History of the War between the United States and Mexico/Chapter 7

by John Stilwell Jenkins

 

CHAPTER VII.

BUENA VISTA.

General Scott ordered to Mexico — Expedition to Vera Cruz — Withdrawal of Troops from the Army under General Taylor — Surprise of Arkansas and Kentucky Cavalry at Encarnacion — Advance of Santa Anna from San Luis Potosi — The Pass of Angostura — Buena Vista — Position of the American Troops — Approach of the Enemy — The Battle — Bravery of the Volunteers — Skirmish near Saltillo — Disastrous retreat of the Mexican Army — Attack on the Wagon Trains — Pursuit of Urrea.

On the 1st day of January, 1847, and within the short space of eight months from the commencement of hostilities, the provinces of New Mexico, California, Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila, New Leon, and Tamaulipas, embracing more than one half of the geographical area of the Mexican Republic, were either virtually conquered, or in the actual possession of the American forces. The different military operations thus far conducted, had been executed with unexampled skill and ability, and attended with the most satisfactory results. The territory occupied by the army under General Taylor, could not, indeed, have been regarded of much value as a permanent acquisition, if conquest had been the object of the war; but in a military point of view, the campaign on the Rio Grande was as important as it was successful. Every thing had been achieved which was to be desired. On three separate occasions the armies of Mexico had been defeated.

BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA
February 23rd, 1847

American Army, 4500 men. Mexican Army, 20,000en.

American Loss 264 killed 450 Wounded, 26 Missing Mexican Loss, estimated in killed

No superiority of numbers, or advantages of position, could stay the advance of the American soldiers. The power, the military strength and resources of the enemy, were essentially weakened; and it mattered little upon what theatre this had been effected, whether upon a barren shore or a sandy desert, so long as her capacity for resistance was diminished. A large army, it is true, was soon collected at San Luis Potosi, but the disheartening influences of defeat were felt even there. Rumor asserted that the victorious Americans were moving towards the interior; parties of observation were thrown forward, and preparations for defence were made; yet many doubted their ability to maintain the position.^[1]

A descent upon the Gulf coast of Mexico had long been in contemplation at the War Department of the United States; but the prevalence of the vómito during the summer months forbade any such enterprise. Had the climate and season been more favorable, it is not likely that this would have been undertaken at the commencement of the war, notwithstanding the importance of the movement in order to the conquest of a speedy and honorable peace; because hopes were entertained, that the northern and frontier departments of Mexico would declare themselves independent of the central government, and establish pacific relations with the American Union. General Taylor was led to believe that such would be the case, from the information derived through his agents.^[2] It was certainly no chimerical supposition. The northern provinces were known to be ardently attached to the federal constitution; and when Paredes came into power, there were strong symptoms manifested of a desire to resist his authority. They would naturally have turned to the American army for support, and it is reasonable to suppose, that the fear of losing a large portion of territory south and west of the Rio Grande, might have constrained the Mexican Government to listen to overtures of peace. But before the war had fairly commenced, the project for the re — establishment of the federal constitution, and the return of Santa. Anna, was started by the opponents of Paredes, and his subsequent overthrow put an end to the expectations which had been formed in regard to the secession of the northern provinces.

The suggestions of General Taylor in favor of maintaining a defensive position on the line of the Sierra Madre, and the information communicated by him, showing that a march on San Luis Potosi from Saltillo would be attended with serious difficulty and embarrassment, and that the Santa Barbara pass, opening towards Tampico, and that in the direction of Tula, were both impracticable for artillery, led to an abandonment of the movement designed to be made upon San Luis Potosi, from the north; and in November 1846, General Scott was ordered to repair to the Rio Grande, for the purpose of setting on foot and conducting an expedition against Vera Cruz and the castle of San Juan de Ulua. Previous to this time much valuable information had been procured in RELATION to the defences of the city and castle, and General Scott had been actively and constantly employed for several weeks in making the necessary preparations. Heavy ordnance, large quantities of missiles and ammunition, transport vessels, bomb-ketches, and surf-boats to land the troops, were ordered to be prepared, and dispatched to the Gulf without delay. A corps of sap-pers and miners, and mountain howitzer and rocket batteries, were also organized to take part in the expedition, and accompany the army on its march to the Mexican capital.

It was originally intended that the attack on Vera Cruz should be made in co-operation with the navy, by a detachment from General Taylor's army of four or five thousand men, under the command of General Patterson.^[3] After the dispatch of the 2nd of September, intimating an intention to make a descent on the Gulf coast, at Tampico, was intercepted by the enemy, it became evident that a much larger force would be necessary. Tampico was occupied, however, as has been stated, in order to mask the more important enterprise in contemplation.

General Scott had made an unsuccessful application to the President of the United States, to be ordered to the seat of war, in the month of September; but, in consequence of the prior misunderstanding, his request was denied.^[4] At a later day this determination was wisely reconsidered, and in accordance with the general expectation of the country, he was directed to take the field. To him, more than to any other man, was the army indebted for its high state of discipline, its usefulness and efficiency; and it was due to his past services, and his talents, that he should be allowed to participate in the active operations of the war. If the laurels won at Chippewa and Niagara could be refreshed and reinvigorated by the cool breezes that swept over the tera templada of Mexico, — — if there were new victories to be gained that could give additional lustre to the undying fame which formed one of the richest jewels of the nation, — it was but just that the opportunity should be given. Large reinforcements were about to be sent to Mexico, and the occasion seemed most favorable for directing the general-in-chief of the army to assume the command, since it could be done at such a time without prejudice to the officer who had hitherto so skilfully directed its movements.^[5] There was a peculiar fitness, too, in assigning General Scott to conduct the expedition against Vera Cruz, because the merit of planning the

movement was his own, and his experience, sagacity, and skill, were requisite to insure its success.^[6]

The order directing General Scott to repair to Mexico, and clothing him with discretionary power in regard to the future conduct of hostilities, was issued on the 23rd of November, and on the 24th he left Washington for New York, where he embarked for New Orleans.^[7] Before leaving the capital, the necessary preliminary arrangements had been made for the expedition. Nine additional volunteer regiments, including one of Texan horse, were called for; and at the ensuing session of Congress, bills were introduced, and passed, authorizing ten new regiments of regular troops to be raised, and the increase of the artillery regiments and marine corps, — and providing for the appointment of two major generals, and three brigadier generals, and the encouragement of enlistment, by large bounties. The general officers, the ten regiments, and the addition to the marine corps, were to be continued in service only during the existence of the war.^[8] While in New York, General Scott addressed a letter to General Taylor, informing him that he was about to embark for the seat of war; that he designed to undertake an expedition in a different quarter of the enemy's country; and that he should be compelled, though reluctantly, to take from him the greater part of the troops under his command.^[9] He reached New Orleans near the close of December, and early in January following he was upon the Rio Grande. Instructions with reference to his plans, and the number, and character of the men whom he wished to be prepared fer the expedition, were sent to General Taylor, by different messengers. Lieutenant Ritchie, one of

J. Pillow and John A. Quitman, brigadier generals of volunteers, were appointed major generals; and Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire, George Cadwalader of Pennsylvania, and Enos D. Hopping of New York, were appointed brigadier generals. Thomas H. Benton of Missouri, and William Cumming of Georgia. were originally appointed the major generals, but did not accept. The vacancies occasioned in the volunteer service, by the promotion of Generals Pillow and Quitman, were filled by the appointment of Caleb Cushing of Massachusetts, and Sterling Price of Missouri. the bearers of dispatches, was on his way to seek the latter, when he was attacked, between Linares and Victoria, by a party of rancheros, and cruelly murdered. The papers in his possession fell into the hands of the enemy, and the fact that an expedition against Vera Cruz was projected could no longer be concealed.

