Capture Of Mexico

The fullowing lelter wrilten by an officer of "The Rifles " to his family connections, first appeared in the N. Y. Courier. It is Ihe most graphic sketch of the events that we havcseen. City of Mexico, Sept. 22d, 1847. The key poinl of the enemvs's line was a slrongand nppnrently impregnare work on the top of a sleep and rocky hill,about two miles f rom the city, nnd was called Chapultepec. lts cnnnon command entirely thfilittle villaje of Tacubaya.where Genenil Scott's and Genera! Worth's headquarters were, as well as the roarf leading to the city nnd the aqueduc which supplies it with water. The hill was strongly fortified on all sides md on ihe top wnscovered by mssslve stone buildings of the Mexican Military Colege. The sides of the hill were ruined and a thick and high stone wall ran round a g rent part of it. On one side of the hill farthest Trom the main road from Tncubnya to the city, was n (ounciry which was represented as being unprotected, but full of amunitions. It was therefore determined to carry it with the intention of storming Chapultepec on that side. The attack commenced early on the morning of the 8th, by a storming party of Worih's división, which was attackedso furiously, ana received such a tremendous and unexpecled fire of artiüery, that tliey were obliged to fall back, lenving their dead and wounded lying upon the field. The Mexicans, after the retreat, carne out end killed nfarly all the wour.Hed,among tbem three officers. The whole of Worth's división was lhfnordereciup,as well as Cndivalader's brigade, and nfter a furious and 'oloody fight of an hour, they finally drove the enemy out of their works with a loss of a thousand killed and wounded, besides, fas we nfterwards learned,) an hundred and two officers. The enemy's works were found to be mueh stronger than we expecled, consisting of a regular field work surrounding a large slone mili, wlu'ch wns filled with men, and which mounted ten pieoes of artillery, principnlly of four and eight pounders. The enemy who seemed to consider this the main nttackon Cliapultepec, foughl with the most ciogged obstinacy and courage, nnd returned no less than three times after they had been driven out. Our own loss, from the nature oftheground, was very great. Twenly one officers were killed and wounded out of forty ihree present, and nearly eight hundred men. Tliere were in in the action ouly nbout 3,500 of our troops, wnile the Mexican force is stated by themselves, to have been about 10,000. The 8th Infantry suffered greatly, and came out with only three officers. Lt. C. Mcrris behaved very gallantly, but was so unfortunale s to be hot through the legjust abnve llie nncle. Twigg's división was nnt engnged n tho battle of Molino del Roy, or King's Mil1, os it is called. - The mili was ful! of powder and after the figlit wrosover blew u.r by accident and killed Lieot. Aimslrong, of the Arlillory. In all, tli is action lost us the lives of nine officers. Our división had been lying at the village of San Angel till the nfternoon of the 12lh, when word come lo mnve up to Piedad, a litllo villaje nbnut Iwo miles froni Chapnteper, ns vvell as from the city. The Doctor loM me to go lo the hospital: the brevet said no! Sol went on in a wagon, as 1 was loosick to wnlk. Thrü night uearrived at Piedad, where we bivouocked. The next day tlie hatterics, having been got in to position at Tficubnva, for bpmbardÏDg Chapultepec, comnirnced firing. We could see the wholeofit from whfre we were and a most splendid sight it was. Every ball went crushing through the building andevery shell tore up the the ramparts, while tlieir fire was scarcclv less hot. - It lasied all day and only ceascd wilh daylight. In the nfiernoon acallfor25U picked men for the forlnrn hope, to storm the ne-vt morninjr ni_dnylight. At dnylight on the 13lh, all wero in expectation. At G A. M., the ordei came for Smith's brigade to march for Tncubaya. In ten minu!es we were on the road all in a hurry for fear we might be too late. We got in to the vülnge and marched down to support Gen. Quitman on the road. The firing from j the Caslle was very heavy as our column passed in the rearofourown batteries, but luckily il feil a few yards short. One by one, we crept through a ditch, w'nich partinlly sheltered us un'il thb leading companies were ortlered to deploy a- skirmishers, when ofT westnrted arvoss the open field and drove the enemy from behind a row of maguey plant?, and look tl:eir place. We were then formed nenrly as follows: The stormers were in the road al the footorthe hill,on the right looking toward the city; on the right of the road in a ditch, pnrtialiy sheltered from ' the enemy's fire, was Gen. Smith's brigade, wliilo two of our compnnies wete dfiployed in a ditch perpendicular lo the road, nnd about one hundred nnd fifty yards f.