Ulysses S. Grant's Memoirs The Mexican War
Chapter 7 The Mexican War--The Battle Of Palo Alto--The Battle Of Resaca De La Palma -- Army Of Invasion -- General Taylor -- Movement On
Camargo
While General Taylor was away with the bulk of his army, the little
garrison up the river was besieged [May 3]. As we lay in our tents upon
the sea-shore, the artillery at the fort on the Rio Grande could be distinctly
heard.
The war had begun.
There were no possible means of obtaining news from the garrison, and information
from outside could not be otherwise than unfavorable. What General Taylor's
feelings were during this suspense I do not know; but for myself, a young
second-lieutenant who had never heard a hostile gun before, I felt sorry
that I had enlisted. A great many men, when they smell battle afar off, chafe
to get into the fray. When they say so themselves they generally fail to
convince their hearers that they are as anxious as they would like to make
believe, and as they approach danger they become more subdued. This rule
is not universal, for I have known a few men who were always aching for a
fight when there was no enemy near, who were as good as their word when the
battle did come. But the number of such men is small.
On the 7th of March [May] the wagons were all loaded and General Taylor started
on his return, with his army reinforced at Point Isabel, but still less than
three thousand strong [2,200], to relieve the garrison on the Rio Grande.
The road from Point Isabel to Matamoras is over an open, rolling, treeless
prairie, until the timber that borders the bank of the Rio Grande is reached.
This river, like the Mississippi, flows through a rich alluvial valley in
the most meandering manner, running towards all points of the compass at
times within a few miles. Formerly the river ran by Resaca de la Palma, some
four or five miles east of the present channel. The old bed of the river
at Resaca had become filled at places, leaving a succession of little lakes.
The timber that had formerly grown upon both banks, and for a considerable
distance out, was still standing. This timber was struck six or eight miles
out from the besieged garrison, at a point known as Palo Alto-- "Tall trees"
or "woods."
Early in the forenoon of the 8th of May as Palo Alto was approached, an army
[estimated at 6,000], certainly outnumbering our little force, was seen,
drawn up in line of battle just in front of the timber. Their bayonets and
spearheads glistened in the sunlight formidably. The force was composed largely
of cavalry armed with lances. Where we were the grass was tall, reaching
nearly to the shoulders of the men, very stiff, and each stock was pointed
at the top, and hard and almost as sharp as a darning-needle. General Taylor
halted his army before the head of column came in range of the artillery
of the Mexicans. He then formed a line of battle, facing the enemy. His
artillery, two batteries and two eighteen-pounder iron guns, drawn by oxen,
were placed in position at intervals along the line. A battalion was thrown
to the rear, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Childs, of the artillery, as
reserves. These preparations completed, orders were given for a platoon of
each company to stack arms and go to a stream off to the right of the command,
to fill their canteens and also those of the rest of their respective companies.
When the men were all back in their places in line, the command to advance
was given. As I looked down that long line of about three thousand armed
men, advancing towards a larger force also armed, I thought what a fearful
responsibility General Taylor must feel, commanding such a host and so far
away from friends. The Mexicans immediately opened fire upon us, first with
artillery and then with infantry. At first their shots did not reach us,
and the advance was continued. As we got nearer, the cannon balls commenced
going through the ranks. They hurt no one, however, during this advance,
because they would strike the ground long before they reached our line, and
ricocheted through the tall grass so slowly that the men would see them and
open ranks and let them pass. When we got to a point where the artillery
could be used with effect, a halt was called, and the battle opened on both
sides.
The infantry under General Taylor was armed with flint-lock muskets, and
paper cartridges charged with powder, buck-shot and ball. At the distance
of a few hundred yards a man might fire at you all day without your finding
it out. The artillery was generally six-pounder brass guns throwing only
solid shot; but General Taylor had with him three or four twelve-pounder
howitzers throwing shell, besides his eighteen-pounders before spoken of,
that had a long range. This made a powerful armament. The Mexicans were armed
about as we were so far as their infantry was concerned, but their artillery
only fired solid shot. We had greatly the advantage in this arm.