When the arrangements for the expedition against Vera Cruz were made at Washington, preparatory i to the departure of General Scott, it was not supposed that General Taylor would deem it advisable to advance beyond Monterey, or occupy the lower part of the State of Tamaulipas.^[10] It was intended that he should remain upon the defensive until additional troops could be sent out from the United States. The importance of the position at Saltillo was not correctly understood at the War Department, and hence it was not taken into account in the calculations which had been made. General Taylor might have occupied and held the city of Monterey with a much smaller force than was left under his control; but he wisely decided to keep possession of Saltillo, as being a still more commanding position, and completely covering the single road practicable for artillery, which was the only formidable arm of the Mexican service, to the valley of the Rio Grande. Monterey was well situated for defence; but if the enemy could advance to that point, the communication with his principal depots would be more likely to be cut off, and their protection attended with more danger and difficulty.

The whole number of troops upon the Rio Grande, and en route for the Gulf, including the new volunteer regiments, was not far from 20,000. General Scott required 12,000 of these for the expedition against Vera Cruz. Besides the volunteers embarked from the United States for the island of Lobos, the appointed place of rendezvous, nearly all the regular troops under Generals Twiggs and Worth, and the greater part of the volunteer division of General Patterson, were ordered to the same point. It was with great reluctance that General Taylor parted with the veteran troops whom he had so long commanded;^[11] but the enterprise which General Scott was about to attempt, was of primary importance. It was necessary that Vera Cruz and the castle of San Juan de Ulua should be reduced, if at all, before the return of the sickly season; and if that could only be done by an assault, the regular regiments would be especially needed. Moreover, it was to be apprehended that Santa Anna might move his army from San Luis Potosi, in the direction of Vera Cruz, after receiving the information contained in the dispatches borne by Lieutenant Ritchie. Had he done this, the column under General Scott would probably have been decimated ere they could have effected a landing on the Mexican shore. Undoubtedly it would have been a wiser policy to have called out a larger number of volunteers in the summer or fall of 1846; but the error was one very likely to be committed in a country like ours. It was too late to correct it when General Scott arrived upon the Rio Grande; he had no dragon's teeth, from which armed soldiers might be raised at his bidding; and a delay, even of a few weeks, could not be permitted. About six hundred regulars, including two squadrons of dragoons, and four of the finest artillery companies in the army, with the best disciplined regiments of volunteers, which had been drilled by General Wool, or under the eye of General Taylor himself, were left upon the line of the Sierra Madre.^[12] In view of the loss of life which afterwards occurred, it may be regretted that the army under General Taylor was necessarily so much reduced; but he knew of what materials it was composed, and did not rashly expose himself to peril. His force was small, but it proved sufficient; and had it not been for the defection of one of his regiments, the repulse at Buena Vista would have been the complete rout of the Mexican army.

After giving the necessary instructions to the troops ordered to join General Scott, General Taylor returned to Monterey. During his absence General Wool had remained encamped with his division at Agua Nueva, until General Worth left Saltillo, when he took position on the heights above and to the south of the city, with a portion of his command, and distributed the remainder through the valley. General Miñon was known to be in the vicinity with his lancers, and scouting parties were constantly kept out to obtain information. On the 22nd of January a party of over seventy men, consisting of Arkansas and Kentucky cavalry, commanded by Majors Borland and Gaines, were surprised at the hacienda of Encarnacion, forty-eight miles beyond Saltillo, by General Miñon. Resistance against so formidable a force would have been idle, and they surrendered themselves prisoners of war Captain Henrie of the Texan Rangers was with the detachment, but gallantly made his escape on the second day after their capture. On the 27th of January, a picket guard of seventeen men of the Kentucky volunteers, under Captain Heady, were also captured by the enemy. The advanced pickets were repeatedly driven in, and it was confidently rumored, that the main body of the Mexican forces under Santa. Anna were marching to attack the American army.

Leaving a force of fifteen hundred men to garrison the city of Monterey, General Taylor proceeded to Saltillo, early in February. While General Worth was in command at this point, a strong redoubt commanding the town and the plain in which it is situated, had been constructed by General Lane's Indiana brigade, under the direction of Lieutenant Kingsbury of the ordnance corps. Captain Webster occupied the redoubt with two twenty-four pounder howitzers, and several pieces of smaller calibre; and Major Warren, of the 1st Illinois foot, was directed to guard the town with four companies of the Illinois volunteers, two of each regiment. On the 8th of February the remainder of the army, about 5,000 strong, moved forward under General Taylor to Agua Nueva, where he could have the advantage of a large plain to drill his troops, and hold in observation the road from San Luis Potosi, and the different passes leading to Parras, Monclova, and Saltillo.

The road from Saltillo to Agua Nueva pursues a south-westerly course, through an irregular and broken valley, varying from two to three miles in width, and bounded on either side by the tall mountain ridges of the Sierra Madre. About five miles south of Saltillo is the hacienda of Buena Vista,^[13] and a short distance beyond this the flanking mountains incline nearer to each other, and form the pass of Angostura. The attention of General Taylor was called to this position by General Wool, as being one which a small army could easily maintain against a larger force. Notwithstanding its advantages, the former decided to proceed to Agua Nueva, as he had at first intended, and if Santa Anna approached with his army, to fall back to the ground which he saw at a glance was well adapted to the limited numbers of his command. By this means he would be enabled to practise a ruse upon the enemy, and lead them to attack him in a position of his own selection, and which he felt fully competent to hold. This determination was strengthened on his arrival at Agua Nueva, which he found to be a more exposed position, and one that could be readily turned on either flank. Information having been received that the Mexican forces were concentrating in his front, General Taylor ordered Major McCulloch, with a party of Texan spies, to reconnoitre the San Luis road. The detachment left Agua Nueva on the 16th of February, and about midnight encountered a small body of the enemy's cavalry, whom they drove towards Encarnacion, and then returned to camp. On the 20th instant a strong reconnaissance was dispatched to the hacienda of Heclionda, under Lieutenant Colonel May, and Major McCulloch made another examination of Encarnacion. The reports of these officers rendered it certain that Santa Anna, instead of marching with the forces which he had concentrated at San Luis Potosi, to meet General Scott at Vera Cruz, had concluded to take advantage of the withdrawal of such a large number of troops from the line commanded by General Taylor, and by one decisive blow endeavor to wipe out the ignominy of past reverses, and retrieve the waning fortunes of the Mexican Republic.

