ital; but she never lost heart, and her spirit quailed not.

The engineers reporting that the fortress on El Penon could not be
carried without a loss of one-third the army, Scott decided to move by
the south of the lakes; and Worth accordingly advanced, leading the van,
as far as San Augustin, nine miles from the city of Mexico. There a
large field of lava, known as the Pedregal, barred the way. On the one
side, two miles from San Augustin, the fortified works at San Antonio
commanded the passage between the field and the lake; on the other, the
ground was so much broken that infantry alone could advance, and General
Valencia occupied an intrenched camp, with a heavy battery, near the
village of Contreras, three miles distant. Scott determined to attack on
both sides, and sent forward General William J. Worth on the east, and
General Gideon J. Pillow and General David E. Twiggs on the west. The
latter advanced as fast as possible over the masses of lava on the
morning of the 19th, and by 2 P.M. a couple of light batteries were
placed in position and opened fire on the Mexican camp.

At the same time General Persifor Smith conceived the plan of turning
Valencia's left, and hastened along the path through the Pedregal in the
direction of a village called San Jeronimo. Colonel Riley followed.
Pillow sent Cadwallader's brigade on the same line, and later in the day
Morgan's regiment was likewise despatched toward that point. They drove
in the Mexican pickets and skirmishers, dispersed a few parties of
lancers, and occupied the village without loss. Seeing the movement,
Santa Anna hastened to Valencia's support with twelve thousand men. He
was discovered by Cadwallader just as the latter gained the village
road; and appreciating the vast importance of preventing a junction
between the two Mexican generals, that gallant officer did not hesitate
to draw up his brigade in order of battle. So broken was the ground that
Santa Anna could not see the amount of force opposed to him, and
declined the combat. This was all Cadwallader wanted. Shields's brigade
was advancing through the Pedregal, and the troops which had already
crossed were rapidly moving to the rear of Valencia's camp. Night too
was close at hand. When it fell, Smith's, Riley's, and Cadwallader's
commands had gained the point they sought. Shields joined them at ten
o'clock; and at midnight Captain Lee crossed the Pedregal, with a
message from General Smith to General