Chapultepec,  Battle  of.  The  city  of  Mex-
ico stauds  on  a  slight  swell  of  ground,  near  the
centre  of  an  irregular  basin,  and  encircled  by  a
broad  and  deep  uavigable  canal.  The  approach-
es to  the  city  are  over  elevated  caut^eways,  flank-
<hI  by  ditches!  From  these  the  cajjital  is  en-
tered by  arched  gateways ;  and  these,  when  the
Tictorious  Americans  approached  the  city  (Au-
gust, 1847),  were  strongly  fortified.  When  El
Iilolino  del  Rey  aud  Casa  de  Mata  (which  see)
had  been  captured  (Sept.  8, 1847),  the  Castle  of
Chapultepec  alone  remained  as  a  defence  for  the
city  —  this  and  its  outworks.  The  bill,  steep
and  rocky,  rises  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above
the  suiTOundiug  country.  Tlie  castle  was  built
of  heavy  stone  masonry.  The  whole  fortress
was  nine  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  the  terre-
pleiti  aud  main  buildings  six  hundred  feet.  The
castle  was  about  ten  feet  in  height,  aud  present-
ed a  splendid  specimeu  of  military  architect-
ure. A  dome,  rising  abont  twenty  feet  above
the  walls,  gave  it  a  grand  appearance.  Tno
strongl}'  built  walls  surrounded  the  whole
structure,  ten  feet  apart  and  twelve  or  fifteen
feet  high.  The  works  were  thoroughly  armed,
aud  the  garrison,  among  whom  were  scnue  ex-
pert French  gunners,  was  commanded  by  Gen-
eral Bravo.  The  whole  hill  was  spotted  with
forts  and  outworks.  To  carry  this  strong  post
with  the  least  loss  of  men,  Scott  determined  to
batter  it  with  heavy  cannons.  Accordingly,  on
the  night  of  Sept.  11,  four  batteries  of  heavy
eaunous  were  erected  on  a  hill  between  Tnca-
baya  and  Chaimltepec,  commanded  respectively
by  Captains  Drew,  Haynes,  and  Brooks,  and
Lieutenant  Stone.  They  were  placed  in  posi-
tion by  the  engineer  officers  Huger  and  Lee
(the  latter  afterwards  commander-in-chief  of
the  Confederate  army).  On  the  morning  of
the  12th  these  batteries  opened  fire,  every  ball
crashing  through  the  castle  and  every  shell
tearing  ui>  the  ramparts.  The  fire  of  the  Mex-
icans was  not  less  severe,  and  this  duel  of  great
guns  was  kept  up  all  day.     The  next  muruing


(13th)  troops  moved  to  assail  the  works,  at  their
weakest  point,  in  two  columns,  one  led  by  Gen-
eral Pillow  and  tlie  other  by  General  Quitman.
