Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/413

Rh recapturing the summit. But the movement had been foreseen, and as the lancers swept up the sloping ridge — the only ground available for cavalry — they were received by a strong, firm line of the infantry which apparently had been retreating on each side of the ridge, but which suddenly closed in on the top, and fronting the enemy, poured in a rattling volley, while the Texans kept up an irregular but destructive fire on either flank. The charge was repulsed; the cavalry recoiled; its supporting infantry wavered and then broke; and the Mexicans in a confused mass of horse and foot rushed down the slope, the Americans hotly pursuing. No time is given for the fugitives to reënter the fort; they hurry past, wildly fleeing to the city; the pursuers leap through the embrasures and openings; the remnant of the garrison offers only a feeble resistance, and in a few minutes the American flag waves over the fort. The captured guns and the batteries of Duncan and Mackall, which were brought up at a gallop, were soon playing upon the retreating Mexicans, inflicting heavy loss as they crowded along the street into the city.

The investment on the west side was now complete. Not only the Saltillo road but the city itself was commanded by the captured heights, and Worth moved his division to the Cerro del Obispado, leaving on the hill of La Federacion a force sufficient to hold that position and serve the guns. He then made his preparations to assault the town on the following day.

During the 22d, while Worth was carrying the fortifications on the Cerro del Obispado, no active operations occurred on the eastern side of the city. The citadel and Fort Diablo maintained a fire against