At noon on the 21st, General Taylor broke up his camp at Agua Nueva, and retired leisurely towards the position. in front of the hacienda of Buena Vista, which had previously been selected. Colonel Yell remained at Agua Nueva with his regiment of Arkansas cavalry, to look out for the enemy, and cover the removal of the public stores. The 2nd Kentucky foot under Colonel McKee, and a section of Captain Washington's battery, halted at Encantada to support Colonel Yell. The 1st Illinois foot under Colonel Hardin were stationed at the pass of Angostura, where it had been determined to give battle to the enemy. General Taylor proceeded to Saltillo, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel May, with his squadron of the 2nd dragoons, two batteries of the 3rd artillery, under Captains Sherman and Bragg, and the Mississippi rifle regiment, under Colonel Davis. On the evening of the 21st, the regiment of Kentucky cavalry under Colonel Marshall, and the squadron of the 1st dragoons, Captain Steen, were ordered to Agua Nueva, to reinforce Colonel Yell. General Wool encamped near Buena Vista with the remaining section of Washington's battery, the 2nd Illinois foot, Colonel Bissell, and the 2nd and 3rd Indiana regiments, commanded by Colonels Bowles and J. H. Lane.^[14] Before the removal

COL. CHARLES A. MAY.

of the stores could be effected, Colonel Yell's pickets were driven in by the enemy, and, in obedience to his instructions, he retired with the reinforcements under Colonel Marshall, after destroying a small quantity of grain remaining at the hacienda, and leaving a few wagons which had been abandoned by the teamsters. At Encantada he was joined by the force under Colonel McKee, and they fell back together to Buena Vista, before daylight on the morning of the 22nd.

From the time of his arrival at San Luis Potosi, in October 1846, Santa Anna labored unceasingly in strengthening his fortifications at that point, and in equipping and instructing the men under his command. Political dissensions and differences, however, were not entirely healed. His approach to the city of Mexico, and his journey to take command of the army of the north, had been attended with all the pomp and parade, the glitter and show, the shouting and rejoicing, of a triumphal procession; but much of this enthusiasm was transient and unreal. The elements of discontent still existed. The Mexican Congress, which assembled in December, elected Santa Anna to the presidency, and made choice of Gomez Farias as vice president, upon whom the executive authority devolved during the absence of the former. The monarchists and centralists were opposed to this arrangement, and did not repress their complaints. Weeks and months rolled by; no enemy appeared; and the army remained inactive. The people became dissatisfied; they expected every thing from Santa Anna, and could not be disappointed. Murmurs were repeatedly heard; and it was at length asserted that motives of personal ambition detained him at San Luis Potosi.^[15] He could hesitate no longer. His private credit was pledged for a loan of one hundred and eighty thousand dollars, and the necessary supplies for twelve days procured for his army. On the 28th of January he commenced moving forward with twenty pieces of artillery, and a force of about 20,000 men, exclusive of the cavalry detachments under Generals Miñon and Urrea already thrown in the advance.^[16] The march was long and tedious. The army was scantily supplied with food, water and clothing; the weather was harsh and inclement; and sickness and desertion fast thinned their numbers. Encouraged by the promise of their leader, that they would soon be supplied from the well-filled storehouses of the American army at Saltillo and Monterey, they continued to advance in spite of the obstacles which were calculated to discourage them.

The various detachments of the Mexican army were concentrated at San Fernando, and on the night of the 20th of February they encamped at Encenada. On the morning of the 21st mass was said in front of the different divisions, and at noon the whole column were again on the march; the brigade of light infantry under General Ampudia, accompanied by a body of lancers, leading the van; the divisions of infantry, under General Lombardini, in the centre; and the division of cavalry and infantry, under General Ortéga, bringing up the rear. General Miñon was ordered with his cavalry brigade to make a diversion in the rear of the American army, and occupy the hacienda of Buena Vista. The detachment under General Urrea at Tula had received instructions to advance from their position, and attack the American posts, and cut off their communications between Monterey and the Rio Grande.

It had been the intention of Santa Anna, on learning the position of General Taylor, to place his forces between the American army and Saltillo, and compel them to fight him at this disadvantage. The retrograde movement to Buena Vista defeated his project. His

troops were elated, however, with the idea that the Americans were retreating before them, and he determined to advance by the direct road to Saltillo. There were other passes through the mountains, by way of Heclionda on his right, and La Punta de Santa Elena on his left, by which he could have gained the Saltillo road in rear of Buena Vista; but either of these routes would have required three or four days' march, and the state of his supplies forbade any further delay. He passed the night of the 21st with his main body, in the vicinity of Agua Nueva, and at early dawn on the following morning took up his line of march towards the pass of Angostura.

The position selected by General Taylor for the reception of the enemy is nearly one mile in advance of the hacienda of Buena Vista. At this point the bases of the mountainous ridges are about two miles apart. The main road to Agua Nueva passes through a narrow defile inclining to the west before it enters the gorge, and then turning to the east. Upon its right is a valley, or alluvial bottom, formed from the débris of the neighboring hills, with a small branch of the San Juan winding through it, and everywhere cut up by deep gullies, and yawning pits and chasms, washed out by the torrents plunging from the mountain sides during the rainy seasons, which render it impracticable for cavalry or artillery; and further beyond, there is an intermediate range of hills, with a narrow pass intervening between them and the mountains. Upon the left the ground descends gradually from the heights towards the road, forming an elevated plain of table land, free from timber, with the exception of a few shrubs and bushes, but intersected by a succession of ravines also worn by the mountain torrents. The ravines are of irregular formation, some extending to the very foot of the mountains, and others terminating midway in the plain. On the extreme left their banks are sloping, and can be passed without difficulty, but nearer the road they are more precipitous, and form a series of steep and rocky bluffs. In the rear of the principal plain, upon which the line of battle was formed, are similar plateaus, separated in like manner by ravines.

On the night of the 21st, the 1st Illinois regiment threw up a parapet on a hill east of the gorge, and dug a small ditch, and made a parapet extending from the road around the brink of a deep gully on the right. In the morning a ditch and parapet were thrown across the road for the protection of a battery of artillery, leaving a narrow passage next the bluff, which was closed by running in two wagons loaded with stone. At nine o'clock the enemy were discovered advancing over the distant hills,

"Winding from cliff to cliff', in loose array."

As they approached the American lines, their columns closed. up together. Dense squadrons of horse, with glittering lances and gay pennons, formed the advance, and then came the long serried files of infantry, with artillery and cavalry intermingled; column upon column deploying in the valley, as if there were no end to the stream of warriors which threatened to overwhelm the feeble band before them. But though Weak in numbers, the American soldiers were strong in their position, strong in the memory of past victories, strong in the prestige of their leader's name, and stronger yet in the recollection that they were the countrymen — and this was the birthday — of Washington!

