Soldiers of Conquest (33 page)

Lee sat with Hitchcock and listening to the two men discussing the letters delivered by General Villamil. Upon arriving at Tacubaya, Scott had established his headquarters in the sumptuous Bishop's Palace overlooking the town. From his window he had a fine view of Mexico City. The general's staff officers had taken quarters in commandeered homes close by. Tacubaya laid spread across a small, low range of hills south of Mexico City. The wealthy members of the British colony had summer homes there.

“There may be truth in what Bankhead writes,” Scott said.

“Colonel Hitchcock, what's you thoughts on whether or not to grant a truce?” Scott asked his chief of staff.

“I strongly recommend against it,” Hitchcock said with feeling. “Our experience with Santa-Anna tells me that it will serve no useful purpose.”

Lee was surprised at the sharpness in Hitchcock's response. Usually the man couched his recommendations and suggestions in an unemotional manner.

“I see. How about you Major Lee, what do you think?”

“General, it isn't clear-cut whether or not to have a truce. Santa-Anna may be playing for time. Or he may be serious. I do have a recommendation, if the decision is to accept a truce, then Castle Chapultepec should be occupied before it begins. From its hilltop location and with its cannon, it dominates the main road into the city.”

Scott frowned, and Lee wondered if it was because of his wishy-washy answer about the truce, or the recommendation of occupying Chapultepec Castle.

Scott spoke to Trist. “My goal is to gain the president's objectives and end hostilities. I'll do whatever is necessary to accomplish that. You need time to negotiate with the governmental officials. Should you succeed there would be no need for more fighting. A year is unthinkable, but a short truce that can be ended swiftly might be proper. However I shall continue to hold the army in a battering and assaulting position for I intend to immediately move upon the city if the talks fail.”

*

On the eighth night after the beginning of the truce, Grant returned from Mexico City with five hundred pack mules with each loaded with about three hundred pounds of supplies. The trip had come-off without a hitch. Santa-Anna had made arrangements for the merchants of the city to open their doors in the night while the population slept, and the Americans using pack animals, that were less noisy than wagons, could come and buy provisions. Scott had cashed government drafts for $300,000 with the bankers in the city and Grant had money. The merchants smiled when Grant paid for his large purchases with silver and gold.

At army central stores, Grant set his quartermasters to work under O'Doyle to unloading the supplies from the backs of the mules. The time was near midnight, still he didn't feel like sleep and directed his steps toward the large cantina at the bottom of the hill upon which the Bishop's Palace rested. The cantina had become a favorite hangout for officers when off duty. He heard the rumble of men's voices while still half a block away from the cantina.

Grant estimated nearly a hundred officers in the spacious room, which was a surprise considering the late hour. Most of the tables were full. The ceiling was high, yet seemed low due to the dense layer of tobacco smoke hanging against it. He went straight to the bar on the far side of the room and ordered whiskey from the nearer of the two Mexican barkeeps. Holding his drink carefully, he wound a course among the tables and found a seat with Hazlitt, Cavallin, Chilton, and Lieutenant Steptoe of the artillery. He saw Lee, Beauregard, McClellan, Hitchcock, and Joe Johnston at a nearby table, and nodded at Beauregard who had caught his eye. Beauregard nodded back.

“Any trouble going into the city?” Hazlitt asked.

“Nope. Routine. Why such a big crowd tonight?”

“They're arguing about the truce and Santa-Anna strengthening the city's fortifications,” Chilton said.

“A lot of it's whiskey talk,” Cavallin said.

“We've won a wonderful victory and undoubtedly the greatest battle our country has ever fought, but instead of taking the Mexican capital we sit here and talk,” Kirby Smith growled out his complaint. He was at a table nearby with Longstreet, Pickett and Hooker.

“The truce has merit from the point of giving Trist time to try and negotiate a treaty,” Hooker said.

Grant agreed with the need for Trist to have time. Still he understood the men's frustration with the delay for he felt it too.

“From what I've seen in our dealings with the Mexs, I don't think any negotiation will lead to a treaty,” Smith shot back. “In truth, I hope they don't agree to one. That'll give us a chance to thrash them proper. As scared and disorganized as they are, we could form up in the morning, march on them, and be sleeping in the city tomorrow night.”

