Description:

Mexican War

William Dorrance ALS, three pages of a bifold, 7.5” x 12.25”, with integral address cover; City of Jalapa, Mexico; April 24 and 25, 1847. Usual mail folds, with bold ink. Small bits of paper loss occurring on the integral address page, with light soiling on exterior panels.

The Battle of Cerro Gordo took place on April 18, 1847 near Xalapa (Jalapa), Veracruz. Winfield Scott headed 8500 troops against Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s superior numbers. Careful planning by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including Pierre G.T. Beauregard and Robert E. Lee, enabled Scott to outflank and surround the Mexican army.

Dorrance writes home to his uncle (an army captain) John Moulton:

“Sunday, April 25th, one week ago today I was engaged in a battle with the Mexicans, in storming of Cerro Gordo, presumeing [sic] that you would be pleased to hear the description of the battle and hear [sic] the more minute details of the said battle, I send you the American Star, the first number of an American News paper printed at this place.

This is the fourth genral [sic] action that I have been in since the commencement of the war, and yet thanks be to God, I have escaped unharmed, while in the last battle, three of the Company to which I belong were left dead on the field, with one mortally wounded, who did not live the day out, and ten wounded. Should I live to see you again I can tell you something about war.

When I wrote to you from Monterey I expected to be able to write again at Victoria but I did not have the opportunity [sic] of so doing, our march from Tampico, was fatiegueing [sic] it being five hundred miles…”

The battle began at 7:00 a.m., with U.S. troops surrounding El Telegrafo, quickly taking the hill and turning the captured Mexican guns on the retreating Mexican forces. U.S. Army losses totaled 263 killed and 368 wounded; the Mexicans lost 1000 killed and more than 3000 captured. It was at this battle that the Illinois 4 th Regiment famously captured General Santa Anna’s artificial leg, which remains on display at the Illinois State Military Museum. General Scott and his forces moved on to Xalapa, from whence Dorrance composed the letter offered here.

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