duel and hoped his didnât show such concern.
The gunnery sergeant nearest Lee petted the thick iron barrel of the mortar beside him and spoke loud enough for Lee to hear. âYou know, Iâm glad the Mexs didnât run up the white flag right off for I like to hear the bark of my faithful bulldogs. After they hear its song, theyâll cry uncle.â
At first light, General Scott had sent an ultimatum to General Morales demanding the surrender of Veracruz and Fort San Juan de Ulua or face immediate bombardment. Scott had promised safe passage out of the city for all noncombatants. Morales had rejected the ultimatum. Upon receiving the Mexicanâs reply, Scott sent orders to the waiting gun crews to begin firing upon the city at 2 oâclock.
Lee hadnât expected the Mexican general to surrender. No commanding officer behind Veracruzâs strong walls with scores of big cannons, and with mighty Fort San Juan de Ulua with its powerful cannons supporting him would surrender to a demand from an enemy that had yet to prove its strength.
Lee had been ordered to assist the artillery officers in aiming the guns because he had overseen the selection of the battery sites, the placement of the mortars, and knew the location of the targets by the use of the map Giffard had provided. The accuracy of the fire from the mortars would not be great due to the relatively short-barreled nature of the weapons shooting high arcing shells from a distance of nearly half a mile. Rounds would go wild and some would without doubt strike unintended targets killing innocent citizens, or foreigner businessmen, or some of the foreign consuls. Lee had nothing against any of these people, yet he would have major responsibility for killing them with solid balls or exploding shells.
The first targets of the three batteries of mortars would be the barracks of the infantry and cavalry and the forts within range. Scott had learned Fort San Agustin was being used as the main ammunition depot of the Mexicans. For that reason, Lee would stay with the battery that would fire on the fort.
He raised his field glasses and swung it slowly over Veracruz. The city with its beautiful white buildings lay serene on the shore of the blue sea. Airy palm trees were visible over the walls. To the right of the city, the splendor of the white beach could be seen, and the bright sails of fishing boats. In the middle distance was a forest of masts and spars of merchantmen, and beyond was the dark bulwark of Ulua set against the vast blue gulf beyond. He faintly heard shouts coming from the city as if people there were engaged in some kind of party or friendly sport. What would the cityâs citizens think had they known that less than half a mile away American cannons were primed to fire upon them?
âLight your slow-matches,â Captain Bouchard called.
Shortly Lee could smell the fumes from the burning solution of saltpeter that fueled the cotton cords of the slow-matches.
*
âFire your weapons,â commanded Bouchard.
The glowing red ends of slow-matches touched the powder holes of the seven mortars. The guns roared and belched flame, and smoke, and iron balls. Shells went howling toward their targets in Veracruz. Standing off a mile seaward from Fort San Juan de Ulua, Admiral Connerâs warships with their big guns began a furious cannonading of the fort to knock out some of its big guns. A chorus of joyous shouts erupted from the gunners and powder boys.
Every Mexican cannon in the forts and embrasures and redoubts of Veracruz and within range of the Americans, blasted away with return fire. A sheet of flame capped the walls. Shot and shell and rocket sped toward the Americans whose location was marked by the smoke of their guns. Several cannons at Ulua firing past Veracruz, opened up on the Americans.
A storm of iron burst upon Lee and the men at the batteries. Fragments of hot metal whizzed about. Shells exploded close by
The gunnery sergeant nearest Lee petted the thick iron barrel of the mortar beside him and spoke loud enough for Lee to hear. âYou know, Iâm glad the Mexs didnât run up the white flag right off for I like to hear the bark of my faithful bulldogs. After they hear its song, theyâll cry uncle.â
At first light, General Scott had sent an ultimatum to General Morales demanding the surrender of Veracruz and Fort San Juan de Ulua or face immediate bombardment. Scott had promised safe passage out of the city for all noncombatants. Morales had rejected the ultimatum. Upon receiving the Mexicanâs reply, Scott sent orders to the waiting gun crews to begin firing upon the city at 2 oâclock.
Lee hadnât expected the Mexican general to surrender. No commanding officer behind Veracruzâs strong walls with scores of big cannons, and with mighty Fort San Juan de Ulua with its powerful cannons supporting him would surrender to a demand from an enemy that had yet to prove its strength.
Lee had been ordered to assist the artillery officers in aiming the guns because he had overseen the selection of the battery sites, the placement of the mortars, and knew the location of the targets by the use of the map Giffard had provided. The accuracy of the fire from the mortars would not be great due to the relatively short-barreled nature of the weapons shooting high arcing shells from a distance of nearly half a mile. Rounds would go wild and some would without doubt strike unintended targets killing innocent citizens, or foreigner businessmen, or some of the foreign consuls. Lee had nothing against any of these people, yet he would have major responsibility for killing them with solid balls or exploding shells.
The first targets of the three batteries of mortars would be the barracks of the infantry and cavalry and the forts within range. Scott had learned Fort San Agustin was being used as the main ammunition depot of the Mexicans. For that reason, Lee would stay with the battery that would fire on the fort.
He raised his field glasses and swung it slowly over Veracruz. The city with its beautiful white buildings lay serene on the shore of the blue sea. Airy palm trees were visible over the walls. To the right of the city, the splendor of the white beach could be seen, and the bright sails of fishing boats. In the middle distance was a forest of masts and spars of merchantmen, and beyond was the dark bulwark of Ulua set against the vast blue gulf beyond. He faintly heard shouts coming from the city as if people there were engaged in some kind of party or friendly sport. What would the cityâs citizens think had they known that less than half a mile away American cannons were primed to fire upon them?
âLight your slow-matches,â Captain Bouchard called.
Shortly Lee could smell the fumes from the burning solution of saltpeter that fueled the cotton cords of the slow-matches.
*
âFire your weapons,â commanded Bouchard.
The glowing red ends of slow-matches touched the powder holes of the seven mortars. The guns roared and belched flame, and smoke, and iron balls. Shells went howling toward their targets in Veracruz. Standing off a mile seaward from Fort San Juan de Ulua, Admiral Connerâs warships with their big guns began a furious cannonading of the fort to knock out some of its big guns. A chorus of joyous shouts erupted from the gunners and powder boys.
Every Mexican cannon in the forts and embrasures and redoubts of Veracruz and within range of the Americans, blasted away with return fire. A sheet of flame capped the walls. Shot and shell and rocket sped toward the Americans whose location was marked by the smoke of their guns. Several cannons at Ulua firing past Veracruz, opened up on the Americans.
A storm of iron burst upon Lee and the men at the batteries. Fragments of hot metal whizzed about. Shells exploded close by
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