Home of the Brave
Page 36
Yank pointed toward a red glow beyond a group of big stone buildings.
“What is that? A fire?”
“A forge. This armistice and the negotiations for a peace treaty are a stalling tactic. While we sit here negotiating, Santa Anna’s collecting the bells from churches, monasteries and convents, then casting them into cannons, right there, under our very noses.”
“Are you sure?”
“I was down there myself right after dark. I could see the molds inside that building with the forge.”
“What is that building?”
“It’s called Casa Mata. It’s one of several stone buildings. They’re known collectively as El Molino del Rey.”
“The King’s Mill?”
“Yes. The building to the left of Casa Mata was once the Royal gunpowder mill when this was under Spanish rule.”
“Why haven’t we noticed this before now?”
“They’re moving back and forth through the ravine and it’s well masked by the forest.”
“How did you happen to see it?”
Yank hesitated. “Thomas and I were scouting the castle to see if we could find a way to rescue Marina.”
Scott nodded. “I’ll send Bill Worth down there in the morning to take the foundry and destroy any ordinance he finds.”
“Let me scout it out a little closer first. They may have increased the number of troops too. There are a lot of tracks in the ravine.”
Scott nodded. “Let’s tentatively plan for the morning of the 8th, if we don’t have a signed treaty by then.”
September 7, 1847
Tucubaya, Mexico
General William J. Worth limped into the library that General Scott was using as his office and sat down in the armchair next to Yank’s without an invitation. “Are we finished talking peace at last, Win?”
Scott nodded. “Yes.” He got up from behind the desk and joined the other two generals, sitting down heavily in another armchair. “The leg bothering you, Bill?”
“No more than usual,” Worth replied. “It’s not very painful any more; it just doesn’t behave well.”
“I remember when it happened at Niagara,” Scott said. “It looked so bad that I was sure you were going to lose it.”
“He would have lost it, if all the surgeons hadn’t all run off with the militia,” Yank chuckled.
“You were standing right behind me when I was hit,” Worth said to Yank. “That grapeshot was meant for you.”
Yank nodded. “So you’ve said at least a half dozen times, and I’ve thanked you for stopping it for me, at least that many times.”
“Didn’t Yank get you your appointment as Commandant of West Point?” Scott asked.
Worth nodded. “But he did it to avoid being appointed himself, not as thanks for me catching his cannonballs.”
“I was wishing you were with me at Detroit,” Yank chuckled.
“Well, let’s get to it,” Scott said at last. “Yank, please tell Bill what you and Tom have discovered while scouting the mill.”
Yank nodded. “El Molino del Rey, or The King’s Mill, in English, consists of several buildings that extend for about five hundred yards along a mill stream. The main buildings are a gunpowder mill that’s been in and out of use since the Spanish left, a flour mill that’s been in use until recently, and Casa Mata which is now a full-fledged cannon foundry. These are very well built stone buildings that will be impervious to cannon fire.
“To the west, the ground slopes upward to a wide ravine. Beyond that there’s a house owned by someone named Morales. There’s a substantial force of perhaps two brigades camped there.”
“I presume the mills themselves are occupied by troops,” Worth said.
Yank nodded. “Three National Guard regiments and a mixed brigade under Leon. And two regiments between the mills and Casa Mata are under Ramirez. He also has six field pieces. Perez has a reinforced regiment in Casa Mata.”
“Do you know how many troops Santa Anna has back in that grove of trees?” Worth asked.
“Yes. Two light battalions.”
“No cavalry?”
“No. All his cavalry is west of the ravine.”
“How many horse?”
“About four thousand. His total strength, not counting the cadets and other troops at Chapultepec Castle is about fourteen thousand.”
“What about Chapultepec Castle?” Worth asked. “Shouldn’t we take it?”
“Yes,” Scott replied. “As soon as we move those people out of the King’s Mill.”
“The cadets call Chapultepec Castle the Halls of Montezuma,” Worth said. “They say the place is haunted by his ghost.”
“After we’ve taken El Molino del Rey,” Yank said, “if you’ll lend me your United States Marines, we’ll exorcize the ghost from the Halls of Montezuma, free my wife and capture Santa Anna.”
September 8, 1847
Chapultepec Castle, Mexico
Marina was jolted awake at 3:00 AM by the sound of artillery. She slipped out of bed and without stopping to dress, ran to the French doors and onto the narrow terrace. Below she could see the American guns pouring shot into the low stone buildings of Molino del Rey.
After a quick glance at the other terraces, she began to climb the ornate trim at the side of the terrace door until she was balanced on the narrow ledge that spanned the castle front. Finding handholds in the masonry and testing the ledge before moving her weight, she edged to the corner of the building and climbed to the roof.
The wind whipped her flimsy nightgown and the cold made her shiver, but she ran barefoot across the flat roof and climbed the ladder to the water tower. Once on the top she walked the catwalk to the interior ladder and climbed down to the small boat that floated in the water where she began to dress in the clothes she’d hidden under the seat.
