Soldiers of Conquest (35 page)

“Nothing could've been more badly bungled,” Hitchcock agreed. “Wright and Worth acted like jackasses. If they had waited for the cannons to do their work, we need not have lost a dozen men.”

Lee thought the same thing and promised himself that if he ever commanded an army that he wouldn't make the same mistake.

*

Lee climbed the steep stone steps and halted on the landing just under the bells of the church residing on the highest elevation in Tacubaya. He had been here at least half a dozen times before to study the magnificent capital city of Mexico lying some two miles distant. Still he wanted one last opportunity to see the city from this high perspective because the final battle of the war to conquer Mexico was close at hand. For the past day and a half, he and four of his engineers had been reconnoitering the defense of the roads leading into the city. They weren't by themselves in this effort. General Scott and the other generals were actively making their personal studies as to the best way to assault the city.

Lee lifted his field glasses and began to examine the capital from the vantage point of the church belfry. Today it was quite visible under the sun hanging in the top of a clear blue sky. Access was by eight roads coming in from the hinterlands like spokes of a wagon wheel, with the city being the hub. On their outer lengths, the roads cut through agricultural land growing fruits, vegetables, grain, cotton, and tobacco, and many other crops. Toward the center of the valley, the cultivated land gave way to marshes and then to canals and open bodies of water and here the roads were constructed upon causeways for the remaining distance to the city. Each causeway ended at the powerful stone buildings of a garita bristling with cannon laid to rake the road. Lee judged the best route for the Americans to take in their advance would be from the south along the San Antonio Road, or from the west over the causeways leading to the Belen Garita or the San Cosme Garita.

Both the Belen and San Cosme causeways had dual uses. Besides carrying roads, each causeway held a large aqueduct, resting on strong masonry arches about the height of a tall man, transporting water to the city. One of the aqueducts drew its water from a mountain stream and ran along the center of the wide causeway to Garita San Cosme. The second started at Chapultepec Hill where it was fed by a spring and ran from there down the center of the road to Garita Belen. Sufficiently wide space existed along each side of the aqueducts for wagon and carriage roads. Lee noted that the thick arches supporting the aqueducts would afford protection for advancing American troops.

All three garitas, San Cosme, Belen, and San Antonio were strongly entrenched with cannon, and would be supported by riflemen on the nearby structures that were all protected by parapets of sandbags. At points on the San Cosme road breastworks were thrown across it with embrasures for a single piece of artillery. Deep, wide ditches filled with water lined the sides of all three roads for the last half-mile to the city.

Lee went down from the belfry of the church. To his surprise, he found General Scott just arriving.

Lee saluted. “Good day, general.” The general's face held much gloom.

“Good day to you, Major Lee. I'm glad that I've run into you. Ride along with me for a look at Chapultepec Hill. I'd like to hear your observations about it.”

“It'd be a pleasure, sir.” Lee sensed there was more on the general's mind than Chapultepec and wondered what it could be.

Lee untied his horse from the hitching rail in front of the church and mounted, and he and Scott headed for Chapultepec a mile distant. Lee felt sadness at Scott's appearance. The general's shoulders sagged and his face was strained with anxiety. Lee believed it was from the coming battle for Mexico City, and from the past battle for Molino del Rey. When Scott had been told there had been no bells or cannon at the Molino, he had not been able to hide his misgivings about ordering the attack. Then adding to his woes had come the report of the heavy American casualties. One hundred and twenty-four had been killed and 582 wounded. Among them were 49 officers, with nine killed including Major Wright and Captain Kirby Smith.

Lee and Scott halted a quarter mile back from Chapultepec to stay out of range of the Mexican snipers that would want nothing better than a shot at an American general. They lifted their glasses to view the fortified hill.

“The guns are well placed and could be a major danger to our troops unless we knocked them out of action first,” Lee said.

“Exactly so,” Scott replied, and without lowering his glasses continued to speak. “This time we shall insure no mistakes are made that cost men's lives.”

