Morning of March 29, 1847 came and brought two long parallel lines of American troops. The soldiers, begrimed and dirty from the exertions of the past 20 days, formed a gauntlet that their defeated foe would march through. The rows of Mexican forces soon came out of their city, with its crumbling walls bearing testament to the ferocity of the American artillery fire. Stacking their muskets and presenting tallies of paroled prisoners, the Mexican soldiers turned over command of the city of Vera Cruz to Winfield Scott. The siege of Vera Cruz had concluded.
Since landing on the beaches of Vera Cruz on March 9, the American soldiers’ past three weeks had been one of almost constant work. Sleeping under the stars on the night of March 9, the next day found Scott’s men making their way inland, continuing to push Mexican pickets back to the city. As more and more troops landed Scott could begin the actual siege.[1]
