Cerro Gordo

By C.F. Scott

Cerro Gordo creates an encounter with those who actually fought the war and those who were caught up in it. For Williams it is a time of heroes and scoundrels, courage and cowardice, humanity and inhumanity, love found and love lost.
Along the way, Williams encounters a cast of colorful and intriguing characters, both real and fictional. “Whispering” Charlie Spearman, Williams’ First Sergeant is a crusty old veteran prone to profanity, orneriness, and a certain lady in Miss Maggie’s Sporting House for Gentlemen in New Orleans. Ailish Finnerty, a camp follower employed as a washer woman, has an Irish name and speaks with a brogue but looks anything but Irish, finds a lover and a shocking revelation about her heritage. Rueben Isaiah Pettigrew, a mulatto of mysterious and unusual origins, bonds with Williams and saves his life not once but three times. Jane McManus Storm, a fiery New York journalist and author of the term “Manifest Destiny”carries out a secret mission behind enemy lines where no male war correspondent has dared tread. And of course, Colonel William S. Harney, the irascible, contrary, hot tempered leader of the 2nd Dragoons, but arguably the finest field commander of the war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.F. Scott
• Release date: May 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301229291

C.F. Scott

C.F. Scott is a native South Dakotan who relocated to Missouri recently. He finally realized there were other locales that didn't have six months of winter, -30 degree temps, and the fishing was still good! A self professed "old guy", he relies on his personal journey of life's experiences to ground his writing. His first love is history and writing well researched historical fiction. Cerro Gordo is the first in the Missourian series and his debut ebook novel. However, his work is not limited historical fiction. Twenty five years teaching in a small community college resulted in a textbook entiled "Vocatio: Discovering Your Personal College", a spiritual (not religious) approach to career exploration. The book sold over 5,000 copies in paperback. Now out of print and having discovered the wonderful world of epublishing and Smashwords, he will be releasing it here this fall. He is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Missouri Writers Guild. He is also a sometime entertainer and "rubber chicken" banquet speaker. His journey includes performing folk music in Chicago's old Old Town in the 60's, running an old 19th century hotel in Telluride,CO (before the ski area), raising hogs (not very well), and is a jam and jelly maker for the local farmer's market. He is married to a very patient wife, Katie, who is a great editor and special ed teacher (something I couldn't do for five minutes), hers and mine consist of six great kids (all grown and not asking for "loans") and a scruffy cat that wandered in named Casper. He holds a B.A. from Colorado State University in history, and M.S. in mental health counseling from South Dakota State University, and is ABD in the School of Education at Colorado State University.

Book preview

Cerro Gordo

The War of Manifest Destiny

A Novel

C.F. Scott

Smashwords edition, copyright 2013

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover illustration: Remember Your Regiment, U.S. Army in Action Series, 2d Dragoons charge in Mexican War 1846.jpg. This image is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. Cover assembled by ebookcovers4u.wordpress.com.

© C.F. Scott 2013

All rights reserved

Dedication

For my brother Bruce Thomas Scott

He served his country with honor and valor during two tours of duty in the horror of Viet Nam and came home to an ungrateful nation. Only now after nearly forty years are he and his comrades being thanked for their service. We may thank them for their sacrifices, but we can never erase the shame of our neglect.

Table Of Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Chapter One

The Prince of Dragoons

Chapter Two

Call the horse Napoleon

Chapter Three

Ailish, just Ailish

Chapter Four

Rueben Isaiah Pettigrew

Chapter Five

The Hog Pen

Chapter Six

The women and children must stay

Chapter Seven

Thunder, Lightning and Pollywogs

Chapter Eight

The angels of death flew low over Those broken bodies on that Bloody field of battle

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

One does not sit out to write the Great American Novel without the help and influence of others, particularly a work of historical fiction. The term historical fiction seems to defy agreement on exactly what the genre is. There does not seem any uniform agreement on exactly what is and what isn’t historical fiction. In the case of this novel, the setting is an actual historical event, the characters are both real and fictional and the story is told through the actual times, events and experiences of the characters.

I have through all these years found history a fascinating subject. I owe much of that fascination to my professors at Colorado State University who nurtured my interest and understanding as I pursued my undergraduate degree in history. I have always been grateful to Harry Rosenberg, Charles Bayard, Meyer Nathan, and Charles Daniel for their teaching and influence which not only engendered a love of history, but a life-long avocation of reading and study of the subject. Though they have all passed, their endeavors live on in this small book.