The artillery was advanced a rod or two in front of the line, and opened
fire. The infantry stood at order arms as spectators, watching the effect
of our shots upon the enemy, and watching his shots so as to step out of
their way. It could be seen that the eighteen-pounders and the howitzers
did a great deal of execution. On our side there was little or no loss while
we occupied this position. During the battle Major Ringgold, an accomplished
and brave artillery officer, was mortally wounded, and Lieutenant Luther,
also of the artillery, was struck. During the day several advances were made,
and just at dusk it became evident that the Mexicans were falling back. We
again advanced, and occupied at the close of the battle substantially the
ground held by the enemy at the beginning. In this last move there was a
brisk fire upon our troops, and some execution was done. One cannon ball
passed through our ranks, not far from me. It took off the head of an enlisted
man, and the under jaw of Captain [John] Page of my regiment, while the splinters
from the musket of the killed soldier, and his brains and bones, knocked
down two or three others, including one officer, Lieutenant [Henry
D.] Wallen--hurting them more or less. Our casualties for the day were nine
killed and forty-seven wounded.
At the break of day on the 9th, the army under Taylor was ready to renew
the battle; but an advance showed that the enemy had entirely left our front
during the night. The chaparral before us was impenetrable except where there
were roads or trails, with occasionally clear or bare spots of small dimensions.
A body of men penetrating it might easily be ambushed. It was better to have
a few men caught in this way than the whole army, yet it was necessary that
the garrison at the river should be relieved. To get to them the chaparral
had to be passed. Thus I assume General Taylor reasoned. He halted the army
not far in advance of the ground occupied by the Mexicans the day before,
and selected Captain C. F. Smith, of the artillery, and Captain McCall, of
my company, to take one hundred and fifty picked men each and find where
the enemy had gone. This left me in command of the company, an honor and
responsibility I thought very great.
Smith and McCall found no obstruction in the way of their advance until they came up to the succession of ponds, before described, at Resaca. The Mexicans
had passed them and formed their lines on the opposite bank. This position
they had strengthened a little by throwing up dead trees and brush in their
front, and by placing artillery to cover the approaches and open places.
Smith and McCall deployed on each side of the road as well as they could,and engaged the enemy at long range. Word was sent back, and the advance
of the whole army was at once commenced. As we came up we were deployed in
like manner. I was with the right wing, and led my company through the thicket
wherever a penetrable place could be found, taking advantage of any clear
spot that would carry me towards the enemy. At last I got pretty close up
without knowing it. The balls commenced to whistle very thick overhead, cutting
the limbs of the chaparral right and left. We could not see the enemy, so
I ordered my men to lie down, an order that did not have to be enforced.
We kept our position until it became evident that the enemy were not firing
at us, and then withdrew to find better ground to advance upon.
By this time some progress had been made on our left. A section of artillery
had been captured by the cavalry, and some prisoners had been taken. The
Mexicans were giving way all along the line, and many of them had, no doubt,
left early. I at last found a clear space separating two ponds. There seemed
to be a few men in front and I charged upon them with my company. There was
no resistance, and we captured a Mexican colonel, who had been wounded, and
a few men. Just as I was sending them to the rear with a guard of two or
three men, a private came from the front bringing back one of our officers,
who had been badly wounded in advance of where I was. The ground had been
charged over before. My exploit was equal to that of the soldier who boasted
that he had cut off the leg of one of the enemy. When asked why he did not
cut off his head, he replied: "Some one had done that before." This left
no doubt in my mind but that the battle of Resaca de la Palma would have
been won, just as it was, if I had not been there.
