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 NEW. YORK: 
 D. APPLETON & CO., 200 BROADWAY. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 GEO. S. APPLETON, 148 CHESNUT-STREET. 
 
 MDCCCXLVin. 
 
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 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847, 
 
 Bv D. AppLETON & Company, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New-York. 
 
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 PREFACE 
 
 The progress of the present eventful contest with 
 Mexico has been fruitful of romantic and thrilling inci- 
 dents. For ages preceding there have occurred no events 
 in our history of so striking and brilliant a character. 
 Many of these are mere episodes — actions in which a 
 few individuals only were concerned, — and some are of 
 a touching, almost a domestic nature. The record of 
 the less important incidents of a great national war is 
 apt to perish. It is fugitive in its nature, and is speedily 
 lost, if not seized at the moment, and placed in a per- 
 manent form. 
 
 To rescue many of these anecdotes, incidents and 
 personal traits from oblivion, ar ' give them a permanent 
 form by uniting them with (• le sketches of the great 
 events and characters of the^^^|Js the purpose of the 
 A.merican Gift Book. 
 
4 PREFACE. 
 
 The mention of the subject reminds us of the lead- 
 ing character of the time — the indomitable hero of Fort 
 Harrison, Okee-chobee, Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, 
 Monterey, and Buena Vista. To celebrate his actions, 
 and portray his splendid traits, is glory enough for any 
 volume. To him, if our book has any interest, the credit 
 is due ; for he acts the history, and the romance too, 
 which a thousand pens are emulous to write. 
 
 Long live Old Rough and Ready ! 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 
 Page 
 
 General Taylor ..... 
 
 . 13 
 
 General Taylor at Fort Harrison 
 
 20 
 
 Battle of Okee-chobee .... 
 
 . 24 
 
 Gallant Action of Captain Thornton on the Rio Grande . 
 
 37 
 
 Battle of Palo Alto .... 
 
 . 39 
 
 Battle of Resaca de la Palma .... 
 
 45 
 
 Matamoras, on the Night of May 9th, 1846 
 
 . 50 
 
 Palo Alto and Resaca . , . . • 
 
 53 
 
 Colonel May . . . . • 
 
 . 54 
 
 Death of Major Ringgold .... 
 
 58 
 
 Reflections on Mexico .... 
 
 . 59 
 
 Resaca de la Palma ..... 
 
 67 
 
 Brigadier General Worth .... 
 
 . 69 
 
 General Worth at Monterey .... 
 
 75 
 
 Monterey ...••• 
 
 . 81 
 
 Fall of Colonel Watson at the Storming of Monterey 
 
 82 
 
 Army Scenes in Mexico .... 
 
 . 8G 
 
 The City of Monterey . . . • » 
 
 98 
 
 Graphic Account of the Battle of Buena Vista 
 
 , 100 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 
6 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 The Mississippians 
 
 General Wool 
 
 The Kentuckians at Buena Vista , 
 
 Buena Vista, By Capt. A. Pike 
 
 The Death of Colonel Yell 
 
 General Taylor at Buena Vista 
 
 General Twiggs 
 
 Captains O'Brien and Bragg at Buena Vista 
 
 The Field of Buena Vista 
 
 General Taylor's Visit to Arista's Hacienda 
 
 Old Tom, Colonel May's War Horse 
 
 An Incident of the Battle Field 
 
 Rio Bravo, A Mexican Lament . 
 
 Kit Carson 
 
 Vera Cruz 
 
 Bombardment of Vera Cruz 
 
 Capitulation of Vera Cruz , 
 
 Applying to the Boss 
 
 General Scott 
 
 Remember the Alamo 
 
 Slavery in Mexico 
 
 Fire Away ! 
 
 The Battle of Cerro Gordo 
 
 The Friar Jarauta 
 
 The Two Follies . 
 
 Colonel Donipharfs March . 
 
 The Rio Grande . 
 
 The Prisoners of Encamacion 
 
 Capture of Tabasco 
 
 Page 
 U2 
 
 . 114 
 
 122 
 
 125 
 
 128 
 
 129 
 
 131 
 
 134 
 
 137 
 
 140 
 
 144 
 
 148 
 
 151 
 
 153 
 
 168 
 
 173 
 
 177 
 
 178 
 
 182 
 
 191 
 
 192 
 
 195 
 
 196 
 
 199 
 
 201 
 
 207 
 
 217 
 
 220 
 
 228 
 
CONTENTS. 7 
 
 Pagk 
 War 238 
 
 The Battle of Huajutla ..... 239 
 
 A Soldier's Letter to his Mother .... 245 
 General Lane's Description of the Battle of Buena Vista . 250 
 
 Affecting Incident . . . . . .261 
 
EMBELLISHMENTS. 
 
 STEEL PLATES. 
 
 ARTIST. ENGRAVER. PAGE. 
 
 Portrait of Gen. Worth Feuderich Armstrong 1 
 
 Portrait of Col. May Van Loan Armstrong 54 
 
 Portrait of Gen. Wool W. Croome Armstrong 114 
 
 Portrait of Gen. Twiggs TV. Croome Armstrong 131 
 
 Portrait of Gen. Taylor Maj. Vinton- ... .Armstrong 140 
 
 Portrait of Gen. Scott Healy Armstrong 182 
 
 Portrait of Com. Conner Root Armstrong 173 
 
 Portrait of Gen. Shields Van Loan Armstrong 196 
 
 ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD. 
 
 Defence of Fort Harrison J. Emerson Minot 20 
 
 Battle of Okee-chobee Q. T. Devereux..J^. B. Vevereux..30 
 
 Gallant Action of Capt. Thornton — O, T. Devereux..H. Bricher 39 
 
 Gen. Taylor ordering Capt. May to i ^ m r, Aa 
 
 \ O. T.Devereux..O. T. Bevereux. .46 
 charge the Mexican battery ) 
 
 Death of Maj. Ringgold O- T. Devereux..H. Bricher 58 
 
 Gen. Worth at Monterey G. T. Devereux.O. T. Devereux. .75 
 
 Monterey (from the Bishop's Palace) 6. T. Devereux..O. T. Devereux. .98 
 
 Battle of Buena Vista W. Croome H. Bricher 110 
 
 Death of Col. Yell O. T. Devereux.. Minot 128 
 
 Col. May and his War-HoRse W. Croome Minot 144 
 
 Landing of the Troops at Vera Cruz . O. T. Devereux.. Minot 168 
 
AMERICAN GIFT BOOK 
 
THE 
 
 AMERICAN GIFT BOOK 
 
 GENERAL TAYLOR. 
 
 Major-General Zachary Taylor was bom on the 
 24th of November, 1784, in Orange County, Virginia. 
 While he was but a child, his father, Richard Taylor, 
 removed to Kentucky, at that tiniG an uninterrupted wil- 
 derness. In this place, amid scenes of wild sublimity, 
 daring adventure, and savage combat, young Zachary 
 passed his early days. The territory was then called 
 by the natives 'the dark and bloody ground,' and the tales 
 of burnings, and scalpings, and murder, which belong to 
 that period, show that it was not an undeserved title. 
 Used to these occurrences, Zachary soon acquired a de- 
 gree of activity and endurance, unknown to the young 
 men of a more congenial soil. It is said that on one 
 occasion he swam the Ohio River and back again, when 
 it was swelled with the floods of March ; and while at 
 school he was the champion of all his associates. 
 
 When he had arrived at his twenty-fourth year, the 
 news of the outrage on the Chesapeake roused the whole 
 country into indignation. Burning for revenge, the hardy 
 western men poured to the standard of their country, 
 eager for the commencement of hostilities. Among the 
 foremost of these was Taylor, who was received into the 
 
14 GENERAL TAYLORl 
 
 army as first lieutenant of the 7th infantry, on the 3d of 
 May, 1808. After the war commenced, and the surrender 
 of Hull had endangered all the northwestern frontier, 
 Taylor was ordered to the north, and entered the command 
 of General Harrison. Here he so distinguished himself 
 as to receive a commission of captaincy, and soon after 
 was intrusted with the command of a separate post. 
 This was Fort Harrison, a small stockade defence in the 
 territory of Indiana, garrisoned by only fifteen men who 
 were fit for duty ; the remainder of the command being 
 sick or disabled. Besides these, there were nine women 
 and children. 
 
 Before daylight on the morning of the 5th of Septem- 
 ber, 1812, the Miamies attacked the fort in great force, 
 firing a large block-house which formed part of the en- 
 trenchments ; and while the flames were raging, com- 
 menced with their rifles on the garrison. The block- 
 house was in flames before it was discovered, and the 
 sight appalled every heart except that of the commander. 
 It was well known that the fire was each moment open- 
 ing a road for the savages ; and this, with the certainty 
 of death by a cruel foe, the remembrance of their late 
 losses, and the eftects of recent sickness,, all heightened 
 by the screams of women and children, and the yells of 
 hundreds of Indians, made that night-scene awful to the 
 handful of men, who constituted the garrison. Two 
 leaped from the pickets and disappeared in the darkness, 
 and the remainder were so paralyzed that they would 
 scarcely listen to their commander. The gallant young 
 captain, however, was equal to the emergency. His 
 determination was, not to yield the fort whatever might 
 
GENERAL TAYLOR. 15 
 
 be the force of the enemy ; and he now ran from man to 
 man, unfolding his plan of defence, and exhorting them 
 to tear away the communications with the block-house, 
 so that its flames would not communicate with the other 
 buildings. By these exertions, he once more revived 
 their hope, and they rushed to work with all the alacrity 
 of renewed confidence. One party tore away every 
 thing adjoining the burning house, while at the same 
 time the remainder worked with almost incredible exer- 
 tion to advance a breastwork in front of the falling build- 
 ing, so as to supply its place and thus defeat the aim of 
 the Indians. Both were successful : the fort was saved, 
 and the enraged enemy, after shooting the cattle and 
 horses found in the neighborhood, sullenly retreated. 
 The garrison had but three men killed, including one 
 of the two who leaped the stockade in despair ; the other 
 got back to the fort, badly wounded. Disheartened by 
 this unlooked-for defence, the Indians made no further 
 attempt upon the fort. The garrison, however, suifered 
 extremely from scarcity of provisions, as all the raw 
 corn had been taken by the savages, besides the cattle 
 and horses. 
 
 For the brave defence of Fort Harrison, Captain Tay- 
 lor received the brevet rank of major, dated from the day 
 of attack. This was the first brevet ever conferred in 
 the American army. When the war closed, Taylor still 
 remained in the army, improving himself not only in 
 military tactics, but also in various branches of general 
 knowledge. It is difficult, however, to trace his history 
 in the interim between the English and Florida wars ; the 
 life of a soldier is rarely conspicuous in time of peace. 
 
16 GENERALTAYLOR.' 
 
 Tlie dangers and horrors of the Florida war are fa- 
 miliar to every American. It was a period of dis- 
 appointment and mortification ; a lield where the strong 
 were made feeble, where numbers were almost use- 
 less, and the veteran of other iields had to learn war 
 again. Perhaps no nation with the comparative strength 
 of the United States, has ever fought another to so little 
 advantage ; and her numerous sons, whose bones now 
 moulder amid the swamps of that fatal region, bear 
 mournful witness to the cost of the Seminole war. 
 
 Taylor, however, was more fortunate than his brother 
 officers. Instead of being obliged to drag out a tedious 
 campaign, whose every advantage \vas with the enemy, 
 he succeeded in bringing them to a general engagement 
 in which they were defeated. The battle was fought 
 near a large lake called by the Indians Okee-Chobee. 
 In a dense forest of swamp and undergrowth, they were 
 posted near this lake, where they considered themselves 
 so secure as to send a challenge to Colonel Taylor to 
 fight them if he wished. On the 2bth of December, in 
 the at^ernoon, the Americans reached the opposite shore 
 of the lake, at^er a most tiresome march, through 
 marshes, swamps, rivers, and dense forests. The ad- 
 vance guard experienced much difficulty in crossing, and 
 at the moment of landing received a galling lire from the 
 Indians, under which the commander, Colonel Gentry, 
 and several of his men, fell. The party broke in terror, 
 and rushed through the water, as far as the baggage, 
 which had been left .a great distance in the rear. The 
 Indians now poured from their thickets, confident of 
 similar success against the main body. Two infantry 
 
GENERAL TAYLOR. 17 
 
 companies advanced to meet them, and the conflict was 
 bloody and stubborn. Of five companies of the 6th in- 
 fantry, only one officer escaped unhurt, and one of these 
 companies had but four members uninjured. The fierce 
 charges of the Indians were, however, successfully re- 
 sisted ; they were repulsed again and again, and finally 
 driven in confusion through the woods, and along the 
 borders of the Okee-Chobee. The loss on both sides was 
 heavy, and altogether this may be considered as one of 
 the fiercest battles of the Florida war. 
 
 In speaking of this battle, Colonel Taylor said : " I 
 trust I may be permitted to say that 1 experienced 
 one of the most trying scenes of my life, and he who 
 could have looked on it with indifference, his nerves 
 must have been very differently organized from my own. 
 Besides the killed, there lay one hundred and twelve 
 wounded officers and soldiers, who had accompanied me 
 one hundred and forty-five miles, most of the way through 
 an unexplored wilderness, without guides ; who had so 
 gallantly beaten the enemy, under my orders, in his 
 strongest position ; and who had to be conveyed back 
 through swamps and hammocks, from whence we set 
 out, without any apparent means of doing so. This ser- 
 vice, however, was encountered and overcome, and they 
 have been conveyed thus far, and proceeded on to Tampa 
 Bay on rude litters constructed by the axe and knife 
 alone, with poles and dry hides — the latter being found 
 in great abundance at the encampment of the hostiles. 
 The litters were conveyed on the backs of our weak and 
 tottering horses, aided by the residue of the command, 
 with more ease and comfort to the sufferers than I could 
 
18 GENERAL TAYLOR. 
 
 have supposed possible ; and with as much as they could 
 have been in ambulances of the most improved and mod- 
 ern construction." 
 
 The bravery of Colonel Taylor was not unrewarded. 
 The brevet rank of brigadier-general was immediately 
 conferred upon him, and he was highly commended in 
 the annual report of the Secretary of War to Congress. 
 Soon after, he was intrusted with the chief command in 
 Florida, and established his head-quarters near Tampa 
 Bay. But the nature of his duties prevented his parti- 
 cipating in any other battle with the Indians, and in 1840 
 he was relieved from his arduous station by General 
 Armistead. General Taylor was ordered to take com- 
 mand of the southern division of the army, with which 
 he remained until the annexation of Texas to the United 
 States, when the relations with Mexico assuming a bel- 
 ligerent aspect, he was placed in command of the " Army 
 of Possession," which was destined to defend the newly 
 acquired territory against expected invasion. His ac- 
 tions subsequent to this, it is scarcely necessary to relate. 
 They are familiar to every one, and Palo Alto, Monterey 
 and Buena Vista are now household words, whose very 
 essence is praise and admiration to General Taylor. 
 
 In manners and address General Taylor is perfectly 
 frank and easy, and greatly enjoys the society of intelli- 
 gent friends. He is noted for his plainness, and want of 
 all affectation, and this quality endears him to both officers 
 and soldiers. Numerous incidents are related of him in 
 this respect ; his departure from Point Isabel en route for 
 Fort Brown was in a Jersey wagon, of ponderous materi- 
 als and questionable shape ; and the talk-loving deputies 
 
GENERAL TAYLOR. 19 
 
 of Mexico, have learned to preserve proper taciturnity in 
 his presence. This remarkable trait in a great military 
 man, must be carefully distinguished from the careless- 
 ness, which is merely its caricature, and by which many 
 individuals, with more enthusiasm than sound sense, have 
 absolutely slandered, although unwittingly, the man whom 
 they were laboring to praise. There never was a more 
 silly, childish sentiment, than that put into the General's 
 mouth at Buena Vista, concerning his white horse. 
 " Some officer," says report, " remarked that old Whitey 
 was rather too conspicuous an object for the General to 
 ride." "Oh!" replied Taylor, "the old fellow missed 
 the fun at Monterey, on account of a sore foot, and I am 
 determined that he shall have his share this time." 
 
 General Taylor is above such nonsense at any time ; 
 but amid the horrors of that battle-field, when death was 
 stalking among his bosom friends, as they lay panting at 
 his feet, his soul was attending to other interests than 
 the situation of his white horse. 
 
 While on this part of our subject we would refer to 
 the kindness of heart which has ever been a trait in the 
 General's character. The extract we have given from 
 his report of Okee-Chobee, is an excellent illustration. 
 It is not often that a military man will acknowledge to 
 his government, that his heart is moved by the scenes of 
 a recent victorious battle field ; yet Taylor does so with 
 a deep and solemn pathos. His letter to Henry Clay, 
 announcing the death of young Clay, is another illus- 
 tration; and anecdotes from private sources furnish nu- 
 merous others. It is evident that he takes no delight in 
 war; but that, if duty permitted, he would willingly 
 
20 TAYLOR AT FORT HARRISON. 
 
 resign his command, as did General Washington, and 
 retire to the substantial enjoyments of private life. It is 
 pleasing to contemplate the character of General Taylor. 
 Amid the bustle and wrestling and intriguing, the low 
 resorts and disgusting rejoicings of the politicians that 
 infest every public station of our country, the unruffled, 
 unambitious course of one man, forms a most refreshing 
 and wholesome relief Entitled to all honor, he asks 
 none ; worthy of the highest post that can be conferred, 
 he does not seek it ; almost idolized by an entire people, 
 his only ambition is to perform his duty. Although the 
 most distinguished man in the army, his personal appear- 
 ance is that of the poorest soldier ; and although the 
 theme of observation and remark to every beholder, he 
 appears not to know it. 
 
 GENERAL TAYLOR AT FORT HARRISON. 
 
 . The defence of Fort Harrison is interesting not only 
 on account of its display of military abilities, but as being 
 the first event of any importance in which Gen. Taylor 
 had an opportunity to display the qualities which have 
 since rendered him so conspicuous. It was an emer- 
 gency in which the young soldier carves out, in a great 
 degree, his future prospects ; either by unfolding talents 
 which will one day make him illustrious, or by exhibit- 
 ing a barrenness which will for ever bar his advance, 
 except by other means than those of merit. 
 
TAYLOR AT FORT HARRISON 
 
 21 
 
 Fort Harrison was a small stockade-work situated in 
 Indiana, which was at that time an unknown wilderness. 
 Its fortifications were an upper and a lower block-house, 
 and a main fort with two bastions. These, with a suffi- 
 cient garrison, would have been ample to resist any force 
 of the Indians; but sickness had so reduced the soldiers, 
 that at the arrival of Captain Taylor at the fort, he found 
 only fifteen men fit for service. 
 
 On the evening of the 3d of September, 1812, the 
 reports of four guns were heard at a short distance from 
 the fort. This was in the direction of a field where two 
 young men, citizens of the place, were making hay ; but 
 notwithstanding the apprehensions of the commander for 
 their safety, he did not think prudent to investigate the 
 matter that evening. Early on the following morning a 
 small party was despatched for that purpose, who soon 
 ascertained that their suspicions were but too true. Each 
 of the young men had been shot with two balls, and after- 
 wards Shetland scalped in a dreadful manner. They 
 were buried in the fort. 
 
 In the evening of the same day, about forty Indians 
 presented themselves to the garrison, and gave so unsa- 
 tisfactory an account of the object of their visit, that 
 Captain Taylor was convinced that they were but spies. 
 Accordingly he examined the men's arms, completed 
 their cartridges, and increased his guard. He then cau- 
 tioned the soldiers to be vigilant, and appointed an over- 
 seer over the whole. Having made these arrangements, 
 he was obliged to retire to rest, as he was extremely debi- 
 litated by a recent severe attack of fever. 
 
 About 11 o'clock the guns of one of the sentries broke 
 
22 TAYLOR AT FORT HARRISON. 
 
 upon the gloom, and the captain was immediately on his 
 feet. The fort was in confusion ; a large party of In- 
 dians had fired the lower block-house, and commenced 
 an attack. The men were ordered to throw water upon 
 the burning building, but so completely were they para- 
 lyzed by the sight of the flames and the yells of the In- 
 dians, that they ceased all eifort, and gave themselves up 
 for lost. At the same time the women and children 
 rushed in among the soldiers, uttering the most piercing 
 cries, which, united with the yells of hundreds of Indians, 
 the crackling of flames, and firing of muskets, made the 
 night terrible. Two men leaped the pickets in despair ; 
 all was uproar and distress. 
 