“Not from what I've heard,” said Hooker. “Santa-Anna's pulled his army together and has strongly fortified the city.”

Beauregard spoke to Grant. “Sam, you've been in the city several times. What have you seen in the way of Santa-Anna working on his defenses?”

“Not much. We go in at night and straight to the plaza and back out. The garitas and causeways are strongly fortified that's for certain. They'd be murder to take.” Grant did not want to be drawn into the bickering and lamenting. Everything that would be said here tonight had already been said many times over during the days since the truce went into effect.

“General Scott should let us reconnoiter and know what the Mexicans have done to strengthen their defenses for I believe full well they are, day and night,” Beauregard said.

Hitchcock gave Lee a knowing look. Both men had heard Dominguez report that Santa-Anna had reassembled his army and was working steadily to improve his defenses. Scott refused to do the same for he had given his word. No argument from Hitchcock or Lee could persuade him to do otherwise. Scott had told them that as long as Trist was negotiating, he would do nothing to break the conditions of the truce. Those negotiations might soon end for just this past morning, Trist had given the Mexicans a one day ultimatum to come to terms on a treaty of he would cease to meet with them.

Lee's main concern was that Scott hadn't required Santa-Anna to surrender Chapultepec Hill before the armistice went into effect. It possessed a strong defense and would be a difficult fortification to take. Still Scott was an honorable man and had done what he thought was best under the circumstances.

Hitchcock rose to his feet and his voice cut through the din of complaints. “Our commander has made a decision to allow time for Mr. Trist to try to negotiate a treaty that would stop further fighting. We must uphold him in this. Further, we as officers must be careful about what we say in front of our men.” Every officer in the cantina listened to Hitchcock for he was a full colonel, the Army Inspector General, and Scott's chief of Staff.

Smith recognized he was being reprimanded. “I accept that colonel. If we can bring proof that Santa-Anna has broken the truce, can we present it to the general?”

“Certainly. In fact I will help you present it.” Hitchcock reseated himself.

Grant knew Hitchcock had shut off the grumbling for now. He pointed at the American Star on the table in front of Hazlitt. “Okay if I have a look at that?”

“Sure. It's hot off the press.”

Grant thought there was a sorrowful cast to Hazlitt's eyes. He was probably wrong. He began to scan the paper and came to promotions. The list was substantial for Scott rewarded those who served bravely and wisely. Among the names on the list were two of Grant's classmates at West Point, Buckner and Granger that had been promoted to captain. The twenty-year-old McClellan had been promoted to full lieutenant. Lee had been made permanent major and recommended for lieutenant colonel. Garland had been recommended for brigadier general, and Hazlitt for captain. Hooker, Longstreet, and Pickett were recommended for promotion. Grant's name was missing.

Grant placed the paper back on the table. He picked up his whiskey and drank it down.

*

The third day of September was winding down to evening when Nicholas Trist returned from the city after a day of negotiations with the commissioners of the Mexican Government. Dispirited and fatigued he entered Scott's headquarters in Tacubaya where the general was discussing the army's supply of ammunition with Lee, Worth, Hitchcock, and Captain Huger, Chief of Ordnance. Trist had the privilege of coming directly to Scott's office without being announced by an orderly. Scott immediately bade him to have a seat.

“You have news,” Scott said and looking into Trist's disturbed face.

“Yes, general.”

Worth and the junior officers started to rise. Scott quickly motioned for them to remain seated. “Stay, gentlemen, for you should hear this first hand.”

Scott spoke to Trist. “Your news of course has to do with the ultimatum you gave the Mexicans yesterday?”

Trsit nodded sorrowfully. “We can't agree on terms and so I've suspended the talks. They are willingly to give up Texas and upper California for they are distant from their capital and we've already taken them. They won't surrender New Mexico and President Polk has given me specific instruction that we must have it.”

“What reaction do they have to the money that's being offered?”

“It doesn't seem to be of much interest to them. It's the loss of territory and its Mexican population that makes them unwilling to come to terms. There's another important reason the government officials won't agree to the terms we want. Some of the outlying provinces threaten to secede if peace overtures are accepted. The governor of Queretaro State has stated that any sale of territory would mean a general secession, and that he will certainly take his state out of the nation if a treaty is made with us. General, I fear further talks are useless.”

