At the same time our consul informed us that Santa Anna, who had been appointed generalissimo, had just arrived with troops, that he had declared the convention null and void, &c., &c., and that we must be prepared for anything.  The admiral, who was some way off, with the squadron, at the Green Island anchorage, was at once warned.  Luckily it was fine.  If it had not been, no communication with him would have been practicable The admiral himself came that very night, and took up his quarters on board the Creole.  In his usual resolute way, he had at once decided to forestall the enemy’s action, and, taking advantage of its surprise, to execute such a coup de main with the feeble means at his disposal, as would make it impossible for the city and forts of Vera Cruz to harm us for some time to come at all events.  Our night was therefore spent in preparation.  The boats of the squadron came in one after the other without any mishap, bringing all the men who could be landed.  Counting the three companies of artillery holding the fort, these amounted to about eleven hundred men.  We set out between four and five o’clock in the morning in a thick fog.  A portion of the troops disembarked, commanded by Captain Parseval, were to scale the small fort on the left of the town with ladders, and then go round the ramparts, spiking the guns, and destroying everything they came across.  Another body, under Captain Laine, was to do the same thing on the right-hand side.  And a third column in the centre was to land on the mole, blow up the sea gate, and march on General de Santa Anna’s headquarters to try and seize his person.  My own company, numbering about sixty men, formed the advance guard of this last column, the bulk of which consisted of the three companies of artillery.

We started then, with our oars muffled to deaden the noise.  We could hardly find our way in the twilight, and had to strain our eyes to see the mole through the mist.  The great gate of the city was closed, no sentry outside it.  Everything was asleep.  We landed in dead silence, and the column formed up.  The sappers ran on ahead, laid the powder bag, and masked it, then a sergeant of sappers lighted the match and shrank back behind a projecting bit of wall.  Bang!  The mask of the petard just grazed our heads, and one side of the gate lay on the ground.  At the same moment firing began in the direction of Parseval’s column.  “Forward!  God save the King!” We caught sight of the guard at the gate bolting off, and then lost it in the fog.  There wasn’t a cat in the streets.  The noise of the musketry fire had driven in anybody who might have been out.  Led by a guide we passed at a swinging pace down a street which brought us to the Mexico gate.  Here the fog lifted a little.  A few shots and bayonet thrusts got rid of the guard at the gate.  Just at this moment a barouche galloped up from within the town.  It was drawn by six mules with picturesque-looking postilions, in broad-brimmed hats.  It was the barouche which had brought Santa Anna, trying to get into the open country.  We shot down two or three of the mules, but the carriage was empty.