In the absence of General Taylor, the line of battle was formed by General Wool. Captain Washington was posted in the road with his battery, with two companies of the 1st Illinois behind the breastwork on his right, and the 2nd Kentucky infantry, Colonel McKee. occupying a spur of the elevated ground in the rear. Colonel Hardin remained in position on the height, with six companies of his regiment, having the 2nd Illinois, Colonel Bissell, and the company of Texan volunteers, Captain Connor, on his left. The Indiana brigade under General Lane, took position on a ridge in rear of the front line, and Captain Steen's squadron of 1st dragoons was held in reserve. The Kentucky and Arkansas regiments of cavalry, under Colonels Marshall and Yell, were stationed on the left of the second line. Soon afterwards the rifle companies of the volunteer cavalry were dismounted, and, with a battalion of riflemen from-the Indiana brigade, under Major German, sustained by the remaining companies of the. Kentucky regiment, the whole commanded by Colonel Marshall, were ordered to take ground to the front and extreme left. When the commanding general arrived from Saltillo with the remainder of the troops, the squadron of 2nd dragoons, Lieutenant Colonel May, the light batteries of Captains Sherman and Bragg, and the Mississippi regiment, Colonel Davis, were held in reserve with the squadron under Captain Steen. At eleven o'clock General Taylor received a note from Santa Anna, informing him that he was surrounded by twenty thousand men, and requiring him to surrender if he wished to avoid being cut to pieces. The reply was what might have been expected — a prompt and decided refusal.^[17]

At two o'clock the battalions of Mexican light infantry, under General Ampudia, commenced deploying to the right, evidently intending to outflank the Americans and secure the heights overlooking the broad plateau east of the battery in the road, while a large howitzer opened its fire upon the left of the line. General Lane moved forward with a section of Washington's battery under Lieutenant O'Brien, and the 2nd Indiana regiment, on the left of the 2nd Illinois, to check the movement. A demonstration was also observed on the other flank, and the 2nd Kentucky regiment, with a section of Bragg's battery and a detachment of mounted men, were ordered to take post on the right of the gullies, and some distance in advance of the centre.

Colonel Marshall had anticipated the effort to outflank, and was prepared to meet the enemy. He had secured possession of one of the spurs running out from the mountains, and was preparing to occupy a still more commanding one in his front, when he was induced to fall back through some mistake in the delivery of an order from General Wool. When the enemy's light troops approached, a spirited conflict ensued, which was kept up for several hours. The American loss was trifling, but the fatal fire of their rifles filled the ravines and gorges with the dead and dying of their opponents. Numbers, however, prevailed against courage and determination. Before dark the Mexicans had occupied the sides, and scaled the summits of the Sierra. Madre, and had thus outflanked the American position. The recall was sounded, and Colonel Marshall returned with his command to the plain.

During the night of the 22nd, the American troops bivouacked at their respective positions without fires, and lay on their arms. Long before daybreak on the following morning, they were aroused from their slumbers to prepare for the coming contest. The day dawned beautifully. The sky was clear and cloudless. The sunlight streamed over the distant mountain tops, bathing hill and rock, ravine and plain, forest and Chaparral, in a rich flood of golden radiance. The cool breeze that swept through the valley was welcomed by many a feverish brow; and it rested softly on many a manly cheek, glowing with hope and enthusiasm, that was cold in death ere the shadows of evening stole along the western hills. There were throbbing bosoms and anxious hearts in that little army; but few among them all were faint in spirit, or dreaded the encounter.

Apprehending that an attempt might be made on Saltillo by the detachment under General Miñon, which had been visible all day in rear of the town, and that the force stationed there would be unable to resist it, General Taylor had returned in the evening of the 22nd, with the Mississippi regiment, and the squadron of the. 2nd dragoons, to make further preparations for its defence. Two companies of the Mississippi rifles under Captain Rogers, and one piece from Bragg's battery under Captain Shover, were left to protect the train and head-quarter camp. In the morning of the 23rd the general returned to the field with the remainder of the Mississippi regiment and the dragoons. Before he arrived upon the ground the battle had commenced.

The action was opened on the extreme left of the American line, by the Mexican light troops, and the riflemen who had again moved up the mountains. Major Trail was soon after detached with three companies of the 2nd Illinois to the assistance of Colonel Marshall. The united command bravely maintained their ground against the superior force under General Ampudia, which attempted to drive them from their position. About eight o'clock Santa Anna put in motion his main columns of attack; the divisions of Lombardini and Pacheco, with a portion of the cavalry under Juvera, and a twelve-pounder battery, advancing on the left of the American line, in order to gain the elevated ground; and a strong column of attack under Mora y Villamil, with three pieces of artillery, moving along the road towards the centre. A battery of eight-pounders, consisting of eight pieces, was planted on the crest of a hill near the road where the different columns were formed for the attack, and General Ortéga remained in command of a strong reserve.

The column advancing against the centre was checked in a few moments by a rapid fire from Washington's battery, which opened wide gaps in the opposing ranks. The enemy broke and retired. The lancers were interposed to prevent the retreat, and drive the infantry forward. But they could better meet the spear-points of their countrymen, than the scathing torrent that poured down that roadway. Retreating in confusion they joined the column moving towards the American left. In this quarter the attack was more successful. The heavy Mexican battery was pushed to the foot of the heights which the light troops had ascended, and their cavalry and infantry, advancing up the bed of a ravine in front of the American line, soon gained a position on the plateau. The battle now commenced in earnest. The 2nd Indiana sustained themselves for a short time without faltering, and Lieutenant O'Brien opened a vigorous fire which mowed down the enemy in scores. His guns were advanced. Once more the Mexican line began to waver, and the infantry were again driven forward by the lancers. A single bold and vigorous onset would have secured the victory. General Lane urged his men to stand firm — to push upon the enemy. But the fire was too terrible. The Indiana regiment reeled to and fro like a drunken man. They staggered back and retired from the field in confusion, at the moment when General Taylor arrived from Saltillo. Captain Lincoln, assistant adjutant-general in the staff of General Wool, lost his life in attempting to rally the fugitives. Major Dix, of the Pay Department, also dashed forward, and snatching the colors of the regiment, he called upon the men to stand by them to the last. General Lane, though severely wounded, exhorted and entreated them to follow him to victory or to death.^[18] All efforts were in vain. A portion of of them were rallied and joined the Mississippi regiment, doing good service throughout the day; of the remainder, some retired to the hacienda of Buena Vista, and others to Saltillo.

The riflemen and cavalry under Colonel Marshall, being thus cut off from the centre, retreated in good order in the direction of Buena Vista. Lieutenant O'Brien maintained the ground with his guns, until all his cannoneers were killed or wounded; but being deprived of his support, he was forced to retire, leaving one of his pieces, the horses attached to which were either killed or disabled, in the hands of the enemy. The 2nd Illinois at once became exposed to the enfilading fire of the heavy battery. Eight regiments of Mexican infantry came down upon them, and they were forced temporarily to take shelter behind the ravines. Sections of Sherman's battery, under Lieutenants Thomas and French, advanced to their assistance. The 2nd Kentucky regiment, and Captain Bragg's battery, had already been ordered from the right, and, in connection with the 1st and 2nd Illinois, and the sections of Sherman's battery, they drove back the enemy in handsome style, and regained possession of a portion of the plateau. The Mexican columns were compelled to hug the mountain more closely, and their immense hosts began to pour along its base to the rear of the American line. Here they were met by the Mississippi rifles, who came into action in double-quick time. As a column of the enemy's infantry, flanked by their cavalry, moved down the slopes towards the road, Colonel Davis hastened to meet them. His men were halted only when within range of their rifles, and were then ordered to "fire advancing." The front lines of the enemy fell before them. They too suffered severely, but they pressed boldly forward, crossing a deep ravine under a galling fire, until a body of cavalry attempted to gain their rear, when they retired slowly, and after dispersing the lancers, formed again behind the ravine which they had first crossed.