 Yet during the whole of this trying scene, young 
 Taylor maintained his self-possession ; and he alone 
 saved the fort. Passing from man to man, he reminded 
 them that their only chance of safety lay in action ; ex- 
 horting them at the same time to tear away the wood- 
 work between the burning building and the surrounding 
 ones, so that the former only would be consumed. His 
 coolness re-inspired the soldiers, they set to work with an 
 energy greater than their former supineness ; one part 
 threw on water, another tore away the roof, and a third 
 labored to complete a breastwork in advance of the block- 
 house, so that the gap opened by its destruction might be 
 immediately filled. Their labor was amply rewarded ; 
 the building was consumed without injuring others, and 
 its fall only made visible to the astonished savages a new 
 obstacle still more formidable than the block-house. Their 
 yells were now terrible, and they poured into the fort an 
 incessant shower of balls and arrows until six o'clock on 
 
TAYLOR AT FOKT HARRISON. 23 
 
 the morning of the 5th. They then withdrew from reach 
 of the garrison, drove up all the horses and hogs that 
 were. in the neighboring fields, and shot them in sight of 
 the fort. They also secured all the cattle belonging to 
 the Americans, thus cutting off the latter from their most 
 necessary food. No further molestation was given to 
 the garrison, and on the following morning the enemy 
 moved out of sight. 
 
 In this assault, the Americans lost three men killed 
 and three wounded. It is somewhat strange, that all 
 those who lost their lives, did so through carelessness or 
 disobedience to orders. The first was a little deranged, 
 and had been with the party who mounted the burning 
 building, on which he remained after all had been ordered 
 down. The second was in one of the bastions, and 
 having killed an Indian, he was so eager to inform his 
 companions that he neglected to stoop, and was imme- 
 diately shot. The third was one of those who leaped 
 the picket. He was caught by the Indians, and cut to 
 pieces. His companion was dreadfully mangled, but 
 succeeded in escaping to the fort. The assailants suf- 
 fered severely ; a considerable number were found on 
 the field, and they carried several away. 
 
 For some days after the attack the garrison suffered 
 severely from want of provisions, there being nothing 
 left them, save a very scanty allowance of green corn. 
 On the 16th they were relieved by Colonel Russel, who 
 reached the fort with six hundred mounted rangers, and 
 five hundred infantry. 
 
 For this spirited defence, Captain Taylor was re- 
 warded with the brevet rank of major, dating from the 
 
24 BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 
 
 4th of September. This was the first brevet ever con- 
 ferred in the American army. 
 
 BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 
 
 This battle was fought on the 25th of December, 
 1837, between the Americans, under Colonel Taylor, 
 and the Seminoles and Mickasukies, commanded by 
 their chiefs. Alligator and Sam Jones. The United 
 States army had now been in the Florida service for 
 two years, and the colonel commanded the first brigade, 
 stationed at Fort Gardner, south of the Withlacoochee. 
 On the 19th of December he received a communication 
 from Major-General Jesup, informing him that all hopes 
 of bringing the war to a close by negotiation, through 
 the interference or mediation of the Cherokee delegation, 
 were at an end, and that Sam Jones, with the Micka- 
 sukies, had determined to " fight to the last." It also 
 directed him to proceed with the least possible delay, 
 against any portion of the enemy he might hear of, and 
 to destroy or capture them. 
 
 The next morning after receiving this communica- 
 tion, the colonel left an adequate force under two officers 
 to protect the depot, and marched with the remainder of 
 his command, having with him but twelve days' rations, 
 his means of transportation not enabling him to carry 
 more. His force was composed of Captain Morris's 
 company of the fourth artillery, consisting of thirty-five 
 
BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 25 
 
 men ; the first infantry, under Colonel Davenport, one 
 hundred and ninety-seven strong ; the fourth infantry, 
 under Lieutenant-Colonel Foster, two hundred and seven- 
 ty-four ; the Missouri volunteers, one hundred and eighty ; 
 Morgan's spies, forty-seven ; and thirty pioneers, thir- 
 teen pontoniers, and seventy Delaware Indians ; making 
 in all, exclusive of officers, one thousand and thirty-two 
 men. The greater part of the Shawnees had been de- 
 tached, and the remainder refused to accompany him, 
 under pretext that many of them were sick, and the rest 
 without moccasins. 
 
 The army moved down the west side of the Kissim- 
 mee, in a southern course, towards Lake Istopoga. The 
 colonel was induced to take this route for several reasons. 
 He had learned that a portion of the enemy were in that 
 direction, and imagined that if General Jesup should fall 
 in with the Mickasukies, and drive them before him, they 
 might attempt to escape by crossing the Kissimmee, from 
 the east to the west side of the peninsula, between Fort 
 Gardner and its entrance into Okee-Chobee, in which 
 case he might be near at hand to intercept them. He 
 also wished to overawe such of the Indians as had been 
 making propositions to give themselves up, but had been 
 slow to fulfil their promise ; to erect block-houses and a 
 small picket- work on the Kissimmee, forty or fifty miles 
 below the fort, for a third depot. By this means he 
 hoped to obtain a knowledge of the country, as he had no 
 guide to rely on, and also to open a communication with 
 Colonel Smith, who was operating by his orders, up the 
 Caloosehatchee or Sanybel river. 
 
 In the evening of his first day's march, Colonel Tay- 
 2 
 
26 BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 
 
 lor met the Indian chief Jumper, with his family and a 
 part of his band, consisting of fifteen men, some of them 
 with families and a few negroes, on his way to deliver 
 himself up, in conformity to a previous arrangement with 
 the colonel. The whole consisted of sixty-three persons, 
 and were conducted by Captain Parks, a half-breed at 
 the head of the friendly Indians, both Shawnees and 
 Delawares. The army encamped that night near the 
 spot, and the next morning, having sent on Jumper and 
 his party to Fort Frazer, the colonel continued his 
 march, at the same time sending forward three Seminoles 
 to gain intelligence concerning the position of the enemy. 
 About noon of the same day he sent forward one battalion 
 of Gentry's regim.ent, under the command of Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Price, who was ordered "to pick up any strag- 
 glers that might fall in his way ; to encamp two or three 
 miles in advance of the main force ; to act with great 
 circumspection, and to communicate promptly any oc- 
 currence of importance that might take place in his vi- 
 cinity." 
 
 About ten o'clock in the morning, Taylor received a 
 note from Colonel Price, stating that the three Seminoles 
 sent forward in the morning had returned ; that they had 
 been near where Alligator had encamped, twelve or fif- 
 teen miles in advance of his present position ; that Alli- 
 gator had left there with a part of his family four days 
 before, under pretext of separating his friends and rela- 
 tives from the Mickasukies, preparatory to his surrender- 
 ing with them ; that there were several families remain- 
 ing at the camp referred to, who wished to give thems; Ives 
 up, and would remain there until Colonel Tavlor took 
 
BATTLE OF OKEE-CHQBEE. 27 
 
 possession of them, but who were in great danger of 
 being carried away that night by the Mickasukies, who 
 were encamped at no great distance from them. 
 
 In consequence of this intelligence Colonel Taylor 
 put himself at the head of his mounted men a little after 
 midnight, and after directing Lieutenant-Colonel Daven- 
 port to follow him early in the morning, he commenced 
 his march, joined Price, crossed Istopoga outlet, and soon 
 after daylight took position at the encampment referred 
 to, and had the satisfaction to find that the inmates, 
 amounting in all to twenty-two individuals, had not been 
 disturbed. One of their number informed him that Alli- 
 gator was anxious to deliver himself up ; and this indi- 
 vidual, who was an old man, was subsequently employed 
 on a mission to inform the chief that, if sincere in his 
 professions, he should have a conference next day at a 
 place designated on the Kissimmee. 
 
 Upon the arrival of Colonel Davenport with the in- 
 fantry, Colonel Taylor moved on to the place of meeting 
 with Alligator, near which, as he reached it late in the 
 evening, he encamped. At eleven o'clock the old Indian 
 returned, bringing a very equivocal message from Alli- 
 gator, whom, according to his report, he met accidentally. 
 He also stated that the Mickasukies were still encamped 
 on the opposite side of the river, where they had remain- 
 ed for some days, with a determination to fight the United 
 States troops. In this humor the colonel determined to 
 indulge them as soon as possible. Accordingly, the next 
 morning he took the old Indian for his guide, crossed the 
 Kissimmee, and reached Alligator's encampment, which 
 was situated on the edge of " Cabbage-Tree Hammock," 
 
28 BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 
 
 in the midst of a large prairie. From the appearance of 
 this and other encampments in the vicinity, together with 
 the many evidences of slaughtered cattle, it was evident 
 that the population must have numbered several hun- 
 dreds. 
 
 Before Taylor commenced this march he had laid out 
 a small stockade fort for the protection of a future depot, 
 and left the pioneers, pontoniers, eighty-five sick and dis- 
 abled infantry, and a portion of the friendly Indians, 
 together with all his artillery and heavy baggage, under 
 the protection of Captain Monroe. This enabled him to' 
 move much faster than if encumbered by wounded and 
 baggage, and brought him nearly on a level with his 
 wary enemy. 
 
 Soon after the arrival, the spies surprised another en- 
 campment situated at a small distance from the first, in 
 the midst of a swamp. It contained a small party of 
 young men, one old one, and some women and children, 
 who raised a white flag, and were taken prisoners. They 
 were Seminoles, and informed Colonel Taylor that the 
 Mickasukies, headed by A-vi-a-ka (Sam Jones) were at 
 the distance of about twelve miles, securely encamped 
 in a swamp, and prepared to fight. Upon receiving this 
 information the commander dismissed the old man, and 
 after making provision for those who came in, moved 
 forward under guidance of the Seminoles, toward the 
 camp of the Mickasukies. 
 
 Between the hours of two and three in the afternoon, 
 the army reached a very dense cypress swamp, through 
 which they passed with great difficulty, and under con- 
 tinual apprehension of an attack from a concealed foe. 
 
BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 29 
 
 The necessary dispositions for battle were arranged at 
 the same time ; but the soldiers crossed without gaining 
 sight of the enemy, and encamped for the night on the 
 opposite side. During the passage of the rear, Captain 
 Parks, who was in advance with a few friendly Indians, 
 encountered two of the enemy's spies, and succeeded in 
 capturing one of them who was on foot. He was a 
 young warrior of great activity, armed with an excellent 
 rifle, fifty balls in his pouch, and an adequate proportion 
 of powder. This Indian confirmed the information pre- 
 viously received from other prisoners, and in addition, 
 stated that a large body of Seminoles, headed by John 
 Cohua, Coacoochee, Alligator, and other chiefs, was en- 
 camped five or six miles from the Americans, near the 
 Mickasukies, the latter being separated by a cypress 
 swamp and a dense hammock. 
 
 The army moved forward at daylight the next morn- 
 ing, and after marching five or six miles reached another 
 cypress swamp, on the borders of which was a deserted 
 camp of the Seminoles. It had evidently contained sev- 
 eral hundred persons, and exhibited very plain manifes- 
 tations of having been abandoned in a hurry, as several 
 fires were still burning, and quantities of beef lying on 
 the ground unconsumed. 
 
 Upon reaching this encampment the troops were 
 again ananged in order of battle, and again disappointed 
 in their expectation of seeing an enemy. After remain- 
 ing for some time, they crossed the swamp and entered 
 a large prairie in their front, on which two or three 
 hundred cattle and a number of Indian ponies were 
 grazing. Here was captured another young warrior, 
 
30 B A T T L E OF O K E E - C H O E E E . 
 
 annea aiul equippod like the tbriner. IIo pointed to a 
 dense hammock on tlie ri^lit, about a mile distant, in 
 wliieh he said the Indians Mere situated, and waiting to 
 give battle. 
 
 In this phice the final disposition was made lor an 
 attack. The army was drawn up in two lines ; Mor- 
 gan's spies and tlie volunteers untler Cientry, in extended 
 order, ibrmed the first line, with instructions to enter the 
 hanunock, and if attackeil and hard pressed, to fall back 
 in tlie rear of the regular troops, out of reach ot" the 
 enemy's fire ; the second line was composed of the 
 fourth and sixth infantry, who were instructed to sus- 
 tain the volunteers. Tlie first infantry was held in 
 reserve. 
 
 These arrangements being completed, the whole force 
 moved on in the direction of the hammock, and after 
 proceeding about a quarter of a mile reached the swamp, 
 on the opposite side of which the enemy were stationed. 
 This was three-quarters of a mile wide, extending on 
 the left as far as the eye could reach, and on the right to 
 a part oi' the swanip and hannuock tliey had just 
 crossed, through which ran a deep creek. It consisted 
 of an oo7.y mass of nuid and water nearly two feet deep, 
 over which waved a tliiek growtli of coarse *• saw-grass."' 
 as tall as a man, and was utterly impassable to cavalry, 
 and nearly so to foot. In consequence of this, all the 
 men were dismounted at tlie edge of the swamp, and tlio 
 horses and baggage left under a suitable guard. At the 
 same time Captain Allen was detached with the two 
 companies o\' mounted infantry to examine the swamp 
 and hammock to the right ; and in case of not finding 
 
BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 31 
 
 the enemy in that direction, to return to the baggage ; 
 but in either case, if he heard a heavy firing, immediately 
 to join Colonel Taylor. 
 
 These arrangements being satisfactorily completed, 
 the army crossed the swamp in order of battle. The 
 volunteers and spies had scarcely reached the borders of 
 the swamp, when a heavy fire was opened upon them by 
 a large body of Indians. This was returned for a short 
 time with considerable spirit, but they soon lost their gal- 
 lant commander. Colonel Gentry, who fell mortally 
 wounded. After this misfortune they fled in disorder, 
 and instead of forming in the rear of the regulars, as had 
 been directed, they retired across the swamp, to their 
 baggage and horses ; nor would they again enter into 
 action as a body, although efibrts were made by Colonel 
 Taylor's staff" to induce them to do so. At this success, 
 the Indians rushed forward upon the second line, at the 
 same time discharging a heavy fire of musketry. They 
 were, however, coolly met and driven back by the fourth 
 and sixth infantry. The heat of battle was principally 
 borne by five companies of the latter ; yet they not only 
 sustained it firmly, but continued to advance until their 
 commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson, and his adju- 
 tant. Lieutenant Center, were killed ; they were then 
 obliged to retire for a short distance, and re-form. So 
 great had been the loss of these companies, that every 
 officer, with a single exception, together with most of 
 the non-commissioned, including the sergeant-major 
 and four of the orderly sergeants, was killed or 
 wounded ; and one of them had but four members un- 
 injured. 
 
32 BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Foster, with six companies, 
 amounting in all to one hundred and sixty men, gained 
 the hammock in good order, where he was joined by Cap- 
 tain Noel, with the two remaining companies of the sixth 
 infantry, and Captain Gillam, of Gentry's volunteers, 
 with a few additional men. These, by a change of front, 
 succeeded in separating the enemy's line, and continued 
 to drive them until they reached the Lake Okee-Chobee, 
 which was in the rear of the enemy's position, and bor- 
 dered their encampment for nearly a mile. As soon as 
 Colonel Taylor was informed that Captain Allen was ad- 
 vancing, he ordered the first infantry to move to the left, 
 gain the enemy's right flank, and turn it. This order 
 was executed with promptness and efTect ; as soon as the 
 regiment got into position the Indians gave one fire 
 and retreated, being pursued by the first, fourth, and 
 sixth, and some few volunteers, until near night. This 
 chase was a most fatiguing one, as the enemy scattered 
 in all directions, and the troops were obliged to follow 
 over a swampy and rugged surface. 
 
 This action was long and severe, continuing from 
 half-past twelve until about three, p. m. The Indians 
 had selected the strongest position of the swamp, and 
 were covered in front by a small stream, whose quick- 
 sands rendered it almost impassable. In addition to this, 
 their front was concealed and partly protected by a 
 growth of thickly interwoven hammock, and their flanks 
 were secured by impassable swamps. They numbered 
 about seven hundred warriors, and were led by Alliga- 
 tor, Coacoochee, and Sam Jones. 
 
 Colonel Taylor's force amounted to about five hun- 
 
BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 33 
 
 dred men, only part of wliom were regulars. In passing 
 the stream they sunk to the middle in mire, and were 
 continually exposed to the fire of the enemy ; and for a 
 while during the battle, both parties fought hand to hand. 
 The Americans lost twenty-six killed, and one hundred 
 and twelve wounded. Among the slain were Colonels 
 Gentry and Thompson, Captain Van Swearingen, and 
 Lieutenants Carter and Brook, all of whom fell at the 
 head of their respective commands. The loss of the 
 Indians was never ascertained ; they left ten bodies on 
 the field, and doubtless carried away a large number, 
 according to their invariable practice. During the whole 
 engagement the colonel was on horseback, passing from 
 point to point, and cheeHng his men, though he himself 
 was exposed to the complete range of the Indian rifles. 
 
 As soon as the enemy were thoroughly broken, Colo- 
 nel Taylor turned his attention to the wounded. He had 
 previously ordered an encampment to be formed near his 
 baggage ; and to facilitate his operations, he directed 
 Captain Taylor to cross to that spot, and employ every 
 individual whom he might find there, in constructing a 
 small footway across the swamp. By great exertions 
 this was completed a short time after dark, when all the 
 dead and wounded, with the exception of the body of a 
 private, which could not be found, were carried across 
 in litters. 
 
 In speaking of this disastrous though successful action, 
 Colonel Taylor, in his official communication to the de- 
 partment, says : — " I trust that I may be permitted to 
 say, that I experienced one of the most trying scenes of 
 my life, and he who could have looked on it with indif- 
 2* 
 
34 BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 
 
 ference, his nerves must have been very differently or- 
 ganized from my own. Besides the killed there lay one 
 hundred and twelve wounded, officers and soldiers, who 
 had accompanied me one hundred and forty-five miles, 
 most of the way through an unexplored wilderness, with- 
 out guides, who had so gallantly beat the enemy, under 
 my orders, in his strongest position, and who had to be 
 conveyed back through swamps and hammocks, from 
 whence we set out, without any apparent means of doing 
 it. This service, however, was encountered and over- 
 come, and they have been conveyed thus far, and pro- 
 ceeded on to Tampa Bay, on rude litters, constructed 
 with the axe and knife alone, with poles and dry hides ; 
 the latter being found in great abundance at the encamp- 
 ment of the hostiles. The litters were conveyed on the 
 backs of our weak and tottering horses, aided by the 
 residue of the command, with more ease and comfort to 
 the sufferers than I could have supposed ; and with as 
 much as they could have been in ambulances of the most 
 improved and modern construction." 
 
 The day after the battle Colonel Taylor and his com- 
 mand remained at their encampment, occupied in taking 
 care of the wounded, and in the sad office of interring 
 the dead. They also prepared litters for the removal of 
 the wounded, and detached a portion of the mounted men 
 to collect the horses and cattle which had been left by 
 the enemy. Of the former they found about a hundred, 
 many of which were saddled, and three hundred oxen. 
 
 On the morning of the 27th, Colonel Taylor left the 
 encampment, and at about noon next day reached the post 
 on the Kissimmee, where he had left his heavy baggage. 
 
BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE. 35 
 
 Finding the stockade which he had ordered Captain 
 Monroe to construct, nearly in a state of completion, he 
 left two companies and a few Indians to garrison it, and 
 proceeded towards Fort Gardner. Arriving here, he sent 
 on the wounded to Tampa Bay, with the fourth and sixth 
 infantry ; the former to halt at Fort Frazer. He him- 
 self remained at Fort Gardner with the first, in order to 
 make preparations to retake the field, designing to do so 
 as soon as his horses could be recruited, and his supplies 
 in a sufficient state of forwardness to justify that mea- 
 sure. 
 
