On my way back my feelings were not desponding, but I was sad. The 9th infantry, called the New England regiment, who had gallantly followed my lead, and had occupied for hours an exposed position, I had not succeeded in bringing back to the place indicated by the general. I felt deeply my physical inability to support long-continued exertion. It seemed to me that I had abandoned a body of men who were relying on me. The regiment had acted nobly, and none more so than Pitman, acting as major. He was cool and intrepid throughout.
On my way home the rain poured in torrents much of the time. I overtook my intrepid friend Callender, whom some men of his company were carrying home on a litter. He seemed to be comfortable, and is now rapidly recovering from his wound.
On reaching my quarters, getting some supper, and changing my clothes, I went to see General Scott. He was surrounded by his personal staff, and was attentively listening to Captain Lee’s account of the state of the field. Soon after, General Pillow and General Twiggs entered the room. Twiggs is a gray-haired veteran of sixty, large in person, of rather blunt address, and of little advantages of education, but possessing in an eminent degree decision of character, great sagacity as to men and events, and an aptitude for labor. He has the most splendid division in the service, the fruit in great measure of his own unwearied exertions. Captain Lee is an officer of engineers to whom I have before alluded, and one of my mess-mates. He is one of the most extraordinary men in the service. In the very prime of manhood, of remarkable presence and address, perhaps the most manly and striking officer in the service, of great grace of manner and great personal beauty, he has established an enduring reputation. His power of enduring fatigue is extraordinary, and his strength of judgment and perfect balance are conspicuous. For counsel, General Scott relies more upon him than any other man in the service.
I never shall forget that evening,—Captain Lee in calm, even, well-weighed words, giving a full view of the state of our force, suggesting the various methods of reëstablishing affairs, and proffering his own services and exertions to carry out the views of the general; Scott, composed, complacent, weighing every word he said, finding fault with no one’s blunders, and taking in all cases the best view of things, indulging in no apprehensions, and exhibiting entire confidence in the ultimate event. At length General Twiggs and Captain Lee returned to the battlefield with full powers to retrieve affairs as their best judgment should dictate. It had been proposed by General Smith, one of Twiggs’s brigadiers, to make a night attack upon the enemy’s position, defended by twelve guns and five thousand of their best troops. Captain Lee’s principal object in seeing the general was to procure his sanction. It was not denied. On returning to the field, all arrangements were made to carry it into execution.
My dear wife, I am spinning out a long letter, and I must be more brief. This night attack, in consequence of rain and the difficult nature of the ground, was not carried into execution till dawn of day. It was organized by General Smith. The reconnoissance of the route was made in the night by my friend Tower, of the engineers. The principal column of attack consisted of Riley’s brigade led by Tower. Two other columns were pushed in the same general direction, one of which was commanded by our friend Major Dimick. In front a column was formed of the scattered commands, mostly new levies.
Riley’s column pursued its way over slippery and uneven ground, crossing two deep ravines, halting from time to time to keep the command together. Finally it reached the brow of a hill in rear of the enemy’s position, and was formed in two columns, just as the coming day disclosed them to the enemy. Immediately the charge was ordered, and the gallant brigade made its terrible charge, ably supported by the other columns. The contest was brief but decisive. In fifteen minutes one thousand dead and wounded of the enemy lay on the field, nearly a thousand more were taken prisoners, and the remainder were flying in all directions. Every one speaks in the most exalted terms of the conduct of Tower. Some say he led the brigade and did the whole work.
As for myself, broken down the evening before, greatly in need of rest, I complied with the advice of Major Smith and Captain Lee and remained in town, giving directions to my servant to be called at three, in order that I might return to the field to be in season for the fight. My servant did not wake me till five. One delay after another occurred, and I was finally detained by General Scott to conduct to the field a brigade of General Worth’s command. We started and had got half way out, when information came of the brilliant success of the night attack, and the brigade was ordered back. I continued my way, and finally came across Tower very quietly eating his breakfast in company with Lieutenant Beauregard of our corps, who was also conspicuous in the same attack. I rode on, passed over the battlefield, reached the advance, and exchanged greetings with my friends of the 9th regiment, who had felt as anxious for me as I had for them. They informed me that they had withdrawn to a safe place about nine in the evening, and were engaged in the night attack. My friends of the 1st artillery, Major Dimick, Captains Capron, Burke, etc., I also shook warmly by the hand, and finally rode up to General Twiggs. I congratulated him on the brilliant victory achieved by his command. “General Smith deserves the whole credit, but it was my division,” was his reply.
The order was soon given to advance upon the San Antonio road, General Twiggs in advance, the object being to cause the enemy to evacuate it and open the way for the advance of Worth. I accompanied the advance. We soon reached the village of Coyoacan, from which a picket of about two hundred lancers was expelled. There we halted till General Scott rode up. He proposed to wait half an hour to reconnoitre, determine the position of the enemy, and the proper mode of attack. General Worth had previously received orders not to attack the enemy till he heard the fire on the other line.
Calling for the engineer officers, Captain Lee was directed, after examining a prisoner, to communicate with General Worth at San Antonio, and I went to the steeple of the church to use my glass. I turned it upon the San Antonio road, and observed the enemy in full retreat, the causeway for more than a mile being filled with troops, pack-mules, and baggage-wagons. I immediately reported the fact to General Scott, who ordered Twiggs to advance, and directed me to accompany his division. Twiggs pushed on, and I went forward with the officers of the engineer company to reconnoitre. We came to a fork of a road. I took to the right, Lieutenant McClellan to the left. Mine passed directly in front of a strong building (a church), occupied in force by the enemy; his led directly to the building. At a little distance before me I saw the enemy in retreat, and we took one prisoner, who informed us that the place was defended by two guns.
My dear wife, perhaps I had not better at this time go into the details of the most terrible fight of the war, which now commenced. General Twiggs has said publicly that by my reconnoissance and efforts it was brought on, as regards his division. We all felt the strongest determination to fight the enemy, and put him to a perfect rout. At all events, it so happened that I was extremely active in pushing forward columns of attack, etc. Our friend Major Dimick’s regiment I directed to its position. So with Taylor’s battery. General Twiggs, in almost every case, agreed to my suggestions. By my efforts and those of the junior engineer officers, the troops were brought under fire and the battle commenced.