On September 13, 1847, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces under Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott stormed Chapultepec Castle, a fortified position that housed Mexico’s military academy and overlooked the western approaches to Mexico City. After an artillery bombardment begun the previous day, American troops attacked the castle atop Chapultepec Hill, overcoming Mexican defenders commanded by Gen. Nicolás Bravo. The capture removed one of the last major obstacles before the assault on the capital.
U.S. Marines fought alongside Army units during the campaign and in the fighting around Chapultepec. Their service at Chapultepec and in the subsequent advance on Mexico City became central to Marine Corps memory and is traditionally associated with the opening words of the Marines’ Hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma.”
The battle also brought together a number of young officers who would later become prominent commanders in the Civil War, underscoring how the Mexican-American War helped shape the generation of military leaders who would fight in the United States less than two decades later.
Chapultepec’s fall opened the way into Mexico City. By September 14, Santa Anna and much of his army had withdrawn, and Scott’s forces entered and occupied the capital. The victory was a pivotal moment in the war, although the conflict did not formally end until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. That treaty transferred vast northern Mexican territories to the United States and reshaped the map of North America.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
