Soldiers of Conquest (29 page)

Scott focused on his generals. “As Major Lee said, the time to strike an enemy is before he erects his fortifications. Our objective is to drive up both the Acapulco Road and San Angel Road and occupy Tacubaya.” He touched the location of the town on the map spread before them. “That will be out staging area for the final drive to crush the defenses of the Mexican Capital.” He pressed the palm of his hand down on the map to cover the capital. “Unless you see a flaw in my reasoning, this is how we shall proceed.”

Scott paused, and when no voice was raised, spoke with his voice quickening. “General Pillow, turn five hundred of your infantry into road builders for a time and place them at the disposal of Major Lee. Use the rest of your division to protect the workers.”

“General Twiggs, follow General Pillow and his road builders and stand ready to assist them should they be attacked in strength. General Worth, place your division to threaten San Antonio and hold its defenders in place and prevent them from reinforcing the enemy near Contreras. When that fortification is taken, then move against San Antonio. General Quitman, you are to remain here at San Augustin and guard our rear. Now if there's discussion needed about these movements, let's hear it, and that includes anything the staff officers wish to say.”

Silence held total sway in the war room and Lee knew why; the strategy seemed sound from the information available. And further, the officers saw the fire in Scott's flashing eyes and knew this wasn't a time to discuss minor tactics for they would depend upon what happened in the field once the action began.

“Excellent. You all are released to perform your duties.”

*

Lee and his road builders hammered and hand-laid slabs of lava to build a narrow roadbed over the Pedregal. Two rifle companies were out in advance of the road builders, and the horse drawn artillery followed close behind them. The ambulance wagons that would haul wounded men to the hospital at San Augustin came last. By early afternoon, and driving a picket line of Mexican riflemen before them, the Americans reached the edge of the lava field. They halted on the border of a deep ravine full of swiftly running water lying a thousand yards from the enemy entrenchments on Padierna.

The batteries of artillery were brought up and Lee chose sites for them sheltered as much as possible from the cannons on the hill. The gunners began to pepper the Mexican position, throwing shells up at the entrenchments on the hillside, and receiving plunging fire from the big Mexican guns in return. The dueling was brisk, the Americans getting the worst of it with cannon balls pounding the lava rock and sending slivers of lead and rock fragments flying to cut and pierce the gunners.

Lee went to stand by the gun where Preston Johnston was one of the powder boys. Preston was the fourteen-year-old nephew of Lee's friend Joe Johnston, who had recovered from the wounds received at Cerro Gordo and now was an acting lieutenant colonel of a regiment. Preston, a brown-headed blue-eyed boy, had joined the army to come to Mexico with the uncle he idolized.

As Lee stood watching the bombardment, a Mexican solid ball struck Preston, knocking him down by his gun and ripping off his left leg just above the knee. Bright red blood spurted in great pulses from the torn, stub end of the leg.

Lee sprang to Preston and knelt by his side. Equally quick was the gunnery sergeant to come to help.

“Goddamn! Goddamn!” cursed the sergeant as he ripped off his neckerchief and speedily tied it around the stump of the severed leg.

Lee grabbed up a short piece of stick from a cannon ball shattered bush and twisted the cloth into a tight tourniquet to stop the spurting blood.

“Come here!” Lee shouted at two large infantrymen, part of the squad guarding the battery. “Carry him fast as you can to the ambulances,” Lee ordered. The wagons were out of cannon range some quarter-mile back on the lava.

The men gathered up the limp and unconscious boy and hastened away. The last Lee saw of Preston was his pasty face, the tan from the sun gone with the draining away of his blood.

“Goddamn Mexicans,” the sergeant yelled above the howling of the cannon to his men. “Give them hell, boys. I think they've killed poor Preston.”

Lee thought the same thing for the wound was most grave. Joe would be heartbroken for Preston was his favorite nephew, and further Joe would feel responsible for having permitted the boy to join the army.

