Agave Americano, furnishing everywhere a natural hiding place for the Mexican soldier. From what has been written here and what is interspersed in the course of the narrative of events the reader will be able to gain some idea of the valley of the City of Mexico, and of the difficulties before the American army. He will also be enabled, to some extent, to see why more of the invading army were falling from disease than by the sword of a cowardly foe, cowardly to the last, cowardly even at the gates of his capital and the door of his own home, cowardly in the last ditch.

It must be remembered that about all the outlet of the accumulations of this great city and valley was by the sun. Evaporation only takes water, pure water. In the ditches, marshes, lakes, all animal and vegetable matters were left to stagnate and putrefy. The work of evaporation became now more difficult from the almost daily rains, which sometimes in the evening and night came down in torrents; and the malarial accumulations became greater by the destructive effects of excessive humidity. Still this season in this valley has its advantages, for in the winter or dry season, the ditches and ponds are covered with a mephitic green scum. By the labor of more than a hundred years, the Mexicans made a tunnel and then an open cut by which it was undertaken to turn a part of the water out of the valley. Although the causes of the great saltness of the water of Tezcuco and San Cristobal may not very fully appear, the fact that it is salt, perhaps, alone

renders this wonderful valley at all inhabitable. Mainly from the ditches, marshes, and fresh water lakes come the decompositions which so materially increase the death rate at Mexico in the summer or rainy season, a death rate always large. This chapter must be ended by the reflection, in nowise reassuring, that in this contracted valley have decomposed the bodies of many generations of its strange and undesirable inhabitants. Thousands of foreigners for several hundred years have laid their bones here to increase the volume of noxious matter. And near Chapultepec is the American cemetery, formed since the war. Here are buried the bodies of our countrymen who die in Mexico, and here were collected the remains of seven hundred and fifty of them who fell in the war. A plain, neat monument erected by order of the United States Government tells this story.

CHAPTER XX.

BATTLE OF CHURUBUSCO- A LONG EVIL ARMISTICEBATTLE OF MOLINO DEL REY.

A

LTHOUGH seven hundred Mexicans had been killed, more than twice that number wounded and captured, and a great victory gained, the greatest advantage to the Americans from the battle of Contreras, perhaps, should have been the opening of a new route to the City of Mexico. Our troops immediately pushed on to San Angel, and were there far in the rear of San Antonio, and a mile and a half to the left flank of Churubusco. From the point then occupied two roads, at least, were open to the capital without touching either San Antonio or Churubusco, the latter being four miles from the city, and of no more apparent consequence to the Americans than were El Peñon and Mexicalcingo. Why then did General Scott fight the battles of San Antonio and Churubusco? If it was to open a passage for his trains, that could have been avoided, for this was not impossible over the lava-bed to Contreras. These strong positions were completely turned, and the American army had now no reference to its own Santa Anna who had reached San Angel on the evening of the 19th on his way to the aid of

rear.

Valencia, now returned to Churubusco, followed by Twiggs and Pillow, who took the cross-road or causeway from San Angel to Coyacan on the Mexican right flank to the strong position of Churubusco. Scott now came forward over the Pedregal and took his position with this part of the army. From Coyacan two roads approached the causeway of San Antonio. Twiggs moved on one of these, with a view of operating on the Mexican flank, and Pillow on the other, to gain the causeway in rear of the enemy. Worth was on the direct route, his original position, approaching San Antonio. Between him and General Scott there was no communication, the latter having taken his position of observation at Coyacan, where he remained during the greater part of the day. Worth, who had been ordered with a part of his division to Contreras, finding that his services were not needed, returned to Coapa, and immediately moved on San Antonio, as he had been directed to do. He sent Clarke and Duncan over the almost impassable Pedregal and morass cut with ditches to gain the causeway between San Antonio and Churubusco, and with the main force, he pushed forward on the road. But General Bravo, who held San Antonio, knowing the result of Contreras, and seeing that the main part of the American army was closing in on his rear from Coyacan, began a hurried retreat. Most of his army had passed on to Churubusco before Clarke reached the causeway. But Bravo himself, and many of his officers and men were too late to escape Clarke, and in order to save themselves from capture left the cause

way and retired through the swamps and ditches towards Mexicalcingo. General Perdigon Garay was taken prisoner with a number of others; in this affair, and several Mexicans killed or wounded. The Mexicans were now in three positions, with about twentyfive thousand men, in the neighborhood of the village of Churubusco. At the bridge across the Rio de Churubusco were strong and scientifically made defenses, supported by large bodies of infantry. These were on the causeway directly in front of Worth. The Churubusco was a canal-like creek opening into Lake Xochimilcho, and having high banks on each side to prevent overflowing. Behind these banks the Mexican infantry was strongly posted. The next position was south of the Churubusco canal or creek, and several hundred yards from it to the left of the main causeway on which Worth was advancing, and in the village. This was a convent and church with holes cut in the walls and defended by a strong battery, and having a garrison of three thousand troops commanded by the old Mexican General, Rincon. Besides these, there was a strong reserve force of cavalry and infantry on the main causeway some distance in the rear of the Churubusco bridge. low, who had been ordered to gain the causeway in rear of San Antonio, finding that Worth had taken that place and was moving rapidly toward Churubusco, directed his course across the fields, marshes, and ditches, and gained the causeway, marching with Worth's division to Churubusco. In the meantime Twiggs's division had engaged in fearful conflict, by

Pil