CHAPTER XIII. 

 1847. 



SCOTT AT PUEBLA TAMPICO AND ORIZABA TAKEN SCOTT's 



ADVANCE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE VALLEY OF MEXICO 



ROUTES TO THE CAPITAL EL PENON MEXICALZINGO 



TEZCOCO CHALCO OUTER AND INNER LINES AROUND THE 



CITY SCOTT'S ADVANCE BY CHALCO THE AMERICAN ARMY 



AT SAN AGUSTIN. 



The American forces, as we have stated, had concentrated at 

 Puebla on the main road to the city of Mexico, but their numbers 

 had been thinned by desertion, disease and the return of many vol- 

 unteers whose term of service was over or nearly completed. 

 Meanwhile the Mexican army was increased by the arrival of General 

 Valencia from San Luis with five thousand troops and thirty-six 

 pieces of artillery, and General Alvarez with his Pinto Indians from 

 the south and south-west, all of which, added to the regiments in 

 the city and its immediate vicinity, swelled the numbers of the 

 Mexican combatants to at least twenty-five or thirty thousand. It 

 was discovered that General Taylor would not advance towards the 

 south, and consequently the presence of Valencia's men was of more 

 importance at the point where the vital blow would probably be 

 struck. 



Whilst the events we have related were occurring in the interior, 

 Commodore Perry had swept down the coast and captured Tobasco, 

 which, however, owing to its unhealthiness, was not long retained 

 by the Americans. But every other important port in the Gulf, from 

 the Rio Grande to Yucatan, was in our possession, while an active 

 blockade was maintained before those in the Pacific. Colonel Bank- 

 head subsequently, occupied Orizaba, and seized a large quantity 

 of valuable public property. It had been the desire of the American 

 authorities, from the earliest period of the war, to draw a large por- 

 tion of the means for its support from Mexico, but the commanding 

 Generals finding the system not only annoying to themselves but 



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