Soldiers of Conquest (20 page)

Grant swiftly dismounted, tied the reins of his horse to a bush, and hastened to the gun. “Shoot and let me see where it lands,” he ordered the gunnery sergeant. He raised his glasses to watch the cannon ball land.

The sergeant sighted along the thick iron barrel of his gun, made an adjustment and fired. Grant saw the ball strike several yards behind the enemy position.

“Not too bad,” Grant said. “Lower your angle five degrees and swing right three.”

Grant continued to call corrections and saw exploding shells fall upon the enemy breastworks, tumbling logs, knocking men down, sending bodies flying into the air. After several rounds from the three guns, the Mexican soldiers scrambled from their battered breastworks and scampered away. The company of Americans broke into a run and whooping loudly surged over the positions and onward in pursuit.

“Look at them skedaddle,” shouted the artillery sergeant and laughed and danced a short, happy jig.

“Let's catch them,” Grant called out to McClellan. The cannons were no longer of use. Now it would be a chase to round up the enemy before they scattered and escaped. Grant went to his mount and sent it off at a swift gallop.

McClellan swung astride his mount and spurred it up beside Grant. With pistols drawn, they sped along the road. The Mexicans, throwing frightened looks over their shoulders as they ran, saw the two horsemen closing upon them. By singles, then by twos, and then in ever-larger groups, they veered off the road and plunged into the chaparral thickets cloaking the land and vanished. Grant and McClellan, knowing their horses could not navigate the thorny thickets, sped on along the road.

The road soon joined with the National Highway and they saw before them thousands of Mexican prisoners under guard by Americans on the edge of a village of a few houses. They had reached Cerro Gordo. They circled around the men and struck the Highway beyond the town.

“Look at those bastards,” McClellan calls out to Grant and pointed at American stragglers, at least a squad, some sitting in the shade of trees and others searching through the knapsacks and pockets of Mexican soldiers lying dead by the Highway.

“Let's get them to the fighting,” Grant called back.

“Damn right,” McClellan said.

Shouting at the lazing soldiers, the two officers drew their sabers and spurred their horses in among them. The soldiers sprang erect, dodging the iron-shod hooves of the officers' horses. Grant and McClelland swatted the slowest men to rise with the flat sides of their sabers.

“You Goddamn cowards, grab you muskets and form up!” McClellan roared at the men.

The men, some with angry expressions and others with sheepish ones, hastily fell into rank.

“Double time,” Grant barked. “You're going to help in the fighting whether you like it or not.”

The men marched to the west where hundreds of muskets were popping. The Highway was littered with weapons, cartridge boxes, knapsacks, and articles of clothing dropped by the retreating Mexicans. Among the litter lay some of the enemy, wounded and bleeding. Some lay dead.

Grant and McClellan overtook and passed groups of infantry from Patterson's and Twiggs's commands moving along the highway toward Jalapa. Most of the men, weary after the long chase on foot, were resting in the shade of trees. The Mexicans, having dropped everything that encumbered their flight, had out-run the Americans laden with their arms and knapsacks.

Grant and McClellan noting the exhaustion of the squad of men with them relented and allowed them to fall out to rest. Pushing their horses on, they came within sight of Jalapa lying some two miles ahead. They halted near a company of Dragoons and another of infantry and heard the Dragoon officer telling that he had been to the outskirts of the town and had found it undefended. He suggested the Dragoons and infantry return to the main camp. The captain of infantry nodded agreement and called out for his men to form up. Dragoons and infantry began the fourteen mile trek to base camp.

Grant rode dejected. He had fought no battles, taken no prisoners, won no glory.

*

Lee shouted out through the darkness for the medics and stretcher-bearers working with the frail lights of lanterns, to end their search for wounded soldiers. The men called back acknowledgements, and with their lights weaving about to find a path through the trees and brush thickets, came homing in on Lee. The army medics had come up to the site of the fighting as Lee and the infantrymen had started the search for the wounded. The medics had joined in and provided the best treatment they could in the field for men with bullet and shrapnel wounds, and broken limbs and backs from falls in the rugged land.

