Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/518

498 on attacking the southern front of the city; hence he objected.

Molino del Rey consisted of a range of massive stone buildings, with crenellated walls and parapeted roofs, commanded by the plunging fire of Chapultepec at a distance of some 3,000 feet. A smaller but equally solid building, the casa mata, stood 1,500 feet to the west, surrounded by a quadrangular bastioned field-work. Between these two points rose a battery of three small guns, and in front extended a line of embankment with ditches and patches of maguey, screening the Mexican force, which numbered somewhat over 4,000 effective men under Leon, the next highest officer, General F. Perez occupying the casa mata. To these must be added the cavalry corps of Álvarez, nearly 4,000 strong, which occupied the hacienda de los Morales, a mile westward, with orders to support Leon by flank operations. The force at Molino was much larger on the 7th; for Santa Anna believed Chapultepec to be the next objective point, and proposed to personally defend it, but deceived by the well-directed demonstrations of Scott along the southern line of the city, he retired with a large proportion of his forces to strengthen this line, and left the mill without recognized head or distinct plans.