PREPARATIONS TO ATTACK CAAPULTEPEC. 



415 



army, and the volunteers of the city, had all been repeatedly beaten 

 in the valley both before and since the armistice. Nevertheless, 

 Santa Anna, in spite of all these defeats and disasters at the Molino 

 and Casa Mata, caused the bells of the city to be merrily rung for 

 a victory, and sent forth proclamations by extraordinary couriers, in 

 every direction, announcing the triumph of Mexican valor and arms ! 



On the morning of the 11th, Scott proceeded to carry out the 

 remainder of his projected capture of the capital. His troops had 

 been already for some time hovering around the southern gates, and 

 he now surveyed them closely covered by General Pillow's division 

 and Riley's brigade of Twigg's command, and then ordered Quit- 

 man from Coyoacan to join Pillow by daylight^ before the southern 

 gates. 1 By nighty however, the two Generals with their commands 

 were to pass the two intervening miles between their position and 

 Tacubaya where they would unite with Worth's division, while 

 General Twiggs was left, with Riley, Captain Taylor and Steptoe, 

 in front of the gates to manoeuvre, threaten, or make false attacks 

 so as to occupy and deceive the enemy. General Smith's brigade 

 w r as halted in supporting distance at San Angel, in the rear, till the 

 morning of the 13th, so as to support our general depot at Mix- 

 coac. This stratagem against the south was admirably executed 

 throughout the 12th and until the afternoon of the 13th, when it 

 was too late for Santa Anna to recover from his delusion. 



In the meanwhile preparations had been duly made for the ope- 

 rations on the west by the capture of Chapultepec. Heavy bat- 

 teries were established and the bombardment and cannonade under 

 Captain Huger, w T ere commenced early on the morning of the 12th. 

 Pillow and Quitman had been in position, as ordered, since early on 

 the night of the 11th, and Worth was now commanded to hold his 

 division in reserve near the foundry to support Pillow, while Smith 

 was summoned to sustain Quitman. Twiggs still continued to 

 inform us with his guns that he held the Mexicans on the defensive 

 in that quarter and kept Santa Anna in constant anxiety. Scott's 

 positions and stratagy perfectly disconcerted him. One moment on 

 the south — the next at Tacubaya — then reconnoitering the south 

 again — and, at last, concentrating his forces so that they might be 

 easily moved northward to Chapultepec or southward to the gate 

 of San Antonio Abad. These movements rendered him constantly 

 sensible of every hour's importance, yet he would not agree with 

 the veteran Bravo who commanded Chapultepec and was convinced 

 that the hill and castle would be the points assailed. During the 

 whole of the 12th the American pieces, strengthened by the cap- 



