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RDERS were given to General Winfield Scott, comman‹

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in-chief of the army of the United States, to proceed to Mexico, and, if he deemed it practicable, to set on foot an expedition against the Gulf coast. In the order of the Secretary of War, the line of operations was nearly indicated, all the details being left to Scott's prosecution according to his own judgment. In pursuance of these orders, the general sailed from New York on the 30th of November, and reached the Rio Grande on the 1st of January.

Preparatory to this movement a small squadron was placed in the Gulf early in 1846, under the command of Commodore Conner. This officer, after assisting General Taylor during his operations on the Rio Grande, sailed in the direction of Tampico. On the 7th of August, he made an attempt on the town of Alvarado, but failed. On the 15th of the same month, the brig Truxtun, commanded by officer Carpender, ran aground on the bar of Tuspan. On the 17th she was abandoned by all

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the officers and men, except Lieutenant Hunter, with a boat's crew. The latter succeeded in regaining the squadron, but the others were captured by the enemy, and subsequently exchanged for General La Vega, and his fellow prisoners. The Truxtun, being utterly immovable, was burnt.

On the 15th of October, Commodore Conner made a second attack upon the town of Alvarado. His force was three steamers, three gun-boats, and two schooners. The first division crossed the bar and engaged with a Mexican battery of seven guns, placed at the entrance of the river. The second division, however, was prevented from crossing by the grounding of a steamer. The commodore finding it would be folly to proceed with the first division, withdrew his vessels and abandoned the attempt.

On the 16th of October, Commodore Perry sailed from the squadron to attack the town of Tabasco, having with him two steamers and seven schooners. Crossing the bar on the 23d, he took, without resistance, the small town of Frontera, capturing all the vessels in port, including two steamers. On the following day he commenced the ascent of the river leading to Tabasco. Reaching a fort which commanded a difficult pass, he forced the enemy to evacuate it, and then spiked the guns; and at noon on the 25th, all his vessels were anchored in front of the town.

After a slight engagement, it was spared at the earnest solicitation of the foreign merchants. In this expedition, Commodore Perry captured or destroyed all the vessels in the river, comprising two steamers and eleven sail of ships, and put a stop to a trade by which munitions were introduced from Yucatan to Mexico. On the 12th of November, Tampico surrendered to Commodore Conner without resistance.

On the night of November 20, Lieutenant Parker, Midshipmen Rogers and Hynson, and six men, rowed in a small boat to the Mexican brig Creole, and succeeded in burning her under the guns of San Juan de Ulloa. So daring a feat reflects great credit on the lieutenant and his little company.

The first great object of the new army was an attack upon Vera Cruz and the castle of San Juan de Ulloa. It was arranged, that the fleet in the Gulf was to aid the army. The squadron, under Commodore Conner, was in readiness for the attack; but the forces of the general were not sufficient to justify it, until a large number of troops had been detached from General Taylor's army. These reached General Scott in February, 1847, and augmented his army to about 12,000 men.

The city of Vera Cruz is situated upon the exact spot where Cortes landed on the 21st of April, 1519. It is very strongly fortified-being surrounded by a stone wall, defended by nine towers. All of these towers can mount 100 pieces of cannon of various sizes, and save those of the middle ones, their fires all cross in front of the guard-houses, the external walls of which form part of the wall surrounding the town. One portion of the wall is washed by the Atlantic, and the shore on the opposite side is a dry, sandy plain.

The castle of San Juan de Ulloa is one of the strongest and most noted fortresses in the world. Its construction was commenced in 1582, upon a bar or bank in front of Vera Cruz, at the distance of 1000 Castilian varas, or yards, from the town. It is entirely surrounded by water. The fortress is constructed in the shape of a polygon, and its walls are from four to five yards thick. The material used in its construction is Madrepora Astrea, a species of coral which abounds in the neighboring islands; the exterior being faced with a harder stone. Its full equipment is 370 cannon. This castle was considered by the Mexicans as impregnable. The two commanding officers of the land and naval forces landed at Anton Lizardo, a Mexican port upon the Gulf, and from thence proceeded, in a steamer, to make a reconnoissance. The beach due west from the island of Sacrificios was selected by them, as the most suitable point to land the troops. Accordingly, all the vessels used for transportation having arrived, the landing took place on the 9th of March. No enemy

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offered any opposition, and no accident occurred during the transfer of the troops to the sandy beach. Four thousand men, under General Worth, were landed almost simultaneously, and occupied the neighboring heights before sunset. Some shot and shells were fired from the town and castle, as the troops advanced, but without effect.

On the 22d, the lines around the town having been formed, and a sufficient number of mortars being in battery, General Scott sent a summons to surrender to the governor of the city. At the end of two hours, the time limited by the bearer of the flag, the refusal of the governor was received, and General Scott ordered the mortars to be opened upon the city. At the same time, the smaller vessels of the squadron, according to previous arrangement, approached the city to within about a mile, and being partially covered from the castle, opened a brisk fire upon the city. This was continued until the next morning, when Commodore Perry, who had succeeded Commodore Conner, prudently called them from their daring position. New batteries were opened upon the city, and it was evident they did great execution. The fire was returned from the castle and city, but with little effect-only one officer and one man being killed and four or five wounded. The most terrible fire was kept up on the city from the 22d until the 26th of March, when propositions for a capitulation were received from General Llandero, commander of the Mexican forces in the city and castle. During the siege, Colonel Harney,

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