Lee went again to examine the ravine with its fast flowing water, and knew it would be slaughter to try to cross it in a frontal assault on the hill beyond, also it was obvious they were out-gunned by the heavier Mexican artillery and couldn't remain here much longer under the deadly pounding. He looked at the San Angel Road and saw a flood of men and weapons coming from the direction of the capital. Santa-Anna was bringing in reinforcements. Some other way had to be found to get at the Mexicans before they became too strong to rout.

As Lee considered the situation growing ever more hazardous, an aid of General Pillow came up and called out above the boom of the cannons. “Major Lee, General Pillow wants to see you immediately at the rear.”

Lee followed the lieutenant to General Pillow sitting on a mound of lava in front of his tent. He was studying one of the maps that Lee had prepared.

Pillow spoke, ”Major, I'm considering sending two brigades under Riley and Cadwalader to turn the enemy's left flank by veering off to the right through the edge of the lava and westward across the San Angel Road. That would cut the men at Contreras off from retreat to Mexico City and give us a better place from which to launch an assault on his fortifications. What are your thoughts on this?”

“I like the plan, sir. Lieutenants McClellan and Tower can scout a route for them. The action should begin as soon as possible for our artillery and infantrymen up front are taking a heavy beating.”

“Then we shall do it,” Pillow said. “Report our plans to General Scott.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lee met Scott, with an escort of infantrymen and troopers, at the base of Zacatepec. The sound of the dueling artillery had brought the general from San Augustin and onto the lava. Lee gave his report of the situation and Pillow's plan for action. The general climbed a few yards up the side of the hill so as to be able to see over the ridges of lava and turned his field glasses onto the fortified hill near Contreras and the San Angel Road. After a few minutes he came down to Lee.

“I think it's the best we can do under the current circumstances. Return to General Pillow and inform him that I agree with his proposed action to take the Mexican fortification at Contreras. As always, watch what is happening, advise the general, and report developments to me so that I can give direction for co-operation of the other units.

*

Lee returned to Pillow's headquarters and informed the general of Scott's approval of their plans and to proceed with action against the Contreras fortification. In turn he was told that Persifor Smith's brigade of Twiggs division had been sent forward to join with Riley and Cadwalader.

Lee left Pillow, and climbing a high mound of lava, turned his field glasses to the northwest at the Americans, numbering some three thousand, west of San Angel Road. The brigades were in and around the small Indian village of San Geronimo one-half mile north of the fortified hill. The approach to the hill was across a ravine and up through orchards, standing corn and thick underbrush. Then as Lee rotated his glasses to look to the north toward Mexico City, his pulse rose to a rapid beat for the Americans were in growing danger from an army of Mexican infantry and cavalry mustering less than a mile distant on high ground. He estimated the enemy force at something near ten thousand men. The small force of Americans was caught between that strong enemy and the four thousand or more soldiers on Padierna.

Lee should be there with the men of the three brigades for that was where the fighting would be. He stowed his glasses and struck out along the edge of the lava. Half a mile later, he came down off the lava and crossed San Angel Road. A short distance later, he encountered the picket line Smith had set up outside the village.

“Where's General Smith's headquarters?” Lee asked the first picket he met.

“It's in the church, sir,” replied the soldier.

Lee entered San Geronimo and proceeded to the church, the largest building in the village, and whitewashed as seemed to be the country's custom. The headquarters' guard saluted.

“Is the general here?”

“Yes, sir, in the big room on the right side. You can get there by going around to a door on the side of the church.”

Lee circled the building and came to two soldiers standing guard. Through an open doorway, Lee saw Riley and Cadwalader were present and in conversation with Smith.

Smith's aid announced Lee presences and the three generals came outside. Smith, the senior general, looked up at the heavens where thick, dark clouds were gathering menacingly. “Going to be a wet night, major,” he said.

“I believe so, sir,” Lee said. He respected Smith's skill as a senior officer and his bravery and was pleased he was in command of the Americans caught in this perilous position between two powerful enemy forces.

