the events of a more civilized age.
One of the most striking scenes in the campaign of 1847 was the taking of
the fortified hill of Chapultepec, but before describing this we may
briefly outline the events of which it formed the dramatic culmination.
Vera Cruz, "the city of the True Cross," founded by Cortez in 1520, was
the scene of the American landing, and was captured by the army under
General Scott in March, 1847. Then, marching inland as Cortez had done
more than three centuries before, the American army, about twelve thousand
strong, soon began to ascend the mountain-slope leading from the torrid
sea-level plain to the high table-land of the old Aztec realm.
Sixty miles from Vera Cruz the American forces came to the mountain-pass
of Cerro Gordo, where Santa Anna, the president of Mexico, awaited the
invaders with an army of thirteen thousand men. The heights overhanging
the road bristled with guns, and the lofty hill of Cerro Gordo was
strongly fortified, rendering the place almost impregnable to an attack
from the direction of Vera Cruz. Scott was too able a soldier to waste the
lives of his men in such a perilous assault, and took the wiser plan of
cutting a new road along the mountain-slopes and through ravines out of
sight of the enemy, to the Jalapa road in the Mexican rear. An uphill
charge from this point gave the Americans command of all the minor hills,
leaving to the Mexicans only the height of Cerro Gordo, with its
intrenchments and the strong fortress on its summit.
On the 18th of April this hill, several hundred feet in rugged height, was
assailed in front and rear, the Americans gallantly climbing the steep
rocks in the face of a deadly fire, carrying one barricade after another,
and at length sweeping over the ramparts of the summit fortress and
driving the defenders from their stronghold down the mountain-side. Santa
Anna took with him only eight thousand men in his hasty retreat, leaving
three thousand as prisoners in the American hands, with forty-three pieces
of bronze artillery and a large quantity of ammunition. Within a month
afterwards Scott's army marched into the city of Puebla, on the
table-land, sixty-eight miles from the capital. Here they rested for
several months, awaiting reinforcements.
On August 7 the army resumed its march, now less than eleven thousand
strong, the term of several regiments having expired and their places been
partly filled by untried men, none of whom had ever fired a gun in war. On
they went, up-hill still, passing the remains of the old city of Cholula
with its ruined Aztec pyramid, and toiling through a mountain region till
Rio Frio was reached, fifty miles from Puebla and more than ten thousand
feet above the level of the sea.
A few miles farther and the beautiful valley of Mexico lay suddenly
revealed before them like a vision of enchantment. It was a scene of
verdant charm, the bright green of the fields and groves diversified with
the white walls of villages and farm-houses, the silvery flow of streams,
and the gleaming surface of winding lakes, while beyond and around a wall
of wooded mountains ascended to snowy peaks. It was a scene of summer
charm that had not been gazed upon by an invading army since the days when
Cortez and his men looked down upon it with warm delight.
The principal lakes visible were Lake Chalco, with the long, narrow lake
of Xochimilco near it, and seven miles to the north Lake Tezcuco, near the
western shore of which the city of Mexico was visible. Between Chalco and
Tezcuco ran the national road, for much of its length a narrow causeway
between borders of marsh-land. Near Lake Xochimilco was visible the
Acapulco road. Strong works of defence commanded both these highways.
[Illustration: ON THE BORDER OF LAKE CHALCO.]