Given my background, I have tried to the best of my ability to ensure that this book is more than just a work of fiction placed in a historical period. To that extent, I have relied upon a number of primary and secondary sources in my research.

The primary resources researched for this novel began with Poinsett’s Tactics by J.R Poinsett (1841) who was Secretary of War from 1837 to 1841. His work was used by the Army as the undisputed training manual for the training of dragoons. Tactics literally covers every element of training undergone by a dragoon recruit. It proved invaluable in providing an understanding of what the life of a new dragoon was like.

A Narrative of Major General Wool’s Campaign in Mexico: in the years 1846-48 by Francis Bayliss offered an essential context in which to detail the organization, preparation, line of march, and major occurrences of Wool’s campaign in central Mexico from the time it left San Antonio, Texas until the 2nd Dragoons led by Colonel William S. Harney were ordered to join General Winfield Scott’s newly formed army preparing to open a second front in the war in central Mexico.

There are several other primary resources that I read including: The War and its Warriors: comprising a complete history of all the operations of the American armies in Mexico (H. Mansfield, 1848). This particular resource provided detailed information regarding the causes and beginning actions between the United States and Mexico. The Twelve Month Volunteer: journal of a private in the Tennesee Regiment of cavalry.(George C. Furber, Applewood Books, Bedford, MA, 1848), gives an exceptional and detailed first hand look at daily life of an American soldier and his comrades during his tour of duty in the Mexican theater. Theophilus F. Rodenbough’s From Everglade to Canyon with the Second United States Cavalry: an authentic account of service in Florida, Mexico, Virginia, and the Indian Country, 1836-1875 (University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK, 2000), gives a thorough and in depth history of the 2nd United States Dragoons from the time of its authorization by Congress and its formation (becoming the 2nd United States Cavalry prior to the Civil War) which proved invaluable to me in writing this novel. It should also be noted there are a number of primary resources which have been saved as electronic books by Google, some of which I researched and applied to this novel to give an authentic flavor to certain fictious events.

There were also several secondary resources which proved very useful in the writing of this novel. In addition to Rodenbough’s work which is perhaps a hybrid of both primary and secondary source material, the volumes researched for this novel included: General William S. Harney: prince of dragoons. George Rollie Adams,University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE.,( 2001.) which is an interesting account of the second commanding officer of the 2nd United States Dragoons and perhaps led its most glorious and decisive assault against Santa Ana and the Mexican army during the war.

Two works that give perspectives on the lives and experiences of those Americans who fought the war provided me with numerous details and information that were included in this novel were Army of Manifest Destiny: the american soldier in the mexican war 1846-1848. James M. McCaffrey, New York University Press, New York, NY. (1992) and Polk’s Army:the american military experience in the mexican war. Richard Bruce Winders, Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX. (1997).

Mistress of Manifest Destiny: a biography of jane storm mcmanus cazneau, 1807-1878. Linda S. Hudson, Texas State Historical Association, Austin, TX. (2001) provided a fascinating account of the first American woman war correspondent who conducted secret diplomatic missions behind enemy lines.

Finally the work that gave me the most detailed and thorough account of General Winfield Scott’s campaign in central Mexico and the ultimate defeat of Santa Ana was A Gallant Little Army: the mexico city campaign. Timothy D. Johnson, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. (2007). Without this work, I would not have been able to really understand what happened on the march from Vera Cruz to the Battle of Cerro Gordo. To all these authors and historians I am extremely grateful.

Through the wonders of You Tube, I have included some links that may be of interest. You can copy and paste these in your web browser. The first of these is the Sabers and Spurs March by John Phillip Souza. I think it will give you a vivid musical impression of life in a dragoon troop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwIg5sjFx90

The second is the Black Horse Troop March, again by Souza. Company A of the 2nd Dragoons was an all black horse troop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S435ay0MqTc

Finally, here is a link to a haunting rendition of Abide with Me. Since its origin in 1847, it has been performed at countless tributes, remembrances, and funerals of fallen soldiers, especially in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. It is performed here by a Welsh choral group and the accompanying video offers a stark reminder of the ultimate sacrifice of so few for so many. If you wish to follow the words to the song as it is performed, I have included them here.

Abide With Me

1 Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

2. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;

Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;

Change and decay in all around I see—

O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

3. I need Thy presence every passing hour;

What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?

Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

4. I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

5. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;

Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;

Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;

In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

You may have to copy and paste this link into your browser to hear the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9kA1GiNRyI

Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Katie, for her enthusiastic encouragement, advice and editing skills. Without her help, I am sure I would not have been able to write this novel.