Lee had worked the men through the day, and refusing to quit when night came down on them, sent a wagon to the main camp to fetch lanterns. They searched on, shouting out into the blackness and listening for a wounded man to call back. They had looked in all the likely places and it was now time to end the effort. Those men still lying hurting and bleeding must wait until morning for help, or die during the long night.

“Mount up and let's go to camp,” Lee directed.

The men made their way out to the trail Lee had built for the attack upon the Mexicans, and scrambled up into the wagons to find space among the wounded. The vehicles rolled off with a rumble of iron wheels on the stony ground.

With a huge smile upon his face, General Scott examined the prize his men had brought him, Santa-Anna's personal carriage. He had walked around the four-wheeled vehicle twice and admired its elaborate red and gold paint, iron leaf springs for ease of ride, overstuffed leather seats for softness for the one-legged Mexican general's rump, and a rainproof top with leather side curtains. A troop of Dragoons had found the coach, together with two beautiful horses perfectly matched as to size and charcoal black color, abandoned at Santa-Anna's Encero hacienda north of Cerro Gordo.

Lee, with a group of other officers, was observing Scott in his moment of pleasure. He knew the general would also be feeling a deep disappointment. At the time the troop of Dragoons had found the carriage, and also Santa-Anna's baggage wagon, they had seen a group of Mexican officers riding mules at a swift pace toward the Rio Del Plan. They had given pursuit but the Mexicans had descended into the steep walled canyon of the river where the Dragoon horses could not go. They had learned later that the riders were Santa-Anna and his staff officers. Had they captured the general, the war in all likelihood would have been over.

Still Scott had a rich trophy in the baggage wagon for it contained Santa-Anna's correspondence, many maps, and his money chest holding 20,000 dollars in silver and gold coin, and personal clothing all of which showed the rapidity with which the Mexican commander had fled.

This was late afternoon of the day following the routing of Santa-Anna's army. The battlefields had been scoured for the living and the dead and the three division generals had made their reports to Scott. The Americans had 368 men wounded and 63 killed. Seventy-four were missing, either captured or had deserted.

Nearly 3,800 Mexican troopers had been captured. A thousand had escaped from their guards, which didn't bother Scott for he released the remaining 2,800 on their parole not to fight again. One hundred and ninety nine Mexican officers had been captured, and like at Veracruz, Scott had released the senior ones with their side arms and horses with the thought that they would report his generosity to other officers and weaken their resolve to fight. Forty-three pieces of artillery and 5,000 muskets with considerable ammunition had been taken. Scott had everything destroyed, except for half a dozen of the better cannons.

The general said something that Lee couldn't hear, but set the officers closest to him into a burst of laughter, as if they had already forgotten that the bloody corpses of the 63 dead Americans were sewn into their blankets and stacked like cordwood in two tents but a short distance away. Five of the dead were their fellow officers. The corpses would travel with the army until lumber could be found for the carpenters to make coffins, and then they would be buried in shallow graves here in this foreign land. Once the war ended, the bodies would be retrieved and shipped to the man's home for proper burial.

Lee saw two of his lieutenants, Tower and Beauregard, whom he had assigned to guide Pillow, conversing in low voices and went to talk to them. They saluted when he drew near.

“I've heard some interesting comments about General Pillow's actions on Santa-Anna's right,” Lee said. “What do you two know about what happened?”

“Captain, General Pillow really botched it,” Beauregard said with disgust. “He wouldn't listen to advice from Tower or me, nor from his second in command Colonel Campbell, so we took the wrong route that led us close to the enemy positions. Then he yelled commands at Colonel Wyncoop so loudly that Mexicans heard him and opened fire. The Tennessee volunteers were caught in cannon and musket fire at almost point-blank range. I saw a cannon ball hit a rifleman and kill him and wound six other poor fellows close by.”

