Posted on 08/11/2004 10:39:29 PM PDT by SAMWolf
At Cerro Gordo the First Artillery were employed as infantry. Their colours were amongst the first to be planted on the enemy’s breastworks. But in none of the reports does Jackson’s name occur. The battle, however, brought him good luck. Captain Magruder, an officer of his own regiment, who was to win distinction on wider fields, had captured a Mexican field battery, which Scott presented to him as a reward for his gallantry. Indian wars had done but little towards teaching American soldiers the true use of artillery. Against a rapidly moving enemy, who systematically forebore exposing himself in mass, and in a country where no roads existed, only the fire-arm was effective. But already, at Palo Alto and Resaca, against the serried lines and thronging cavalry of the Mexicans, light field-guns had done extraordinary execution. The heavy artillery, hitherto the more favoured service, saw itself eclipsed. The First Regiment, however, had already been prominent on the fighting line. It had won reputation with the bayonet at Cerro Gordo, and before Mexico was reached there were other battles to be fought, and other positions to be stormed. A youth with a predilection for hard knocks might have been content with the chances offered to the foot-soldier. But Jackson’s partiality for his own arm was as marked as was Napoleon’s, and the decisive effect of a well-placed battery appealed to his instincts with greater force than the wild rush of a charge of infantry. Skilful manœuvring was more to his taste than the mere bludgeon work of fighting at close quarters.
Two subalterns were required for the new battery. The position meant much hard work, and possibly much discomfort. Magruder was restless and hot-tempered, and the young officers of artillery showed no eagerness to go through the campaign as his subordinates. Not so Jackson. He foresaw that service with a light battery, under a bold and energetic leader, was likely to present peculiar opportunities; and with his thorough devotion to duty, his habits of industry, and his strong sense of self-reliance, he had little fear of disappointing the expectations of the most exacting superior. “I wanted to see active service,” he said in after years, “to be near the enemy in the fight; and when I heard that John Magruder had got his battery I bent all my energies to be with him, for I knew if any fighting was to be done, Magruder would be ‘on hand.’ ” His soldierly ambition won its due reward. The favours of fortune fall to the men who woo more often than to those who wait. The barrack-room proverb which declares that ill-luck follows the volunteer must assuredly have germinated in a commonplace brain. It is characteristic of men who have cut their way to fame that they have never allowed the opportunity to escape them. The successful man pushes to the front and seeks his chance; those of a temper less ardent wait till duty calls and the call may never come. Once before, when, despite his manifold disadvantages, he secured his nomination to West Point, Jackson had shown how readily he recognised an opening; now, when his comrades held back, he eagerly stepped forward, to prove anew the truth of the vigorous adage, “Providence helps those who help themselves.”
September 13 In the victory of Molino del Rey, Magruder’s battery had taken little part. Jackson, posted with his section on the extreme flank of the line, had dispersed a column of cavalry which threatened a charge; but, with this brief interlude of action, he had been merely a spectator. At Chapultepec he was more fortunate. Pillow’s division, to which the battery was attached, attacked the Mexicans in front, while Worth’s division assailed them from the north. The 14th Infantry, connecting the two attacks, moved along a road which skirts the base of the hill, and Magruder was ordered to detach a section of his battery in support. Jackson was selected for the duty, and as he approached the enemy’s position dangers multiplied at every step. The ground alongside was so marshy that the guns were unable to leave the road. A Mexican fieldpiece, covered by a breastwork, raked the causeway from end to end, while from the heights of Chapultepec cannon of large calibre poured down a destructive fire. The infantry suffered terribly. It was impossible to advance along the narrow track; and when the guns were ordered up the situation was in no way bettered. Nearly every horse was killed or wounded. A deep ditch, cut across the road, hindered effective action, and the only position where reply to the enemy’s fire was possible lay beyond this obstacle. Despite the losses of his command Jackson managed to lift one gun across by hand. But his men became demoralised. They left their posts. The example of their lieutenant, walking up and down on the shot-swept road and exclaiming calmly, “There is no danger: see! I am not hit,” failed to inspire them with confidence. Many had already fallen. The infantry, with the exception of a small escort, which held its ground with difficulty, had disappeared; and General Worth, observing Jackson’s perilous situation, sent him orders to retire. He replied it was more dangerous to withdraw than to stand fast, and if they would give him fifty veterans he would rather attempt the capture of the breastwork. At this juncture Magruder, losing his horse as he galloped forward, reached the road.
The ditch was crowded with soldiers; many wounded; many already dead; many whose hearts had failed them. Beyond, on the narrow causeway, the one gun which Jackson had brought across the ditch was still in action.
Deserted by his gunners, and abandoned by the escort which had been ordered to support him, the young subaltern still held his ground. With the sole assistance of a sergeant, of stauncher mettle than the rest, he was loading and firing his solitary field-piece, rejoicing, as became the son of a warrior race, in the hot breath of battle, and still more in the isolation of his perilous position. To stand alone, in the forefront of the fight, defying the terrors from which others shrank, was the situation which of all others he most coveted; and under the walls of Chapultepec, answering shot for shot, and plying sponge and handspike with desperate energy, the fierce instincts of the soldier were fully gratified. Nor was Magruder the man to proffer prudent counsels. A second gun was hoisted across the ditch; the men rallied; the Mexican artillery was gradually overpowered, and the breastwork stormed.