C.F. Scott

Nevada, Missouri

2013

Prologue

On the morning of April 24, 1846, Captain Seth Thornton of the the United States Army, 2nd Dragoons rode out of an American army encampment near what is now Brownsville, Texas and into history.

Thornton’s orders were to reconnioter the upper reaches of the Rio Grande River to determine whether Mexican forces had crossed over and into the newly annexed state of Texas. Thornton’s force of 70 dragoons, and a native scout of questionable loyalty named Chapita, proceeded to the northwest along the river stopping that evening several miles from a location known as La Rosia.

The next morning, Chapita returned from scouting Thornton’s front to announce that the Mexicans had indeed crossed the Rio Grande in force. According to the scout, the Mexicans numbered somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 men, vastly outnumbering Thornton’s command. Nonetheless, Thornton believing Chapita’s report of the enemy force to be greatly exaggerated, ordered his dragoons forward to engage the Mexicans. Chapita, however, refused to go any further. Despite appeals from Thornton and his fellow officers, the scout stood firm in his refusal and rode off alone in the direction from whence the Americans had come.

Undeterred, Thornton forged ahead and came upon a large body of Mexican cavalry located in a field known as Carricitos Ranch directly to his front. Without hesitation he ordered his command to charge directly into his adversary’s center.

The Mexican cavalry were commanded by General Anastasio Torrejon and considered the cream of Mexico’s mounted brigades. Within minutes Thornton’s troops were surrounded and his entire command was either killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. Thornton and those not killed or mortally wounded were taken to the Mexican stronghold at Matamoras on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, a short distance below the American encampment on the north side of the river which was referred to in some accounts as Fort Texas.

News reached General Zachary Taylor from the reluctant scout, Chapita, informing him of Thornton’s fate. It was not known for certain but some had suspicions that Chapita was actually in the employ of the Mexicans and had doubled back to inform Torrejon of the oncoming Thornton. Regardless, the spilling of American blood on American soil would cause a firestorm, albeit Mexico still regarded the whole of Texas theirs, since no official authorization or recognition by the Mexican government had ever ceded or treated anything to the United States. Thus, the Mexicans did not see themselves as invaders when crossing the Rio Grande, but rather as defenders of what was rightfully and legally theirs, particularly the area between the the Nueces River and the Rio Grande which unofficially both sides had recognized as being under the control and governance of Mexico since 1836.

The Thornton Affair, as it came to be known, electrified the nation. Newspapers across the country reported the Mexican invasion of America’s newest member of the union and called for decisive action. President James K. Polk finally had an incendiary event that would galvinize the country’s outrage and lead to a war of manifest destiny.

Polk wasted no time asking Congress to declare war on Mexico. On May 2, 1846, the request was made and on the 13th of that month the Congress of the United States obliged the President with a formal declaration of war. The storm clouds which had been gathering in a decade-long, ever-darkening sky, finally let loose. A fierce blue northerof shot and steel was about to sweep down upon Mexico, leaving in its wake widespread death and destruction which paled in comparison to any natural phenomenon known.

Against this background of war and a national call-to-arms, young Hardin Williams made his way down to the army installation known as Jefferson Barracks just south of St. Louis at Lemay, Missouri to enlist in the newly reactivated and remounted 2nd Dragoons. The declaration of war against Mexico had stirred a patriotic zeal across the nation. Men hurried to enlist in the regular army or volunteer for service in their state militias. For many it meant adventure, a chance at glory, and even the possibility of plunder and riches. For some, recent immigrants to America, it offered a means to citizenship. Still for others it was an opportunity to escape the routine and responsibilty of ordinary, everyday life. At the time, few could imagine what lay ahead of them. When the brass bands quit playing martial tunes, the crowds of cheering well-wishers had resumed their daily lives and the fiery orations of local politicians had faded on the wind, all who marched off to war would experience a far different reality. Only the old veterans of conflicts past knew the truth of war and most chose to hold it in silence.

Hardin Williams had no such illusions about his enlistment. It was practical decision. It would get him off the rough and tumble world of the Mississippi waterfront and back working with the only thing he really loved….horses. Besides the eight silver dollars a month, free meals and clothing were simply an added bonus. He had no grand expectations and certainly had no illusions about the opportunities of war.

He arrived in San Antonio, Texas in late June of 1846 and reported to the 2nd Dragoons headquarters at Camp Concepcion just outside of the town. Hardin Williams was about to become a member of the first American military force to invade and occupy a foreign country. The rest is history.

