On the same evening a flag of truce arrived from Santa Anna who proposed an armistice of twenty days, stating that he desired to negociate terms of peace. General Scott assented, and having but three days’ rations in his commissariat, imposed as one of the conditions, that he should be allowed to send a train with a proper escort into the city, and there purchase supplies for his army. This was accordingly done. On Sept. 6th, Gen. Scott declared the armistice at an end, having discovered that the wily Santa Anna, in violation of its solemn terms, was engaged in fortifying his position and reinforcing his army. At dawn on Sept. 8th we again advanced. Santa Anna with his army occupied Molino del Rey or the King’s Mill, a series of massive stone buildings surrounded by high walls, about one mile and a half west of the castle of Chapultepec and three miles from the city of Mexico. His force consisted of ten thousand men and twenty four pieces of artillery. Our attacking columns numbered 3,600 with Drum’s, Huger’s, and Duncan’s batteries, and a company of Voltigeurs, under the immediate command of General Worth, all regulars. We attacked in three columns, and our first attack being repulsed, the Mexicans sallied from their works, and lanced our wounded officers and men, and cut their throats within full view of our army. Worth rapidly reinforcing with Cadwallader’s Brigade, and Stewart’s rifles, that had been left to support Huger’s Battery, and Duncan’s heavy Battery of 24-pounders, attacked the enemy’s right and centre, and having taken the Casa Mata, a strong stone citadel, the enemy abandoned all his other positions, and the day was won. In proportion to the force engaged, this was, for us, the most bloody battle of the war. We had 953 killed and wounded, among them seventy five officers. The loss of the enemy was 1200 killed and wounded, and 850 prisoners. The desperate nature of the conflict may be indicated by the fact that towards its close, the guns of Drum’s and Huger’s batteries were served almost entirely by officers--graduates of West Point, nearly every enlisted artillery man having fallen at his post. The victory was important as Molino del Rey was the chief cannon foundry of Mexico and its guns commanded some of the approaches to the Castle of Chapultepec.