Mexico City, Capture of

views updated

MEXICO CITY, CAPTURE OF

MEXICO CITY, CAPTURE OF (13–14 September 1847). The fall of Chapultepec made possible a combined advance by the divisions of Gen. William J. Worth and Gen. John A. Quitman against the western gates of Mexico City. By dusk on 13 September, Worth, despite desperate resistance, arrived at the San Cosmé gate. Quit-man, on the Belén Causeway, was held up before the citadel. During the night Antonio López de Santa Anna evacuated the city, the citadel surrendering to Quitman at dawn. Marching immediately to the plaza, Quitman raised the flag on the palace. Gen. Winfield Scott, arriving on the heels of Worth's troops, announced the capture of the capital.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Eisenhower, John S. D. Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott. New York: Free Press, 1997.

———. So Far From God: The U.S. War with Mexico, 1846–1848. New York: Anchor Books, 1990.

Elliott, Charles Winslow. Winfield Scott, the Soldier and the Man. New York: Macmillan, 1937; New York: Arno Press, 1979.

Johnson, Timothy. Winfield Scott: The Quest for Military Glory. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1998.

Charles WinslowElliott/a. r.

See alsoChapultepec, Battle of ; Mexican-American War .

About this article

Mexico City, Capture of

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article