Chapter One

The Prince Of Dragoons

The trail was dry for this time of year. Clouds of Kansas trail dust enveloped the horse herd making the lead horses almost invisible. He kept his bandana pulled close against his mouth and nose. His eyes were raw and bloodshot, the dust caking the exposed portions of his face. Fortunately the sun was low in the western sky. It would soon be time to set up camp for the night. It couldn't come soon enough for him. Playing nurse maid to 50 head of Indian ponies wasn't his usual line of work. But he owed a favor to an old comrade-in-arms.

Hardin Williams had spent most of his thirty-five years in the West. He grew up on the Missouri frontier. Born in 1820, he was the fifth child of Hannah and Albert Williams. Albert was an erstwhile farmer and sometime blacksmith, spending most of his time playing at cards, which was rarely successful. This caused chronic financial hardships for the family, resulting in Hardin's two younger sisters and brother being sent away to be raised by Hannah's sister, who had married well and lived just outside of St. Louis.

By the time he was sixteen, he stood over six feet tall. With coal black hair, clear blue eyes, lean physique, and angular face, other boys called him wolf, for what some thought was a fierce appearance and standoffish demeanor. He did not take well to his nickname and invariably the teasing of the wolf by his peers resulted in fist fights.

His first love had always been horses. At thirteen he was already an accomplished breaker of horses. The locals would bring a horse to break and pay him a few coins or some sort of produce which greatly benefitted his family's table. Some said he had a very special way with horses. That he could almost sense what the horse was thinking. To watch him commune with a horse was almost mystical. A primordial dance of man and beast. Some even thought the young Williams was possessed of the devil himself. Regardless, there was no question about his ability to break and train horses. In practical matters like this on the frontier, whatever work the devil might be up to didn't cause much concern. More importantly, a good working horse could be critical to survival and making ends meet... The devil be hanged!

Better turn them toward the river. There's a pretty good sized piece of grass yonder. Good place to camp for the evenin.

Whispering Charlie Spearman was the boss of this drive. A trader of horse flesh, Charlie had purchased the horse herd from the Sacs and Fox Indians who resided farther to the east. Purchased was probably not too accurate. Charlie never really purchased anything. Rather, he whined and moaned about the asking price. Went through all kinds of verbal gyrations and usually ended up getting whatever it was he wanted for his price. Old Charlie was a shrewd horse trader to say the least.

Hardin had served with Charlie in the Mexican-American War. They had both been members of Colonel William S. Harney's 2nd Dragoons. Charlie was Hardin's senior and the veteran horse soldier had taken him under his wing almost from the day he had arrived in San Antonio. Charlie was a lifer in the army. No one knew for certain how old he was. He never said. What was known was that he had fought with Andy Jackson at the battle of New Orleans, campaigned through the Everglades in the Seminole Wars, and was one of the first to join the newly formed 2nd Dragoons in 1836. He was the First Sergeant of Company A, 2nd Dragoons, U.S. Army and a seasoned veteran when young Hardin was issued his dark blue shell jacket with its eagle and D brass buttons and the blue flat top forage cap worn by the dragoons. Quite a change for the young man from Missouri, who showed up at the quartermaster's in a worn out canvas coat and homespun shirt full of holes! Charlie wondered what kind of horse soldier this tall, lean young fellow would make.

It didn’t take Charlie long to see what others had seen. Young Williams was something special around horses, but it would take some time to make a first rate dragoon in Colonel Harney’s outfit. But time was something neither of them had.

They turned the herd toward the river. The Kansas was running low and the spring runoff had not been much. The clouds of trail dust had disappeared as the herd fanned out to drink their fill along the shallow river bank. Hardin dismounted and led his big gray in between two of the Indian ponies. Napoleon was a big horse. Nearly seventeen hands tall. A better horse no man could have.

He pulled his old Army canteen from his saddle and knelt beside Napoleon. He filled it before the herd had stirred up the water. Removing his bandana, he soaked it in the river. Washing the dust and dirt from his face gave him a moment of refreshment. Now maybe his sight wouldn’t be so blurred, and the particles of dust would cease tormenting his eyes.

Charlie had already gathered some wood and started a fire. He’d made a tripod from some cottonwood branches over the fire and hung a small cooking pot filled halfway with water from the river. As soon as the water began to boil, he pulled a bag of army beans, a paper sack of Joachum Bros. java beans and a small grinder from his saddle bag. Measuring out three handfuls, he proceeded to grind the beans and