The enemy's battery had been constantly playing upon the front and centre, but its fire was now turned upon the position occupied by the Mississippi regiment. Lieutenant Kilburn, with one piece from Bragg's battery, was ordered to this point, where a new line of battle, forming a crotchet perpendicular to the first line, was taken up. The 3rd Indiana regiment, under Colonel J. H. Lane, accompanied by General Lane, also advanced to redeem the character of the state to which they belonged. This was bravely done. Daring and repeated efforts were made by the enemy against this portion of the line, but they were as often repulsed. At length a large body of cavalry debouched from their cover on the left of the position. The Mississippi regiment immediately filed to the right and fronted across the plain, while the 3rd Indiana formed on the bank of a ravine, and in advance of the right flank of the Mississippians, by which a re-entering angle was presented to the enemy. The Mexican lancers came dashing onward, in close and beautiful order. Captain Sherman now arrived with two pieces from his battery. The American soldiers were firm and steady as experienced veterans, and when the enemy came within thirty yards, a broad sheet of flame flashed from the entire line. Whole masses of men and horses were seen to fall upon the plain. The enemy were instantly checked and thrown into confusion. The Americans advanced, still pouring forth their withering volleys. Captain Bragg also brought his battery round to this position, and commenced raining deadly showers of grape upon the Mexicans, as they retreated for shelter to the gorges and ravines near the mountains. Lieutenant Rucker, at the head of the squadron of 1st dragoons, Captain Steen having been wounded when the left flank was turned, was ordered to move up a ravine and charge them. Before this was done, the order was countermanded, and he was directed to join Lieutenant Colonel May, who was advancing with his squadron of the 2nd dragoons, a squadron of Arkansas horse under Captain Pike, and Lieutenant Reynolds with a section of Sherman's battery, to check the enemy's cavalry, from the head of their column on the left, who were threatening a descent on the hacienda of Buena Vista, near which the train of supplies and baggage had been parked.

Before Lieutenant Colonel May had reached the ground, Colonels Marshall and Yell had encountered the enemy with the Kentucky and Arkansas cavalry. The order to charge was given on both sides at the same instant. Like knights at the tourney they sprang forward to do their devoir. The squadrons met in the centre of the plain. They were interlocked; lances and sabres were shivered; and they grappled each other in the death-embrace. The shock was dreadful; Colonel Yell fell among the foremost; but his fall was fearfully avenged.^[19] The fight was of short duration. The rifle battalions under Majors Trail and Gorman, and a portion of the Indiana infantry which had retreated, were formed under the direction of Major Munroe, chief of artillery, and Major Morrison of the volunteer staff. The enemy did not wait to meet this additional force. Their column divided; one part retreating to the mountains, and the other dashing through the hacienda, where they received a galling fire from the riflemen and infantry. Lieutenant Colonel May had at this moment come up, and aided with his command in completing the rout of this portion of the lancers.

The whole Mexican column which had turned the American left were now in a critical position. On one flank the regular dragoons, the Kentucky and Arkansas cavalry, Lieutenant Reynolds' section of artillery, and the rallied men under Majors Trail and Gorman, and on the other the batteries of Sherman and Bragg, and the 3rd Indiana and Mississippi regiments, were advancing to complete their destruction. Behind them was the wall of mountains, and before them a band of determined men, firm as the hills which looked down upon their valor, whose messengers of death were sending so many of their number to their last account. They faced about to retrace their steps, exposing their right flank to the American fire, but caring only to reach some place of safety. Just as they commenced their retreat, a white flag was seen approaching from the Mexican head-quarters. Its bearer delivered a message from Santa Anna to General Taylor, requesting to know what the latter wanted. General Wool was ordered to the enemy's lines, to demand the immediate surrender of the column cut off from the main body, and the American soldiers slackened their fire.

General Wool soon learned that the Mexican commander had practised a ruse. He was unable to induce the enemy to stop the fire of their battery, and returned without having an interview with Santa Anna. The retreating column had in the meantime taken advantage of the pause in the fire, and the configuration of the ground, and were no longer in immediate danger. As they came opposite the American centre, the 1st and 2nd Illinois, the 2nd Kentucky, and Lieutenant O'Brien with two guns from Washington's battery, moved forward to terminate the contest by a vigorous charge. The movement was unfortunate, and again the tide of battle turned. Resolved to make one more final and desperate struggle for the mastery, Santa Anna had already ordered up his reserves, and his batteries redoubled their fire. The reinforcements marched up the ravine in front of the original line of battle, as the Americans were advancing, and formed at the base of the mountains, in connection with the column which had retreated. Against so powerful an host that little phalanx could not have been expected to prevail. Borne down before this overwhelming array which came so unexpectedly upon them, the infantry retired down the smaller ravines to the road. The lancers followed close upon them, slaughtering indiscriminately those who lay helpless beneath their horses' hoofs, those who were willing to surrender, and those who died with a note of defiance on their lips. Colonels Hardin and McKee, and Lieutenant Colonel Clay, were among the slain. Lieutenant Colonel Clay was not mortally wounded, and his men endeavored to carry him from the ground. Seeing so many falling around him, he begged to be laid down upon the field, where he died fighting bravely to the last. A prompt fire from Washington's battery upon the lancers, as they attempted to follow the American infantry into the road, put an end to the pursuit.

Meanwhile Lieutenant O'Brien had never ceased his fire. Two horses were shot under him, and a second time were all his cannoneers cut down. The enemy seemed goaded to desperation, and continued to press forward. Still he remained firmly by his guns, and never left them until the Mexicans were at their muzzles. Both pieces were captured and taken from the field. The crisis of the action had arrived. The centre of the American line was almost forced. But

DEATH OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL HENRY CLAY.

relief was nigh. Captain Bragg hurried forward with his battery at a gallop, and reached the plateau before all was lost. Without any infantry to support him he opened his fire within a few yards of the Mexican line.^[20] General Taylor had also arrived upon this part of the field, which he saw must be maintained at any cost, and his presence served to animate the men. The enemy wavered, but recovered; additional quantities of grape were forced into the American guns; again the Mexicans staggered back, but they rallied once more, like some giant in the last agony struggling with the destroyer death. At this time Sherman had brought his battery to bear upon them, and the 3rd Indiana and Mississippi regiments advanced upon their right flank. Neither man nor horse could stand before that iron torrent, which swept the plain as with the besom of destruction. Repulsed, routed, and in disorder, they abandoned the contest.

