I've been writing lately about the Siege of Veracruz, a significant battle in the Mexican-American War. As this says, the U.S. army made an amphibious landing from the Gulf, under the command of General Winfield Scott. The 12,000 American troops soon moved on the city of Veracruz, not only to secure a key port city but also to clear a way for an advance toward Mexico City. The siege was happening 177 years ago right now: March 9-29, 1847. The city surrendered on March 29, which happened to be Monday of Holy Week. So it was doubly sad when American troops discovered, in one church, that American artillery had blown the head off Jesus. My great-great-grandfather Josiah Williams (the father of Mom's paternal grandma) was one of the American troops. Back home in Fayette County, Illinois, his mother was dying and did die on Holy Tuesday, March 30th. They're buried at the Pilcher Cemetery near Brownstown. Josiah didn't know about his mother; telegraphy was still new, and the mails took weeks. It's a sad family story against the backdrop of American Manifest Destiny..... But it's also cool that Commodore Matthew Perry was present in the Gulf with one of his big ships, the USS Mississippi, which he later used when he "opened" Japan.
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