On the 9th of March, 1847, the Army of Mexico, under the command of Major-General Winfield Scott, that most regal of American soldiers, never to be named by us, comrades, but with uplifted hat, began its victorious march for the “Halls of the Montezumas.” General Scott on that day effected the landing of his army at Sacrificios, an island seven miles west of Vera Cruz. The landing was made in seventy-five surf boats, each carrying seventy-five men, under cover of our fleet, commanded by Commodore Conner, with those able and dashing officers Commodores Perry and Tatnall commanding squadrons of the fleet. The army there numbered 13,200 rank and file. General Scott established his lines on the north and east fronts of Vera Cruz on the same day. Within ten days he had planted five large siege batteries built of sand bags about 1,000 yards from the walls of the city. One of them was mounted with 8-inch ship guns, and manned by sailors from the fleet. A demand for the surrender of the city having been made and refused, our guns opened fire on March 22nd, and for three days and nights rained upon it the red ruin of avenging war. On the morning of the 25th, General Laudero, commanding the garrison of the city and the Castle of San Juan d’Ulloa, sent in a flag of truce with overtures of surrender. He at first proposed to surrender the city alone. General Scott refused this, as the castle distant but a mile to the South East of the city, completely commanded it, and he therefore demanded its surrender also. This demand was finally acceded to and the surrender of the Castle of San Juan d’Ulloa, and the City of Vera Cruz, with their garrisons 8,000 strong was formally made on March 29, 1847. Our loss was but sixteen killed and wounded. On April 8th our army took up its line of march along the national road for the Capital of Mexico distant 290 miles. On April 14th it confronted the Army of Santa Anna, 20,000 strong posted on the heights of Cerro Gordo. The mountain ridges on which he had taken position, had been well fortified by that indomitable but cruel and faithless Mexican general, and fully commanded our route to the Capital. At the instance, and under the direction of that most excellent soldier Captain Robert E. Lee, of the Corps of Engineers, a road was cut through the dense forest on the enemy’s left, so as to enable us to take his position in reverse. This work occupied three days during which our working parties were frequently attacked. On the morning of the 18th of April, at dawn, we attacked in force.