As soon as the action commenced at Buena Vista, in the morning of the 23rd, a demonstration was made on the redoubt and encampment at Saltillo, by the lancers under General Miñon. Major Warren had directed the streets to be barricaded, and three of his companies were thrown into the cathedral. Captain Webster opened upon the enemy with his twenty—four pounder howitzers, as soon as they came within range, and drove them beyond the reach of his shells, with the loss of several men and horses. They succeeded, however, in occupying the road south of the town, and picked up a number of fugitives from the principal field. Between two and three o'clock they began to move towards their former position, when Captain Shover advanced upon them at a gallop, with a six-pounder, in the open plain, and poured his shot into the flank of the column. A number of teamsters and fugitives from the battle-ground now joined him, and he pressed forward. The enemy retired behind a hill, and prepared to charge down upon him as he ascended it; but by moving his piece to the right he gained a favorable position, and a single shot dispersed them. Meanwhile Captain Webster had ordered Lieutenant Donaldson with one gun from the redoubt to the assistance of Captain Shover. Both pieces were brought to bear upon the retiring column, when they broke, and fled up the base of the mountain to their encampment. In the morning they were seen retiring through the Palames pass, and did not make their appearance again on the Saltillo plain.

The battle of Buena Vista does not require words of commendation. The facts are of themselves eloquent. The pass of Angostura, the plain upon which the bravery of those volunteers, many of whom had never before been in action, was tested, and the hills which flank it, will be a perpetual monument. Less than five thousand men, not five hundred of whom were regulars, with fourteen pieces of artillery, maintained their position, though the ravines around them streamed with their blood, from early dawn until set of sun.^[21] Sometimes the (lay seemed almost lost, and General Taylor was advised by several of his officers to retire to a new position. This could never have been done with volunteers. There was but one alternative: they must "fight where they stood, or surrender. Had they been regulars, there would have been more unanimity in their efforts; but it may have been fortunate that they were otherwise. Many of them looked upon the contest as a personal matter, and being unable to appreciate the disadvantages which an experienced soldier would have instantly remarked, so long as they were whole and unharmed, there was no immediate danger. The Mexican troops were wearied and hungry, and in some degree dispirited; yet they literally fought for their bread, and this, too, with the ferocity of wolves, and an energy bordering upon despair.

The loss sustained by the American army on this occasion was dreadfully severe. Seven hundred and twenty-three, nearly one-sixth of the whole number engaged, were either killed or wounded, and there were twenty-three missing. The Mexican loss was between fifteen hundred and two thousand.^[22] The American officers were not behind their men in the exhibition of zeal and bravery. There were three hundred and thirty-four in the battle, sixty-nine of whom, more than one-fifth, were killed or wounded.^[23] Generals Taylor and Wool were often exposed during the day to the severest fire. Colonel Whiting, assistant quartermaster-general, Colonels Churchill and Belknap, inspectors-general, Major Mansfield of the engineers, Major Munroe, chief of artillery, Major Bliss, assistant adjutant-general, and Captain Eaton, and Lieutenants Garnett and McDowell, aids-de-camp, were conspicuous for their gallantry.

It was late in the afternoon of the 23rd, when Santa Anna finally withdrew his men from the field. The American line had been turned in the morning, but the ground then lost was now entirely recovered. Night once more fell upon that valley; wood could not be procured, and again the soldiers bivouacked at their posts without fires, though the mercury stood below the freezing point. They expected that the contest would be renewed in the morning, but they were ready for the attack. The wounded were removed to Saltillo. Seven fresh companies were drawn from the town, and General Marshall was rapidly coming up with a reinforcement of Kentucky cavalry, and four heavy guns under Captain Prentiss, of the 1st artillery, having made a forced march from the pass of Rinconada, on the road to Monterey. When the morning light broke in upon the American soldiers, their eyes were turned towards the Mexican encampment. The enemy were no longer to be seen; they had vanished in the darkness. It was soon ascertained that Santa Anna had fallen back to Agua Nueva. No pursuit was ordered by General Taylor, as his men had not

yet recovered from their weariness and exhaustion. An exchange of prisoners was negotiated on the 24th, and completed on the following day. On the 26th the Mexican army commenced a disastrous retreat, leaving large numbers of their wounded to be cared for by General Taylor's army. The Americans resumed their position at Agua Nueva on the 27th of February. Colonel Belknap was dispatched with a command to Encarnacion, on the 1st of March, and found the roadside strewed with the dead and dying of the discomfited host hurrying onward to San Luis Potosi, with a dark cloud of vultures hovering constantly on their track.^[24]

While the American and Mexican armies were contending on the field of Buena Vista, General Urrea and his cavalry made their appearance in the valley of the San Juan. They arrived before Marin at noon on the 23rd of February, and threatened an attack upon the force at that place, which consisted of three companies of the 2nd Ohio infantry under Lieutenant Colonel Irvin. Information was immediately sent to Monterey that the post was in danger, and Colonel Ormsby, of the Louisville Legion, then in command in that town,^[25] promptly dispatched Major Shepherd with three companies and two pieces of artillery, to the relief of Lieutenant Colonel Irvin. The advance guard of Major Shepherd encountered the enemy on the road, and a slight skirmish took place. The pieces were discharged upon the right and left, and a volley of musketry fired into the chaparral, when the detachment moved forward without interruption, and reached Marin in the morning of the 25th. Several skirmishes had already taken place, but the enemy retired on the arrival of the reinforcement.

Meanwhile Colonel Morgan, of the 2nd Ohio volunteers, was advancing with eight companies of his regiment, about two hundred men, from Seralvo. He had received instructions from General Taylor on the 23rd, to concentrate his regiment at that point, and march to Monterey forthwith. He left Seralvo in the morning of the 24th, and in the evening was met by a courier, who informed him that a most atrocious act of barbarity had just been committed by a portion of the force commanded by General Urrea; that a wagon-train under the escort of Lieutenant Barbour, with forty men, had been surrounded near Ramos; and that the soldiers had been killed or taken prisoners, and the wagoners butchered. He proceeded on his march during the night, and at two o'clock in the afternoon of the 25th reached the scene of the disaster, where he found the bodies of between forty and fifty of the wagoners horribly mutilated, some of them having been staked to the ground and cut to pieces, the wagons burning, and several of the dead bodies consuming in the flames. The march was continued to Marin, which was found nearly deserted, Lieutenant Colonel Irvin having proceeded towards Monterey upon the arrival of Major Shepherd. At eleven o'clock at night on the 25th the camp-fires of the enemy were seen in the distance, and in an hour Colonel Morgan was again upon the road. On the morning of the 26th, when within a mile and a half of Agua Frio, his flankers reported the enemy to be in force in the chaparral on either side of the road. Forming his men in a square he resumed his march, after driving back a small body of Mexicans who made their appearance on his flanks. A short distance beyond Agua Frio the enemy again appeared, full eight hundred strong; and a constant firing was kept up until the detachment approached San Francisco. Clouds of lancers hovered around, threatening to sweep down upon the small force and overthrow them in an instant. Lieutenant Stevens was now dispatched to overtake Lieutenant Colonel Irvin. Dashing through the enemy who occupied the chaparral flanking both sides of the road, he came up with him at Walnut Springs. The latter at once returned, with one hundred and fifty men and two field-pieces, and joined his regiment in a few hours, dislodging a body of the enemy from their ambush as he advanced in front. In the meantime Colonel Morgan had repulsed a vigorous charge made upon his front and flanks, and on being joined by the reinforcement he ordered an attack. An animated action took place, which continued for a few minutes, when the enemy retreated in confusion, having lost upwards of fifty men in killed and wounded. The American loss was five killed, among whom was Captain Graham, assistant quartermaster, and one wounded. The detachment was not molested again on the route to Monterey.

