My dear Father,—We are now in the midst of our arrangements to march into the interior, two divisions of the army (Twiggs and Patterson) having already marched. The greatest difficulty is on account of transportation. Vera Cruz is still healthy, and there is no natural reason why it should not be as salubrious as New Orleans. Its filth and nastiness is almost beyond belief, and is the efficient cause of its great sickliness in summer. Our authorities are now making every exertion to cleanse the city. Our troops behave well. Some few excesses have been committed, and these are punished with exemplary severity. General Scott has instituted military commissions to try a large class of offenses that, in an enemy’s country, cannot be reached under the articles of war, and martial law has been proclaimed as a supplemental code. Yesterday a negro was hanged outside the city walls for committing rape upon a Mexican woman.
We hope that peace will be established in the course of the summer. At all events, General Scott will find no difficulty in entering the City of Mexico. Our own troops, regulars and volunteers, are in a high state of discipline, and pant for an opportunity to signalize themselves. The Mexican troops have been demoralized by many successive defeats, and cannot, man to man, cope with our own. They are decidedly inferior, both in the men and the organization. In such cases numbers are of little account. All experience shows that resolution, courage, and enterprise, qualities possessed by our troops in an eminent degree, will overcome any tumultuous rabble. I verily believe that our little army of twelve thousand men is able to defeat any body of Mexicans, however large.
You know the papers have been full of the complaints of the sappers and miners, or engineer soldiers. These men I am on duty with every day. They are the pride of the whole army, confessedly the best soldiers in the army. I never saw so superior a company of soldiers, Americans all, young men, having character, zeal, and intelligence, proud of their duties and of their position, perfectly subordinate, and cheerful in their obedience. I personally know almost every man of the sappers and miners. During the investment and siege of Vera Cruz they exhibited an extraordinary gallantry, and were all placed in the position of non-commissioned officers. Each man had direction of a working party, and in the execution of that duty they retained their arms and gave directions to the men.
ROUTE, VERA CRUZ TO MEXICO
Lieutenant Stevens took great interest in the engineer company, so largely the result of his recommendations and exertions. His diary of the march inland commences the next day.
March 29. The army made its entrance into the city this day at ten o’clock, and the general headquarters were established in the main plaza. General Worth was appointed governor of the city. The engineer company, although it had preëminently distinguished itself for gallantry and general conduct throughout the whole operation of the investment and siege, had no place assigned to it in the ceremonies of either the surrender or the entrance.
Colonel Totten sailed on the Princeton to the States as bearer of dispatches, and with the view of resuming his position at the head of the department, leaving Major John L. Smith in command. Lieutenant Stevens was this day directed to assume the duties of adjutant, and a sapper was detailed to assist him.
March 30. Lieutenants Stevens, Tower, and Foster, with a detachment of twelve sappers, commenced the survey of the defenses of the city and castle. Lieutenant Mason was temporarily assigned to duty with General Quitman on an expedition to Alvarado.