Scott, in his way, was apologizing for what had occurred at Molino del Rey and Casa Mata. The general was saying it to Lee because he was more at ease with him than any of the other officers.

“Major, the issue of who wins a battle lies less in the officers than in the heart of the rank and file soldier. The lives of every one of them should be shown the most possible respect.”

“Yes, sir, I fully agree.” Lee understood Scott had added to his apology.

They fell quiet and concentrated on the rock strewn hill that sprang up two hundred feet from the flat plain. The distance across its base was about half a mile. On a broad level space on the top of the hill was the walled Chapultepec Castle, the home of Mexico's Military Academy. The Castle was of masonry construction, rectangular in shape, and two stories high. A tall flagpole carried the tricolor Mexican flag. Lee saw numerous cannons on the two sides of the Castle facing him. The park with the cypress trees at the base of the hill was surrounded by a thick stone wall six feet high and four feet thick. A roadway that wound up the steep flank of the hill was fortified with dirt trenches and cannon. There was a strong redoubt showing several cannons halfway up the slope of the hill. At the base of Castle's walls was a retaining wall at least twelve feet tall. Lee made a note that scaling ladders would be needed to mount the retaining wall. Many cannon were entrenched on the broad, flat top of the wall, and at several other places in recently prepared redoubts. Droves of men worked at building more fortifications. The cannons from their elevated position on the hill, could sweep the land all around.

“I've seen enough,” Scott said to Lee. “I've called a council of war for six this evening at the church in La Piedad. Attend with your senior engineers.”

“Yes, sir.”

*

Lee and three of his engineers arrived on time and assembled with the army generals and Major Huger at the little church in La Piedad.

Scott entered the room last, his tread heavy on the wooden floor. His worried eyes, staring out from a drawn and creased face, swept the solemn gathering of officers. He began to speak in a somber voice. “Gentlemen, we now face the final and crucial battle of this long campaign. We are far from being in a desirable situation. We're outnumbered, deep in hostile country, cut off from any thought of reinforcements, and caring for more than a thousand sick and wounded men. Our spies and other informants tell us that 15,000 men defend Mexico City, and that Generals Valencia and Alvarez with 8,000 men threaten our rear. To accomplish what must be done, we have 7,180 effectives.”

Scott paused and looked around at his officers. “None of this is new to you. I mention it to impress upon you that there can be no mistakes, no failures in carrying out your duties and gaining victory in the coming battle.

“Now to the immediate question of what route to take in our advance on the city. I believe the options boil down to either the southern route by way of the San Antonio Road, or the western route by either San Cosme Road or the Belen Road. Now I don't want to influence your judgment, however I prefer the western route. First we take Chapultepec Hill and then follow the San Cosme causeway into the city. Now let's hear other recommendations.”

Lee was surprised by Scott stating his preference for the assault route before first hearing the opinions of his subordinate officers. He should have waited so as not to stifle a free and candid discussion. Not only that, he disagreed with Scott's choice.

Huger spoke, “I agree with the western route. We can demolish Chapultepec with our cannon in one day.”

“General, I recommend the southern route,” Lee said. “The garita of San Antonio isn't nearly as strong as those of San Cosme and Belen. Further I don't believe we can take Chapultepec without a direct frontal attack by infantry. My opinion is that we should make the main thrust along the San Antonio Road and a feint along the Belen Road.”

The generals and the other senior officers stated their preferences. Each was discussed in detail. For more than an hour, the argument went back and forth between the southern route and the western route.

Scott looked at Beauregard who had sat quietly throughout the meeting. “Lieutenant, you haven't voiced you opinion. What route do you recommend?”

“I have examined Chapultepec thoroughly and agree with Major Lee. An assault by infantry will be required to take it. And I agree with him that a feint should be made along the Belen Road. However the assault on Chapultepec should not be too costly if we use our artillery properly, thus the main attack should be made along the San Cosme Road. Once inside the gates the two columns will be close together and can swiftly merge to fight onward deeper into the city if that should be required.”

Scott called for a show of hands as to which route, the southern or the western one, should be used to assault the city. Three generals and two engineers voted with Lee, and two generals and Beauregard sided with Scott.

