Page:History of the War between the United States and Mexico.djvu/300

256 city, for the protection of themselves, their families. and their property. The toils were now set. A cordon of soldiers, whose encampment extended in a magnificent semicircle, from shore to shore, girt the city upon the one side, and upon the other was the broad ocean occupied by a numerous fleet, well manned, and sufficient to prevent all ingress in that quarter. To break the chain was impossible; and to avoid being crushed by its contracting folds was shown in the sequel to be equally vain.

The line of investment occupied a distance of about seven miles, with an interval of from two and a half to three miles between it and the city, and throughout its whole extent was within range of the enemy's heavy artillery, which kept up an unremitting fire by. day and night, though with little or no effect. But very few of the carts and draught horses ordered for the expedition had at this time arrived on the coast, and an incalculable amount of labor was necessarily performed by the troops, in hauling their cannon and supplies by hand, over the sand-hills and through the thickets of Chaparral. As soon as they were well established in their positions on the line of investment, detachments were sent out from each brigade to clear its front, including the sub-bourgs, of the enemy's parties. This was quickly accomplished. The Mexican outposts and skirmishers were all driven in, and reconnaissances made of the intervening ground. At midnight on the 18th instant, the trenches were opened by the sappers and miners, within eight hundred yards of the city, and bat — teries were constructed for the reception of the heavy guns and mortars, under the supervision and direction of Colonel Totten, Major Smith, Captains Lee and