~
It was obvious to General Worth that Captain Huger’s heavy guns were doing no damage to the stone buildings, but he hoped that the pounding was having a debilitating psychological affect on the troops inside.
At the signal, Huger’s guns fell silent and the infantry, commanded by Major Wright, charged. Almost immediately, a Mexican battery on Wright’s flank opened fire and Mexican troops from inside the mills rushed out to form a line or take up firing positions on the roofs.
Colonel Garland drove off the Mexican infantry on the right and Captain Drum positioned his battery under the guns of Chapultepec Castle where they soon silenced the Mexican battery on Wright’s right flank.
As the American charge continued, a large number of Mexican musketeers who had gained the flat roofs fired a withering volley, killing all but three of the fourteen American officers. The brigade under Colonel McIntosh, on the right, then fell back until Captain Duncan brought his battery to bear on Casa Mata and swept the defenders off the roof.
~
Marina cringed as a huge explosion rang the water tower like a bell and lighted the night. Fearful of what might have happened she climbed the ladder to peek out. The remains of Casa Mata were in flames and the blaze revealed Americans rounding up prisoners. She climbed back down and reclaimed her boat to wait for the Battle of Chapultepec.
~
When the Americans began to withdraw with their prisoners toward Tucubaya, an enraged Santa Anna organized search teams to comb the castle for Marina. Shortly after sunrise, he called off the search, executed the guards who had allowed Marina to escape and left with his entourage for Mexico City.
September 12, 1847
Chapultepec Castle, Mexico
Marina had begun to despair that the castle had been bypassed when the American artillery barrage began at dawn. She had enough food to last for another week but she had been unable to stay dry and was developing chilblains. She prayed that a quick American victory might save her feet from amputation.
The barrage continued through the day, then halted at sunset.
September 12, 1847
Chapultepec Castle, Mexico
With no other option, she moved hand over hand to the opposite side of the tank, pulled herself over and slid down the clay drain pipe to the corner of the roof where she was hidden from the defenders by the tower. When she at last removed her shoes, the color and appearance of her feet frightened her.
At 8:00 AM, the bombardment suddenly ceased. Marina stretched out along the parapet and peeked over to see the courtyard and grounds far below. A fierce fight in the cypress grove had broken out but the Mexicans were soon pushed back and when a few began to flee toward the castle, the rest soon followed.
~
Yank and Thomas were standing side-by-side at the bottom of the hill with their backs to the castle. Yank was holding Beelzebub’s reins. Thomas had no horse. “Marines, fall-in,” Thomas bellowed.
Forty United States Marines came running from the cypress grove to form four ranks facing the castle.
“First squad,” Thomas called. “Left-face. At the trail. Forward-march. Second squad. Right-face. At the trail. Forward-march. Third squad. Left-face. At the trail. Forward-march. Fourth squad. Right-face. At the trail. Forward-march.”
He watched until the four columns had created a jagged line. “Platoon-halt. First and third squads, right-face. Second and fourth squads, left-face. Platoon, dress-right, dress. Quickly, quickly. Ready-front. Fix-bayonets.”
Thomas waited until the last man had affixed his bayonet, then did a crisp about-face. “Port-arms.” He drew his sword and raised it over his head. “Forward, march. Double-time, march.”
Yank mounted Beelzebub and drawing his sword, kicked him into a trot leaving Thomas to lead the Marines.
The castle’s gunners had bracketed the Marines now and the first ball found a man in the center of the line and destroyed him. The line filled in and moved on. Small arms now joined the growing cannonade but the Marines never faltered.
At the top of the hill, in front of the castle, the Mexicans that had abandoned the cypress grove now joined the castle garrison to form a ragged defensive line.
“Charge, bayonet.” Thomas began to run with the Marines right behind him in perfect step.
Yank raised himself in the stirrups, leaned forward and pointed his sword at the castle doors. “Okay, devil horse. Let’s see if you have the same stuff that your grandfather had.” He gave Beelzebub a kick and had to hold on tight with his knees to avoid being dumped by the big animal’s forward surge.
The Mexicans fired an ineffective volley. Some reloaded and some began to drift away. The officer at Yank’s front aimed his pistol and fired but the ball went high as Beelzebub crashed through the first rank of musketeers and Yank took down the nearest mounted officer with one slash of his sword.
~
The cannons of the castle roof were now working in rhythm and the smoke made it difficult for Marina to see. There was a brief but ferocious artillery duel on the main causeway and through the smoke she glimpsed infantry led by about forty United States Marines with a United States Army officer in front. Ahead of them all, her husband on the big black warhorse that was usually boarded at William Livingston’s Liberty Hall was slashing a path through the ragged line of Mexican defenders.
She wiped away tears as she watched Yank parry a bayonet thrust while Beelzebub bit a Mexican cavalry horse whose rider had tried to close on Yank’s other side. For a moment it seemed that the sheer weight of numbers would overwhelm them but the black horse burst through the mêlée, biting and kicking to turn back and attack again.
When at last Thomas, the Marines and the following army infantry reached and fell upon the Mexican defenders the tide turned very quickly, and within another few minutes the Americans were at the front wall.