 In his despatch, the colonel speaks in high terms of the 
 behavior of the regulars, especially of the sixth infantry, 
 and designates particular actions of the following officers, 
 most of whom had been engaged with him in the cam- 
 paigns of Florida, and some have since been known in a 
 more conspicuous theatre of action — Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Davenport, Colonel Foster, Major Graham, Captain Allen, 
 Lieutenant Hooper, Captain Noel, Lieutenant Wood, 
 Captain Andrews, Lieutenant Walker, Colonel Gentry, 
 Captain Gillam, Lieutenant Blakely, Captain Childs, 
 Lieutenants Rogers, Flanagan, Hase, Gorden, Hill, Grif- 
 fin, Harrison, McClure, Major Sconce, Captain Taylor, 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson, Captain Swearingen, Ad- 
 jutant Center, Lieutenant Brook, Major Brant, and Lieu- 
 tenant Babbitt. His remarks upon Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Thompson deserve remembrance, as displaying a tender- 
 ness of heart and warmth of friendship, which enhances 
 the merit of all his military performances : 
 
 "It is due to his rank and talents, as well as to his 
 long and important services, that I particularly mention 
 
36 BATTLE OF O K E E - C II O B E E . 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel A. R. Tliompson, of the sixth in- 
 fantry, who fell in the discharge of his duty at the head 
 of his regiment. He was in feeble health, brought on 
 by exposure to this climate during the past summer, 
 refusing to leave the country while his regiment conti- 
 nued in it. Although he received two balls from the fire 
 of the enemy early in the action, which wounded him se- 
 verely, yet he appeared to disregard them, and continued 
 to give his orders with the same coolness that he would 
 have done had his regiment been under review, or on any 
 parade duty. Advancing, he received a third ball, which 
 at once deprived him of life ; his last words were — 
 'Keep steady, men, charge the hammock — remember the 
 regiment to which you belong.' I had known Colonel 
 Thompson personally only for a short time, and the more 
 I knew of him, the more I wished to know ; and had his 
 life been spared, our acquaintance, no doubt, would have 
 ripened into the closest friendship. Under such circum- 
 stances, there are few, if any other than his bereaved 
 wife, mother and sisters, who more deeply and sincerely 
 lament his loss, or who -will longer cherish his memory, 
 than myself." 
 
 The battle of Okee-Chobee had a very beneficial 
 influence upon the efforts to subdue the Indians of Flo- 
 rida. An ofiicer writing from Fort Bassinger subsequent 
 to it, says : " The Indian prisoners now admit that they 
 lost twenty killed on the ground, and a great many 
 wounded, in the fight with Colonel Taylor. They had a 
 strong position and fought well, but were terribly whip- 
 ped, and have never returned near the ground since. 
 Jumper, Alligator, and other warriors afterwards came 
 
CAPTAIN THORNTON. 37 
 
 in, and were subsequently employed by the colonel in 
 inducing their hostile companions to surrender them- 
 selves ; by this means large numbers delivered them- 
 selves to the Americans. Indeed the general policy 
 pursued by Colonel Taylor while in Florida, together 
 with his industry and perseverance, and the hardy con- 
 stitution he possessed, rendered his services immensely 
 valuable to the government in subduing the savages and 
 o-iving peace and safety to the southern frontier. The 
 country was not insensible of his value, and the depart- 
 ment at Washington conferred on him the rank of Bri- 
 gadier-General, by brevet, to take date from the battle 
 ofOkee-Chobee. 
 
 GALLANT ACTION OF CAPTAIN THORNTON 
 ON THE RIO GRANDE. 
 
 When General Taylor was encamped opposite Mata- 
 moras, it was reported that the Mexicans were crossing 
 the river to surround him. This made frequent and 
 active reconnoissances necessary. 
 
 In consequence of the rumored intentions of the 
 enemy, Captain Thornton was despatched on the 24th 
 of April, 1846, to the crossing, above the fort, and Cap- 
 tain Ker below. Accompanying Thornton were Captain 
 Hardee, Lieutenants Mason and Kane, and sixty-one 
 men. After proceeding about twenty-six miles, they 
 encountered a Mexican, who reported that at a short 
 distance, the enemy were stationed to the number of two 
 
38 CAPTAIN THORNTON. 
 
 thousand, under General Torrejon. Partly from the 
 cowardice of their Mexican guide, and partly from igno- 
 rance of the country, they were led into a plantation 
 surrounded by a thick chapparal fence, round which 
 was concealed an ambush of more than ten times their 
 number. Thornton, followed by his command, crossed 
 the plantation to the house, where he commenced con- 
 versation with one of the residents. While thus en- 
 gaged, the enemy took possession of the gate, and now 
 for the first time, the party perceived that the chapparal 
 was crowded with infantry, supported by cavalry, who 
 were preparing for a charge. This was met with gal- 
 lantry and success ; but in the struggle Lieutenant Kane 
 tvas unhorsed, and the captain became separated from 
 his command. The whole Mexican force now poured 
 in a destructive fire upon the few men under Captain 
 Hardee, who, notwithstanding, rallied and endeavored 
 to retreat by way of the river. This he was unable to 
 accomplish, and after having eleven men killed, includ- 
 ing a sergeant and two other officers, he consented to 
 surrender, on condition of his men being treated as pri- 
 soners of war, declaring that if this were refused, they 
 would continue the battle at all hazards. This was 
 acceded to, and the captain and twenty-five men were 
 carried into Matamoras. 
 
 The bravery of Captain Thornton deserves notice. 
 As we have stated, he met the charge of the cavalry 
 with success, but was unable to break the crowded 
 lines of the infantry by whom they were supported. 
 The chapparal was at this time in one wide blaze of 
 fire, and in rushing toward it, the horse of the captain 
 
THE BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. 39 
 
 made a tremendous leap, completely clearing the whole 
 enclosure, and alighted in the midst of the enemy. This 
 feat, however, was not performed with impunity ; the 
 animal received a severe wound at the very moment 
 of its accomplishment, and was subsequently obliged to 
 carry his intrepid rider through a host of armed men. 
 The captain escaped unwounded, and though both horse 
 and rider subsequently encountered a severe fall, he 
 succeeded in approaching within about five miles of the 
 American camp. But at this place he was intercepted 
 by an advance guard of the enemy, and conveyed pri- 
 soner to Matamoras. 
 
 Lieutenant Mason was killed before the chapparal, 
 and Kane shared the fate of Thornton. 
 
 Notwithstanding the disadvantages against which the 
 Americans contended, this affair was a source of un- 
 bounded exultation to the enemy. Besides public re- 
 joicing in Matamoras, Arista wrote to General Torrejon 
 in terms of congratulation, which would have been con- 
 sidered extravagant in General Taylor after the battle 
 of Palo Alto. 
 
 . THE BATTLE OF PALO ALTO, 
 
 DESCRIBED BY GENERAL TAYLOR. 
 
 The main body of the "Army of Occupation" 
 marched under my immediate orders from Point Isabel, 
 on the evening of the 7th of May, and bivouacked seven 
 miles from that place. 
 
40 THE BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. 
 
 Our march was resumed the following morning. 
 About noon, when our advance of cavalry had reached 
 the water-pole of" Palo Alto," the Mexican troops were 
 reported in our front, and were soon discovered occupy- 
 ing the road in force. I ordered a halt upon reaching 
 the water, with a view to rest and refresh the men and 
 form deliberately our line of battle. The Mexican line 
 was now plainly visible across the prairie, and about 
 three-quarters of a mile distant. Their left, which was 
 composed of a heavy force of cavalry, occupied the road 
 resting upon a thicket of chapparal, while masses of in- 
 fantry were discovered in succession on the right, greatly 
 outnumbering our own force. 
 
 Our line of battle was now formed in the following 
 order, commanded on the right : 5th infantry, command- 
 ed by Lieut. Col. Mcintosh ; Major Ringgold's artillery; 
 3d infantry, commanded by Captain L. N. Morris ; two 
 eighteen pounders, commanded by Lieut. Churchill, Od 
 artillery ; 4th infantry, commanded by G. W. Allen ; 
 the 3d and 4th regiments composed the 3d brigade, under 
 command of Lieut. Col. Garland, and all the above corps, 
 together with two squadrons of dragoons, under Captams 
 Ker and May, composed the right wing, under the orders 
 of Col. Twiggs. The left was formed by the battalion 
 of artillery, commanded by Lieut. Col. Childs, Captain 
 Duncan's light artillery, and the 8th infantry, under Cap- 
 tain Montgomery — all forming the 1st brigade, under 
 command of Lieut. Col. Belknap. The train was packed 
 near the water, under direction of Captains Crosman and 
 Myers, and protected by Captain Ker's squadron. 
 
 At 2 o'clock, we took up our march by heads of 
 
THE BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. 
 
 41 
 
 columns in the direction of the enemy-the eighteen 
 pounder battery following the road. While the columns 
 were advancing, Lieut. Blake, of the topographical engi- 
 neers, volunteered a reconnoissance of the enemy's Ime, 
 which was handsomely performed, and resulted in the 
 discovery of at least two batteries of artillery in the in- 
 tervals of their cavalry and infantry. These batteries 
 were soon opened upon us ; when I ordered the columns 
 halted and deployed into line, and the fire to be returned 
 by all our artillery. The 8th infantry, on our extreme 
 left, was thrown back to secure that flank. The first 
 fires did little execution, while our eighteen pounders 
 and Major Ringgold's artillery soon dispersed the cav- 
 airy, which formed his left. Captain Duncan's battery, 
 thrown forward in advance of the line, was doing good 
 execution at this time. Capt. May's squadron was now 
 detached to support that battery, and the left of our posi- 
 tion. The Mexican cavalry and two pieces of artillery 
 were now reported to be moving through the chapparal 
 to our right, to threaten our flank, or make a demonstra- 
 tion against the train. The 5th infantry was immediately 
 detached to check this movement, and, supported by Lieut. 
 Ridgely, with a section of Major Ringgold's battery and 
 Capt. Walker's company of volunteers, eflectually re- 
 pulsed the enemy— the 5th infantry repelling a charge 
 of lancers, and the artillery doing great execution in 
 their ranks. The 3d infantry was now detached to the 
 right as a still further security to that flank threatened 
 by the enemy. Major Ringgold, with the remaining 
 section, kept up his fire from an advanced position, and 
 was supported by the 4th infantry. 
 
42 THE BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. 
 
 The grass of the prairie had been accidentally fired 
 by our artillery, and the volumes of smoke now partially 
 concealed the armies from each other. As the enemy's 
 left had been driven back, and left the road free, as the 
 cannonade had been suspended, I ordered forward the 
 eighteen pounders on the road nearly to the position first 
 occupied by the Mexican cavalry, and caused the 1st 
 brigade to take up a new position still on the left of the 
 eighteen pounder battery. The 5th was advanced from 
 its former position, and occupied a point on the extreme 
 riglit of the new line. The enemy made a change of 
 position corresponding to our own, and after a suspension 
 of nearly an hour the action was resumed. 
 
 The fire of artillery was now most destructive — open- 
 ings were constantly made through the enemy's ranks 
 by our fire, and the constancy with which the Mexican 
 infantry sustained this severe cannonade was a theme of 
 universal remark and admiration. Capt. May's squadron 
 was detached to make a demonstration on the left of the 
 enemy's position, and suffered severely from the fire of 
 artillery to which it was for some time exposed. The 
 4th infantry, which had been ordered to support the 
 eighteen pounder battery, was exposed to a most galling 
 fire of artillery, by which several men were killed, and 
 Capt. Page dangerously wounded. The enemy's fire 
 was directed against our eighteen pounder battery and 
 the guns of Major Ringgold in its vicinity. The Major 
 himself, while coolly directing the fire of his pieces, was 
 struck by a cannon ball and mortally wounded. 
 
 In the mean time the battalion of artillery, Lieut. 
 Col. Childs, had been brought up to support the artillery 
 
THE BATTLE OF PALOALTO. 43 
 
 on our right. A strong demonstration of cavalry was 
 now made by the enemy against this part of our line, 
 and the column continued to advance under a severe fire 
 from the eighteen pounders. The battalion was instantly 
 formed in square and held ready to receive the charge 
 of cavalry, but when the advancing squadrons were within 
 close range, a deadly fire of cannister from the eighteen- 
 pounders soon dispersed them. A brisk fire of small 
 arms was now opened upon the square, by which one of- 
 ficer, Lieut. Luther, 2d artillery, was slightly wounded, 
 but a well directed fire from the front of the square 
 silenced all further firing from the enemy in this quarter. 
 It was now nearly dark, and the action was closed on 
 the right of our line, the enemy having been completely 
 driven back from his position, and foiled in his attempt 
 against our line. 
 
 " While the above was going forward on our right and 
 under my own eye, the enemy had made a serious at- 
 tempt against the left of our line. Capt. Duncan instantly 
 perceived the movement, and by the bold and brilliant 
 manceuvring of his battery, completely repulsed several 
 successive efforts of the enemy to advance in force upon 
 our left flank. Supported in succession by the 8th in- 
 fantry and by Captain Ker's squadron of dragoons, he 
 gallantly held the enemy at bay, and finally drove him, 
 with immense loss, from the field. The action here, and 
 along tlie whole line, continued until dark, when the 
 enemy retired into the chapparal in the rear of his posi- 
 tion. Our army bivouacked on the ground it occupied. 
 During the afternooa the train had been moved forward 
 about half a mile, and was packed in rear of the new 
 position. 
 
44 THE BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. 
 
 " Our loss, this day, was nine killed, forty- four wound- 
 ed, and two missing. . Among the wounded were Major- 
 Ringgold, who has since died, and Captain Page danger- 
 ously wounded ; Lieut. Luther slightly so. I annex a 
 tabular statement of the casualties of the day. 
 
 " Our own force engaged is shown by the field report 
 to have been 177 officers and 2111 men — aggregate 2288. 
 The Mexican force, according to the statements of their 
 own officers, taken prisoners in the affair of the 9th, was 
 not less than 6000 regular troops, with ten pieces of artil- 
 lery, and probably exceeded that number ; the irregular 
 force not known. Their loss was not less than 200 killed 
 and 400 wounded — probably greater. This number is 
 very moderate, and formed upon the number actually 
 counted upon the field, and upon the reports of their own 
 officers. 
 
 " The conduct of our officers and men was every thing 
 that could be desired. Exposed for hours to the severest 
 trial — a cannonade of artillery — our troops displayed a 
 coolness and constancy, which gave me, throughout, the 
 assurance of victory.". 
 
 The tabular statement alluded to in the above letter 
 represents that nine non-commissioned officers and pri- 
 vates were killed in the battle, and forty-four wounded, 
 including three commissioned officer. 
 
BATTLE OF RESACA DE LA PAL MA. 45 
 
 THE BATTLE OF RESACA DE LA PALMA, 
 
 DESCRIBED BY GEN. TAYLOR. 
 
 " Early in the morning of the 9th, the enemy, who had 
 encamped near the field of battle of the day previous, 
 was discovered moving by his left flank, evidently in re- 
 treat, and, perhaps, at the same time to gain a new posi- 
 tion on the road to Matamoras, and there again resist our 
 advance. 
 
 " 1 ordered the supply train to be strongly packed at 
 its position, and left with it four pieces of artillery — the 
 two eighteen-pounders which had done such good service 
 on the previous day, and two twelve-pounders which had 
 not been in the action. The wounded officers and men 
 were at the same time sent back to Point Isabel. 1 then 
 moved forward with the columns to the edge of the chap- 
 par al, or forest, which extends to the Rio Grande, — a dis- 
 tance of seven miles. The light companies of the first 
 brigade, under Capt. C. F. Smith, 2d artillery, and a 
 select detachment of light troops, the whole under the 
 command of Capt. McCall, 4th infantry, were thrown 
 forward into the chapparal, to feel the enemy and ascer- 
 tain his position. About 3 o'clock, I received a report 
 fi'om the advance that the enemy was in position on the 
 road, with at least two pieces of artillery. The command 
 was immediately put in motion, and about 4 o'clock I 
 came up with Capt. McCall, who reported the enemy in 
 force in our front, occupying a ravine which intersects 
 the road, and is skirted by thickets of dense chapparal. 
 Ridgeley's battery, and the advance under Capt. McCall, 
 
46 BATTLE OF EESACA DE LA PALBIA. 
 
 were at once thrown forward on the road, and into the 
 chapparal, on either side, while the 5th infantry and one 
 wing of the 4th was thrown into the forest on the left, 
 and the 3d and other wing of the 4th, on the right of the 
 road. These corps were employed as skirmishers to 
 cover the battery, and engage the Mexican infantry. 
 Capt. McCall's command became at once engaged with 
 the enemy, while the light artillery, though in a very 
 exposed position, did great execution. The enemy had 
 at least eight pieces of artillery, and maintained an in- 
 cessant fire on our advance. 
 
 " The action now became general, and although the 
 enemy's infantry gave way before the steady fire and 
 resistless progress of our own, yet his artillery was still 
 in position to check our advance — several pieces occupy- 
 ing the pass across the ravine, which he had chosen for 
 his position. Perceiving that no decisive advantage 
 could be gained until this artillery was silenced, I ordered 
 Captain May to charge the batteries with his squadron 
 of dragoons. This was gallantly and effectually exe- 
 cuted ; the enemy was driven from his guns, and General 
 La Vega, who remained alone at one of the batteries, 
 was taken prisoner. The squadron, which suffered much 
 in this charge, not being immediately supported by in- 
 fantry, could not retain possession of the artillery, but it 
 was completely silenced. In the mean time, the 8th 
 infantry had been ordered up, and had become warmly 
 engaged on the right of the road. This regiment, and a 
 part of the 5th, were now ordered to charge the batteries ; 
 which was handsomely done, and the enemy entirely 
 driven from his artillery and his position on the lefl of 
 the road. 
 

 mi- 
 
BATTLE OF li E S A C A D E LA P A L I\I A . 47 
 
 '' The light companies of the first brigade, and the 3d 
 and 4th regiments of infantry had been deployed on the 
 right of the road, where, at various points, they became 
 briskly engaged with the enemy. A small party, under 
 Captain Buchanan and Lieutenants Wood and Hays, 4th 
 inflmtry, composed chiefly of men of that regiment, 
 drove the enemy from a brcast^^'ork which he occupied, 
 and captured a piece of artillery. An attempt to re- 
 cover this piece was repelled by Capt. Barbour's 3d 
 infantry. The enemy was at last completely driven 
 from his position on the right of the road, and retreated 
 precipitately, leaving baggage of every description. The 
 4th infantry took possession of a camp where the head- 
 quarters of the Mexican General-in-chief were establish- 
 ed. All his official correspondence was captured at this 
 point. 
 
 " The artillery battalion (excepting the flank com- 
 panies) had been ordered to guard the baggage train, 
 which was packed some distance in the rear. That 
 battalion was now ordered up to pursue the enemy, and, 
 with the 3d infantry, Captain Ker's dragoons, and Cap- 
 tain Duncan's battery, followed him rapidly to the river, 
 making a number of prisoners. Great numbers of the 
 enemy were drowned in attempting to cross the river, 
 near the town. The corps last mentioned encamped 
 near the river — the remainder of the army on the field 
 of battle. 
 
 " The strength of our marching force on this day was 
 173 officers, and 2049 men — aggregate 2222. The 
 actual number engaged with the enemy did not exceed 
 1700. Our loss was three officers killed, and twelve 
 
48 BATTLE OF KESACA DE LA PALM A. 
 
 wounded ; thirty-six men killed, and seventy-one 
 wounded. Among the officers killed, I have to regret 
 the loss of Lieut. Inge, 2d dragoons, who fell at the 
 head of his platoon, while gallantly charging the enemy's 
 battery ; of Lieut. Chadbourne, of the 8th infantry, and 
 Lieut Cochrane, of the 4th, who likewise met their death 
 in the thickest of the fight. The wounded officers 
 were — Lieut. Col. Payne, Inspector-General ; Lieut. 
 Dobbins, 3d infantry, serving with the light infantry 
 advance, slightly ; Lieut. Col. Mcintosh, 5lh inflintry, 
 severely (twice) ; Lieut. Fowler, 5th infantry, slightly ; 
 Capt. Montgomery, 8th infantry, slightly ; Lieuts. 
 Gates and Jordan, 8th infantry, severely (each twice) ; 
 Lieuts. Selden, Maclay, Burbank and IMorris, 8th in- 
 fantry, slightly. 
 
 " I have no accurate data from which to estimate the 
 enemy's force on this day. He was known to have been 
 reinforced after the action of the 8th, both by cavalry 
 and infantry, and no doubt to an extent at least equal 
 to his loss on that day. It is probable that 6000 
 men were opposed to us, and in a position chosen by 
 themselves, and strongly defended with artillery. The 
 enemy's loss was very great. . Nearly 200 of his dead 
 were buried by us on the day succeeding the battle. 
 His loss in killed, wounded and missing, in the two affairs 
 of the 8th and 9th, is, I think, moderately estimated at 
 1000 men. 
 
