Battle of Chapultepec
Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City
What happened
General Winfield Scott's United States army, with assault columns led by Gideon Pillow and John Quitman, attacked Chapultepec Castle, defended by General Nicolás Bravo under the overall command of General Antonio López de Santa Anna. During the Mexican–American War, the U.S. army marched from Veracruz toward Mexico City. Chapultepec Castle, a military academy on a hill at the edge of the city, guarded the western road. After a day of bombardment, about 2,000 American troops stormed the hill against roughly 832 defenders, and the castle fell within about an hour and a half.
Why it matters
Result: American victory. Leaders: Winfield Scott against Santa Anna / Nicolás Bravo. Why it matters: Taking Chapultepec opened the way into Mexico City. The war ended with Mexico giving up nearly half its land to the United States.
What came next
Mexico City fell on 14 September 1847. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on 2 February 1848, ended the war.
Did you know?
Six cadets refused to fall back at Chapultepec and are honoured in Mexico as the Niños Héroes, the 'Boy Heroes'.
Timeline
- 1847Scott's army marches inland from Veracruz toward Mexico City.
- 13 September 1847U.S. troops storm and capture the castle.
- 14 September 1847Mexico City falls.
- 2 February 1848The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the war.