On the 5th of March, Major Giddings, of the 1st Ohio regiment, with a mixed command of two hundred and sixty men, and two pieces of artillery, escorting a large wagon-train, and Major Coffee and Lieutenant Crittenden, bearers of dispatches, left Monterey for Camargo. On the 7th, he was attacked by the Mexican lancers and rancheros under Generals Urrea and Romero, who completely surrounded his command. The wagon-train was ordered to be parked in the centre, as well as it could be done considering its extent. One company was posted in the rear with a single piece of artillery, and the remainder of the force, with the other gun, were in front. The enemy succeeded in breaking through the train; a number of the drivers deserted their teams; and the frightened mules sprang from the road into the chaparral. Forty wagons were captured by the Mexicans and burned.^[26] A warm fire was kept up from the front; but the rear-guard was in extreme danger. A parley was sounded, and a surrender demanded. This was not to be entertained a single moment. Captain Bradley cut his way through to the rear with eighty men, and the whole train was soon re-united. The enemy could make no further impression, and withdrew towards Seralvo. Early on the 8th, Major Giddings entered the town, and found that the Mexicans had evacuated it in the night. Here he awaited the arrival of Colonel Curtis, who had left Camargo several days previous with 1,200 men, in order to obtain a new supply of ammunition. Colonel Curtis reached Seralvo on the 12th, and Major Giddings resumed his march, arriving at Camargo on the 15th.

Colonel Curtis continued on his way to Monterey, attempting in vain to come up with the enemy, until the 18th instant, when he was met near Marin by General Taylor, with Lieutenant Colonel May's dragoons and Bragg's artillery, also in pursuit of Urrea. The general had left Agua Nueva, General Wool remaining in command of the forces in that quarter, as soon as he heard of the outrages which had been committed. The pursuit was continued by the united force, but Urrea eluded them by retiring beyond the mountains. General Taylor returned to Monterey, and on the 31st of March issued a proclamation to the inhabitants of Tamaulipas, New Leon and Coahuila, reminding them of the manner in which the war had so far been conducted on his part, and of the respect paid to their persons and property so long as they remained neutral; but, inasmuch as many of them had been concerned in the destruction of the wagon-trains, and the pillage of their contents, he demanded an indemnification to be forthwith made—each district, or juzgado, being required to pay its due proportion. The assessments were made, and payment enforced. No further outrages of this character were committed, and General Taylor again established his head-quarters at Walnut Springs, leaving General Wool still in command at Saltillo and its vicinity.

 

---

 

1. "You may imagine how we are situated here with respect to the approach of the invaders.⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠ Who can tell what will be our fate?- — yet we have 25,000 men more or less, 52 pieces of artillery, 24-pounders, and below, in excellent condition, an incredible quantity of powder, and ball of every calibre." — Letter of correspondent of El Locomotor, (Vera Cruz,) dated at San Luis, 14th November, 1846.
2. Letter of General Taylor to the Adjutant General, September 6, 1845.
3. House of Rep. Exec. Doc. 119, (pp. 84, 88), 2nd Session, 29th Congress.
4. Allusion has been heretofore made to this controversy (ante, p. 94). It appears to have been mainly of a personal character, and one reflecting little credit or honor on those concerned, though proving, very conclusively, that our military and civil officers, no matter how high their station, are not exempt from the passions and prejudices which sometimes afflict those who move in a humbler sphere. For the particulars of the difference, see Appendix to the Congressional Globe, 1845 — 6, pp. 650, et seq.; House of Rep. Exec. Doc. 119, 2nd session, 29th Congress; Senate Document, No. 1, 1st session, 30th Congress; and the correspondence between General Scott and the War Department communicated to the House of Representatives, March 90th and April 26th, 1848.
5. General Taylor expected that General Scott would be ordered to Mexico, and did not appear in the least disappointed when informed that this had been done. Indeed, it does not seem strange that this should be the case. At the commencement of the war there were a number of officers in the army superior in rank to General Taylor; but within a very few weeks after that time he stood second only to General Scott.
6. Projects of General Scott laid before the Secretary of War, October 27th, 1846, and November 12th, 16th, and 21st, of the same year.
7. "The President, several days since, communicated in person to you his orders to repair to Mexico, to take the command of the forces there assembled, and particularly to organize and set on foot an expedition to operate on the Gulf coast, if, on arriving at the theatre of action, you shall deem it to be practicable. It is not proposed to control your operations by definite and positive instructions, but you are left to prosecute them as your judgment, under a full view of all the circumstances, shall dictate." — Extract from the letter of the Secretary of War to General Scott, dated November 215t, 1846.
8. The ten regiment bill did not become a law until the 11th of February, 1847, partly in consequence of the attempt made to create the office of lieutenant general heretofore alluded to. (Ante, p. 95, note.) By the terms of the act, the President was authorized to equip one of the infantry regiments as voltigeurs, which was done. Under the law authorizing the selection of additional general officers, Gideon
9. "I am not coming, my dear general, to supersede you in the immediate command on the line of operations rendered illustrious by you and your gallant army. My proposed theatre is different. You may imagine it; and I wish very much that it were prudent, at this distance, to tell you all that I expect to attempt and hope to execute.⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠ But, my dear general, I shall be obliged to take from you most of the gallant officers and men, (regulars and volunteers,) whom you have so long and so nobly commanded. I am afraid that I shall, by imperious necessity — -the approach of yellow fever on the Gulf coast — reduce you, for a time, to stand on the defensive. This will be infinitely painful to you, and for that reason, distressing to me, But I rely upon your patriotism to submit to the temporary sacrifice with cheerfulness. N 0 man can better afford to do 50. Recent victories place you on the high eminence; and I even flatter myself that any benefit that may result to me, personally, from the unequal division of troops alluded to, will lessen the pain of your consequent inactivity." — Letter of General Scott to General Taylor, November 25th, 1846.
10. House of Rep. Exec. Dec. 119, (pp. 84, 89, 108) 53nd Session, 99th Congress.
11. Letters of General Taylor to the Adjutant General, January 15th and 27th, 1847. General Taylor did not anticipate that he would be required to part with more than four or five thousand of the troops under his command (Doc. 119, p. 9-1); but very magnanimously made the sacrifice when the exigencies of the service required it.
12. Generals Patterson, Twiggs, Worth, Pillow, Quitman and Shields, accompanied General Scott, and Generals Butler, Wool, Marshall and Lane remained with General Taylor.
13. Beautiful View.
14. In addition to the forces above enumerated, General Taylor had under his command one company of Texan volunteers, and a spy company commanded by Major McCulloch. The two Indiana regiments formed a brigade under the command of General Lane.
15. It is questionable whether the withdrawal of so large a number of troops from the line of the Sierra Madre, formed the controlling reason for the advance of Santa Anna against General Taylor. Political considerations probably had far more influence. The army could have made the march to Vera Cruz, though a longer distance, with far less inconvenience; but he dared not lead them in the direction of the capital. It was said that the presence of so large a force at San Luis, under his orders, was dangerous to the liberties of the country, and the march towards the Gulf, to meet General Scott, Would have been the signal for a bloody revolution.
16. The accounts are very conflicting in relation to the strength of the Mexican army. In his official report of the battle at Buena Vista, Santa Anna states that the force with which he left San Luis Potosi, including garrisons and detachments, amounted to 18,133, and that his artillery train consisted of seventeen pieces. Another statement makes the army amount to over 531,000, with twenty-two pieces. The general orders issued on the 28th of January, at San Luis, (Senate Exec. Doc. No. l, 1st session, 29th Congress, p. 154,) and found on the battle ground at Buena Vista, show that there were twenty pieces of artillery. In his summons-to General Taylor, the Mexican commander said the forces under his orders numbered 20,000, including, doubtless, the detachment under General Minon, and perhaps that under Urrea; but he was more likely to exaggerate his strength than the contrary. General Miñon's cavalry brigade was 1,200 strong; General Urrea had an indefinite number of men, varying from two to three thousand; General Vasquez remained at Matchuala with a brigade of infantry as a corps de reserve; and the main body under Santa Anna probably did not much exceed 17,000 men. The following general officers accompanied the army; Alvarez, general-in-chief of cavalry; Lombardini, commander-in-chief of the infantry; Requena, general — in — chief of artillery; Mora y Villamil, chief of the engineers; Micheltorena, chief of the general staff; and Generals R. Vasquez, Torrejon, Ampudia, Andradé, Juvera, Quintamar, Miñon, (detached,) Jaurequi, Conde, Pacheco, Gancia, Ortéga, Mejia, Flores, Guzman, Mora, and Romero.
17. The correspondence between Santa Anna and General Taylor was remarkable for its boastful tone on the one hand, and its emphatic brevity on the other. It was as follows: —

