The Training Ground (39 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Cerro Gordo was perhaps Lee’s finest moment in the Mexican War, particularly that day spent behind the log hiding from the Mexican army while in search of an alternate route. All Lee biographies describe this moment, but few with the detail and fervor of Freeman, who dedicated several years to documenting Lee’s life. His unabridged text of
Lee
contains specifics of Lee’s comments, Scott’s praise, and the topographical layout of the battlefield. Maury describes the action with fine detail, and it was particularly memorable in his case because it marked the end of the war for him. Ballentine writes eloquently about the mood of the men before combat.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Grant’s comments about missing out on the Cerro Gordo action come from his letters to Julia. The description of Jackson’s departure from Monterrey comes from Cooper and from Chance’s
Mexican War Regiment.
Interestingly, the many memoirs published by volunteers almost all end at this point in the war, as their time in uniform terminates. Though it was a patriotic time in America, many of the volunteers felt that they had paid their dues during their year at war and were no longer constrained by the emotions of patriotism to stay in the military any longer.

Santa Anna had lost his leg during the 1838 Pastry War with the French. His prosthetic leg was made of wood and cork. The Fourth Illinois claimed the artificial limb as a spoil of war and brought it back with them when they returned home. Santa Anna’s amputation had been poorly performed, and two inches of bone protruded through the skin, which made wearing the leg all the more painful.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

The movements of Scott’s army toward Mexico are well described in Bauer, Smith, and Freeman. The topography of Mexico City is meticulously described by Grant in his memoirs. It’s worth noting that Grant’s time as a quartermaster during the Mexican War served him well during the Civil War. Not only was he proficient at logistics and the complex needs of a supply line, but he was not above mimicking Scott and allowing his army to get cut off and live off the land, as U.S. forces did during the summer in Puebla.

The movement into the Pedregal, the fight at Churubusco, and the Battle of Molino del Rey are all thoroughly laid out in Scott’s after-action reports; the writings of Bauer, Smith, Freeman, and Johannsen; the memoirs of Grant, Smith, and Hunt; and the various biographies of several key players. I have to admit that Smith’s death was a sudden blow to me. Having read his memoir from the beginning, as the army marched from Corpus Christi, I was unprepared to turn the page and read that he had been killed in action. Despite his misgivings on the eve of Molino del Rey, I assumed that he would make it through the battle without injury, just as Grant and the others whom I had come to know so well did. Writing that scene was a reminder of life’s brevity.

Henry Jackson Hunt
was promoted to captain for his bravery at Churubusco and then to major for gallantry at Chapultepec. He remained in the army during the years between the Mexican and Civil wars. As a Union officer, he fought at Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and, most notably, Gettysburg. His artillery was pivotal to repulsing Pickett’s Charge, and his concealed gun emplacements atop Little Round Top were particularly effective against Confederate artillery. He ended the war as a brigadier general and managed the siege of Petersburg. He died in 1889.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Writing about Chapultepec — figuring out the complex defenses surrounding the fortress and the tactical requirements necessary to enter the battle — was as much a logistical challenge as anything else. Bauer was a fine source, but Smith’s descriptions and detail were outstanding. For the best description of Jackson’s heroics at Chapultepec and manic behavior on the San Cosmé causeway, see his wife’s
Life and Letters of General Thomas J. Jackson.

CHAPTER FORTY

Smith and Bauer were invaluable for understanding the position of various roads and fortifications leading into Mexico City. Grant’s descriptions of his brave action entering Mexico City are taken from his memoirs. Bauer and Smith were very helpful in establishing a time line for troop movements during the course of the battle and the position of various individuals. It was interesting to discover that Jackson, Grant, and Lee were all on the same San Cosmé route into the Mexican capital.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Johannsen begins his
To the Halls of the Montezumas
with a description of the July 4, 1848, festivities in Washington, D.C., and their cultural significance. However, I also found Bauer’s writing and Frederick L. Harvey’s
History of the Washington National Monument
invaluable. For the section on Sherman, I once again relied on his memoirs and supplemented his time line with that of H. W. Brands’s
The Age of Gold.

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