“We've had enough discussion,” Scott said and aggravated at the divided opinions. He rose to his feet and drew himself up straight. “We will attack the city by its western gates. A feint will be made along the Belen Road and the main assault along the San Cosme Road. The general officers, and Major Lee and Major Huger will remain for further orders. The meeting is dissolved.”

When those men released had filed out of the room, Scott turned to Lee and Huger. “How long will it take you to position the cannon for bombardment of Chapultepec? A cannonade of the HEAVIEST sort?”

”A full day,” Huger said.

“At least,” Lee added.

“You have until daylight tomorrow,” Scott said firmly. “We will begin bombardment at daylight, so that gives you not a day, but a night.”

In the last hour of the night, Lee, Huger, Beauregard, and McClellan, directing gangs of artillerymen, finished positioning the howitzers, mortars, and the big siege cannons where they would do the most damage to the men and fortifications on Chapultepec Hill. Ammunition had been brought forward to each gun for twelve hours of continuous bombardment.

The four released their work crews and were congratulating themselves for having completed the task within Scott's allotted time limit when the first shift of the day gunners found them in the darkness. Lee and the other officers divided and led the crews to their assigned guns.

Lee was standing behind the battery of 24-pounders when the bombardment began at exactly 5 o'clock with the sun breaking above the eastern horizon and providing the gunners with light to aim their pieces. The din was horrific. The storm of projectiles filled the sky. He followed their flight toward the top of the hill and saw a hole knocked in the Castle and a section of the roof cave in. The final battle for Mexico City had begun.

The Mexican gunners on Chapultepec replied in kind, and as usual it was fine shooting that exploded sandbags from the parapets of the Americans batteries and made the gunners and powder boys dodge and duck. The American gunners quickly identified the most skilled Mexican pieces and concentrated their fire upon them. Lee saw two of the Mexican most effective cannons disabled.

The American cannonading went on throughout the day and the Castle suffered much damaged and several of the enemy gun emplacements were knocked out. Still as the day waned and gave way to evening, Lee saw the enemy on Chapultepec standing firm and hurling their cannon balls down at the Americans. Huger's expectation that he could demolish the fortification in a day by cannon fire wasn't going to happen and an assault by infantrymen would be necessary. At dark the dueling cannons ceased to fire.

*

September 13, 1847. Shortly before daylight Lee made his way into the darkness of the Molino del Rey. All around him there was a rustling, a stirring, a murmur of low voice as the men of Pillow's division girded up for battle. The men had slept in the Molino so they could be quickly assembled for the attack on Chapultepec. Lee had spent the night directing the repositioning of the cannon for the morning bombardment and now had not slept for two days and was weary to the bone.

He made his way to Pillow's command post in the main building. Pillow and his officers were quietly talking among themselves. As Lee silently joined the group, Pillow gave him a nod of recognition. Lee was here on Scott's orders to “Stay close to General Pillow. Advise him and encourage him to be aggressive. He must not fail to take the hill.”

Scott's countenance had showed his worry about Pillow's erratic behavior when under pressure. Scott's other words also resounded in Lee's mind, “I have my misgivings about today.”

Scott had divided his army into four divisions for the final advance on Mexico City by adding loyal, trustworthy Quitman to his command generals. Pillow with his volunteers would take Chapultepec Castle. Worth would drive the main attack down the San Cosme Road. Quitman would make a strong feint along the Belen Road to the Belen Garita. Twiggs was held in reserve to protect the army's rear from attack and guard the sick and injured.

Pillow's division, spearheaded by a company of 250 “forlorn hopes” that had volunteered from Worth's division, would make the assault on Chapultepec Castle by crossing through the cypress grove lying south of the hill. Worth would support Pillow in the capture of the hill and then immediately advance on the city. Quitman's division with a detachment of fifty Marines would storm the hill just far enough to seize control of the steep, winding pathway that led up to the base of the Castle. He would halt there until the Castle was taken and then break away to make his feint at Mexico City along the Belen Road.