Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/351

Rh the plaza. Our riflemen would go into different streets, and whenever they saw a lancer, he would most surely be unsaddled and sometimes his horse captured. Now and then we could see them pop down a greaser from the housetops.

After we supposed we had driven the lancers out of the city, we returned to the fortified house just captured; but before we got there, a body of lancers—no doubt hidden in some senor's yard—came riding out of a street and fired upon us, wounding several of our men. We instantly came to about face and made a rally on the lancers, and it was not long before we had them scampering off into different streets and alleys.

By this time Col. Brough, of the Fourth Ohio, got full possession of the main entrance of the city, and sent a party of his men up on the steeple of the Saint Augustine Church and took down the Mexican flag and slit it into ribbons, and then let it fly to the winds, after which the Stars and Stripes, the emblem of our country, was placed in its stead—now waving triumphantly in the breeze in the land of the Montezumas.

But there is a good deal of street fighting and firing throughout the city. The foreign inhabitants of this city hung out their respective colors; in fact, almost every Mexican house had a white flag flying from its window, and when we passed them, they would say, "The Americano mucho valentacho mucho valentias.

After the enemy had left the city, some of our men went to work and plundered the houses that the Mexicans had been firing from during the day. Some made out very well, getting from one to two hundred dollars worth of silks, shawls, etc. I could have gotten plenty of the finest silks, but what good would they be to me; so I took nothing but a splendid gentleman's shawl worth about thirty dollars. After I got this shawl, I left and returned to quarters; and its well I did, for the patrol came around and gobbled up every one and took them to the guard-house. I intend to keep this shawl, and if I live will take it home with me, as a great relic.

Every one of our men seem much rejoiced over the enemy