 " Our victory has been decisive. A small force has 
 overcome immense odds of the best troops that Mexico 
 can furnish, — veteran regiments, perfectly equipped and 
 appointed. Eight pieces of artillery, several colors and 
 
BATTLE OF RESACA DE LA PALMA. 49 
 
 standards, a great number of prisoners (including four- 
 teen officers), and a large amount of baggage and public 
 property, fell into our hands. 
 
 " The causes of our victory are doubtless to be found 
 in the superior quality of our officers and men." 
 
 EFFECTS OF THE BATTLES OF PALO ALTO AND RESACA 
 DE LA PALMA. 
 
 It is difficult to speak with moderation on these two 
 brilliant actions. The excitement, which the first pro- 
 mulgation of the news created throughout the Union, 
 may be imagined but not described. It created a feeling 
 of excitement and enthusiasm — an impulse towards mili- 
 tary adventures, throughout the length and breadth of the 
 land. Preparations were made in every direction for 
 calling forth volunteers, — increasing the regular army, — 
 fitting out vessels of war, — for the display of a land and 
 sea force, unprecedented this side of the Atlantic. 
 
 In less than two weeks, the United States, throughout 
 their length and breadth, were converted, as it were, into 
 a camp. From the most northern part of Mame to the 
 orange groves of Florida — from the Atlantic to the Pa- 
 cific — nothing was heard of but the din of military prepa- 
 rations ; the proclamations of Governors ; the mustering 
 of forces, and the shouts of volunteers, produced by a 
 nation's leaping at once to arms. In fact, the transition 
 of this vast confederacy into one magnificent camp, from 
 the first call to arms, was as rapid and as quick as the 
 masterly evolutions and admirable discipline which gave 
 victory to the American arms in both the battles on the 
 Rio Grande. 
 
50 M A T A M R A S . 
 
 How can this sudden military transition — this sub 
 lime spectacle of military preparation — be accountecl 
 for ? It arose only from the perfect freedom of our in- 
 stitutions, the equality of our laws, and from the de- 
 termined spirit of the American character. The insults 
 of a quarter of a century, repeated injuries and spolia- 
 tions of the property of American citizens, had aroused 
 a peaceful and quiet people, and changed them, as it 
 were, into a nation of soldiers, determined to avenge 
 themselves, and to chastise the msolence of the Republic 
 of Mexico. 
 
 MATAMORAS, 
 
 ON THE NIGHT OF THE NINTH OF MAY, 1846. 
 
 While the battle was raging at Resaca de la Palma, 
 thousands of people lined the shores of the Rio Grande, 
 listening to each burst of artillery with breathless sus- 
 pense. News of victory had reached them the preced- 
 ing day, but no conquerors had returned in triumph to 
 the city. And now the dread roar of cannon, swelling 
 louder, and fiercer, and nearer — what did it portend ? 
 The fire of the city was abandoned, and the cheering 
 suppressed ; and pale, anxious faces, gazed in racking 
 silence in the direction of battle. Soon the dread reality 
 was disclosed ; infantry and cavalry burst madly from 
 the thicket, dashing aside garment and weapon, as they 
 swept toward the river. Then a cry — one of anguish 
 
MAT AM OR AS. 51 
 
 and horror — went up from that living mass ; and its hol- 
 low tones told tales of poverty and wretchedness for the 
 future. Crowd on crowd of terrified soldiers now came 
 from the chapparal, and rushed toward the city. Soon 
 dense masses filled to sinking the little flat provided for 
 their conveyance. The next moment they were hurled 
 into the river by the reckless cavalry, who in their turn 
 were swept away. Mules loaded with wounded and 
 dying were plunged in, and numbers were precipitated 
 from the shore. It was an awful scene. Horse tram- 
 pled over horse, crushing their riders to earth, and 
 trailing their bridles and furniture along the ground ; 
 the river was foaming with life, while plunge after 
 plunge announced the sad fate of numbers more ; the 
 shouts of officers, curses of soldiery, yells of the wounded, 
 and shrieks of the drowning, were appalling. Wretched 
 beingg grasped the flat in agony, only to be murdered 
 by those upon it ; and scores of mules, and hundreds of 
 soldiers, clenched in each other's embrace, sunk to a 
 watery grave. 
 
 Yet dreadful as was this scene, it was but the shadow 
 of what Matamoras witnessed during the night. Mules 
 were continually entering the city, laden with wounded, 
 whose piercing shrieks, as their wounds poured afresh 
 at each step, rose above the din and hurry of trampling 
 armies. All discipline or order Avas at an end, and 
 thousands of infuriated soldiers poured along the streets 
 for rapine and plunder. Women fled to the ball-rooms 
 where preparations for victory had been made, and tore 
 tJie wreaths and ornaments from the walls. Scarcely 
 had they done so, when hordes of lawless rancheros burst 
 
52 ?I A T A 31 O R A S . 
 
 upon tlicm, ill the hurry of uncontrolled passion. Crime 
 and debauchery revelled that night in the lialls of Mata- 
 moras. 
 
 Most of the inhabitants expected an assault by Gene- 
 ral Taylor, and tlierefore seized a few of their most 
 valuable things and fled into the country. But the evil 
 spirit was there also ; and the unfortunate exiles were 
 robbed and murdered in the plains, or passes of the 
 mountains. Matamoras suflered more that day from 
 her own citizens than from the sword of the enemy. 
 
 Such were the scenes in Matamoras on the 9th of 
 May. What a comment upon war ! American soldiers 
 had sfamed a victory. But where was their advantacre ? 
 Were they morally, physically, or intellectually better, 
 or was their country and its rulers richer or happier ? 
 They had won the title of invincible ; and glory, mili- 
 tary renown, was theirs. But what is glory ? Who of 
 all that lay down weary and wounded that night, could 
 have defuied the advantages of glory / And another 
 class — those over whom the wolves and eagles were bat- 
 tening — how were they enriched by glory ? But when 
 we turn from them to the scenes we have been attempt- 
 ing to describe — when we hear the M'ailings of the wi- 
 dowed mother, the groans of the mangled, the shrieks of 
 injured innocence, and the shouts of unbridled passion, — 
 then comes a solemn whisper. Is this glory ? A field 
 after battle is dreadful ; where death arbitrates between 
 man and man, and unites foes in silent harmony. But 
 war — its advantages and glories — must be learned at 
 the soldier's home. 
 
PALO ALTO AND RESACA. 53 
 
 PALO ALTO AND RESACA. 
 
 A NEW SONG FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1846. 
 
 The following, which we find in the Southern Patriot, wall be 
 recognized by its excellence as the work of no hand unaccustomed 
 to the chords. It will be sung on the day for which it was written 
 from one end of the Union to the other : 
 
 Now while our cups are flowing 
 
 Witli memories born to bloom, 
 And filial hands are tlirowing 
 
 Their wreaths o'er valor's tomb ; 
 Wliile lips exultino- shout the praise 
 
 Of heroes of the past, tliat stood 
 Triumphant 'mid old Bmiker's blaze, 
 
 And proud in Eutaw's field of blood ; — 
 Do not forget the gallant train. 
 
 That hfts your name in Mexic war — 
 One cup for Palo Alto drain, 
 
 One mighty cheer for Resaca ! 
 
 For Taylor—" Rough and Ready," 
 
 True son of truest sires ; — 
 For May, who swift and steady, 
 
 Trod down La Vega's fires ; 
 For all who in that day of strife, 
 
 Maintain'd in pride tlie stripes and stars — 
 The dead, who won immortal life, 
 
 And they who live for other wars — 
 For these, who with their victory, 
 
 New wreatlis to grace our laurel bring — 
 A health tliat drains a goblet dry, 
 
 A cheer that makes the welkin ring ! 
 
54 COLONEL MAY. 
 
 Nor, though even now we falter 
 
 With thoughts of those who died, 
 And at our festive altar, 
 
 Grow silent in our pride. 
 Yet in the heart's most holy deep, 
 
 Fond memory shrine the happy brave, 
 Who in the arms of battle sleep 
 
 By Palo's wood and Bravo's wave ; 
 Nor in our future deeds forgot, 
 
 Shall silent thought forbear to bring, 
 Her tribute to that sacred spot, 
 
 Where Ringgold's gallant soul took wing. 
 
 Fill to our country's glory 
 
 Where'er her flag is borne ; 
 Nor, in her failing story, 
 
 Let future ages mourn ! 
 Nor let the envious foreign foe. 
 
 Rejoice that faction checks her speed, 
 Arrests her in the indignant blow, 
 
 And saddens o'er the avenging deed ! 
 Fill high, though from the crystal wave, 
 
 Your cup, and from the grape be mine ; 
 The man-iage rites, that link the brave 
 
 To fame, will tiu*n each draft to wine. 
 
 COLONEL MAY. 
 
 Of the early life of May, and even his military career 
 previous to the Mexican war, very little is known. He 
 is a son of Dr. May of Washington City, in which place 
 
'• v^ 
 
 '^%^^''^^^5^^^^| 
 
 ^^^^^^^<^^^^2-^^ 
 
COLONEL i^I A Y . 
 
 55 
 
 the colonel was boni. All we know of his youth is, that 
 he was active and healthy, but of the precocious feats 
 which arre generally chronicled of military scions we 
 are of him told nothing. During the Seminole war he 
 .Altered the army as lieutenant of the 2d regiment of 
 dragoons, and was immediately ordered to Florida. Here 
 he passed through some of the most trying scenes of 
 that distressing war, and on one occasion, succeeded in 
 capturing Philip, an Indian chief. 
 
 It has been reserved for the present war to develope 
 the talents of :May, and place him in the rank of an ener- 
 getic and able officer. In the march from Corpus Christi, 
 he performed efficient service, in scouring the country 
 with his dragoons, and preparing the road for the main 
 army. While Taylor remained at Point Isabel, during 
 the bombardment of Fort Brown, May was sent to escort 
 Captain Walker in his etfort to open a communication 
 between the two places. This he performed on the night 
 of the 3d of May, but not being able to effect a re-junc- 
 tion with Walker, he returned toward Pomt Isabel, 
 galloping round the army of the enemy, by way of re- 
 connoisance. 
 
 About twelve miles from the American position, he 
 was opposed by more than one hundred lancers, whom 
 he charged, broke, and drove three miles. His horses 
 were so worn down by long exposure that he found it 
 impossible to keep up with the enemy, or he might have 
 completed his victory by the capture of many. Fearing 
 therefore that his useless labor might only termmate in 
 his being surprised, he returned to Point Isabel. 
 
 At Palo Alto, the nature of the movements in both 
 
56 C L O N E L M A Y . 
 
 armies deprived May of any opportunity to signalize 
 himself. Just before the fall of Ringgold, he was or- 
 dered to advance his squadron for the purpose of divert- 
 ing the heavy fire of the enemy from the American 
 infantry, and, if posssible, to charge the Mexican cavalry. 
 The enemy were in such force, however, that the latter 
 operation was impracticable ; and during the remainder 
 of the day, May remained but a passive spectator. 
 
 When the obstinate resistance of the enemy at Resaca 
 de la Palma, made it evident that a charge must be made, 
 before the victory would be complete. General Taylor 
 ordered May to capture the Mexican batteries. This 
 was the opportunity which that brave officer had been 
 anxiously booking for, and riding to the front of his 
 horsemen, he called out to them to foUow. The next 
 moment they were sweeping toward the enemy. Before 
 being perceived by them. May was stopped by Lieuten- 
 ant-colonel Ridgeley, who was just on the point of firing, 
 in order to draw the shot of the enemy. When this was 
 done, May again dashed forward, and in a few minutes, 
 was by the muzzles of the cannon. Suddenly, a tre- 
 mendous discharge poured forth along the ranks of 
 the intrepid horsemen, and horses and men rolled 
 headlong on the ground. But nothing could stop the 
 survivors. They leaped over the cannon, and drove 
 the artillerists from their positions, at the point of the 
 sword. The fiercest struggle of that day, was the re- 
 sistance to this charge. The Mexican batteries were 
 defended by the celebrated regiment of Tampico Vete- 
 rans, who were regarded as invincible. They threw 
 themselves furiously between their guns, and with ti> ^ir 
 
COLONELMAY. 57 
 
 swords and bayonets, fought hand to hand with the cav- 
 alry. One by one they sunk beneath the weapons of 
 their adversaries, and even when their regiment was 
 broken and crushed, one of them endeavored to sustain its 
 honor by wrapping its flag about him in order to bear it 
 away. Had their last discharge been aimed a little lower, 
 they would have swept the egitire command of Colonel 
 May. 
 
 In this charge, General la Vega was captured, and 
 safely conveyed to the American camp. The distin-^ 
 guished prisoner received much attention from both 
 ofRcers and men, and when subsequently conducted 
 through different parts of our country, he was every 
 where treated as a gallant soldier and a gentleman. 
 When captured, he was in the act of applying an ignited 
 match to one of the pieces ; Captain May charged for- 
 ward and commanded him to surrender. The general 
 asked, " Are you an officer ?" and being answered in the 
 affirmative, he delivered his sword, with the remark : 
 " General la Vega is a prisoner." 
 
 After the battle May's troops were pushed forward 
 in pursuit of the Mexicans, and succeeded in capturing 
 many prisoners. 
 
 This has been the most brilliant military feat in the 
 career of Colonel May. He was at Monterey, and was 
 serviceable in reconnoitering the positions of the enemy, 
 and keeping in check their dragoon parties. He re- 
 mained with Taylor, after the reduction of his army by 
 order of General Scott, and at Buena Vista he supported 
 Shaw's artillery during a charge of the Mexicans, and 
 covered by turns, almost every battery on the field. His 
 3^» 
 
58 DEATH OF MAJOR RINGGOLD. 
 
 dragoons are the most excellently disciplined of any in 
 the army. 
 
 May's personal appearance is somewhat whimsical. 
 His hair reaches down to his shoulders, and his beard is 
 of equal length, so that when riding at the head of his 
 command, his hair is the most conspicuous object about 
 his person. He is tall in stature, of powerful frame, and 
 his charges are irresistible. In battle, he is perfectly 
 cool, and his only fault appears to be, that his bravery 
 too often approaches to recklessness. This is a national 
 censure upon almost all the officers of the present war, 
 and presents a spectacle unknown to European warfare. 
 
 Colonel May has lately visited different sections of the 
 United States, and was every where received with the 
 honor and enthusiasm due his distinguished merit. 
 
 THE DEATH OF MAJOR RINGGOLD. 
 
 BY MRS. J. A. BEVERIDGE. 
 
 He died, as brave men still should die, 
 A soldier's calmness in his eye ; 
 He breathed the Patriot's latest vow, 
 With Victory's laurel on his brow. 
 
 A grateful country mourns his fall. 
 Who, foremost stood at Honor's call, 
 Upheld her cause, in battle's strife. 
 And for her glory, perilled life. 
 
^;>.V4v • ^ 
 
REFLECTIONS ON MEXICO. 59 
 
 His word was onward : on the day 
 When waniors met in stern array, 
 And brave men followed, where he led, 
 Secure in valor's path to tread. 
 
 Wo to the direst of his foes, 
 Who dared the hero's arm oppose, 
 Where mid the thickest of the fight, 
 His sabre flash'd its deadly light ! 
 
 But Death still " loves a shining mark," 
 And mid the din of conflict, hark ! 
 The cannon deals the mighty blow 
 That lays the dauntless soldier low ! 
 
 He fell ! — but the fair hand of Fame, 
 On her high altar graved his name, 
 And Liberty's bright genius, wept, 
 Above the bier, where Ringgold slept ! 
 
 REFLECTIONS ON MEXICO. 
 
 Mexico is full of objects calculated to inspire serious 
 speculation in the contemplative mind. Her future, it is 
 true, is dark and repulsive ; but the past abounds with 
 lessons worthy the study of every nation. An acquaint- 
 ance with the history of Aztec as it was at the invasion 
 of Cortez, compared with a view of her condition subse- 
 quent to that period, must convince every one, of the 
 humbling truth, that she has gained nothing from Eu- 
 
60 REFLECTIONS ON MEXICO. 
 
 ropean civilization. It is true that under the native 
 kings, the subjection of the people was perfect ; and their 
 religious, and even festive rites, were bloody and revolt- 
 ing. But were not the people happier, more intelligent, 
 and more refined under the Montezumas, than they have 
 ever been since the conc^uest ? And was the amount of 
 suffering entailed by their religion, equal to that perpe- 
 trated through anarchy, misrule, civil war, and ecclesi- 
 astical bigotry ? Has not the curse of the Aztecan, his 
 last sad throb for his country, fallen on it like that of the 
 Moor on Spain, and withered the energies of the conquer- 
 ors? 
 
 The fact is, the hue and cry of liberty, and the rights 
 of man, and freedom from crowned power, is the most ab- 
 surd delusion that ever misled a nation, when the people are 
 destitute of the qualifications necessary to support their 
 nationality. Remove the intellectual slave from bodily 
 degradation, give him a government the best that ever 
 existed or can exist, and surround him witli every thing 
 that man calls desirable, leaving the mind untouched, 
 and he will be a slave still. Place the Mexican under 
 Montezuma, stopping his ears to the din of freedom, and 
 he will be exactly what the Indian is now. Let Mexico 
 be under what government she may, it never will, never 
 can deliver her from wretchedness and frequent insur- 
 rection, until an influence higher than corporeal action 
 begins its work upon her. He is mistaken who supposes 
 liberty to be merely an exemption from hereditary gov- 
 ernors and military oppression, and that to obtain it, the 
 only requisition is a successful revolution. It is more — 
 it is a study, that demands for its mastery the laborious 
 
REFLECTIONS ON MEXICO. 61 
 
 training of a patient and well-balanced mind. The he- 
 roes of the American revolution were no enthusiasts — no 
 Phaetons madly dashing down the political horizon to de- 
 struction. Even when the storm had subsided, and peace 
 revisited their plains, they felt that they had but cleared 
 the threshold to the sacred shrine — had they remained 
 there, where would have been American liberty ? 
 
 Perhaps the most interesting objects in Mexico are 
 the extensive ruins scattered more or less throughout the 
 whole country. Until very lately these have received 
 but little attention from travellers, and consequently our 
 knowledge of them is at present but imperfect. While 
 the pyramids of Egypt and the antiquities of Greece and 
 Asia have been described and delineated, from histories 
 to school geographies, the immense palaces of an un- 
 known world are left to moulder in silent darkness, unno- 
 ticed and unknown. Once in many years, a solitary 
 Stephens breaks in upon their solitudes, and "writes a 
 book " of " all he saw ; " but a few years, and the de- 
 scription shares the fate of its prototype, and American 
 antiquities again become a solecism. 
 
 By moonlight one of these ruined cities is an impres- 
 sive spectacle. Then the gaps and irregularities caused 
 by time are invisible, and the long rows of massive stone 
 buildings, heavy with the richest architecture, environed 
 and surmounted by trees of two hundred years' growth, 
 all apparently fresh from the tool of the architect, burst 
 upon the astonished traveller like the regions of Arabian 
 genii. Few have ever gazed upon them, under these cir- 
 cumstances, without involuntarily bending forward to 
 view the inhabitants. But they — the ones for whose 
 
62 REFLECTIONS ON MEXICO. 
 
 revels these piles were built — where are they ? Egypt, 
 great as is her antiquity, can define the race that erected 
 her wonders ; but no memorial — written or traditional — 
 may ever tell of the builders of Aztec. Ages after ages, 
 her cities have mouldered in the forest, while the crowds 
 who once thronged their streets are mingled together in 
 undistinguishable dust. While man was battling with 
 man in other worlds, an unknown race were doing the 
 same here ; and the busy hammer, the plying oar, and 
 wild song of the hunter, echoed here, as they did in Africa 
 or Asia. How the mind strains and wrestles for but one 
 glimpse of these scenes ! but 
 
 " Oblivion laughs, and says. The prey is mine." 
 
 The bloody tale of tragedy, or the softer one of a princess's 
 love, breathed forth under the waving woods of Aztec, 
 had no historian to transmit them to the future. 
 