-om the enemy's batteries. Gen. Pillow's división aitaeked on Ihe left of the hill, oppnsite us. Afler about an hour's hard firing, the enemy's began to siacken, and the word was given to charge. We rushed forward, and in three minutes we carried the first battery. The Rifles entered the battery with the storming party, which was commanded by one of Is Cap tai nV ! We foliowei the gitives close up to j the acqueduct, and turning to the lefi clnmbered up Ihe steep path to the castle. The enemy were running down in crowds, and the slaughter was tremendous in the road and oichard. Our men were nluriaied by the conduct of ihe Mexicans at Molino del Rey, nnd took but few prisoners. The castle was completely torn to pieces. Nearly every part ivas riudled by our shot while the pave.nent and fortifications were completely torn up by the helk I am afraid the prosperity of the Mexican Military Academy has been seriously checked. In it were crowds of prisoners of every rank and color, among whom were fifty general officers. and about an hundred cadets. The Jatter were preUy little fellows, from ten to sixteen yenrs of age. Sfiveral of them were killed fighting like demons, and indeed they showed an exnmple of cnurage worlhy of imitation by some of their superiors in rank. Leaving this captured fortress wilh the stars and stripes waving over it in a hundred places, we prepared for the pursuit. The road leading from Chnpultepec to the capital isa perfcctly straight and broad carriage way, in the centpe of which runs the acqueduct that supplies the city with water. It is supporied upon stone arches of about eighl feet span and height; the bottom of which are nbont a foot bigger than the road. Smilh'.s brigade was intended as a support to Quiiman's división ; but it formed so quickly that it became the atlacking party, instead of the reserve, and dashed up the road in full pursuit. The enemy soon commeneed a heavy fire upon us from a strong battery across the rond, nnd dealh ngain found us, after it seemed to have left us for the day. At last we crawled cloe up to the battery, and our death dealing rifles to!d with fenrful eflect. Closer nnd closer - from arch to arch, we crept, until 'forward Rifles.1' brought out every man with a vel!, and the battery was ours. Again commeneed ourslow and deadly march ns we gradually npproached the garrita, or gnte of the city, the enemy retreating slowly brforc us. - As soon as they crossed the gaie a tremendous fire of artillery opened upon us on both sides of the road. Ilere our loss was very great ; slowly creeping from arch to arch we lost many men by the balteries in front, while ihe fire from the flnnking batteries coming through the arches killed many who were safe from tha! in front. About noon we got close up to the gnte, and tho enemy's fire being partly silenced by our artillery in the road, and Ihus being driven out of the cross baltery on the left, we once more gave the rifle yell nnd chnrged llie garrilla. Agnin we were first, and at twoiity minutes past one on the 14tli of September tlie regiment entered the city of Mexico. Rut our werk was not yet endcd. - Directly in front wasslill anolher liattery wilh (lanking balteries ns before. Our regiment agan went foiward and ossisted by some otliers we oceupied a house nnd not only kopt tliem off but repellrd four atiempts at charges which they made. Meanwhile we had constructed a batte ry Ofaand bags at the garrita and kopt up a sharp fire in front. Towards dark tliose in 'front were recalled and all retired behind the baltery. That night the battery was complr-trd, nnd the men slopt on lhir arma in the nrches of the acqueduct. So mueh for one column of the army. immediately afler the fall of Chaiultepec, Gtn. Wnrih's división filed round to the left aiid took the road to the gnte of San Cosmo. This he soon reached witli but little resistance to his progress, and esiablishing his bntteries, he fired upon the renrof the citadel, and thu3 partially diverted iheir fire Irom us. He entererd the city late in the aflernoon, sometime afler ns. All night we lay there, cold nnd hungry, but ready for the the