A Gallant Little Army by Timothy D. Johnson

Author:Timothy D. Johnson [Johnson, Timothy D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780700615414
Published: 2018-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

Bullet-scarred wall of the Convent of San Mateo. Courtesy of the author.

Lieutenant Isaac Stevens of the engineers went into the tower of the church in Coyoacán to survey the area. Cornfields dotted the terrain, concealing a complete view of the surroundings, but Stevens could tell that Churubusco was the focal point of Mexican activity. Looking southeast, he also saw a flow of personnel coming up the road from San Antonio. Churubusco was a magnet, drawing all Mexican forces to it, and Stevens could clearly see that all retreating forces were being funneled to the bridge across the Churubusco River. The lieutenant also detected defensive works in the area, especially around the San Mateo Convent and on the southern end of the bridge. He reported his findings to Scott, who accordingly sent Captain Phil Kearny’s First Dragoons to explore the best approach to San Antonio, and he ordered Pillow to follow with one of his brigades (Cadwalader’s). This move was conceived to correspond with Worth’s attack from the south. At the same time, Scott dispatched engineers under Lieutenant Gustavus Smith to reconnoiter the area around the convent, and he ordered Twiggs to follow with Persifor Smith’s brigade and Captain Francis Taylor’s battery to force an opening to the Churubusco bridge.24

Gustavus Smith and his engineers advanced several hundred yards from Coyoacán toward the convent with several companies of infantry in support. They got to within five hundred yards, but their view was largely obstructed by cornfields all around. In the distance, Smith could see the roof of the convent, and through occasional breaks in the corn, he detected Mexican infantry to the right and left. Lieutenant McClellan, who had taken another route and had gotten closer, returned to Smith and reported having seen a battery in front of the church and troops “crowded” on the roof. After capturing a lancer and sending him back to General Twiggs for interrogation, Smith and McClellan ascertained that American units were already making contact with the enemy line in front. All they could hear was musketry, but they knew that the stray units that had pushed forward had to be drastically outnumbered, so they ordered Taylor’s battery forward in support. Lieutenant Stevens thought that a few rounds of canister fired at the church would disperse the enemy troops and relieve the Americans on the right from the gradually intensifying musket fire. However, rather than follow Lieutenant Smith’s recommendation to bring up one gun to operate from the protection of an adobe hut that he had found, Taylor ordered the entire battery forward to within 150 yards and deployed it in an exposed position. The Mexicans unleashed what Taylor described as “a most terrible fire of artillery and musketry.” Thus commenced, at about half past twelve, a destructive artillery duel between Taylor’s guns and those of the San Patricios that lasted for an hour and a half.

The battle had originated prematurely when Twiggs ordered a close reconnaissance of the enemy line to determine its strength and the best mode of attacking it.

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