There was no further resistance. The evening of the 9th the army was encamped
on its old ground near the Fort, and the garrison was relieved. The siege
had lasted a number of days, but the casualties were few in number. Major
Jacob Brown, of the 7th infantry, the commanding officer, had been killed,
and in his honor the fort was named. Since then a town of considerable importance
had sprung up on the ground occupied by the fort and troops, which has also
taken his name.
The battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma seemed to us engaged, as
pretty important affairs; but we had only a faint conception of their magnitude
until they were fought over in the North by the Press and the reports
came back to us. At the same time, or about the same time, we learned that
war existed between the United States and Mexico, by the acts of the latter
country. On learning this fact General Taylor transferred our camps to the
south or west bank of the river, and Matamoras was occupied [May 18]. We
then became the "Army of Invasion."
Up to this time Taylor had none but regular troops in his command; but now
that invasion had already taken place, volunteers for one year commenced
arriving. The army remained at Matamoras until sufficiently reinforced to
warrant a movement into the interior. General Taylor was not an officer to
trouble the administration much with his demands, but was inclined to do
the best he could with the means given him. He felt his responsibility as
going no further. If he had thought that he was sent to perform an impossibility
with the means given him, he would probably have informed the authorities
of his opinion and left them to determine what should be done. If the judgment
was against him he would have gone on and done the best he could with the
means at hand without parading his grievance before the public. No soldier
could face either danger or responsibility more calmly than he. These are
qualities more rarely found than genius or physical courage.
General Taylor never made any great show or parade, either of uniform or
retinue. In dress he was possibly too plain, rarely wearing anything in the
field to indicate his rank, or even that he was an officer; but he was known
to every soldier in his army, and was respected by all. I can call to mind
only one instance when I saw him in uniform, and one other when I heard of
his wearing it. On both occasions he was unfortunate. The first was at Corpus
Christi. He had concluded to review his army before starting on the march
and gave orders accordingly. Colonel Twiggs was then second in rank with
the army, and to him was given the command of the review. Colonel and Brevet
Brigadier-General [William J.] Worth, a far different soldier from Taylor
in the use of the uniform, was next to Twiggs in rank, and claimed superiority
by virtue of his brevet rank when the accidents of service threw them where
one or the other had to command. Worth declined to attend the review as
subordinate to Twiggs until the question was settled by the highest authority.
This broke up the review, and the question was referred to Washington for
final decision.
General Taylor was himself only a colonel, in real rank, at that time, and
a brigadier-general by brevet. He was assigned to duty, however, by the
President, with the rank which his brevet gave him. Worth was not so assigned,
but by virtue of commanding a division he must, under the army regulations
of that day, have drawn the pay of his brevet rank. The question was submitted
to Washington, and no response was received until after the army had reached
the Rio Grande. It was decided against General Worth, who at once tendered
his resignation and left the army, going north, no doubt, by the same vessel
that carried it. This kept him out of the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca
de la Palma. Either the resignation was not accepted, or General Worth withdrew
it before action had been taken. At all events he returned to the army in
time to command his division in the battle of Monterey, and served with it
to the end of the war.
The second occasion on which General Taylor was said to have donned his uniform,
was in order to receive a visit from the Flag Officer [David Conner] of the
naval squadron off the mouth of the Rio Grande. While the army was on that
river the Flag Officer sent word that he would call on the General to pay
his respects on a certain day. General Taylor, knowing that naval officers
habitually wore all the uniform the "law allowed" on all occasions of ceremony,
thought it would be only civil to receive his guest in the same style. His
uniform was therefore got out, brushed up, and put on, in advance of the
visit. The Flag Officer, knowing General Taylor's aversion to the wearing
of the uniform, and feeling that it would be regarded as a compliment should
he meet him in civilian's dress, left off his uniform for this occasion.
The meeting was said to have been embarrassing to both, and the conversation
was principally apologetic.
