Scott chose the Acapulco road for his route of approach, the national road
being commanded by the lofty and strongly fortified hill of El Penon,
precipitous on one side, and surrounded by marshes and a deep ditch on the
other. The Acapulco road was defended by strongly garrisoned fortresses at
Contreras and Churubusco, but seemed more available than the other route.
Still farther north and west of the capital was a third approach to it
over the road to Toluco, defended by works at Molino del Rey and by the
fortified hill of Chapultepec. It was evident that the army under Scott
would go through some severe and sanguinary fighting before the city could
be reached.
It is not our purpose to describe the various engagements by which this
work was accomplished. It must suffice to say that the strong hill fort of
Contreras was taken by a surprise, being approached by a road leading to
its rear during the night and taken by storm at sunrise, seventeen minutes
sufficing for the important victory. The garrison fled in dismay, after
losing heavily.
An advance was made the same day on the nearby Mexican works at San
Antonio and Churubusco, and with the same result. The garrison at San
Antonio, fearful of being cut off by the American movement, evacuated the
works and retired upon Churubusco, hotly pursued. The Americans, inspired
by success, carried all before them, taking the works at the bridge of
Churubusco by an impetuous charge and soon putting the enemy to flight.
Meanwhile, General Shields attacked the Mexican reserve, consisting of
four thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry, whose line was broken
by a bayonet charge.
The whole Mexican force was, by these well-devised movements, forced back
in terrible confusion, and was quickly fleeing in panic. The fugitives
were cut down by the pursuing Americans, who followed to the immediate
defences of the capital, where the pursuit was checked by a heavy fire of
grape-shot. Thus in one day the Americans, nine thousand strong, had
captured three strong positions, held by three times their number, the
Mexicans losing in killed, wounded, and prisoners over six thousand men,
while the American loss in killed and wounded was less than a thousand.
Negotiations for peace followed, but they came to nothing, the armistice
that had been declared terminating on the 7th of September. The problem
that now lay before General Scott was a very different one from that which
Cortez had faced in his siege of the city. In his day Mexico was built on
an island in the centre of a large lake, which was crossed by a number of
causeways, broken at intervals by canals whose bridges could be removed.
During the centuries that succeeded this lake had disappeared, low, marshy
lands occupying its site. The city, however, was still reached by
causeways, eight in number, raised about six feet above the marsh level.
In these ended the five main roads leading to the city. A large canal
surrounded the capital, and within its circle were smaller ones, all now
filled with water, as this was the rainy season. The problem of bridging
these under fire was one of the difficulties that confronted the
Americans.
General Scott decided to approach the city by the causeways of San Cosme,
Belen, and Tacubaya, which were defended by formidable works, the
outermost of which was Molino del Rey, a fortified position at the foot of
a slope beyond which a grove of cypresses led to the hill of Chapultepec.
It consisted of a number of stone buildings, some of which had been used
as a foundry, but which were now converted into fortresses. This place was
carried by storm in the early morning of September 8, and the stronger
position of Casa de Mata, a quarter of a mile from Chapultepec, was
captured by a fierce assault the same day. Only Chapultepec now lay
between the Americans and the Mexican capital.
The stronghold of Chapultepec, of which the places just taken were in the
nature of outworks, remained to be captured before the city could be
reached from that quarter. Chapultepec is an isolated rocky hill, about
one hundred and fifty feet in height, and was surmounted by a large stone
building which had been used as the bishop's palace, but was now converted
into a strong fortress. It was well prepared for defence in guns and
garrison, and was the most difficult to win of the fortifications of the
capital. The western side was the most accessible, but the face of this,
above the grove of cypresses which covered its base, presented a steep,
rocky, and difficult ascent.
To deceive the enemy, a feigned advance upon another section of the city
was made on the 12th of September. The two divisions engaged in this
returned that night to Tacubaya, near Chapultepec, though a force still
threatened the southern causeways. Four batteries had been posted within
easy range of the castle of Chapultepec during the night of the 11th, and
all next day they kept up a steady fire upon it, driving its defenders
back and partly wrecking the walls. On the morning of the 13th the
batteries resumed their fire, while the forces chosen for the assault
approached the hill from different directions through the fire of the
enemy.
Two assaulting columns of two hundred and fifty picked men each, from
Worth's and Twigg's divisions, advanced with scaling ladders, while the
batteries threw shot and shell over their heads to drive the defenders
from the walls. Major-General Pillow led his division through the grove on
the east side, but he quickly fell with a dangerous wound, and General
Cadwalader succeeded him. Before him was a broken and rocky ascent, with a
redoubt midway in its height. Up the steep rocks climbed the gallant
stormers, broke into the redoubt with a wild cheer, and put its defenders
to flight. On up the steep they then clambered, passing without injury the
mines which the Mexicans had planted, but which they could not fire
without killing their own men. In a few minutes more the storming party
reached the summit and climbed over the castle wall with shouts of
victory, driving back its defenders. Soon the United States flag was seen
floating over the ramparts, a roar of cheers greeting the inspiring
spectacle.
On the southeast Quitman's column of assault was making like progress,
while Smith's brigade captured two batteries at the foot of the hill on
the right, and Shield's brigade crossed the meadows under a hot fire of
musketry and artillery and swept up the hill to the support of the
stormers.
Thus the castle of Chapultepec, the last and strongest citadel of the
Mexicans, had fallen before an impetuous charge up a hill deemed
inaccessible, in the face of a hot fire, and the city itself lay at the
mercy of the invaders. The causeway which it defended formed a double
roadway on each side of a great aqueduct, with stone arches and pillars.
Shields charged impetuously along this causeway, towards the city, two
miles distant, while Quitman pursued the fleeing enemy along the
neighboring causeway of Belen.
An aide sent by Scott came riding up to Shields to bid him halt till
Worth, who was following the San Cosme causeway, could force its defences.
The aide politely saluted the eagerly advancing general and began,
"General Scott presents his compliments
"I have no time for compliments just now," roared out Shields, and spurred
briskly onward to escape the unwelcome orders which he felt were coming.
Soon he had led his men into the suburbs of the city, while Worth and
Quitman charged inward over the neighboring causeways with equal
impetuosity.
A strong force was quickly within the streets of the city, assailed by
skirmishers firing from houses and gardens, who could be reached only by
forcing a way in with pickaxes and bars. Two guns were brought in by
Worth's column and planted in position to batter down the San Cosme gate,
the barrier to the great square in the city's centre, and which fronted
the cathedral and palace. Quitman and Shields had to fight their way
through as hot a fire, and as they charged inward found themselves before
the citadel, mounting fifteen guns. At this point a severe loss was
sustained, but the assailants held their own, mounting guns to attack the
citadel the next morning.
These guns were not used. Before daylight a deputation of the city council
waited on General Scott and announced that the army had evacuated the
city, and the government officials had fled. It was not long afterwards
before the Stars and Stripes were floating over the National Palace and in
the great plaza.
Fighting continued for a day longer between the Americans and about four
thousand soldiers and liberated convicts, who fought with desperate fury
for their country and were not put down without considerable loss. On the
morning of September 16 the army of the United States held undisputed
possession of the famous old capital of Mexico. Fighting continued,
however, elsewhere for some months later, and it was not till the 2d of
February, 1848, that a treaty of peace was signed.