The Battle of Molino del Rey broke out on September 8, 1847 during Mexico War (1846-1848). Winfield Scott Major General's U.S. troops advanced from Veracruz toward the inland and won several victories, approaching Mexico City .
Scott After learning that Mexican army are stationed in a mill complex called Molino del Rey, , ordered an attack to capture these facilities because intelligence indicates that these facilities were used to cast cannons.
move forward, and troops led by Major General William J. Worth attacked Molino del Rey and nearby Cassad Mata . In the resulting battle, both strongholds were occupied, but the U.S. military had proved to suffer heavy losses. It was a somewhat unpaid victory for Scott, with no evidence that the facility was making cannons.
background
Although Zachary Taylor Major General won a series of victories in Palo Alto, Reza Cadra Palma and Monterrey , President James K Polk chose to shift the focus of the US efforts from northern Mexico to the battle against Mexico City .
Although this is mainly due to Polk concerns about Taylor , there are also reports that it will be extremely difficult to advance from the northward direction of the enemy capital, which also supports this.
As a result, Winfieldscott Major General formed a new army and ordered the occupation of important port city Veracruz . Scott's troops landed on March 9, 1847 and captured the city after twenty days of siege.
After establishing a major base in Veracruz, Scott began to prepare to advance inland before Yellow fever Season State . Scott moved inland and defeated the Mexicans led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana in the following month at Cerro Gordo . In August 1847, he drove to Mexico City and won the battle between Contreras and Churubusco.
is near the city gate, Scott and Santa Ana truce in an attempt to end the war . The subsequent negotiations proved to be futile, with the truce being damaged by multiple violations by the Mexicans. The truce ended in early September and Scott began preparing to attack Mexico City. As the work progressed, he received news on September 7 that a huge Mexican army occupied Molino del Rey. Located in the southwest of Mexico City, Molino del Rey (King Mill) is composed of a series of stone buildings that used to be flour mills and gunpowder mills.
is in the northeast, through some woods, Chapultepek Castle towers above the area, and in the west it is the fortifications of Cassad Mata . Scott's intelligence report also shows that Molino was used to fire cannons from the sound of church bells coming from the city.
Since most of his army was not ready to attack Mexico City in a few days, Scott decided to carry out a small-scale operation on Molino at the same time. For this operation, he chose the division of , located nearby , Takubaya, .
plan
After realizing Scott's intention, Santa Ana ordered five brigades to defend Molino and Cassad Mata with the support of cannons. These are supervised by Brigadier General Antonio Leon and Francisco Perez . On the west, he stationed about Juan Alvarez s stationed about 4,000 cavalry s in the hope of attacking the U.S. flanks.
Worth formed his troops before dawn on September 8, , intending to take the lead in the attack by a 500-man commando led by Major George Wright.
In the middle of his front, Worth arranged Colonel James Duncan's turret on his turret, ordering them to reduce Molino guns and eliminate enemy artillery
. On the right wing, Brigadier General John Garland , with the support of the Suger Fort, was ordered to block potential reinforcements from , Chapultepec , before attacking the Molino River from the east. Newman Clark Brigadier General (temporarily led by Lieutenant Colonel James S. McIntosh) was ordered to move westward and attack Casar-de-Mata .
Army and Commander
United States
- Major General Winfield Scott
- Major General William Worth
- ,500 Man
Mexico
- Braid General Antonio Leon
- Braid General Francisco Perez
- About 14,000 men
Attack begins
As the infantry move forward, led by Major Edwin V. Sumner 270 The troops of the Dragoon covered the left wing of the US military. To assist in the action, Scott sent Brigadier General George Cadvarad's brigade to Worth as a reserve team.
at 3:00 AM 3, Worth's division started to move forward under the leadership of scouts James Mason and James Duncan . Despite Mexico's strong position, the fact that Santa Ana did not arrange for anyone to command the defense in full force was weakened.
When American cannons bombarded the Molino River, Wright and his party charged forward. They attacked under fierce firepower and successfully broke through the enemy defense line outside the Molino River. Turning the Mexican artillery toward the defenders, they were soon hit with a fierce counterattack because the enemy realized that the size of the US was small (map).
Bloody victory
In the resulting battle, Commando lost 11 of the 14 officers , including Wright . As this thrust falters, Garland's brigade swept from the East.
In the fierce battle, they managed to repel the Mexicans and defend Molino. Refuge adopted this goal, Worth ordered his artillery to transfer their firepower to Casar-de-Mata and instructed McIntosh to attack.
advance, and McIntosh soon discovered that Casa was a stone fortress, not the earthen fortress originally thought. The Americans launched an attack around the Mexican position but were repelled. After a brief retreat, the Americans witnessed Mexican troops set out from Casa and killed wounded soldiers nearby.
As the battle of Casa de Mata continued, Worth noticed the existence of Alvarez and headed west through the canyon.Duncan's cannon fire blocked the Mexican cavalry in the bay, and Sumner's small troops crossed the canyon to provide further protection.
Although the gunfire is slowly weakening Casar-de-Mata , Worth still instructs McIntosh attack again. In the resulting attack, Mcintosh and his successor were killed . The commander of the Third Brigade was seriously injured. The Americans retreated again, allowing the gun of Duncan to work, and the garrison soon abandoned the outpost. As Mexico retreated, the battle ended.
consequences
Although it only lasted for for two hours , the battle of Molino del Ray proved to be one of the bloodiest conflicts . The number of casualties in the U.S. military was 116 and 671 were injured, including several senior officers. Mexico's losses totaled 269 people, about 500 injured and 852 captured.
After the battle ended, no evidence was found that Cassa de Mata was used as cannon foundry. Although Scott eventually gained little from the Battle of Molino del Rey, this did dealt another blow to the already sluggish Mexican morale .
In the next few days, Scott formed his army, and attacked Mexico City on September 13. Winning the Battle of Chapultepec, he occupied the city and effectively won the war.
