imilar circumstances, had resigned
his commission. Gen. Worth having proceeded from the Rio Grande to
Washington, the President refused to accept his resignation, and he
returned at once to the army.

The resignation of Worth was a most untoward circumstance, for during
his absence from the army hostilities commenced, and he lost all
participation in the battles of Palo Alto and La Resaca.

When, after the capture of Matamoras, the army again advanced, Worth
had resumed his post, and acquiesced cheerfully in the decision which
had been given against him. The laurels he had not grasped on the Rio
Grande were won in front of the batteries of _La Loma de la
Independencia_, and in the streets of Monterey. Amid the countless
feats of daring recorded by military history, none will be found to
surpass his achievements in the slow, painful, but bold entry he
effected through a city swarming with defenders, to the very _plaza_.
For his gallantry on this occasion he received the brevet of major
general, and, with the exception of Generals Scott and Taylor, is
believed to be the only officer in the service who has received three
war-brevets. Gen. Worth from this time became one of the national
idols.

When Gen. Scott assumed command of the expedition against Vera Cruz
and the capital, one of his first acts was to order Gen. Worth and the
remnant of his division to join him. The general-in-chief remembered
the events, on the northern frontier, of 1814, and anticipated much in
Mexico. He was not disappointed in this expectation, for at Vera Cruz
and in the valley of Mexico, his old aid did not disappoint him, and
proved that service had but matured the judgment of the soldier of
Chippewa and Niagara.

It was at _Molino del Rey_ that Worth displayed his powers with most
brilliancy. When it became evident that the city of Mexico must be
taken by force, a prominent position was assigned to Gen. Worth, who,
with his division and Cadwallader's brigade, was ordered to carry the
strong position of Molino del Rey, and destroy its defences. This spot
is famous in Mexican history as _Casas Matas_, and and is the scene of
the famous _plan_, or revolution, of Feb. 2, 1823, by virtue of which
a republican form of government may be said to exist in Mexico. It
lies westward of Chapultepec, the old palace of the Aztec kings, and
from the nature of its position, and the careful manner in which it
was fortified, was a position of great strength.