 Before the stripping of churches by the different revo- 
 lutionary parties, the stranger was surprised by a view 
 of the immense wealth of the city of Mexico. Most of 
 the ornaments in the cathedrals, and in the houses of the 
 rich, were of solid silver, while immense quantities of 
 that metal, as well as of gold, formed personal ornaments 
 of the ladies and grandees. Yet great as was the amount 
 of these precious substances, it was a mere trifle com- 
 pared to their abundance in the days of Montezuma. 
 The death of this monarch and subversion of his empire, 
 form one of those events in history, on which the mind 
 dwells with a painful, indefinite sensation. The fancied 
 child of the sun, nations rose and fell at his nod, and the 
 wealth of his treasures would have bought a continent. 
 
REFLECTIONS ON MEXICO. 63 
 
 The mind dwells on his splendor as on a fairy tale. The 
 very materials of his palaces were silver ; and with the 
 gardens and other appendages, covered space enough for 
 a large city. The utmost order reigned in his vast do- 
 minions, and capital crimes were almost unknown. 
 
 In contemplating the palaces of the city, one can al- 
 most fancy that he beholds their illustrious inmate, re- 
 posing in solitary majesty during the heat of a noonday 
 sun. Perhaps he is seated at dinner — how still and awe- 
 like is the room ! Those few nobles standing together 
 scarcely seem to breathe ; and the antechamber, though 
 filled with grandees and royal guards, is quiet as the 
 grave. Four young girls wait upon him — the dark-eyed 
 favorites from his seraglio — but their tread is muffled, 
 and their lips sealed. Men are crouching before a fellow 
 man, as before Deity itself Now evening arrives, and 
 he issues forth to enjoy recreation, or to amuse himself 
 with the objects of his whimsical fancy — the maimed and 
 monstrous. A group of these are brought before him ; 
 some with but one arm, some with four, one without ears, 
 others with four thumbs, and among these the monarch 
 unbends from royalty, and sports and smiles as an infant. 
 
 These were scenes of pleasure or recreation ; but when 
 national interests were at stake — when a great crime had 
 been perpetrated, or the nation invaded, then Montezuma 
 was again a monarch. The people crowded under his 
 banners, and his presence was sufficient to inspire them 
 with the wildest enthusiasm. In the darkest hurryings 
 of battle, the name of Montezuma drove them on to the 
 most desperate undertakings. The system of government 
 was complete. The people were oppressed, it is true, and 
 
64 REFLECTIONS ON MEXICO. 
 
 the king was the oppressor. But mutual confidence was 
 unshaken, and none desired nor thought of a change of 
 condition. 
 
 The empire of New Spain was founded in blood — not 
 the blood of true patriots resisting foreign oppression, but 
 of a harmless invaded people, who were either murdered 
 or torn from their ancestral homes to perish among the 
 mines and high-roads of their taskmasters. But they did 
 not yield without a struggle, and but for the superior 
 weapons of their adversaries, they would have swept the 
 Spaniards from the country. On the memorable night 
 denominated by Cortez Noche Tristl (desolate night), they 
 poured in determined thousands upon the little band of 
 adventurers, who in vain endeavored to resist the onset. 
 Man after man was captured by them, until Cortez and 
 his few remaining followers fled from the city. Then 
 deeds, horrible beyond description, were enacted by the 
 infuriated multitude. Revenge loosened her bloody 
 hand, and descended upon the prisoners. Maddened by 
 their former losses, the populace rushed upon them, tore 
 the heart from the bosom, and, while yet quivering with 
 pulsation, threw it with dreadful shouts at the feet of 
 their idol. Then the heads were wrenched from the 
 shoulders, and used as balls by the people, while the 
 bodies were precipitated to the rocks below. Fear, for 
 the first time, brooded over the desolate Spaniards, and 
 they wept like children for home. 
 
 The political history of Mexico since the emancipa- 
 tion from the mother-country, is a sad jumble of mur- 
 ders, robberies, and revolutions. It is not wonderful that 
 anarchy has struck its baneful roots far into her soil ; but 
 
REFLECTIONS ON MEXICO. 65 
 
 that, as one government, she has existed at all. The 
 rulers have rioted in spoil and carnage, while the people 
 have been robbed of almost every thing worth possessing. 
 The churches have shared a similar fate, and even the 
 cloak of the prelate has often been no defence from the 
 stiletto of the bandit. All confidence or credit is lost, 
 and, politically considered, the inhabitants are no longer a 
 nation. 
 
 Still, notwithstanding all these disadvantages, Mexico, 
 under an efficient leader, might become a powerful nation. 
 Her sons Jiave proven their courage in the present war 
 with the United States, and were there but a Xantippus 
 to organize them, or a Hannibal to lead them, they might 
 give us as much trouble as Carthage gave to Rome. No 
 country affords better resources for either offensive or 
 defensive warfare. A handful of brave men, thrown 
 among the passes of their mountains, could repel the 
 united efforts of any army ; and how well her plains are 
 adapted to cut up a large force, and thus overcome the 
 advantages of numbers, the battle of Buena Vista is am- 
 ple testimony. We must look then upon this country 
 as possessing the most abundant resources, and yet una- 
 ble to use them ; as possessing the elements of a mighty 
 nation, and yet unable to combine or modify them ; in 
 fine, as a nonentity on the national chronicle, open to the 
 insult and abuse of every enemy, whether domestic or 
 foreign. 
 
 During the trying scenes of the republic, much of the 
 original Spanish character has been lost. They are still 
 vain, cruel, and revengeful, like their trans-atlantic 
 brethren ; but the stately demeanor, reserved courtesy, 
 
66 REFLECTIONS ON MEXICO. 
 
 and pride of ancestry, are in a great measure gone ; a 
 circumstance, to which the abolition of grades of rank 
 has mainly conti'ibuted. This renders the people much 
 more talkative and agreeable than the Spaniards, and 
 perhaps less hidden in their principles. The loquacious 
 traveller is sure to set in action a responsive train, and 
 in less than five minutes the groups of half naked men, 
 women and children, that have ranged themselves around 
 him, with open ears and mouths, make him feel, if not in 
 his native country, at least " at home,^' But, on the other 
 hand, the change of manners is undoubtedly unfavorable 
 to modesty and decorum. The pleasing timidity, so 
 graceful in the female sex, is unknown to Mexico ; and 
 the countenances of the handsomest women betray a 
 tinge of coarse vulgarity, or perhaps familiarity, repel- 
 ling to a foreigner. Beside this, their dress is scant and 
 slovenly, their feet bare, and their whole appearance 
 strongly impresses the beholder as a personification of 
 laziness and immodesty. Groups of both sexes are of- 
 ten seen rolling over the same floor, many of them stran- 
 gers to each other — Indians, negroes, rancheros, and sol- 
 diers. The children are never clothed until they arrive 
 at the age of nine or ten years, and many of the boys 
 are allowed to go two or three years beyond that period. 
 The eyes of all nations are now bent upon this 
 country, with intense interest ; for her future prospects 
 are wrapped in an impenetrable obscurity. Should she 
 continue in a state of war, her very nationality may be 
 taken from her, and the manes of Montezuma terribly 
 avenged ; and let peace accrue sooner or later, it must 
 deprive her of some of the richest of her territories. 
 
RESACA DE LA PAL MA 
 
 67 
 
 She has declined European mediation, and would per- 
 haps treat with the same contempt similar offers from an 
 American power. Yet every day is depriving her of 
 new possessions, and every battle of her bravest defend- 
 ers. Her commerce is ruined, her fields devastated, her 
 cities captured, and her capital threatened by a victori- 
 ous army. Who may tell her fate, define her future 
 boundaries, or compute her chances of national existence ? 
 Will she spring aloft from the destroyer, happier and 
 wiser from experience, and renovate her manners and 
 government ? or will her sad people collect in groups 
 upon every sierra, and weep over the triumph of their 
 enemy ? In fine, shall the nation of which so much has 
 been anticipated, still exist as a nation, or must she re- 
 move from her high position, lower the flag of her inde- 
 pendence, and remain only as a mournful example that 
 delVerance from foreign control can never render a peo- 
 ple wise or powerful, unless they have among them the 
 elei'vents of self-government? 
 
 RESACA DE LA PALMA. 
 
 Come and listen, while I tell of the battle that befel 
 
 On the frontiers of our country, one pleasant morn in May : 
 
 When the Mexicans came forth o'er the " River of the North," 
 Filled with hopes of easy conquest, filled with ardor for the 
 fray. 
 
68 RESACADELAPALBIA. 
 
 We had marched, witli measured tramp, from our sadly fur- 
 nished camp, 
 
 Through a wild and broken country to our Fort at Isabel ; 
 For our food was failing fast, and our powder would not last, 
 
 And, to silence Matamoras, were in want of shot and shell. 
 
 Having loaded our suppUes, word was brought us by our spies, 
 Tliat the Mexicans were waiting us, with twice three thou- 
 sand men ; 
 
 So we knew we had to fight, but we heard it with delight, 
 Though we numbered with tlie enemy as scarcely four to ten. 
 
 Soon we came to where they stood, flanked by water and by 
 wood, 
 
 And their cannon swept the road — ^but we saw it undismayed ; 
 Though our General, at the best, was indifferently dressed, 
 
 In a dingy green frock-coat and in pants of cottonade, 
 
 And a broken old straw hat ; but we did not care for that — 
 For calm resolve was on his brow and fire within his eye, 
 
 As he turned to Captain May, and we heard him coldly say, 
 " Yonder cannon must be ours ; you must take them, sir, 
 or die !" 
 
 Quickly then he to us rode, while his heart with daring glowed — 
 The liigh heroic heart of the gallant Captain May — 
 
 And we saw his beard and hair, streaming back upon tlie air, 
 As, passing on, he shouted — " Charge !" and boldly led the 
 way. 
 
 Oh ! they heard us from afar, ringing out our wild hurrah. 
 And they looked on one another, and their swarthy cheeks 
 were pale ; 
 
BRIGADIER-GENERAL WORTH. 69 
 
 For they felt that, if we came, though they vomited out flame, 
 Nor camion balls, nor musketry, nor courage could avail. 
 
 First, we broke into a trot, till we felt the foemen's shot, 
 
 Then, like resistless torrent, or a storm-wind in its wrath. 
 Onward, onward we went dashing — o'er the breastwork we 
 went crashing, 
 And, through and through the Mexicans, we cut our bloody 
 path. 
 
 Hand to hand, with the brand, wherever they would stand, 
 We cut, and we thrust, and we galloped to and fro — 
 
 Till they scattered were pell-mell, like the bursting of a shell, 
 And we thought it all unmanly to strike a flying foe. 
 
 Honor to "Rough and Ready," with his mien so cahn and 
 steady. 
 And honor to brave Captain May, and honor to the slain — 
 Worthy subject of old Runes were the onslaught of dragoons. 
 Who fought the fight, and won the fight, upon our Texian 
 plain ! 
 
 BRIGADIER-GENERAL WORTH. 
 
 William J. Worth was born in the state of New 
 York, and when a boy, was engaged in a store in Alba- 
 ny. When quite young, the disputes between France 
 and England seemed likely to draw our country into a 
 war with one of the great powers ; and when these fears 
 were realized, Worth was one of the first to apply for a 
 
70 BRIGADIER-GENERAL WORTH. 
 
 commission in the army. His request was granted, and 
 he received the appointment of 1st lieutenant in the 23d 
 infantry, on the 19th of March, 1813. 
 
 In the battle of Chippewa plains, Worth acted as aid 
 to General Scott, and when the nature of that officer's 
 duties are remembered, it will be acknowledged that this 
 was a dangerous and responsible station. Yet he won 
 the admiration of his superior by his excellent conduct, 
 and was noticed by General Brown in complimentary 
 terms. He was further rewarded by a commission as 
 captain, dated August 19th, 1814. 
 
 In the sanguinary battle of Niagara, Worth had a fur- 
 ther opportunity of proving his military talents. In order 
 to appreciate his services, it will be necessary to remember 
 that General Scott performed most of the active services 
 of that battle ; and his aids were required to be in every 
 part of the field, often between the fires of both armies. 
 Worth's escape from death seems almost miraculous, 
 though with most of the commanding officers, including 
 Brown and Scott, he was severely wounded. For some 
 time after the capture of the enemy's battery by Colonel 
 Miller, the two armies were within a few yards of each 
 other, and some of the officers for a short time even com- 
 manded sections of their antagonists. When evening 
 arrived, both armies were so completely satiated with 
 slaughter, as to be unable to make further effort. 
 
 Captain Worth was rewarded for his bravery in this 
 action, by the thanks of his superior officers, and the rank 
 of major. Although he performed good service during 
 the remainder of the war, yet he had no opportunity of 
 distinguishing himself At its close he was honored by 
 
BRIGADIER -GENERAL WORTH. 71 
 
 an appointment to superintend the West Point Academy, 
 in which responsible station he won the esteem and confi- 
 dence of all concerned. He was brevctted lieutenant- 
 colonel on the 25tli of July, 1824 ; appointed major of 
 ordnance, in 1832, and colonel of the 8tli infantry regi- 
 ment, July 7th, 1838. 
 
 In Florida, Colonel Worth was enabled to act a rather 
 more conspicuous part, than most of the officers in that 
 unfortunate war. The precison that characterizes all 
 his movements was of the utmost service during the 
 campaigns of 1841 and 42, when he compelled several 
 parties of the Indians to surrender. He was brevetted 
 brigadier-general on the 1st of March, 1842. On the 
 19th of April, he fought the battle of Palaklaklaha, in 
 which a large body of Seminoles were entirely defeated, 
 and several of their chieftains subsequently obliged to 
 surrender. 
 
 When General Taylor marched from Corpus Christi 
 to make war upon Mexico, Worth was the second in 
 command, and led the main army to the Rio Grande, 
 while the commander moved towards Point Isabel. 
 Worth planted the flag of his country on the Rio Grande, 
 with his own hand. Soon after. Colonel Twiggs arrived, 
 ind claimed the command of Worth's division, on account 
 )f priority of commission. His claim being substanti- 
 ated by the proper documents, Taylor was obliged to 
 confirm it, and Worth, considering himself aggrieved, 
 left tTie army, reached Washington, and tendered his re- 
 signation. In doing so, however, he displayed all the 
 delicacy and reluctance which such a step was calcu- 
 lated to inspire, and expressed his hope that should actual 
 
72 BRIGADIER-GENERAL WORTH. 
 
 hostilities take place ho might be permitted to resume the 
 command, and declared his entire approbation of the con. 
 duct of the commanding general. While at Washington, 
 the aspect at the seat of war changed. News arrived 
 of the danger of Taylor at Fort Brown, and soon after 
 of the march to Point Isabel, and the battles of the 8th 
 and 9th of May. Worth immediately applied for his 
 commission ; it was granted, and he hurried on to Texas. 
 He was received by General Taylor with open arms ; 
 and conducted the negotiations attending the capitulation 
 of Matamoras. 
 
 But another and nobler field was now offered to him 
 at Monterey. General Taylor, with the generosity of a 
 true soldier, intrusted him with the attack upon the Bi- 
 shop's palace ; an almost impregnable fortress, com- 
 manding a steep and rocky height, and the key of the 
 road to the interior. This was considered by the whole 
 army as an almost desperate undertaking, and none who 
 saw the division of the general march from camp toward 
 the palace, expected to see half of them return. The- 
 peculiar situation of Worth favored this belief; as it was 
 supposed that, in order to atone for his lost opportunities, 
 and stop the voice of calumny, he would rush headlong 
 into danger, and recover his reputation at every hazard. 
 Worth acted differently. He felt his duty to the sol- 
 diers, and allowed no personal feeling to hinder its exe- 
 cution. Where the Americans expected the heaviest 
 loss, and perhaps total failure, they were scarcely in- 
 jured. During the whole time, the troops labored m 
 range of the enemy's guns, crossing ravines, climbmg 
 rocks and ledges, wading through water, and carrying 
 
BRIGADIER-GENERAL WORTH. 73 
 
 their cannon up precipitous clifFs. Wortli was all the 
 time on liorseback, riding from post to post, and using 
 every effort to cheer his men in their laborious duties. 
 His conduct is mentioned by the commander in terms of 
 the warmest approbation. 
 
 Worth was one of the commissioners at the negotia- 
 tions for the capitulation, and performed efficient service 
 during the evacuation of the city. He was subsequently 
 detached to Saltillo, where he remained until January, 
 at which time he marched for the Gulf coast to join 
 General Scott. 
 
 At Vera Cruz, General Worth was the first officer 
 that formed his troops in line after their landing. His 
 services in the siege were valuable ; and he was the 
 head of the American deputation to arrange the terms 
 of capitulation. When the Mexicans had left the city, 
 Worth was appointed governor, and occupied it with his 
 brigade. His prompt and exact measures soon resusci- 
 tated the trade and commerce of the city,, and repressed 
 the disorders which had long disgraced it. 
 
 On the same day that the battle of Sierra Gordo was 
 fought. Worth took unresisted possession of the town and 
 fortress of Perote, in which were found immense stores 
 of ammunition, cannon, mortars, and small arms. This 
 is one of the strongest castles in Mexico. Here he re- 
 mained for some time, principally engaged in perfecting 
 the discipline of his army. The movements of Santa 
 Anna called him from his retirement, and after the bat- 
 tle of Sierra Gordo he was very active in cutting off 
 supplies from the Mexican camp. Early in May he 
 advanced toward Puebla, and on the 14th he was met by 
 
 4 
 
74 B R I G A D I E R - G E N E R A L WORTH. 
 
 Santa Anna with a dctaclnncnt of about three thousand 
 men, most ofthoin cavalry. A skLrmisli ensued, several 
 Mexicans were unhorsed, -and the wliole force returned 
 to the city. The next morning, beibre daylight, Santa 
 Anna left for the interior, and at 10 o'clock the Ameri- 
 cans obtained quiet possession. The city of Pu(^bla is 
 well built, ornamented with numerous public buildings, 
 and contains eighty thousand inhabitants. 
 
 This has proved the last military achievement of 
 General Worth. The same inaction which a paucity of 
 troops imposes on all the other officers of the Mexican 
 war, is shared by him ; and until this is obviated, we 
 have little reason to suppose that we will have occasion 
 to crown him with fresh laurels. 
 
 General Wortii possesses a tall, commanding figure, 
 a full front, and is said to be the best horseman, and 
 handsomest man in tlie army. In discipline he is very 
 rigid, but is a universal favorite with the soldiers, by 
 wliom his appearance is always cheered. His great at- 
 tachment to General Taylor has been the subject of fre- 
 quent remark ; and when the commander was called to 
 part witli so many of his officers, prior to the battle of 
 Buena Vista, with no one was he more loth to })art tlian 
 with Worth. The General never appears with his 
 troops except on horseback, and he seems perfectly con- 
 scious of his skill in riding. On such occasions he forms 
 a most singular contrast to his brother officer, who is one 
 of the most awkward equestrians in Mexico. 
 
 Worth possesses fine talents other than military. He 
 seems to be one of those who are born to distinguish 
 themselves in any occupation into which fortune may 
 
GENERAL WORTH AT MONTEREY. 75 
 
 throw them. Ho is a firm friend, an agreeable compan- 
 ion, and possesses a sort of chivalric frankness and kind- 
 ness of heart, which, notwithstanding his strict discipline, 
 endear him to the whole army. 
 
 GENERAL WORTH AT MONTEREY. 
 
 Few who saw General Worth march toward the 
 Bishop's Palace, on the morning of the 20th, ever expect- 
 ed to see him return. He had missed Palo Alto and 
 Rcsaca Palma ; and his feelings were known to be sad 
 and chafed at the late unfortunate differences between 
 himself and government. It was well understood that 
 General Taylor had given him the responsibility of a 
 separate command mainly out of delicacy to his misfor- 
 tunes ; and all supposed that he would establish his 
 reputation as a general, by pushing forward, through 
 uproar, confusion, and death, to the cannon's mouth. As 
 the brave fellows filed by their comrades, many a pity- 
 ing glance was cast upon them, and many a brave heart 
 ached as it sighed forth an involuntary farewell. The 
 General was silent. He appreciated the magnanimity 
 of his brother veteran, and burned to prove that it was not 
 misplaced ; but no doubt thoughts were then crowding 
 upon his mind which were never permitted to pass the 
 lips, and he knew and felt that something dearer than 
 life was resting upon the possibility of capturing a seem- 
 ingly impregnable fortress. 
 
