Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/290

 

SIEGE OF PUEBLA—AMERICAN FORCES, THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FOUR EFFECTIVE MEN—MEXICAN FORCES, FROM TWO THOUSAND TO EIGHT THOUSAND—DESPATCHES FROM GEN. SCOTT HE IS VICTORIOUS IN ALL HIS ENGAGEMENTS IN THE VALLEY—HE CAPTURES THE CAPITAL, AND TRIUMPHANTLY MARCHES INTO THE PLAZA DE LA CONSTITUTION, MEXICO. SEPTEMBER 14, 1847—REAT EXCITEMENT AND JOY PREVAILED AMONG OUR TROOPS—GEN. SANTA ANNA ARRIVES AT THE OUTSKIRTS OF PUEBLA CITY—HE DEMANDS THE SURRENDER OF THE AMERICAN FORCES OF PUEBLA—COL. CHILDS MOST EMPHATICALLY REFUSES TO SURRENDER—THE TWENTY'-SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF AUGUSTUS ITURBIDA, OF MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE—GEN. SANTA ANNA MAKES SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO DRIVE OUR FORCES OUT, BUT, AS USUAL, DEFEATED IN EVERY ATTEMPT—GEN SANTA ANNA—LEFT PUEBLA TO MEET GEN. JOSEPH LANE—RINGING OF CHURCH BELLS—FIRING OF ROCKETS AND GREAT REJOICING AMONG OUR MEN—ARRIVAL OF GEN. LANE WITH FIFTEEN HUNDRED TROOPS—STREET FIGHTS—DEATH OF CAPTAIN SAMUEL H. WALKER, THE TEXAN RANGER.

Monday, September 13, 1847.—This morning, one of our soldiers whom the lancers had taken prisoner some time ago made good his escape. He tells us some hard yarns about the Mexicans—how they used and threatened and fed him. He says that the Mexicans have six pieces of artillery, six pounders, and about two thousand lancers and one thousand infantry; the lancers are well clothed and drilled, but the infantry are poorly clad, armed, and drilled; and he also says that their whole argument and talk is, that they will not spare the life of a single Yankee when the attack is made; they are recruiting fast, mostly all young men from this city; also, there is an American soldier, with a cut on his cheek, on Gen. Rea's staff; this must be the soldier who, while on guard, sold (284)