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out.
    â€œBecause of the late landing, we weren’t able to start building the siege line today. Colonel Totten, tomorrow at first light, I want you and Captain Lee to accompany me ashore to select the location of the line. Your engineers will guide the divisions in its construction.”
    â€œYes, sir,” Totten said.
    â€œNow let’s discuss how we will take Veracruz. And it’s ours for the taking. Any army that locks itself behind walls and fights from there can’t win. For him to win, he must come out and drive the enemy away. It’s obvious that General Morales isn’t coming out.
    â€œWe have all studied the drawings and written material that is available describing the defenses of the city, and we have examined what we could see from the sea. And we have what the Britisher Giffard told us. So now let’s hear recommendations on how to proceed.”
    â€œGeneral, we can take the town by storming the walls,” said Worth. “Wait for a dark night and steal up close. Then rush the walls in force before the Mexicans could assemble and prevent us from getting over. I’d lead the attack with my regulars.”
    Twiggs nodded quick agreement. “Right. We can have them in a few hours once we’re set to attack.”
    Lee was dismayed that the two generals would consider charging such strong walls where the defenders would be expecting just such an action. Surely Scott wouldn’t agree to it.
    Scott spoke to Patterson. “And you general, what do you say to a frontal attack?”
    â€œI wouldn’t advise storming any walls that the cavalry couldn’t jump and so be able to help the infantry,” said the old gentleman and shaking his gray head. “And that means that I wouldn’t recommend attacking Veracruz’s high walls.”
    Lee was pleased with Patterson. He would watch these generals and learn much about them during the coming campaign.
    Scott caught first Worth and then Twiggs with a penetrating look. “How many men would it cost to take the city by storm?”
    The two officers glanced at each other. Then they looked away with neither meeting Scott’s eyes.
    Slowly rotating his coffee cup on the table, Scott waited for one of the men to reply.
    Worth squared his shoulders and faced Scott. “There would be losses but we could immediately march into the highland and avoid the yellow fever.”
    Scott spoke and his tone grew harder with each word uttered. “I estimate we would lose more than a thousand men killed and wounded. That would leave us with a very small army to fight our way nearly three hundred miles to Mexico City. Could we capture a nation with so few men? And consider this, it may be weeks before we get reinforcements.”
    Scott eyes smoldered as he looked into the eyes of each of his generals. In a stern voice he said. “Gentlemen, we are greatly outnumbered and that’s a hard fact. Every battle will be fought against superior numbers, and most likely with them behind fortifications as here at Veracruz. We can’t afford to lose one man unnecessarily. Above all we dare not lose one battle for that would mean disaster, the very end of our campaign.
    â€œI have decided that we will throw a siege line around Veracruz and bottle it up to prevent reinforcements from arriving. Once that has been accomplished, we will take the city by siege and bombardment. We will pound them with every gun we have. If we lose more than a hundred men, I shall consider myself a murderer. Your orders are to establish the siege line and place our cannons where they will do the most damage, and do it swiftly. Once Veracruz is taken, we shall turn our guns on Fort San Juan de Ulua and take it also. Should the bombardment not succeed in a reasonable time, we will be preparing for storming the walls.
    â€œTomorrow morning headquarters will be moved to the shore. Now, gentlemen it’s getting late so I say, goodnight.