76 GENERAL WORTH AT MONTEREY. 
 
 The division marched to a hill, and passed the night 
 almost within range of the Palace guns. Long hefore 
 daylight the rolling of drums and the loud shouting of 
 the sentinels roused the soldiers to arms, and they soon 
 recommenced their toilsome march. After winding in 
 silence up the steep ascent, they arrived at a ridge, dimly 
 seen through the twilight, projecting over their heads. 
 They turned it, and directly in front were the muzzles 
 of the enemy, frowning with seeming impatience upon 
 them. But it was too late to pause. On they went, 
 sweeping up the rocky path, their artillery echoing from 
 hill to hill, as the horses galloped over the hard ledge. 
 Suddenly the enemy burst forth, and ere the thundering 
 discharge had rolled away in the distance, storms of iron 
 hail came battering over the rocks, and scattering broken 
 bushes and flinty stones in all directions. Still the troops 
 bore on, winding along a deep gorge, till they reached 
 another ridge about three-quarters of a mile from the 
 first, and under the summit of a high hill. Upon reach- 
 ing this, they beheld in advance a body of cavalry, splen- 
 didly mounted and caparisoned, with their lances spark- 
 ling in the early sunbeams, and preparing for a charge. 
 Immediately Captain Gillespie galloped along the flank 
 of his Texan rangers, ordering them to dismount and 
 place themselves in ambush. They obeyed, and the 
 next moment the enemy swept within a few yards of 
 them. All at once the rangers poured forth their fire, 
 and man and horse plunged headlong over the rocks. 
 McCullock's troops now dashed into their broken ranks, 
 and closely following came the 8th infantry, led by the 
 gallant Longstreet. The enemy fought furiously, and 
 
GENERAL WORTH AT MONTEREY. 77 
 
 hand to hand the fierce cavalry charged eacli other, roll- 
 ing backward and forward upon the rocky height. 
 
 Meanwhile Colonel Duncan had been preparing his 
 battery, and soon its heavy discharges, and the rushing 
 of the terrified horses, announced that the conflict was 
 about to tenninate. The enemy fled up the hill, in wild 
 confusion, followed by the infantry of the Americans, 
 who, as they moved, fired vollies of musketry at their 
 foe. The Mexicans lost thirty men killed ; among them 
 a captain, who fell under three wounds, while fighting 
 with the most determined bravery. 
 
 About noon, Captain C. F. Smith, with two com- 
 panies of the artillery battalion and four of Texan 
 rangers, was ordered to storm the second height. The 
 undertaking was a fearful one. Five hundred yards 
 intervened between them and the foot of the hill, their 
 way lying over perpendicular rocks, heaps of loosened 
 stones, and thorn bushes ; while on every peak and 
 thicket above were glittering rows of Mexican infantry, 
 prepared to pour upon them showers of musket balls. 
 The party, however, did not for one moment dream of 
 danger. Under their gallant leader, they were prepared 
 for any service and any danger; and after the command 
 to march was given, they were soon out of sight, behind 
 a ridge of rocks. Their companions watched", with beat- 
 ing hearts, for their re-appearance ; till at length, fearful 
 for their safety, Captain Miles with the 7th infantry, was 
 detached to their support. Instead of taking the same 
 route as the first party, they moved rapidly toward the 
 hill in the very breast of the redoubt, until they arrived 
 at the shores of the San Juan, which winds along a 
 
78 GENERAL WORTH AT MONTEREY. 
 
 ledge. They paused a moment ; and the next were 
 wading across the swift current, which was plunging 
 and foaming with the showers of balls that incessantly 
 ploughed its surface. They landed, marched to the 
 hill, and detached Lieutenant Gantt, to arrest the atten- 
 tion of the enemy, and if possible discover Captain 
 Smith's party. They pushed up the hill, while shells 
 and round shot flew in all directions, tearing up tlie 
 shrubs and stones, and filling the air with sliowers of 
 dust and gravel ; and overhead, the sharp crack of 
 musketry, echoing from clilF to cliif, announced that the 
 infmtry were not idle. Suddenly, the quivering bayo- 
 nets of the first party glittering in the sunbeams, broke 
 upon their sight. They arrived, rushed up the hill, and 
 the next moment were sweeping the Mexicans from the 
 summit. 
 
 The enthusiasm of the troops now became irresisti- 
 ble. Company after company marched up the rocky 
 ascent, cheering and shouting until their voices arose 
 above the roar of cannon, and confusion of battle. The 
 Mexicans, unable to resist the fierce shock, deserted 
 their works, and fled, to the number of a thousand, down 
 the steep ascent towards their second fort. As they 
 passed the rear gate, the Americans entered in front ; 
 and in a moment the national flag was playing in grace- 
 ful folds over the breastworks, while the guns found in 
 the fort commenced thundering away at the Bishop's 
 Palace. 
 
 Thus was this important post taken, almost without 
 loss on the part of the Americans ; but it was only 
 the commencement of the drama — the Palace was still 
 
GENERAL WORTH AT MONTEREY. 79 
 
 before the soldiers, with its massive frowning walls that 
 seemed to bid haughty defiance to the utmost effort of 
 any army. Rows of caimon and files of musketry 
 bristled along its ramparts, and its very height was fear- 
 ful to look upon. Yet the man who led the assailants 
 was not to be deterred by difficulty. He had determined 
 to accomplish, what he had marched for — to take the 
 palace. 
 
 At 3 o'clock on the morning of the 21st, Colone 
 Childs loft the camp, with three companies, on his way 
 to the palace. Their road lay over steep rocks, covered 
 with loose fragments, or hedges of chapparal. They 
 marched rapidly, but with mufHod tread, until at day- 
 break they found themselves within one hundred yards 
 of a Mexican breastwork of sand-bags. Here, being 
 discovered, they paused to await reinforcements. Three 
 privates, however, had advanced ahead of their com- 
 rades, and were surprised by a party of Mexicans, to 
 whom they surrendered. They were shot with their 
 own muskets. Major Scott and Colonel Staniford now 
 advanced to the support of Childs, toiling up the steep 
 ascent, and obliged to carry a heavy howitzer upon their 
 shoulders. When these reached the summit, the loud 
 bursts of the howitzer, and the renewed firing of the 
 palace, announced that the conflict had begun in earnest. 
 All at once the Mexican force collected, and poured to- 
 ward the howitzer in full gallop. The brave Rowland 
 saw them coming, and prepared for the encounter. An- 
 other leap, and their horses would almost have touched 
 the Americans, when a loud burst rang upon the air, 
 and the dense mass rolled backward as though struck by 
 
80 G E N E R A L \V R T II AT 1\I O N T E R E Y . 
 
 an cartliquakc. Tlion followed a poal of musketry, and 
 tlic broken cavalry fled in terror from the unequal con- 
 test. In a little while the Americans followed them, 
 rushed upon the })alace, and entered it by a small aper- 
 ture in the wall. The Mexicans M'erc soon driven from 
 the works, the guns secured, the star-spangled banner 
 hoisted, and the Bishop's palace was our own. 
 
 On the *28d. General Worth entered Monterey with 
 his whole division, and was soon involved in the stirring 
 events attending its assault. As he rode from post to 
 post, amid the shots that were flying thick and fast around 
 him, his fine form seemed to grow with the danger, and 
 the sadness of a previous day was entirely absorbed in 
 the excitement of action and flush of victory. Here he 
 remained in the very heart of the city, until news reached 
 him that terms of capitulation were about to be olFered, 
 when he ceased all further operations. 
 
 No event in the life of General Worth has ever added 
 more to his reputation as a general than tliis fine assault. 
 It was conducted under pecidiar circumstances — those 
 which in some measure would have excused or palliated 
 rashness. But he forgot self. Tiie safety of his men 
 was more dear to him than his personal fame ; and with 
 a feeling allied to that of the martyr, he determined to 
 perform nothing but his duty, totally regardless of con- 
 sequences. ■ His disinterestedness was rewarded ; and 
 the post where all thought that slaughter would be wild- 
 est, was scarcely stained with American blood. How 
 gratifying must have been the feelings of the general, as 
 he reflected on the magnitude of his services, his little 
 loss, and complete success ! 
 
MONTEREY. 81 
 
 MONTEREY. 
 
 We were not many — we who stood 
 Before the iron sleet that day — 
 Yet many a gallant spirit would 
 Give half his years if he but could 
 Have been with us at Monterey. 
 
 Now here, now there, the shot, it hailed 
 
 In deadly drifts of fiery spray, 
 
 Yet not a single soldier quailed 
 
 When wounded comrades round them wailed 
 
 Their dying shout at Monterey. 
 
 And on, still on, our column kept. 
 Through walls of llame its withering way ; 
 Where fell the dead, the Hving stept. 
 Still charging on the guns that swept 
 The slippery streets of Monterey. 
 
 The foe himself recoiled aghast. 
 When, striking where he strongest lay, 
 We swooped his flanking batteries fast. 
 And braving full their murderous blast. 
 Stormed home the towers of Monterey. 
 
 Our banners on those turrets wave. 
 And there our evening bugles play ; 
 Where orange boughs above their grave 
 Keep green the memory of the brave 
 Who fought and fell at Monterey. 
 4* 
 
82 FALL OF COLONEL WATSON. 
 
 We are not many — we who press'd 
 Beside the brave who fell that day ; 
 But who of us has not confessed 
 He'd rather share their warrior rest, 
 Than not have been at Monterey ? 
 
 FALL OF COLONEL WATSON, 
 
 AT THE STORMING OF MONTEREY. 
 
 In order to obtain a correct idea of the fierce assault 
 on Monterey, we must withdraw ourselves from the pomp 
 and formality attending the operations of the main armies, 
 and follow individual companies, as they advance to the 
 attack. Of these none were more conspicuous that that 
 led by the gallant Colonel Wilson, who marched through 
 the city during the hottest part of the conflict. 
 
 On the night of the 20th of September, his troops lay 
 on their arms, and arose early in the morning, wet with 
 heavy rains, and exhausted by fatigue and fasting. In 
 this condition they advanced to the attack. Directly 
 across their road was a field of corn, and as the men 
 passed between the bending stalks, they knew not but 
 that at each step they would hear the burst of the 
 enemy's cannon, or a roar of musketry from thousands 
 of concealed riflemen. For an hour they toiled through 
 weeds and brambles, until emerging from the field, each 
 soldier involuntarily started to see before him a huge 
 battery frowning with artillery, and lined with thousands 
 
FALL OF COLONEL WATSON. 83 
 
 of infantry. Its guns opened at once, and the blood of 
 the youthful volunteers rushed thrilling' through their 
 veins, as they heard the whistling of balls, and felt that, 
 for the first time, they were standing in the niarch of 
 death. All was confusion and uncertainty, some were 
 advancing to assault the redoubt, others were marching 
 a different way to the city. Suddenly a single horseman 
 swept across tlie field, and with a voice that arose above 
 the peals of artillery, called the assailants from their line. 
 It was Colonel Watson. He dismounted, and the next 
 moment his noble steed reared high in air, and fell dead. 
 " Men, shelter yourselves," shouted the colonel, and as 
 though by one impulse, each one fell flat upon the 
 ground, while around and behind them balls were fall- 
 ing like showers of hail. It was a moment of terror. 
 The man is brave who can face an opposing army, even 
 when he has the hurry of march and resistance to excite 
 him ; but to lay inactive while thousands of balls from a 
 sheltered foe are ploughing the ground around you, is 
 something more than brave. 
 
 In a little while the fire of the enemy slackened ; 
 and taking advantage of it, the colonel leaped from the 
 ground, and called to his men to follow him. They 
 hurried into the city, and entered a lane, apparently 
 secure from the artillery. They had advanced a little 
 distance, when a roar of cannon, succeeded by another 
 and another, awakened them to a knowledge of their 
 fearful situation. Three full batteries glared upon them 
 from the distance of but one hundred yards, raking the 
 street from one end to the other, while two twelve-pound- 
 ers, opened upon them from the castle in front, and every 
 
84 FALL OF COLONEL WATSON. 
 
 house, and every wall v.cis bristling with rows of mus- 
 ketry. All at once this tremendous train opened. Then 
 there was a pause, and as the echo rolled fainter and 
 fainter in the distance, it was succeeded by the startling 
 tones of command, the shrieks of the wounded, and the 
 deep moans of the dying. On the devoted line marched, 
 when a second discharge scattered their ranks like a 
 whirlwind, and men and horse leaped in the air, and fell 
 writhing beneath the hurrying feet of their companions. 
 The earth shook under this heavy cannonade, and the 
 strong old walls of JMonterey toppled as though in an 
 earthquake. 
 
 Over the space of t\vo hundred yards the soldiers 
 were exposed to this awful fire, without the possibility 
 of resisting it. At length they halted at a cross street, 
 and turned to survey the line of march. It was a sick- 
 ening spectacle. Their track was traced with blood ; 
 and here and there groups of man and horse, dead and 
 wounded, told of the points where they had received the 
 discharges of artillery. Some were calling piteously to 
 their companions, others raving in the agonies of death, 
 and their last thrilling appeals, rendered more awful 
 than battle itself the interval of death. Then the artillery 
 re-commenced, sweeping the whole street, and crossing 
 and re-crossing at every corner. Each man fled to a place 
 of safety. Some leaped into ditches, others fell flat upon 
 the ground, a few concealed themselves behind an old wall, 
 and a large number sat down with their backs against the 
 houses. On came the iron showers, rattling and crash- 
 ing like hail, and sweeping soldier after soldier before it. 
 The dead and wounded were lying at every spot. The 
 
FALL OF COLONEL WATSON. 85 
 
 wretch who once fell, had no hope ; ball after ball would 
 riddle him, until he was torn to pieces. Now a cannon- 
 ball Avould strike one, and scatter the bleeding fragments 
 in every direction ; and the next moment another would 
 start from his bloody couch, utter a piercing shriek, and 
 fall back dead. None that witnessed that terrible scene 
 ever expected to escape unhurt. How they did is un- 
 accountable. Balls were continually pouring around, 
 above and beneath them ; under the arms, through the 
 locks and clothing, and ftilling at their feet after striking 
 the walls above. Thus the troops remained for a quar- 
 ter of an hour, and then arose and formed, preparatory 
 to making an attack upon the fort. 
 
 In the march, Colonel Watson became separated from 
 his men, and soon after joined another column. The 
 battle was still raging, but he rode from rank to rank, 
 cheering and encouraging his men as calmly as though 
 in a parade. Animated by his example, they forgot 
 danger and weariness, and pressed on with alacrity. A. 
 flush of excitement — proud and patriotic — passed over 
 his cheeks, as bending forward, he spurred his steed 
 toward the head of the column. A moment after, the 
 same steed was coursing wildly through the street, and 
 his intrepid rider lay cold in death. He was shot in the 
 neck by a musket ball. 
 
 Thus fell the pride and idol of the Baltimore volun- 
 teers, no less distinguished for his generosity and good- 
 ness of heart, than for his bravery and chivalry. Amid 
 the well deserved praises bestowed upon the generals of 
 that assault, little mention is made of his brave battalion, 
 who with himself enacted so conspicuous a part ; but 
 
86 A R BI Y SCENES IN MEXICO. 
 
 were the complete history of their chivalric struggle on 
 that day written, posterity would be proud to award 
 them a share of glory not inferior to any corps who were 
 battling with them. 
 
 ARMY SCENES IN MEXICO. 
 
 The name of Mexico has long been associated with 
 nothing but scenes of bloodshed and misery. Now and 
 then, a passing remark is made, on the beauty of her 
 scenery, or the splendor of her climate ; but this is soon 
 forgotten, or, perhaps, overlooked in the eager appetite 
 after the news of battle. But, to the contemplative mind, 
 the one that is glad to remove from the sickening din 
 where man is spilling the life-blood which may never be 
 gathered, Mexico is replete with wonder and instruction. 
 Like Spain, she is the country of romantic associations, 
 and her history is a tale of mournful interest. 
 
 in the mother-country, the marbled fountains, and 
 deep-tangled gardens of the Alhambra, tell of a high- 
 spirited and enlightened people, who have passed away 
 from the places that will never know them again ; and 
 in Mexico, the same sad mementoes, the same lonely and 
 deserted structures, guard in stately grandeur the tombs 
 of a race, better than their conquerors. The once 
 haughty Spaniard is now degraded and pusillanimous ; 
 while the poor Indian, whose empire he wrested in the 
 hurry for wealth, although moving as a slave among the 
 
ARMY SCENES IN MEXICO. 87 
 
 palaces of his ancestors, is his superior in every thing 
 but rank ; and, as the Moors still fondly dream of re- 
 capturing their terrestrial Eden, so do the descendants of 
 Montezuma; and, under a skilful leader, who would 
 dare affirm that they could not burst their fetters, and 
 revel once more in the halls of Aztec ? 
 
 A prospect on one of the plains of Mexico, is a sub- 
 lime and subduing sight. Often the ground is as level 
 as a floor for many miles, and covered with high grass, 
 which waves backward and forward like the undulations 
 of the ocean. Far in the distance, high trees vary the 
 scene, and farther still the mountains seem to rear their 
 round heavy summits into the clouds— and, over all, the 
 sun beams with that yellow, mellowed softness, so pecu- 
 liar in southern regions. Buflialoes, jackals, and prairie- 
 dogs infest the plains, and add a strange, unhuman ap- 
 pearance to the landscape. But that which particularly 
 arrests the attention of the traveller, and assures him 
 that he is far from home, is the innumerable variety of 
 birds and insects, glittering with every tinge of beauty, 
 and filling the air with their ceaseless humming. No 
 country is richer in natural history than Mexico, and 
 among her specimens are thousands unknown to other 
 portions of the world. 
 
 There are some ruins in Mexico of buildings estab- 
 lished by the Spaniards, which are rarely mentioned. — 
 Of these are the stations of the Jesuit priests, soon after 
 the conquest, which are scattered, in diflerent numbers, 
 through every State of the Republic. Several are on 
 the Rio del Norte, and were subjects of frequent remark 
 among the American soldiers, whenever observed. 
 
86 ARMY SCENES IN MEXICO. 
 
 There is something sad connected with the sight of their 
 mouldering domes and battlements, half concealed by 
 coarse grass and chapparal. On them the missionaries 
 bestowed their wealth and labor, fondly hoping that the 
 rude and scattered tribes would flock to them as to a 
 home. They adorned the walls with the most expensive 
 sculpture, and painted the figure of a weeping virgin — 
 their motto in every undertaking — upon the high battle- 
 ments which overlooked the inland. Inside were spa- 
 cious apartments, adorned with paintings and statues, and 
 resounding with the sweet chantings of pious nuns ; 
 while surrounding every building were blooming gar- 
 dens, traversed by paths and canals, and variegated with 
 all that could rivet the attention, or charm the senses. 
 Here the preacher erected his cross, and day after day 
 taught the wondering Indian of another and better land, 
 where the groves were even greener, and the streams 
 clearer than in Aztec. Little did they imagine that in 
 less than two centuries the descendants of their pupils 
 would return to their degraded state, and that the roman- 
 tic buildings, which towered like stars in the wilderness, 
 and to establish which they had left home and relatives, 
 and crossed an unknown ocean, would be mouldering in 
 unvisited solitudes, and hear no sound save the batten of 
 the jackal and vulture ! 
 
 The most extensive of these settlements on the Rio 
 Grande, is the one called St. Joseph's. Its grand court 
 is about two hundred yards square, and the principal 
 chapel is one hundred and five feet long, and thirty feet 
 wide. The wing, containing the cells for the nuns, is 
 about one hundred and fifty feet long, by fifty-seven in 
 
ARMY SCENES IN MEXICO. 89 
 
 width : the height of the principal dome is eighty feet. 
 The court is surrounded by old buildings, sufficient for 
 the accommodation of one hundred families, while the 
 base of the wings is divided into gmall cells, built with 
 great strength. All the battlements and towers are cov- 
 ered with the prickly pear, growing to the height of six 
 feet above the walls, and with grass and mosquito wood, 
 the common growth of the country, among which the bells 
 lay scattered and broken, some in the court-yard and 
 others in the cupola. 
 