Good post. Guess where my tagline comes from.
Cool!
Read: Matthew 5:43-48
Love your enemies, . . . and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. —Matthew 5:44
Bible In One Year: Psalms 84-86; Romans 12
Fyodor Dostoevsky tells the story of brothers Ivan and Alyosha Karamazov. Alyosha is a devoted follower of Jesus; Ivan is a skeptic.
As the story unfolds, Ivan meets his brother at a café. In an effort to undermine the faith of Alyosha, he recites a lengthy poem he has written about the Grand Inquisitor. In it the Inquisitor rails at Jesus for His decision to grant free will to human beings and thus bring so much pain and suffering into the world.
As the Grand Inquisitor finishes his argument, Ivan portrays Jesus as having no answer. Instead, Jesus walks up to the Inquisitor and kisses him. Ivan hopes Alyosha will see this as an irrational act. But as he finishes speaking, Alyosha, imitating Jesus, leans forward and kisses Ivan.
Alyosha's profound gesture completely changes the tenor of the scene, for it represents the triumph of love over doubt and skepticism. Love overrides every objection. No logical argument can overthrow it.
That's why Jesus calls us to love our enemies, and to do good to those who spitefully use us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Love, not rational argument, overcomes hatred. The goodness of God revealed in our love draws people to repentance. —David Roper
A Marine OCS candidate.
I was looking at the officer recruiting site.
Heh heh heh
LOL post 29!
Morning PE. Gotta love those Jarheads!
Oh you know, I don't know why they are called jarheads. :-(
oooooops it's not Friday!! Sorry.
The type of haircut most Marines have gives them a "jar" shape to the profile of their heads.
Kelly lived, but discovered that because his enlistment had expired, he was not eligible for any government care, pension or even a medal recognizing his bravery. Officially, though impaired for life, he had not even taken part in the battle.
Incredible!
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on August 12:
1503 Christian III, king of Denmark/Norway (1534-59)
1753 Thomas Bewick England, artist (British Birds, Aesop's Fables)
1757 ALF, alien life form (ALF)
1762 George IV king of England (1820-30)
1774 Robert Southey English poet laureate, biographer of Nelson
1781 Robert Mills US, architect (Washington Monument)
1820 Oliver Mowat a founder of the Canadian Confederation
1829 John Horace Forney, Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1902
1859 Katharine Lee Bates US, author (America the Beautiful)
1876 Mary Roberts Rinehart mystery writer (Miss Pinkerton)
1878 Christy Mathewson (Baseball Hall of Famer: developed the screwball
1880 Christy Mathewson HOF baseball pitcher (Won 37 in 1908)
1887 Erwin Schrodinger Austria, physicist (had a cat or not)
1904 Aleksei N Romanov, son of tsar Nicolas II
1904 Frank Ervin harness racer (Hambletonian 1959, 66)
1912 Jane Wyatt Campgaw NJ, actress (Father Knows Best, Star Trek)
1913 Kurt Kaszner Vienna Austria, actor (Cmdr Fitzhugh-Land of the Giants)
1921 Marjorie Reynolds Buhl Idaho, actress (Peggy-Life of Riley)
1925 Dale Bumpers (Sen-D-Ark)
1925 Norris McWhirter author (Guinness Book of World Records)
1927 Ralph Waite White Plains NY, actor (John-Waltons, Roots)
1929 Buck Owens Sherman Texas, country singer (Hee Haw)
1931 William Goldman author (Lord of the Flies-Nobel 1983)
1932 Porter Wagoner country singer, discovered Dolly Parton (Y'All Come)
1936 Hans Haacke Cologne Germany, artist (Right to Life, Dripper Boxes)
1936 John Poindexter US Chief of Staff
1939 George Hamilton Memphis Tn, (Love at 1st Bite, Where the Boys Are)
1941 Jennifer Warren NYC, actress (Slap Shot, Fatal Beauty, Mutant)
1949 Mark Knopfler guitar/vocals (Dire Straits-Sultans of Swing)
1951 Charles E Brady Jr Pinehurst NC, USN Commander/astronaut
1951 Hector Rodriguez Cuba, lightweight judo (Olympic-gold-1976)
1954 Pat Metheny jazz guitarist (As Wichita Falls)
1956 Terry Taylor, [Paul Klause], wrestler (WCW/WWF/NWA, Red Rooster)
1971 Pete Sampras, Wash DC, tennis champ (US Open-1990, 93 95)
The use of the cannon was an important tool in the Mexican War. It could be used to fire several different types of ammunition depending on the situation. The accuracy of the cannon depended on the trajectory that was used against an opponent and also the fuse settings. If either of these were incorrect the round would be wasted. The varying types of cannon shot included round balls, grape shot, and canister rounds. The differences in cannon ball weights produced varying damage, the heavier the ball, the farther, faster, and more deadly it would be. Canister rounds were used against a charging assault from the front, because it was more effective than round shot in this situation; however, it was limited by distance.
David Landeros
Good Morning E.G.C.
Morning alfa6
A short work day? But it's not a Friday. ;-)
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