For a time nothing happened and the sound of battle dropped to near silence. Then suddenly sappers appeared with scaling ladders and the volume of battle sounds increased instantly.
The first man onto the roof drew his saber and rushed the closest defender. Seconds later Marines were swarming onto the roof and Marina began to creep along the parapet wall, around the tower toward the bloody combat
~
Yank was near the end of his endurance when he reached the top of the ladder but he was immediately attacked by a wave of cadets with swords. They had driven him back to the parapet when Thomas rushed in to join the fray. Yank caught a glimpse of his son Robert, sword in hand, bursting from a door onto the roof and the sight gave him new strength.
~
Marina sat down wearily against the water tower and watched as a small group of Marines gained access to the watchtower and soon hauled down the Mexican flag to raise the red, white and blue.
Yank collapsed next to her, unable to talk, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath, he put his hand on her thigh and gave her a weak smile.
“Are you okay, Mother?” Thomas was holding his pistol in one hand and Yank’s in the other.
“I need a doctor whenever one is available,” she said, patting Yank’s hand. “Do either of you have any dry stockings?”
Yank turned his coat pocket inside out, spilling rolled gloves, rolled stockings, a box of lucifer matches and two cigar tins onto the roof.
Marina took the stockings and unrolled them. “I knew you’d have these,” she said with a smile. “I’ve been dreaming of them for days.”
“You knew I’d come for you?” Yank managed in a breathless voice.
“I never doubted it for a moment,” Marina replied.
“Oh dear God, Mother.” Thomas was looking at her feet in horror.
“Pay attention to what you’re doing, Thomas,” Marina chided. “I didn’t go through all this to have some schoolboy with a rusty musket shoot one of us.”
Thomas chuckled. “Yes, Mother.”
A scuffle broke out near the tall watchtower as one of the students wrestled the Mexican flag away from the Marine that had captured it. Before anyone else could react the boy wrapped the flag around himself and ran for the parapet to leap into space.
“Stupid little bastard,” Thomas chuckled.
“They’ll be singing songs about him tomorrow,” Marina replied.
“Can you walk?” Yank asked Marina. He looked gray.
“Yes,” Marina said. “Can you?”
“I think so, but I can’t seem to catch my breath,” he said.
“The altitude here is nearly eight thousand feet,” Thomas replied, “and that climb up the ladder was no picnic.”
“Take your mother down and find Surgeon-General Lawson, please,” Yank replied.
“I’ll wait for you,” Marina pronounced.
“You have trench foot,” he argued. “Minutes could matter.”
She set her jaw in determination. “I’ll wait for you.”
Yank reached his hand toward his son. “Help me up, Thomas. Then we’ll take your mother down together.”
Thomas pulled Yank to his feet then whistled shrilly. “Robert. We need you.”
“Wait,” Robert shouted back. “I’ll get Jack. He’s in the stairwell.”
September 13, 1848
Tucubaya, Mexico
Yank was dozing in the overstuffed chair when Jack opened the door to his quarters and held it so that Robert and Thomas could carry Marina inside. “What did Surgeon-General Lawson say?” Yank asked as his sons let Marina down onto the sofa.
“He said that mother’s in no serious danger of losing her feet,” Jack replied, “but the pain will be very bad for several days. He offered to give her laudanum but she refused. Maybe you can talk some sense
into her.”
“That’s none of your business and your father knows better than to try to change my mind about anything.” Marina swatted at Jack.
“Mexico City has fallen,” Thomas said, walking toward Yank. “John Quitman had intended to make a feint down the causeway toward the Belén Gate but the defenses collapsed and he broke through.”
Jack nodded. “Worth’s Division forced the La Veronica Causeway and took the San Cosme Gate.”
“Do you remember meeting Sam Grant on the ship, Dad?” Robert asked.
“Yes, of course,” Yank replied. “He wasn’t last in his class, by the way and his name on his commission is Ulysses Simpson Grant, not Sam.”
Robert laughed. “Well, whatever his name may be, he hoisted a cannon into a bell tower and then fired it down at the gate.”
“Thank you, boys,” Marina said. “Your father can read General Scott’s complete report to Bill Marcy when the staff has it complete. Now we both need some rest.”
“Can we get you anything before we go?” Jack asked.
“No thank you,” Marina said. “I can walk if I must. It just hurts like hell.”
Thomas went to the door but stopped. “In all the excitement we forgot to tell you Jack’s news. He’s married.”
Yank smiled. “Oh that’s wonderful news, Jack. Congratulations. What’s her name?”
“Clementine,” Jack said. “Everyone calls her Clem. I think you’ll love her as much as I do.”
September 20, 1847
Mexico City, Mexico
To: HON. WM. L. MARCY, Secretary of War.
HEADQUARTERS OP THE ARMY, NATIONAL PALACE OF MEXICO, September 18, 1847.
SIR:
At the end of another series of arduous and brilliant operations, of more than forty-eight hours continuance, this glorious army hoisted, on the morning of the 14th, the colors of the United States on the walls of this palace.