 The main front of the building, opposite what was 
 once the grand entrance, is adorned with a richness of 
 statuary and architecture, so far superior to any thing of 
 its class among the religious edifices of our country, that 
 its strikes an American with awe and admiration. Be- 
 sides many marble statues of full size, representing 
 Christ, the Saints, and the Virgin, there are also plaster 
 images of small dimensions, in an arch round the en- 
 trance, illustrating remarkable events in the history of 
 Christ and the Apostles, and arranged in groups, each 
 of which is surrounded by well preserved wreaths of 
 jleur de lis. The entire exterior of these vast buildings, 
 as well as the roofs, domes and parapets, have been paint- 
 ed in imitation of mosaic work, portions of which are 
 not yet defaced. . In a small chapel in the basement, 
 which is still locked, are three statues, in a standing po- 
 sition, well preserved, and under the direct superinten- 
 dence of the present keepers of the property. One of 
 these represents the Saviour, with his side bleeding, hands 
 and feet pierced, and crowned with thorns ; one is tlie 
 Virgin, and the third the representation of some Saint. 
 
90 A R BI Y SCENES IN MEXICO. 
 
 The principal material of these edifices is rock and 
 a kind of cement, which in its mouldering condition has 
 the appearance of old lava. The sills of the doorways 
 and the caps of many pf the pillars, are of ponderous di- 
 mensions, and like the door-posts are of marble. 
 
 A strono; evidence of most extensive labor in the es- 
 tablishment of these missions, is to be found in the canals 
 which have been dug to irrigate, with the waters of the 
 San Antonio river, large tracts of country, extending over 
 leagues of land. In some places this plan of irrigation 
 seems to indicate that in former years the drought ren- 
 dered agriculture and horticulture unavailable without 
 much artificial aid, and it proves too, as well as does the 
 completion of such vast edifices, that the labor of large 
 numbers of the aborigines must have been employed by 
 the missionary priests and their associates in the work. 
 
 The dates of the completion of these edifices range 
 along from the beginning to the middle of the last cen- 
 tury, which makes some of them more and some less 
 than one hundred years old ; so that altliough they are 
 not of a very remote antiquity, yet the desolations of fre- 
 quent war, and the corrosive nature of the climate, 
 together with the rapid growth of wood and vegetation 
 peculiar to the soil, gives to them the appearance of very 
 ancient ruins. To say the least they are much older in 
 appearance than any buildings of the United States, ex- 
 cepting, perhaps, the old Spanish cathedral at New Or- 
 leans, and the old Scandinavian fort at Newport, R. 1. 
 
 Many of these stations of the interior have been de- 
 stroyed by the Indian tribes, or during the long wars 
 which have desolated Mexico; othefs are completely 
 
ARIMY SCENES IN MEXICO. 91 
 
 overgrown by rank vegetation ; but enough remain to 
 attest their former splendor, as well as the labor and zeal 
 of the men who could muster courage to leave their own 
 country, and found a home for themselves and their fel- 
 low men, in the boundless wilderness. 
 
 Besides these Jesuit buildings, there are on the San 
 Antonio river ruins of the little town of Goliad, which, 
 like Moscow, was fired by the retreating inhabitants, 
 when attacked by the revolutionists in the Texan war. 
 Unlike the missions, no grass waves abov6 its battle- 
 ments ; the walls are bare and black, and on the ground 
 charred fragments are heaped upon each other in wild 
 confusion. The history of the city is a sad one, and as 
 the wandering antiquary beholds for the first time its 
 relics, he can scarcely realize that it was once the abode 
 of song and happiness and merriment. On that dark and 
 terribfe night when a thrilling voice rolled along its 
 sleeping streets, that the avengers were coming, each 
 rushed from his couch, fled to the church, tore the gold 
 and silver from the altars, flung burning torches among 
 the draperies, and departed for ever. All night the flames 
 tossed, and foamed, and roared, until the country beneath 
 their lurid glare shone as brightly as day ; and when the 
 sun arose upon the scene, Goliad was a mass of smoul- 
 dering ruins. 
 
 Humorous scenes often take place amoung the Ameri- 
 can soldiers in Mexico, who are not accustomed to the 
 climate and productions. The greatest enemy they 
 have, not even excepting the Mexicans, seems to be mus- 
 quitoes. Not the frail, merry little nonentity of the 
 north, that lulls us to sleep with his midsummer night's 
 
92 ARMY SCENES IN MEXICO. 
 
 song, and around whose feathered head, and web-like 
 limbs, even children gather with admiration. No. 
 Compared to the southern article, " these are but as 
 grasshoppers.'' At the noise of his trumpet-like coming 
 man and beast fly in terror, and the conquerors of Mexico 
 relax from their haughty bearing. The diseases of the 
 climate, brain fever, miasma, every foe to hygiene, com- 
 pared to this vampire, are harmless. During the day, 
 while the sun is withering nature, he basks in the ooze 
 and bushes of the rivers, gathering strength ; and when 
 evening arrives, and men rush from their smothered re- 
 treat to enjoy the mountain breeze, he rouses to meet 
 them. On comes the troop, their name being legion, 
 sweeping in whizzing clouds like the African simoom ; 
 but woe to the wretch who would consider them as such, 
 and fall upon his face. The cattle rush to the water at 
 their approach, and the wild animals sink into the depths 
 of the forest. All night long the pseudo-sleeper tosses 
 and writhes beneath his shield-like covering, while his 
 brain throbs with heat and suppressed breathing ; but he 
 dare not remove it. Above him are the musquitoes, 
 marching and countermarching with lean figures, and 
 drawn weapons, ready at the slightest opportunity for the 
 charge ; and as the dense columns of reinforcements pour 
 through every aperture, he can console himself only by 
 picturing to his imagination the cool breezes and refresh- 
 ing waters without, and by fixing his memory on home. 
 An officer in the American army has given so excel- 
 lent a description of the pleasures of soldiering, that we 
 cannot resist the pleasure of transcribing it, with such 
 little alterations as style or subject may require. 
 
ARMY SCENES IN IMEXICO. 93 
 
 ' This country is distinguished above all other parti- 
 culars, by its myriads of crawling, flying, stinging, and 
 biting things. Every object has a spider on it. We 
 are killing them all day in our tents. We never dare 
 to draw on a boot, nor put on a hat or garment, without 
 narrowly searching for some poisonous reptile or insect 
 crouching in the folds ; and it is wonderful that we are 
 not stung twenty times a day. Yesterday morning, 
 while standing up at breakfast, (we never sit at meals 
 in consequence of wanting the wherewithal to make a 
 seat,) I felt some strange thing crawling up my leg 
 about the knee. It did not take me long to seize it with 
 my hand, and to disrobe. Looking into the leg of my 
 drawers, I beheld a villanous-looking black and yellow 
 creature, with a long bony tail. I called my mess to 
 look at it, when Dr. Hoxey, who has been before in this 
 reptile country, pronounced it a Mexican scorpion ; and 
 told me, for my comfort, that it was as poisonous as a 
 rattlesnake. No doubt when I clinched him with my 
 hand, he struck out at my clothes, instead of in at my 
 flesh. Thinks I to myself, there's an escape. Besides 
 these, we have musquitoes, centipedes, hordes of flies, 
 and every thing else that crawls, flies, bites, or makes 
 a noise. A gang of locusts have domiciled themselves 
 in our camp, keeping up a clatter all night ; which is 
 seconded by the music of frogs, and the barking of 
 prairie-dogs. A few nights since, a panther came smell- 
 ing up to the lines of our sentries. All these small 
 nuisances are universally pronounced in camp as death 
 to one's patriotic emotions ; and a hard fight with the 
 enemy, followed by a riddance of this pestilent country, 
 
94 ARMY SCENES IN MEXICO. 
 
 would be hailed by the whole regiment as a consumma- 
 tion of almost too much happiness. But here we are to 
 stay, fighting insects and vermin, without any prospect 
 of finding their masters, for whose special and appro- 
 priate use Nature seems to have formed them. Some 
 few of our officers profess to be enamoured of this 
 country. The air near the sea-coast is certainly fine, 
 and one is at a loss to account for the sickness ; but 
 aside from that, I would willingly forego the possession 
 of all the rich acres that I have seen, to get back from 
 this land of half-breed Indians, and full-breed bugs.' 
 
 A predominant feature in the Mexican character is 
 superstition, that invariable accompaniment of ignorance 
 and bigotry. This throws a kind of solemnity around 
 their demeanor, which on some occasions, and especially 
 in certain localities, amounts to gloom or sadness. The 
 Mexican regards his priest with an awe amounting to 
 idolatry ; and believes him capable of working miracles, 
 raising the dead, and arranging the destinies of the de- 
 parted. Round every church and every monastery 
 and every mouldering building, a halo is thrown, which, 
 like a contagion, withers and enslaves the mind. Amid 
 all the antiquities of his country, the venerable pyra- 
 mids, sculptured palaces, and extended lines of massive 
 walls and battlements, crumbling in the darkness and so- 
 litude of the forests, he feels nothing but a gloomy dread 
 of devils or wandering spirits, the same which prompted 
 his ancestors to destroy the noble monuments of Aztecan 
 science. Talk to him of the past, or draw an inference 
 from it to apply to his own condition, and he shakes his 
 head in ignorance and displeasure — such thoughts are 
 
ARMY SCENES IN MEXICO. 95 
 
 above his comprehension. Even the common occur- 
 I'ences and most necessary operations of life — such as 
 planting, journeying, &c., are made the subject of reli- 
 gious instruction and anxiety ; and the soul that moves 
 all society, to which all others afe but automatons, is the 
 priesthood . 
 
 The religious orders have ever fostered this feeling, 
 and used every exertion to maintain their unhallowed 
 supremacy. Along every road, and upon the sides and 
 tops of mountains, the traveller beholds small crosses, 
 before which every Mexican must bow in passing ; and 
 it is no uncommon sight to observe groups of men, 
 women, and children, on their knees before one of these 
 crucifixes. Sometimes a solitary penitent is there, with 
 long black tresses floating on the wind, and eyes capable 
 of witching the astonished beholder; and yet she in- 
 spires sadness, for we feel that the part enclosed in that 
 beautiful frame, and which might sparkle with glorious 
 effulgence, is a subdued and broken thing, condemned 
 to perpetual slavery. The effects of this superstition 
 pervade every condition of life, and render the Mexicans 
 indolent, servile, and dependent ; so that the country, 
 which, under able and enlightened influences, might 
 become what Old Spain once was, is now a national 
 albino, an infant credulous and cowering under the un- 
 principled management of her nursery-like rulers. 
 
 Another characteristic of the Mexican is dishonesty. 
 This is so prevalent among the lower classes, that they 
 have made a virtue of necessity, and consider thieving 
 as an honorable employment. No ranchero ever per- 
 mitted a proper opportunity to escape him. Travellers 
 
96 ARMY SCENES IN I\r E X I C O . 
 
 who have no iiioiiey nor jewels, are eased of tlieir super- 
 ubuiulant clothing, and ladies very frequently receive the 
 same kind civilities. Even the foreign consuls when of- 
 ficially engaged are obliged to be continually on the 
 alert ; and the happy merchant, as he trudges across the 
 valley with his silver-laden mules, is frequently disbur- 
 dened, in an unaccountably short space of time, from 
 the anxieties of riches. The civil wars of Mexico have 
 aflbrded rich harvests for these transactions ; and govern- 
 ment itself, anxious to monopolize so lucrative an em- 
 ployment, has swept estate and fortune from many of 
 the grandees, at the same time administering the heal- 
 ing reflection, that a true patriot delights to benefit his 
 country. 
 
 A group of Mexican Indians, released from daily 
 toil, and enjoying the pleasures of gossip in the refresh- 
 ing evening breeze, is a sight grotesque and relieving. 
 The great dread of these beings is hard work ; and once 
 loosened from this, they fling aside all care, and riot in 
 uncontrolled enjoyment. The appearance of a laboring 
 Indian is a great preventive of seriousness. His mouth 
 is wide, his hair long and uncombed, and his dress open 
 both for addition and variation. On the countenance 
 tJiere is a peculiar leer, between a grin and a laugh, 
 which, with his other accomplishments, tends powerfully 
 to throw a reflective cast on the countenance of the be- 
 holder. And when, with all these advantages in full 
 play, he rises to thrum on a broken guitar, the star of 
 every evening assembly, the beholder has before him a 
 concentration of every thing ludicrous and ridiculous. 
 
 The dance of these people is however graceful, and 
 
ARMY SCENES IN MEXICO. 97 
 
 their inexhaustible humor makes these nightly frolics a 
 source of passionate pleasure. The Indian is a far hap- 
 pier being than his master; he never reflects; never 
 tiiinks of the future ; never hopes for a change of lot. 
 His lather was a slave — so is he ; his child will be one. 
 Hence he is not troubled with the choice of a profession. 
 Freedom to him means having a lighter skin and con- 
 stantly fighting ; and its real character, its power to 
 renovate and ennoble him, is as incomprehensible as is 
 the idea of Deity to an Australian. He is a mournful 
 comment on oppression — the blasted relic of a powerful 
 empire. 
 
 The Mexican cavalry, either in parade or on the field 
 of battle, present a stirring spectacle. One of their most 
 singular weapons is the long lance, similar to that used 
 by the knights of romance ; and indeed, their whole ap- 
 pearance is not unlike those famous warriors. Their 
 horses are gayly caparisoned, spirited, and under perfect 
 control ; and when five or six thousand arc sweeping 
 along in one dense wave, with helmets and lances glit- 
 tering in the sun, and the whole enveloped in thick vol- 
 umes of dust, the display is grand. In the civil and 
 revolutionary wars, the cavalry has always been the arm 
 most relied upon ; and the most obstinate fighting at 
 Buena Vista, performed by the Mexicans, was by the 
 lancers. 
 
 Altogether, Mexico presents a singular spectacle. 
 She is a nation without government ; she exists without 
 the qualifications to do so ; and is at present in open war 
 with a power against whom she has never been able to 
 stand in battle, and who, but for the climate, could in one 
 5 
 
98 THE CITY OF MONTEREY. 
 
 campaign annihilate her; yet against all these difficulties 
 she perseveres with a courage worthy of success, and 
 that courage may give the historian abundance of future 
 labor. Mexico is not yet conquered ; but even should 
 she he, it seems difficult to suppose that her people 
 would submit with tameness to the dominion of for- 
 eigne rs. 
 
 THE CITY OF MONTEREY. 
 
 Monterey is one of the strongest cities of the West- 
 ern continent. This distinction it owes not so much to 
 the nature of its position, as to the extent and construc- 
 tion of its walls and othei defences. The walls are of 
 immense thickness, and constructed of a species of stone 
 very difficult to split ; and it has eight large redoubts, 
 mounting many guns, and provided with loop-holes for 
 musketry. There are also large stone buildings, built 
 expressly for defence, and each dwelling house is sur- 
 mounted in front with a parapet, which in case of assault 
 forms a breastwork of about three feet high. From this 
 soldier or citizen can severely annoy an assailing army, 
 with perfect security to themselves. During the siege 
 by General Taylor, each house was also bored for mus- 
 ketry, so that the American troops were not only ex])osed 
 to direct and cross fires from the batteries at every cor- 
 ner, but also to a galling range of musketry, which raked 
 their flanks throughout every street. 
 
,,% V 
 
 \.-MMm 
 
 )^r:';'t.f,j,;^l':,^^li 
 
 U. ,., 
 
 ff'([l»('l|r'"MI'lrlf. ■■Ml' 
 
 ijp-''ip 
 
V. 
 
 if ik 
 
THE CITY OF MONTEREY. 99 
 
 The houses of Monterey are built of white stone, are 
 square in shape, and in height rarely exceed two stories. 
 The walls are very thick, and altogether, the aspect fo 
 the city is strange to an inhabitant of the North. The 
 architecture is strictly Moorish, and many of the houses 
 are crumbling with age. The city covers a large area, 
 but it is destitute of the compactness of those in the sister 
 republics. In the centre is a large square called La 
 Plaza, and round this the houses are large, numerous, 
 and regular. This is the business quarter ; the stores of 
 Spaniards, Englishmen, Americans, Germans, Dutchmen, 
 aad Frenchmen, are here ranged side by side ; and during 
 the business hours of the day a Babel of dialects bewil- 
 ders the wondering uninitiated. As we recede from this 
 place the buildings are smaller in size and separated from 
 each other ; until toward the walls, the whole presents 
 the appearance of a widely scattered village. The 
 houses have dwindled into small huts, surrounded by ex- 
 tensive fields, and connected with the municipal region 
 by small lanes. This has one great advantage — it ren- 
 ders the city healthy — the greatest of all blessings in a 
 Mexican city. Many of the gardens are also beautiful ; 
 and amid the long hedges and tall chapparal, Monterey 
 has her scenes of evening enjoyment, equal to any in 
 the villages of Mexico. 
 
 The inhabitants of Monterey present the usual Mexi- 
 can character, except that they seem to be less sprightly 
 than those of the other cities. They are sociable to 
 strangers, and generally very hospitable ; but indolent 
 in habits, and filthy in appearance. Both men and wo- 
 men are fond of dancing, and this, with conversation. 
 
100 BATTLE OF B U E N A VISTA. 
 
 forms their chief amusement. Throughout the day the 
 time is generally spent in sleeping or lounging ; but in 
 the evening parties meet together for dance and song, 
 according to the immemorial custom of all Spaniards. 
 These parties are often made the occasions of great fes- 
 tivity, especially on important holidays. 
 
 GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF 
 BUENA VISTA. 
 
 BY AN EYEWITNESS.* 
 
 Camp at Biicna Vista, Feb. 24, 1847. 
 Messes. Editors : — On the morning of the 22d, in- 
 telligence reached General Taylor, at his camp on the 
 hill overlooking Saltillo from the south, that Santa Anna, 
 whose presence in our vicinity had been reported for 
 several days, was advancing upon, our main body, sta- 
 tioned near the rancho Sancho Juan de Buena Vista, 
 about seven miles from Saltillo. The general immedi- 
 ately moved forward with May's squadron of dragoons, 
 Sherman's and Bragg's batteries of artillery, and the 
 Mississippi regiment of riflemen, under Colonel Davis, 
 and arrived at the position which he had selected for 
 awaiting the attack of the enemy, about eleven o'clock. 
 The time and the place, the hour and the man, seemed 
 to promise a glorious celebration of the day. It was the 
 
 * A correspondent of the New Orleans Tropic. 
 
BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 101 
 
 22d of February, the anniversary of tliat day on which 
 the God of battles gave to freedom its noblest champion, 
 to patriotism its purest model, to America a preserver, 
 and to the world the nearest realization of human per- 
 fection — for panegyric sinks before the name of Wash- 
 ington. 
 
 The morning was bright and beautiful. Not a cloud 
 floated athwart the firmament, or dimmed the azure of 
 the sky, and the flood of golden radiance, which gilded 
 the mountain tops and poured over the valleys, wrought 
 light and shade into a thousand fantastic forms. A soft 
 breeze swept down from the mountains, rolling into 
 graceful undulation the banner of the Republic, which 
 was proudly streaming from the flag-staff of the fort, and 
 from the towers and battlements of Saltillo. The omens 
 were all in our favor. 
 
 In the choice of his position. General Taylor had ex- 
 hibitcd the same comprehensive sagacity and masterly 
 coup (Vccil which characterized his dispositions at Resaca 
 de la Palma, and which crowned triumphantly all his 
 operations amid the blazing lines of Monterey. The 
 mountains rise on either side of an irregular and broken 
 valley, about three miles in width, dotted over with hills 
 and ridges, and scarred with broad and winding ravines. 
 The main road lies along the course of an arroyo, the bed 
 of which is now so deep as to form an almost impassable 
 barrier, while the other side is bounded by precipitous 
 elevations, stretching perpendicularly towards the moun- 
 tains, and separated by broad gullies, until they mino-le 
 into one at the base of the principal range. On the right 
 of the narrowest point of the roadway, a battalion of the 
 
102 BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 
 
 1st Illinois regiment, under Lieut. Colonel Weatherford, 
 was stationed in a small trench, extending to the natural 
 ravine, while, on the opposite height, the main body of 
 the regiment, under Colonel Hardin, was posted, with a 
 single piece of artillery from Captain Washington's bat- 
 tery. The post of honor on the extreme right was as- 
 signed to Bragg's artillery, his left supported by the 2d 
 regiment of Kentucky foot, under Colonel McKee, the 
 left flank of which rested upon the arroyo. Washing- 
 ton's battery occupied a position im.mediately in front of 
 the narrow point of the roadway, in the rear of which 
 and somewhat to the left, on another height, the 2d Illi- 
 nois regiment, under Colonel Bissell, was posted. Next 
 on the left, the Indiana brigade, under General Lane, 
 was deployed, while on the extreme left the Kentucky 
 cavalry, under Colonel Marshall, occupied a position 
 directly under the frowning summits of the mountains. 
 The two squadrons of the 1st and 2d dragoons, and the 
 Arkansas cavalry, under Colonel Yell, were posted in 
 iiJie rear, ready for any service which the exigencies of 
 the day might require. 
 