“I'm glad that you've come,” Smith said. “Have you talked with General Pillow?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any new orders from him?”

“No, sir.”

“Good. Tell us what General Scott had to say about our plan?”

“He said to take Padierna.”

“Then that's what we'll do, by God. And we've found a better way to get at the Mexicans there. McClellan and Tower explored the ground between us and Padierna and found a ravine that's unguarded and leads around to the rear of the hill.”

“That makes it possible to come up behind them while they think we're going to strike from the front,” Cadwalader added with a grim smile.

“What about the enemy force to the north of us?” Lee asked.

“Let's go inside and talk this through,” Smith said.

The council of war went on with night falling and a heavy, cold rain driving in to drum on the roof of the church. Thunder crashed and jarred the earth and shook the church and rattled the window of the room. The four officers raised their voices and leaned closer over the table and maps so as to be heard by their fellow warriors. The discussion went on until at last a plan that all agreed to had been thrashed out.

Smith straightened and spoke to Lee. “It would increase our chances of taking the hill if General Scott would order a demonstration of infantry in front of it to draw the defenders attention from the true direction of our assault.”

“I'll go and tell him the plan and request he order one,” Lee said. They had reached a decision for Smith to attack Padierna with his nine hundred infantrymen from the rear and before daybreak. Smith requested Lieutenant Tower lead the way to the rear of the hill and Lee gave his concurrence. As for the larger Mexican force to the north, Riley and Cadwalader would stand with their brigades in its path should it move upon the Americans. They would have to hold off the much larger force until the capture of the hill was completed. Lee thought that it they could quickly rout the troops on Padierna, the larger force would not have time to attempt a counterstroke. This was a risky supposition, but taking Padierna was worth the gamble.

“I'd better get going,” Lee said, and dreading the journey across the lava through the darkness. Just simply making the trip would be difficult and dangerous, and now he had the cold, driving rain to fight through.

“One last word, major. We can't delay this action because we're exposed here and the enemy out numbers us too greatly. It's either move on them or withdraw, and I'm not for withdrawing. I'll leave camp at 3 AM. And I AM going to attack even if you don't bring word from the general.”

“I'll do my best to convince General Scott to accept our plan. And I believe he will.” If any man could lead infantrymen to take Padierna, then that man was Persifor Smith.

Lee left the warmth and dryness of the church and went out into the thunder and lightening and the cold rain that swiftly soaked him to the skin. He crossed the San Angel Road, while behind him the heavy rain cut off the lights of San Geronimo. Now he had nothing to guide him except the wind he had marked coming from the northwest, and the view the light from an occasional jagged spear of lightening gave him. He groped his way forward and upon the lava and struck out on what he thought was to the east.

Lee went on step-by-step, and all the time holding the cold, wind driven rain to strike his face at a chosen angle. For a time much too long the lightening held back its light from him, then it flashed in multiple bolts, shooting down from the heavens to run like skeletons across the black lava. In the white glare, he caught a glimpse of the road his men had so laboriously built earlier in the day. He dashed forward onto it and was thankful for every pick and hammer blow that had taken some of the edges off the accursed lava. Yet even here he went slowly for he could so easily lose the road in the blackness.

He tripped and fell, and rose to hobble on through the pitch-dark night and gradually worked the pain out of his twisted ankle. He must reach Scott. The lightening was a savior, for without its now and again momentary flash of light he was certain he would drift left or right and lose the road. To wander off it was to court a broken leg, or worse. At times he knew he had lost the way by the feel of the lava beneath his feet, and he stopped and waited for the next flash of light, when he would veer back onto the road and hurry onward.

To his immense relief, in the ghostly glare of the light from a zigzag bolt of lightening, he caught a glimpse of Zacatepec ahead. Now he must find the American sentries and risk being shot before he could identify himself.

After three tortuous miles on the lava, drenched, and sore from falls, Lee passed through the sentries and into the American camp at Zacatepec. A sentry pointed out the headquarter tent.