Page:History of the War between the United States and Mexico.djvu/294

250 General Scott landed with his army, there were between two hundred and fifty and three hundred cannon in the city and castle. The latter was garrisoned by near two thousand men, and in the former there was from three to five thousand. As at Monterey, many of the streets in the city were barricaded, and the houses and walls pierced for musketry. The officer in command of the town and castle was Juan Morales, governor and commanding-general of the state of Vera Cruz.

The debarkation of the troops was fixed for the 9th of March. The surf-boats were launched, and carefully numbered; and early in the morning of the appointed day. most of the troops were transferred from the transports to the vessels of war, to avoid crowding the contracted anchorage between Sacriﬁcios and the main land with too many sail. At eleven o'clock the