CHAPTER XVI 



1 847. 



MILITARY POSITION OF THE AMERICANS AT THE END OF THE AR- 

 MISTICE MEXICAN DEFENCES PLAN OF ATTACK RECON- 



NOISSANCES OF SCOTT AND MASON IMPORTANCE OF MEXICAN 



POSITION AT MOLINO DEL REY SCOTt's SCHEME OF CAPTURING 



THE CITY BATTLE OF MOLINO DEL REY REFLECTIONS AND 



CRITICISM ON THIS BATTLE PREPARATIONS TO ATTACK CHA- 



PULTEPEC STORMING OF CHAPULTEPEC AND OF THE CITY GATES 



OF SAN COSME AND BELEN RETREAT OF THE MEXICAN ARMY 



AND GOVERNMENT AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF THE CITY OF 



MEXICO. 



At the termination of the armistice the position of the American 

 forces was greatly changed from what it had been on the morning 

 of the 20th of August. The occupation of San Agustin had 

 been followed by that of Contreras, San Angel, Coyoacan and 

 Churubusco in the course of that day, and on the next, Mixcoac 

 and Tacubaya were taken possession of. Thus the whole southern 

 and south-western portion of the valley, in front of Mexico, were 

 now held by the Americans ; and this disposition of their forces, 

 commanding most of the principal approaches to the capital, 

 enabled them, for the first time to select their point of attack. 



In reconnoitering the chief outworks of the Mexicans by which 

 he was still opposed, General Scott found that there were several 

 of great importance. Directly north of his headquarters at Ta- 

 cubaya, and distant about a mile, arose the lofty, isolated hill of 

 Chapultepec, surrounded by its massive edifice, half castle, half 

 palace, crowned with cannon. This point, it was known, had 

 been strongly fortified to maintain the road leading from Tacubaya 

 to the garita of San Cosme on the west of the city. Westwardly, 

 beyond the hill of Chapultepec, whose southern side and feet are 

 surrounded by a dense grove of cypresses, and on a rising ground 

 within the military works designed to strengthen the castle, was the 

 Molino del Rey, or King's Mill, which was represented to be a 

 cannon foundry to which large quantities of church bells had been 

 sent to be cast into guns. Still further west, but near the Molino 

 or Mill, was the fortified Casa Mata, containing a large deposite of 

 powder. 