    Summons of Santa Anna.

    "You are surrounded by twenty thousand men, and cannot in any human probability avoid suffering a rout, and being cut to pieces with your troops; but as you deserve consideration and particular esteem, I wish to save you from a catastrophe, and for that purpose give you this notice in order that you may surrender at discretion, under the assurance that you-will be treated with the consideration belonging to the Mexican character, to which end you will be granted an hour's time to make up your mind, to commence from the moment when my flag of truce arrives in your camp.

    "With this view, I assure you of my particular consideration. "God and Liberty. Camp at Encanada, February 22, 1847.

    "Anto. Lopez de Santa Anna.
    ⁠"To General Z. Taylor.
    Commanding the forces of the U. S."

    Reply of General Taylor.

    "Head-quarters. Army of Occupation,
    

    Near Buena Vista, Feb. '22, 1847.

    "Sir: — In reply to your note of this date, summoning me to surrender my force at discretion, I beg leave to say that I decline acceding to your request" With high respect, I an., sir,

    "Your obedient servant,⁠Z. Taylor,
    

    "Major General, U. S. A. Comm'g.
    "Señor Gen. D. Anto. Lopez de Santa Anna,
    Commanding in chief, Encantada."
18. General Lane was completely carried away with enthusiasm, and closed his eloquent and impassioned appeal to the retreating soldiers, by reminding them what a glorious thing it would be to have it said in history, that "the whole Indiana regiment were cut to pieces!" Posthumous fame seemed of little value at such a time, and his entreaties were lost upon them. He was too brave a soldier to offer an apology for their retreat; but in his official report there is one fact stated, which should never be forgotten when their conduct is called in question. He says: "The 2nd regiment of my command which opened the battle on the plain, in such gallant style, deserves a passing remark. I shall attempt to make no apology for their retreat; for it was their duty to stand or die to the last man until they received orders to retire; but I desire to call your attention to one fact connected with this affair. They remained in their position, in line, receiving the fire of 3,000 or 4,000 infantry in front, exposed at the same time on the left flank to a most desperate raking fire from the enemy's battery, posted within pointblank shot, until they had deliberately discharged twenty rounds of cartridges at the enemy."
19. The wounds inflicted by the Mexican lancers were severe. Some of them seemed to take great delight in torturing the wounded and the dying. The body of Adjutant Vaughn, of the Kentucky cavalry, who fell in this charge, contained no less than fourteen wounds: more than one half of which were mortal.
20. In reply to Captain Bragg's request to be furnished with a supporting party, General Taylor, turning to the chief of his staff, said — "Major Bliss and I will support you!" and immediately galloped forward. When the enemy appeared inclined to persist in their advance, the general gave his celebrated order — "A little more grape, Captain Bragg!" — Words which will long be remembered in connection with the events of that day.
21. General Taylor's total strength, exclusive of the force at Saltillo, was 4,759. The regulars engaged, deducting the general staff, numbered only 476. Most of his guns were of small calibre.
22. Santa Anna, in his official report, represents his loss to have been 1,500. The number of prisoners taken by the Americans was 294. General Lombardini was severely wounded.
23. There were twenty-eight officers killed in the battle, viz.; Captain Lincoln, assistant adjutant-general; Lieutenants Moore and McNulty, Mississippi rifles; Colonel Hardin, Captain Zabriskie, and Lieutenant Houghton, 1st Illinois; Captain Woodward, Lieutenants Rountree, Fletcher, Ferguson, Robbins, Kelley, Steele, Bartleson, Atherton, and Price, 2nd Illinois; Lieutenants Campbell and Leonhard, Texas volunteers; Captains Kinder and Walker, and Lieutenant Parr, 2nd Indiana; Captain Taggart, 3rd Indiana; Colonel McKee, Lieutenant Colonel Clay, and Captain Willis, 2nd Kentucky; Colonel Yell and Captain Porter, Arkansas cavalry; and Adjutant Vaughn, 1st Kenlucky cavalry.
24. The capture of three pieces of artillery, and a few company marking-flags, were the only trophies borne from the field by Santa Anna; but these were pointed to as affording conclusive evidence that the victory had been won by the Mexican army. General Taylor was not moved from his original position; yet the Mexican commander declared that he would have done this if his army had not been almost destitute of food and water. A few more such victories might have caused General Taylor to repeat the lamentation of Pyrrhus, but Santa Anna never could have entered Saltillo except as a prisoner of war. There was food in plenty behind the American lines, and why did he not take it? He knew he lacked the power, and hence his retreat, to which he applied the milder term of "countermarch," was ordered.
25. General Butler had returned to the United States, under the advice of his physicians, on account of his wound received at the storming of Monterey, from which he did not recover for a long time. Most of the balls used by the Mexicans were of copper, and very poisonous in their effect, especially in that warm climate.
26. One of the wagons burned contained a large quantity of ammunition which exploded, and killed or wounded ten of the enemy. After that time they were more careful how they attempted to make a bonfire of such combustible materials.