“I had hoped to avoid assaulting their capital, but I have no alternative. I shall send a notice to Santa-Anna that the truce has ended due to his having violated the truce by strengthening his fortifications. General Worth, you shall have the lead in the coming action so prepare your men and weapons.

“Yes, sir,” Worth said with a strictly military tone.

Lee had thought Worth might have shown some gratitude for Scott had just given him a prize by allowing his division to make the main assault. Yet there had been none. The hard feelings between Worth and Scott since Puebla hadn't eased one bit.

Scott turned to Lee. “Major, you and your engineers reconnoiter the roads leading into the city and their defenses and make reports on their use as avenues for the attack on the city.”

September 8, 1847. From Worth's command post on a rise of land behind the American lines, Lee watched the dawn unfurl its pale gray glow across the cloudless sky. The land took shape, the black night shadows in the valley bottom shrinking and dying. He lifted his field glasses to examine Molino del Rey, The King's Mill, which was becoming visible in the growing light some one thousand yards distant.

The Molino was a combination of a flourmill and a foundry for casting bronze cannon. He had examined its white walls many times during the past few days. It was a long stone building with a few smaller ones also made of stone, and all extending in a nearly straight line north to south. The narrow passageways between the buildings were strongly barricaded with sandbags. The heavy walls and the sandbag reinforced two feet high stone parapets on the flat roofs made the buildings fort-like. To the left of the Molino about three hundred yards and anchoring its right flank was Casa Mata, a squat stone citadel used by the Mexicans as a powder magazine. More than a score cannons had been placed in redoubts in the earthworks surrounding the structure. Lee had seen a regiment of soldiers guarding it. The Mexicans were in a very strong positions. The cannon on Chapultepec Hill could cover the eastern segment of the battlefield, the guns of Casa Mata the western section. The Molino made a continuous breastwork covering the entire front. The line in total was nearly a mile long and he could see no weak point.

Behind the Molino was a large grove of cypress trees extending to the base of Chapultepec Hill, Grasshopper Hill, a two-hundred-foot high volcanic hill rising abruptly from the plain to loom over the main road leading into Mexico City. Chapultepec Castle, a massive masonry structure of two stories capped the hill. The Castle had been the resort of long dead Aztec princes and later used by the Viceroys of Spain.

Worth and Lee had drawn up an assault plan that Scott had approved. El Molino would be bombarded by cannon fire and then the infantry would rush in and mop up the defenders that hadn't been killed or fled. Though El Molino would be a tough fortification for infantrymen to take, its stone walls could be easily demolished by American siege cannon. Once El Molino had been taken, Worth would turn his men loose on Casa Mata.

Lee shifted his glasses to study the arrangement of the Americans assembled to assault the Molino. Lee didn't believe the assault was the correct thing to do. He and several other senior officers after intensive examination of the Molino had recommended to Scott that it be by-passed for it didn't threaten access to the city. It could prove to be a distraction and cost men's lives. Scott had rebutted them by saying he had information that he believed accurate that church bells were being brought from the city to the Molino where they were being melted down and made into cannon for the defense of the capital. Therefore the Molino had to be taken. Lee and the others had then argued that the news could be a rumor that Santa-Anna had spread, and further that any cannons made there after today would be too late to help the Mexicans since the Americans were ready to move upon the city. Scott could not be swayed to change his mind, saying that it would be but a minor effort to capture the Molino.

Lee focused his glasses on Garland's infantry waiting some three hundred yards directly south of the Molino, and just behind Captain Drum of the Fourth Artillery standing ready with four 6-pounders to fire upon the Molino and to ward off any flank attack from Chapultepec. On the ridge a little farther left was Major Huger with two 24-pound siege guns that would do the heavy work. Next on the left was Major Wright with five hundred volunteers drawn from Worth's six infantry regiments. Close on Wright's left was Kirby Smith's battalion waiting to support the five hundred. Farther left was Colonel Duncan with his wheeled artillery. Next left was Clarke's brigade of infantry facing the west end of the Molino and threatening the Casa Mata. Finally on the far left was Major Sumner with 270 Dragoons. His task was to hold off any Mexican cavalry that might try to enter the fray.