town; Alvarez's was far away; and there must have been.a large number of soldiers guarding the fortifications, and attending to the general requirements of the service. The number fighting that day on the Mexican side seems to have been about 16,000, though Mexican authors have tried to reduce it to 12,000 or 13,000 (e.g. Roa Bárcena, Recuerdos, 375).
Scott's dragoons were divided and assigned to special duties at this time (Sen. 1; 30, 1, app., 38). Pillow and a part of his troops joined Worth, but figured very little in reports of the fighting. The Eleventh and Fourteenth Infantry attempted to cut the Mexican line from the bridge to the convent, but on account of the heavy fire were ordered to lie down. Col. Andrews explained that his regiment (Voltigeurs) came up later than Worth's division, and could not fire without endangering troops ahead of him (Sen. 1; 30,1, app., 122); but this is not convincing, for he must have left Coyoacán at about noon, and there was room enough at the front.
It was stated at Puebla in October, 1847, that 260 Americans fought with the Mexicans at Churubusco (Flag of Freedom, i, no. 1). Some of these men cut their way through (70"Guerra," no. 30, Perdigón Garay), and reached Mexico (ibid., Rangel). Some eighty appear to have been captured. They were fairly tried. A number were found not guilty of deserting, and were released. About fifteen (Hartman, Journal, 18), who had deserted before the declaration of war, were merely branded with a "D," and fifty of those taken at Churubusco were executed (65Scott, gen. orders 296). There was bitter complaint because any were spared, but Scott declared he would rather be put to the sword with his whole army than do an injustice in the matter (Davis, Autobiog., 226), and urged the courts to find grounds for reducing the number of executions (335notes on letter to Ho. of Repres.). It was said that more than once the American deserters killed Mexicans who tried to raise a white flag at the convent. For the deserters and their fate consult: 12Caryton to Lambert, Sept. 1; Picayune, Sept. 8; Sen. 1; 30, 1, pp. 319, 344; Ballentine, Eng. Sold., ii, 230; 70"Guerra," no. 30 (Rangel, Perdigón Garay); Judah, diary; Amer. Star, Mexico, Sept. 20; Diario, Sept. 2; Flag of Freedom, Puebla, i, no. 1; 178Davis, diary; Negrete, Invasión, iii, app., 452; Hartman, Journal, 17-8; Scott, 65gen. orders 281-3; Davis, Autobiog., 224 — 7). Hancock and Longstreet, destined to be on opposite sides at Gettysburg, here fought together. Twiggs was at this time under fire (Stevens, Stevens, i, 199). Rives (U.S. and Mexico, ii, 493) explains the stiff defence of the convent as due to the presence of "men of Spanish (not Indian) descent"; but (1) the Victoria and Hidalgo battalions, which would not fight (supra) were still more truly "Spanish" (vol. ii, p. 3), and (2) the nearly worthless officers were always of such descent.
20. Sen. 65; 30, 1, pp. 465, 478. Sen. 1; 30, 1, pp. 313-4, 348, 384. Ho. 24; 31, 1. 76Rincón to S. Anna, Aug. 26. 76Quijano, Sept. 3. 76Olaguíbel, Aug. 27. Ramírez, México, 299. Monitor Repub., Dec. 17 (S. Anna). 76Alcorta, Aug. 30. 12Caryton to Lambert, Sept. 1. Semmes, Service, 408. 76Report, Aug. 21. 224Intercepted letters, passim. 76Cuerpo Médico, report, Aug. 24.
21. Mich. Pioneer Soc. Colls., ii, 173. Stevens, Stevens, 1, 199. Encarnacion Prisoners, 55. Hitchcock, Fifty Years, 278-80. Sen. 1; 30, 1, p. 331. Sen. 65; 30, 1, p. 464 (Lee). Apuntes, 247. Roa Bárcena, Recuerdos, 377.