“Captain, excuse me for saying this about a superior officer, but the man is no general,” Tower said in a contemptuous voice. “He has no judgment. Worse yet he failed to carry out what General Scott wanted because he ordered the assault without getting the columns in proper order. Then to top everything off, he got a slight wound on the arm and left the field with the regiments disorganized. Once he was gone we did the best we could under Colonel Campbell.”

“Has General Scott talked with either of you?” Lee asked.

“No, sir,” Tower said. “But I know that he called Colonel Campbell and Wyncoop into his tent and I'm betting they told him what happened.”

“I certainly hope so,” Beauregard said. “Captain, would you be sure to see that General Scott finds out the truth of General Pillow's actions?”

“I'll do what I can.”

Just then Scott called out. “Captain Lee, please come into my tent. Bring your two lieutenants with you?”

“Now we'll get our chance,” Beauregard said with a pleased tone.

*

In the night, Lee wrote his wife and sons of the events since last he corresponded with them nearly a week before. He told about the battle for Cerro Gordo and a little of his role. He made a special statement to his sons, “You have no idea what a horrible sight a field of battle is, and I will not describe it for you because of your tender age. Just be certain that it isn't something you should ever have to be part of.”

He turned to a second letter, and began with, “My beautiful Tasy, we have just captured Cerro Gordo, a town in the mountains far inland from the coast.” He paused with his pen held over the paper. Tasy's eyes though truly innocent, were the most feminine he had ever seen. As he recalled their liquid depths, the gloom that had fallen on him lifted and a pleasant mood replaced it. All men should have young, pretty women as friends. He smiled and resumed writing.

*

The divisions of Patterson and Twiggs broke camp in the newness of the beautiful April day, and with Scott and his generals and Lee and the other staff officers in the lead, lined out on the road for Jalapa. The infantry, proud of the victory they had won, swung along with a light step.

At the entrance to Jalapa, the town officials wearing bright sashes of authority, over equally brilliant trousers and jackets, waited for the Americans to arrive. Scott had earlier sent an armed group to arrange for the surrender ceremony. Patterson having been given the honor of governing Jalapa, now rode forward with an interpreter. He graciously listened to the short speech by the mayor, and then in turn promised the safety of the townsfolk and their possessions as long as no hostile act was made against the Americans.

The Americans entered Jalapa. Scott led followed by his kite-tail of staff officers and an escort of Dragoons. Then came the troops in dress ranks with bayonets fixed, colors flying and regimental bands playing. The streets were thronged with the citizens of the town. A score of church bells rang out a welcome, the welcome totally unexpected.

Lee was surprised by the number of young women with fair complexion, some with hazel eyes and others with blue. Most lovely he thought. Several of the girls laughed and waved at the Americans with their bewhiskered faces and battle worn uniforms. How strange considering this army of men had slain hundreds of their countrymen but two days before. Young women were difficult to understand.

Scott rode to the central plaza of the town and halted in front of Governor's Palace, a grand structure with an impressive array of steps leading up to the entrance. He dismounted from his big gray horse and went up the wide stairway with a chink of spur chains and tinkle of spurs at each step. At the top, he removed his gold braded cockaded hat and waved it in a broad sweep to include the assemblage of townsfolk and soldiers alike, placed it back on his head and strode inside the building

Scott was an excellent representative for the stalwart American Army, Lee thought. The general had led it to victory and now his men were safe from the sweltering coastal plain and the deadly yellow fever.

Lee left the gathering. As he passed near Patterson who was talking with the mayor and pointing at several large homes near the Palace, he heard the general say he was commandeering the buildings for use as a hospital for the American wounded. The occupation of Jalapa was complete.

*

Lee rode alone, pushing his mount for he wanted to overtake Worth's division before nightfall. This should not be difficult for an army on the march was a slow moving creature. He also rode fast because there was safety in speed when traveling without an escort through enemy country. Scott had ordered him to join with Worth in an advance to Perote. Lee, if he judged it safe to proceed further, was to continue on to Puebla another sixty miles and evaluate its suitability as to a station for assembling and storing supplies in the 260 miles between Veracruz and Mexico City. After the reconnaissance he was to return to Jalapa and prepare a plan to occupy and garrison Puebla.