The Life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens, Volume 1 (of 2)

CHAPTER IX

At Buena Vista he came within an ace of utterly defeating General Taylor, and had he succeeded (and the probabilities were in his favor), he would have been able to excite to the highest pitch of enthusiasm the whole nation.

CHAPTER IX

At Angostura, and at the Cerro Gordo, he exhibited courage and an indefatigable spirit.

CHAPTER X

General Twiggs with his splendid division was in the advance, followed on successive days by Quitman, Worth, and Pillow. In five days Twiggs was pushed up to Ayotla, fifteen or sixteen miles from Mexico, General Scott continuing with him in the advance, and the other divisions five, fifteen, and twenty-five miles in rear. As they came up (it required two days), they were held in reserve at the head of Lake Chalco, whilst the proper reconnoissances and examinations were made to determine the general plan of attack. The first day, a reconnoissance was made of the Peñon, supported by a squadron of dragoons, a regiment of infantry, and two pieces of artillery. The Peñon was found to be fortified and occupied in force. Captain Mason, of the engineers (my friend Mason), Major Gaines, of the Kentucky volunteers (taken prisoner just before the great battle of Buena Vista, and who made his escape only one or two days before the march of the army from Puebla), and myself rode some distance in the advance, and observed near the causeway some eight or ten Mexican officers. We were at least three quarters of a mile from the rest of our force. We advanced upon them, they curveting their horses and advancing upon us. When within about three hundred yards they discharged their pistols, but we continuing our advance, they all turned their horses and returned full speed across the causeway, carrying with them a troop of lancers. The whole affair was very amusing and afforded much sport. It did not diminish our contempt of Mexican prowess.

CHAPTER XXIV

One incident is worth relating, because it materially affected subsequent events, as the governor believed. A number of officers and other gentlemen were conversing together at the hotel one evening, among whom was General John E. Wool, then commanding the United States forces on the Pacific coast. The talk turned on the battle of Buena Vista, and General Wool loudly claimed for himself all the credit for that battle, disparaging in an offensive manner General Taylor and the part he took in it. At length Governor Stevens, whose strong sense of justice was outraged by the boastful and unfair tirade, spoke up and said: "General Wool, we all know the brilliant part you bore in the battle, but we all know and history will record that General Taylor fought and won the battle of Buena Vista."[10] Wool, although visibly offended, made no reply to this rebuke, but it rankled and caused a bitter animosity, which subsequently found vent in hostile speech and action.

CHAPTER XI

General Scott and staff enter Tacubaya--Take quarters in Bishop's Palace--Commissioners to negotiate peace--Mexican treachery--Armistice terminated--Battle of Molino del Rey--Useless attacks--Severe losses--Battle of Chapultepec--Castle stormed--Quitman advances on Tacubaya causeway--Worth on San Cosme causeway--Lieutenant Stevens, with Worth, wounded--Enemy retreat in night--American troops occupy city--Lieutenant Stevens's remarks on the movements--His character sketches of Lee, Beauregard, Tower, Smith, McClellan, Foster, Mason--Removed to city--quartered in the Palace--Severe wound--Ups and downs--Mounts crutches--Journeys in ambulance with Lieutenant Foster to Puebla--Arrives at New Orleans 202

CHAPTER XI

The brigade of Smith was in the adjoining field on the right, and had assigned to it the duty of breaking through the aqueduct and taking the enemy in flank and rear. The command moved up the causeway, under a tremendous fire of artillery and musketry, till they reached some old buildings of adobe, where they were obliged to get a momentary shelter. From this position, a company of the rifles and portions of the storming parties being still further in advance, they opened an effective fire in return. As the volunteer regiments came up, they were turned off into the open field on the left, intersected with ditches, to the assault of Chapultepec.

CHAPTER XI

In the attack upon Chapultepec General Quitman's arrangements are open to criticism. His select storming party intended for the assault of Chapultepec, and armed with ladders to scale and implements to break through the walls, were kept on the causeway; whereas the whole volunteer force was sent in that direction, wholly unprovided in every particular, and that, too, at too late a period to be of much essential assistance, and in a direction which made it necessary to fall in with Pillow's command, already supported in great strength by the whole of Worth's division. The consequence was that General Smith found himself too weak to break through the enemy's force at the aqueduct and take him in flank and rear. Had Smith been preceded by the storming party provided with plank to cross the ditches, and supported by two of the volunteer regiments, the slaughter of the enemy must have been immense, and large numbers must have been taken prisoners. The marines with their storming party, the light battalion, and one of the volunteer regiments with Drum's battery would have been in place to encounter the enemy on the causeway.

CHAPTER XI

Twiggs's command did not have the prominence as a division that it had at Contreras and Churubusco in consequence of the brigades being separated. Smith's brigade did good service in conjunction with Quitman, and Riley at La Piedad kept the enemy in check during the storming of Chapultepec, and, afterwards joining Worth, did good service in the streets on the 14th.