next day's work. During the night two commissioners came in, who snid lliat Santa Anna and his army had evacuated the city; that it was at our mercy, and that no further resistnnce would be oflered to our entrance. The next morning at daylight we formed nt ihe garrita and mnrched into the main plaza ; in front of the Cathedal nnd the P.ilace; nnd at 7 o'clock, A. M. on the 15th of Septenber, 1847, the " Stars and Siripes" floate.i over the Halls of the Monlezumas. Gen. Woith's división nrrived about nn bour later, and took possession of the Alameda. Abojt 9 o'clock a tretnendous hurrah broke from a corner of the plaza, and in a few minutes were seen the towering plumes and eommanding iorm of our galla nt o!d hero, Gen. Sco!t,e=scorled by the Indiana Drngoons. The heartfell wolcome that came from our little band, was sucli as Monlezumn's Halls hnd never heard,and must have deeply afFected the General. - VVell they might, for ol the 10,000 gallant spirits that welcomed him nt Puebla, scarcfly 7000 wero left. The blooc'y fields of Cö'itreras, Churubusco, San Antonio, EI Molino del Rey, Chapultepec and Ihe Garrila, had laid low 3000 o," our gallant army, and fiüed with grief and sorrow ihe hearts of all the rest. Ganernl Scott entered itie Palncc, nnd we kept quiet possession of the Plaza. - I But some random firing bogan to be heard in dtfferent parts of the city, and the whistling of halls bocame ngain ihn miisic for the day. The mob oflhecilv had risen, nnd from every house tnp and door, from behind wallsand windowg, the cowardly léperos fired down upon our men impotent rovenge. The dring soon became sharper, and many of our men ' werewounded in the Plaza. Some of them were sent out as skirmisher?, and the firing became general; cannon were placed n. the corners of the slreels leading into the Plaza, and we soon cleared ihem wilh grape and canister. Many houses were broken open to get at the honse lops, and a great mnny were plundered by the very men who were firing upon us, and of course il was all laid to us. Some fifiy or sixty of their men were killed in a single house, and though they wounded n good many of ours, we killed fiveforone. This lasted till dark,when we were marched into t!e yard and quartered there for the night, leaving the Artülery to guard :he Plaza. The firing commencad again the np.xt morning, but was stopped before night by killing some 200 léperos, and from Gen. Scolt's threat of blowing up every house from which firing proceeded. - The next dny we were marched into lolerable quarters, andonee more made ourselves as comfortable as we could. But nh ! we were weary men ! For five days we had not changed our clothes or taken ofTour arms. We had not slept in a bed or had a comfortable meal j- for three days and nights we hnd been under constant fire, and for Iwo nighls we had not siept. I rejoice in the glorious laurels which the Rifles have won. It is, as all acknowledge, the fighting Regiment of the Army. It entrred Chapultepec simultaneously with the storming party. It wns first in all the enemy's works from Chapultepec to the Citadel. It was ihe first that entered the ciiy and first planted i!s tmimphant banner on the Palace of the Monlezumas. V herever bloody work was done, "Te Rijles" was the cry,and there they were. All speak of them in lerms of praise and adiniration. Let me give yon but a single Some of their officers and men were standing together when General Scolt happened to rideby. Checking his horse he returned their salule, saying wilh great energy nnd emphasis, "Brave Rifles ! Veterans ! You have been baptized in fire and blood, and have come out steel!"' Had you seen the unbidden tear stealing to the eyes of those rough but gallant spirits whose henrts knew no fear. nnd who had never yet, in tlieir long tria], faliered or fallen back, while llieir ílashing evea and uprightform? ba-jpoke ts liuth, you would have fcll witli me tliat sucli words ns those wi)pd oul long months of hardship and suíFering. Rut what told stil! more the tale ofstifiering and deatli, were the desertcd ranka and scanty nunibers ofthnt gntlant régimen!. Fivc hundrrd Bturáy meji left JpfFiTson Barracks forthe plains of Mexico; - one hundrcd and fifiy nine have met us hore; - and now one hundred and sevenly alone are left toíell the lale! The fate of the rest you Unow already. Chopultep c's bloody liill,Mexican's Cnpilal. liave cost us an liundrcrí noble fellows, while sevcn odiccrs have fe!t that thc Rifles were doomed.