The time was whiled away pleasantly enough at Matamoras, while we were waiting
for volunteers. It is probable that all the most important people of the
territory occupied by our army left their homes before we got there, but
with those remaining the best of relations apparently existed. It was the
policy of the Commanding General to allow no pillaging, no taking of private
property for public or individual use without satisfactory compensation,
so that a better market was afforded than the people had ever known before.
Among the troops that joined us at Matamoras was an Ohio regiment, of which
Thomas L. Hamer, the Member of Congress who had given me my appointment to
West Point, was major. He told me then that he could have had the colonelcy,
but that as he knew he was to be appointed a brigadier-general, he preferred
at first to take the lower grade. I have said before that Hamer was one of
the ablest men Ohio ever produced. At that time he was in the prime of life,
being less than fifty years of age, and possessed an admirable physique,
promising long life. But he was taken sick before Monterey, and died within
a few days. I have always believed that had his life been spared, he would
have been President of the United States during the term filled by President
Pierce. Had Hamer filled that office his partiality for me was such, there
is but little doubt I should have been appointed to one of the staff corps
of the army--the Pay Department probably-and would therefore now be preparing
to retire. Neither of these speculations is unreasonable, and they are mentioned
to show how little men control their own destiny.
Reinforcements having arrived, in the month of August the movement commenced
from Matamoras to Camargo, the head of navigation on the Rio Grande. The
line of the Rio Grande was all that was necessary to hold, unless it was
intended to invade Mexico from the North. In that case the most natural route
to take was the one which General Taylor selected. It entered a pass in the
Sierra Madre Mountains, at Monterey, through which the main road runs to the City of Mexico. Monterey itself was a good point to hold, even if the line of the Rio Grande covered all the territory we desired to occupy at that time. It is built on a plain two thousand feet above tide water, where the air is bracing and the situation healthy.
On the 19th of August the army started for Monterey, leaving a small garrison
at Matamoras. The troops, with the exception of the artillery, cavalry, and
the brigade to which I belonged, were moved up the river to Camargo on steamers.
As there were but two or three of these, the boats had to make a number of
trips before the last of the troops were up. Those who marched did so by
the south side of the river. Lieutenant-Colonel Garland, of the 4th infantry,
was the brigade commander, and on this occasion commanded the entire marching
force. One day out convinced him that marching by day in that latitude, in
the month of August, was not a beneficial sanitary measure, particularly
for Northern men. The order of marching was changed and night marches were
substituted with the best results.
When Camargo was reached, we found a city of tents outside the Mexican hamlet.
I was detailed to act as quartermaster and commissary to the regiment. [Grant at first objected to this assignment as commissary and officially protested. After the protest was refused, he accepted the post and carried it out well. Lewis.]
The teams that had proven abundantly sufficient to transport all supplies
from Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande over the level prairies of Texas, were
entirely inadequate to the needs of the reinforced army in a mountainous
country. To obviate the deficiency, pack mules were hired, with Mexicans
to pack and drive them. I had charge of the few wagons allotted to the
4th infantry and of the pack train to supplement them. There were not men
enough in the army to manage that train without the help of Mexicans who
had learned how. As it was the difficulty was great enough. The troops would
take up their march at an early hour each day. After they had started, the
tents and cooking utensils had to be made into packages, so that they could
be lashed to the backs of the mules. Sheet-iron kettles, tent-poles and mess
chests were inconvenient articles to transport in that way. It took several
hours to get ready to start each morning, and by the time we were ready some
of the mules first loaded would be tired of standing so long with their loads
on their backs. Sometimes one would start to run, bowing his back and kicking
up until he scattered his load; others would lie down and try to disarrange
their loads by attempting to get on the top of them by rolling on them; others
with tent-poles for part of their loads would manage to run a tent-pole on
one side of a sapling while they would take the other. I am not aware of
ever having used a profane expletive in my life; but I would have the charity
to excuse those who may have done so, if they were in charge of a train of
Mexican pack mules at the time.
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