 These dispositions had been made for some time, 
 when the enemy was seen advancing in the distance, 
 and the clouds of dust which rolled up before him gave 
 satisfactory evidence that his numbers were not unworthy 
 the trial of strength upon which we were about to enter. 
 He arrived upon his position in immense numbers, and 
 with force sufficiently numerous to have commenced his 
 attack at once, had he been as confident of success as it 
 subsequently appeared he was solicitous for our safety. 
 The first evidence directly afforded us of the presence 
 
BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 103 
 
 of Santa Anna was a white flag, which was dimly seen 
 fluttering in the breeze, and anon Surgeon-General Lin- 
 den berg, of the Mexican army, arrived, bearing a beau- 
 tiful emblem of benevolent bravado and Christian charity. 
 II. was a missive from Santa Anna, suggested by consi- 
 derations for our personal comfort, which has placed us 
 under lasting obligations, proposing to General Taylor 
 terms of unconditional surrender ; promising good treat- 
 ment, assuring us his force amounted to upwards of 
 20,000 men, that our defeat was inevitable, and that, to 
 spare the effusion of blood, his proposition should be com- 
 plied with. Strange to say, the American General 
 showed the greatest ingratitude, evinced no appreciation 
 whatever of Santa Anna's kindness, and informed him 
 that whether his force amounted to 20,000 or 50,000, it 
 was equally a matter of indifference ; the terms of ad- 
 justment must be arranged by gunpowder. 
 
 The messenger returned to his employer, and we 
 watched in silence to hear the roar of his artillery. 
 Hours rolled by without any movement on his part ; and 
 it appeared that the Mexican commander, grieved at our 
 stubbornness, was almost disposed to retrace his steps, 
 as if determined to have no further intercourse with such 
 ungrateful audacity. At length he mustered resolution 
 to open a fire from a mortar, throwing several shells into 
 our camp, without execution. While this was going on. 
 Captain Steen, of the 1st dragoons, with a single man, 
 started toward a hill, on which the Mexican General 
 seemed to be stationed, with his staff*, but before he com- 
 pleted the ascent the party vanished, and when he reached 
 the top he discovered that two regiments had thrown 
 themselves into squares to resist the charge. The Cap- 
 
104 BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 
 
 tain's gravity was overcome by this opposition, and he 
 returned. 
 
 Just before dark, a number of Santa Anna's infantry 
 had succeeded in getting a position high up the moun- 
 tains on our left, from which they could make a noise 
 without exposing themselves to much danger, and at a 
 distance of three hundred yards, opened a most tremen- 
 dous fire upon Col. Marshall's regiment. This was re- 
 turned by two of his companies, which were dismounted 
 and detached for the purpose, as soon as they could ar- 
 rive within a neighborly range. The skirmishing con- 
 tinued till after dark, with no result to us, save the 
 wounding of three men very slightly. 
 
 During the night, a Mexican prisoner was taken, who 
 reported Santa Anna's force as consisting of fifteen pieces 
 of artillery, including some twenty-four-pounders, six 
 thousand cavalry, and fifteen thousand infantry — thus 
 confirming the statement of his superior. 
 
 The firing on our extreme left, which ceased soon 
 after sunset on the 22d, was renewed on the morning of 
 the 23d, at an early hour. This was also accompanied 
 by quick discharges of artillery from the same quarter, 
 the Mexicans having established, during the night, a 
 twelve-pounder, on a point at the base of the mountain, 
 which commanded any position which could be taken by 
 us. To counteract the effect of this piece, Lieut. O'Brien, 
 4th artillery, was detached with three pieces of Washing- 
 ton's battery, having with him Lieut. Bryan, of the topo- 
 graphical engineers, who, having planted a few shells 
 in the midst of the enemy's gunners, for the first time ef- 
 fectually silenced his fire. 
 
 From the movements soon perceptible along the lefl 
 
BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 105 
 
 of our line, it became evident that the enemy was attempt- 
 ing to turn that flank, and for that purpose had concen- 
 trated a large body of cavalry and infantry on his right. 
 The base of the mountain around which these troops were 
 wending their way, seemed girdled with a belt of steel, 
 as their glittering sabres and polished lances flashed back 
 the beams of the morning sun. Sherman's and Bragg's 
 batteries were immediately ordered to the left ; Col. Bis- 
 sell's regiment occupied a position between them, while 
 Col. McKee's Kentuckians were transferred from the 
 right of our line, so as to hold a position near the centre. 
 
 The second Indiana regiment, under Col. Bowles, was 
 placed on our extreme left, nearly perpendicular to the 
 direction of our line, so as to oppose, by a direct fire, the 
 flank movement of the enemy. These dispositions hav- 
 ing been promptly effected, the artillery of both armies 
 opened its fires, and simultaneously the Mexican infantry 
 commenced a rapid and extended discharge upon our 
 line, from the left to McKee's regiment. Our artillery 
 belched forth its thunders with tremendous effect, while 
 the Kentuckians returned the fire of the Mexican infantry 
 with great steadiness and success; their field officers, 
 McKee, Clay, and Fry, passing along their line, animat- 
 ing and encouraging the men by precept and example. 
 
 The second Illinois regiment also received the enemy's 
 fire with great firmness, and returned an ample equiva- 
 lent. While this fierce conflict was going on, the main 
 body of Col. Hardin's regiment moved to the right of the 
 Kentuckians, and the representatives of each State seemed 
 to vie with each other in the honorable ambition of doing 
 the best service for their country. Both regiments gal- 
 
106 BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 
 
 lantly sustained tlieir positions, and won unfadino: laurels. 
 The veterans of Austerlitz could not have exliihitcil more 
 courage, coolness and devotion. 
 
 In the mean time the enemy's cavalry had been 
 stealthily pursuing its way along the mountain, and 
 though our artillery had wrought great havoc among its 
 numbers, the leading squadrons had passed the extreme 
 points of danger, and were almost in position to attack 
 our rear. At tliis critical moment, ***** 
 Several officers of Gen. Taylor's statf immcdiaiely dashed 
 off, to arrest, if possible, the retreating regiment. * * 
 Major Dix, of the pay department, formerly of the 7th 
 infimtry, * * and seizing the colors of the regiment, 
 appealed to the men to know whether they had deter- 
 mined to desert them. He was answereil by three 
 cheers, showing that ***** ti^^y were not 
 unmindful of an act of distinguished gallantry on the 
 part of another. A portion of the regiment immediately 
 rallied around him, and was re-formed by the otficers. 
 Dix, in person, then led them towards the enemy, until 
 one of the men volunteered to take the flag. Tlie party 
 returned to the field. ****** 
 
 While the day, however, by this disgraceful panic, 
 was fast going against us, the artillery was advanced, 
 its front extended, and different sections and pieces under 
 Sherman, Bragg, O'Brien, Thomas, Reynolds, Ivilburn, 
 French, and Bryan, were working such carnage in the 
 ranks of the enemy as to make his columns roll to and 
 fro, like shijis upon the billows. His triumph, at tlie 
 Indiana retreat, was but a moment, and his shouts of 
 joy were soon followed by groans o^ avguisli, and 
 slirieks of expiring humhvds. 
 
BATTLE OF IJ U E N A VISTA. 107 
 
 Washington's battery on tlic riglit had now opened 
 its fire, and driven back a hirge party of lancers, ad- 
 vanchig in that direction. Along the entire line the 
 battle raged with great fury. Twenty-one thousand of 
 the victims of Mexican oppression and the myrmidons 
 of Mexican despotism were arrayed against five thou- 
 sand Americans, sent forth to con([Ucr a j)eace. Tho 
 discharges of the infantry followed each other more 
 rapidly tlian the sounds of the Swiss Bell-Ringers in the 
 fierce fervor of a finale, and the volleys of artillery re- 
 verberated through the mountains, like the thunders of 
 an Alpine storm. 
 
 The myriads of Mexican cavalry still pressed for- 
 ward on our left, and threatened a charge upon the 
 Mississippi rifles, under Colonel Davis, who had been 
 ordered to support the Indiana regiment. * * * 
 * * * * * * * Colonel Davis 
 
 immediately threw his connnand into the form of a V, 
 the opening towards the enemy, and awaited his ad- 
 vance. On he came, dashing with all the speed of 
 Mexican horses ; but when he arrived at that point from 
 which could be seen tlie whites of his eyes, both lines 
 poured forth a sheet of lead that scattered him like 
 chatf, felling many a gallant steed to the earth, and 
 sending scores of riders to the sleep that knows no 
 waking. 
 
 While the dispersed Mexican cavalry were rallying, 
 the 3d Indiana regiment, under Colonel Lane, was or- 
 dered to join Colonel Davis, supported by a considerable 
 body of horse. About this time, from some unknown 
 reason, our wagon-train displayed its length along the 
 Saltillo road, and offered a conspicuous prize for the 
 
108 BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 
 
 Mexican lancers, which they seemed not unwilling to 
 appropriate. Fortunately, Lieutenant Rucker, with a 
 squadron of the first dragoons, (Captain Steen having 
 been previously wounded and Captain Eustis confined to 
 his bed by illness,) was present, and by order of General 
 Taylor, dashed among them in a most brilliant style, 
 dispersing them by his charge, as effectually as the pre- 
 vious fire of the Mississippi riflemen. May's dragoons, 
 with a squadron of Arkansas cavalry, under Captain 
 Pike, and supported by a single piece of artillery, under 
 Lieutenant Reynolds, now claimed their share in the 
 discussion ; and when the Mexicans had again assem- 
 bled', they had to encounter another shock from the two 
 squadrons, besides a fierce fire of grape from Reynolds' 
 six-pounder. 
 
 The lancers once more rallied, and, directing their 
 course towards the Saltillo road, were met by the re- 
 mainder of Colonel Yell's regiment and Marshall's Ken- 
 tuckians, w^ho drove them towards the mountains on the 
 opposite side of the valley, where, from their appearance 
 when last visible, it may be presumed they are still 
 running. In this precipitate movement, they were com- 
 pelled to pass through a rancho, in which many of our 
 valiant comrades had previously taken refuge, who from 
 this secure retreat, opened quite an effective fire upon 
 them. 
 
 At this time the Mexican force was much divided, and 
 the fortunes of the day were with us. Santa Anna saw 
 the crisis, and by craft and cunning sought to avert it. 
 He sent a white flag to Gen. Taylor, desiring to know 
 *' what he wanted." This was at once believed to be a 
 
BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 109 
 
 mere ruse to gain time and re-collect his men, but the 
 American General thought fit to notice it, and General 
 Wool was deputed to meet the representative of Santa 
 Anna, and to say to him that we " wanted " peace. Be- 
 fore the interview could be had, the Mexicans themselves 
 re-opened their fires, thus adding treachery of the highest 
 order to the other barbarian practices which distinguish 
 their mode of warfare. The flag, however, had accom- 
 plished the ends which its wily originator designed, for 
 though our troops could have eifectually prevented the 
 remainder of the cavalry from joining the main body, it 
 could only have been done by a fire, which, while the 
 parley lasted, would have been an undoubted breach of 
 faith. Although a portion of the lancers during this in- 
 terim had regained their original position, a formidable 
 number still remained behind. Upon these the infantry 
 opened a brisk fire, while Reynolds's artillery, beautifully 
 served, hailed the grape and cannister upon them with 
 terrible effect. 
 
 The craft of Santa Anna had restored his courage, 
 and with his reinforcement of cavalry he determined to 
 charge our line. Under cover of their artillery, horse 
 and foot advanced upon our batteries. These, from the 
 small ness of our infantry force, were but feebly support- 
 ed, yet, by the most brilliant and daring efforts, nobly 
 maintained their positions. Such was the rapidity of 
 their transitions, that officers and pieces seemed empow- 
 ered with ubiquity ; and upon cavalry and inftmtry 
 alike, wherever they appeared, they poured so destruc- 
 tive a fire as to silence the enemy's artillery, compel his 
 whole line to fall back, and soon to assume a sort of 
 
110 RATTLE OF BUKNA VISTA. 
 
 saiwc qui pent moveiiieiit, indicating any thing but vic- 
 tory. Again our spirits rose. The Mexicans appeared 
 thoroughly routed, and wliile their regiments and divi- 
 sions were ilying before us, nearly all our light troops 
 were ordered forward, and followed them with a most 
 deadly fire, mingled with shouts which rose above the 
 roar of artillery. 
 
 While our men were driven through the ravines, at 
 the extremities of which a body of Mexican lancers were 
 stationed to pounce upon them like tigers, Brent and 
 Whiting, of Washington's battery, gave tliem such a tor- 
 rent of grape as put them to fliglit, and thus saved the 
 remnants of those brave regiments which had long borne 
 the hottest portion of the fight. On the otiier flank, while 
 the Mexicans came rushino- on like legions of fiends, the 
 
 Do ' 
 
 artillery was left unsupported, and capture by the enemy 
 seemed inevitable. But Bragg and Thomas rose with 
 the crisis, and eclipsed even the fame they won at Mon- 
 terey ; while Sherman, O'Brien, and Bryan, proved them- 
 selves worthy of the alliance. Every horse with 
 O'Brien's battery was killed, and the enemy had ad- 
 vanced to within a range of grape, sweeping all before 
 him. But here his progress was arrested, and before 
 llio showers of iron hail which assailed him, squadrons 
 and battalions fell like leaves in the blasts of autumn. 
 The Mexicans were once more driven back witli great 
 loss, though ttiking with them the three pieces of artil- 
 lery which were without horses. 
 
 In this charge the 1st Illinois regiment and McKee's 
 Kentuckians' were foremost. The pursuit was too hot, 
 and as it evinced too clearly our deficiency in numbers, 
 
BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. Ill 
 
 the Mexicans, with a suddenness which was almost mag- 
 ical, rallied and returned upon us. They came in myri- 
 ads, and for a while the carnage was dreadful on both 
 sides. We were but a handful to oppose the frightful 
 masses which were hurled upon us, and could as easily 
 have resisted an avalanche of thunderbolts. We were 
 driven back, and the day seemed lost beyond redemp- 
 tion. Victory, which a moment before appeared within 
 our grasp, was suddenly torn from our standard. There 
 was but one hope ; but that proved an anchor sure and 
 steadfast. 
 
 Thus thrice during the day, when all seemed lost but 
 honor, did the artillery, by the ability with which it was 
 manoeuvred, roll back the tide of success from the enemy, 
 and give such overwhelming destructiveness to its effect, 
 that the army was saved and the glory of the American 
 arms maintained. At this moment, however, let it never 
 be forgotten, that while every effective man was wanted 
 on the field, hundreds of volunteers had collected in the 
 rancho, with the wagon-train, whom no efforts or en- 
 treaties could induce to join their brethren, neighbors, and 
 friends, then in the last struggle for victory. 
 
 The battle had now raged with variable success for 
 nearly ten hours, and by a sort of mutual consent, after 
 the last carnage wrought among the Mexicans by the ar- 
 tillery, both parties seemed willing to pause upon the re- 
 sult. Night fell, and the American General, with his 
 troops, slept upon the battle ground, prepared, if neces- 
 sary, to resume operations on the morrow. But ere the 
 sun rose again upon the scene, the Mexicans had disap- 
 peared, leaving behind them only the hundreds of their 
 
112 THE MISSISSIPPIANS. 
 
 dead and dying, whose bones are to whiten their native 
 liills, and whose moans of anguish were to excite in their 
 enemies that compassion which can have no existence in 
 the bosoms of their friends. 
 
 THE MISSISSIPPIANS AT BUENA VISTA. 
 
 The most trying scene for the Mississippi regiment 
 was immediately after the retreat of Colonel Bowles' In- 
 dianians. At that time the battle was raging with a 
 violence that shook earth and air for miles around. 
 Cannon pealed after cannon, and thousands of muskets 
 and small arms mingled together in one uninterrupted 
 roar, while the neighboring mountains broke and rolled 
 back the heavy sound as it leaped from crag to crag. 
 Colonel Davis was ordered to advance and support the 
 Indiana regiment. Before him were the cavalry with 
 loosened reins and panting steeds, shouting from rank to 
 rank, as they swept down upon the retreating regiments ; 
 while on either side, columns of infantry were marching 
 and countermarching and raking the field with thei? ri- 
 fles. But, cool and intrepid, the colonel rode to the front 
 of his regiment and ordered them into line. They 
 formed, and he galloped by the long-extended ranks, his 
 eye ranging along every movement until they had formed 
 into two lines which met in the form of a V, the opening 
 toward the enemy. Nearer and nearer drew the Mexi- 
 can steeds, until each rifleman trembled with excitement 
 
THE MISSI SSI PPI AN S . 113 
 
 and impatience. Colonel Davis was silent. Now their 
 dresses could be distinguished, and the next moment their 
 faces and features. High hopes and unbreathed fears 
 were centered upon that little volunteer band, and the 
 stern eye of the commanding General hung over them 
 with an almost agonized intensity. All around them 
 was clamor, and uproar, and the gushing of blood, and 
 shrieks of mangled soldiers. Colonel Davis was silent. 
 Would he retreat like the Indianians, or permit the enemy 
 to crush him without resistance ? Not long was the sus- 
 pense. Sure of victory, each Mexican grasped his lance 
 and heaved forward for the charge, when "Fire !" rang 
 along the volunteers ; a roar like thunder followed, and 
 man after man sunk down in bloody heaps to the ground. 
 Struck with dismay, the lacerated columns heaved back, 
 and in mad confusion horse trod down horse, crushing 
 wounded and dying beneath their hoofs, in the reckless 
 rushings of retreat. It was a horrible moment ; and 
 when the pageant had passed away, heaps of mutilated 
 beings were stretched along the ground, writhing in the ex- 
 tremities of agony. But a moment before they had been 
 strong in life and hope ; now they were torn and trampled 
 into the earth, while the blood was pouring from a dozen 
 wounds, and the heart hurrying on to its last throb. 
 
114 GENERAL WOOL. 
 
 GENERAL WOOL. 
 
 Brigadier-General Wool may be termed a self- 
 made soldier. No undeserved favor of superiors has 
 enabled him lo rise to the high post he now occupies in 
 the army ; all is owing to his own industry, his own 
 merit. 
 
 John E. Wool was born in Orange county, in the 
 state of New- York. Of his childhood we are told little, 
 except that at a very early age he lost his father, and re- 
 moved to the country-seat of his grandfather, in Rensse- 
 laer county. He appears to have been a boy of good 
 habits and enterprising disposition, but at first his talents 
 leaned more toward commercial business than war. 
 Accordingly, he was placed as clerk to an establishment 
 in the city of Troy, where his fidelity and application 
 were such as to secure him the esteem of his employers, 
 and in due time was admitted to their number. Business 
 prospered, and for a few years, he seemed to be in a fair 
 way to acquire a wealthy independence. But these fair 
 prospects were blasted by a fire which stripped him of 
 every thing, and launched him upon the world, once more 
 penniless. But a new field of enterprise now displayed 
 itself; the difficulties between England and the United 
 States concerning impressment were daily becoming more 
 alarming ; and in anticipation of war, numbers of young 
 men flocked into the army. Among these was young 
 Wool, who was commissioned as captain of the 13th in- 
 fantry, on the 14th of April, 1812. In the fall of the 
 same year he fought at Queenston Heights, and displayed 
 
^ 
 
 (p 
 
 ^:^' 
 
G E N E R 7^ L VV O L . 115 
 
 such courage and ahilif.y that ho was rewarded with tlic 
 rank of major of the 29th infantry. In 1814 ho was 
 with Oenoral Macomb at Plattshnrfr, where he led a sop- 
 arate command with ofTiciency and .success. I>efore the 
 main attacl< of the 11th, ho fbuf.dit tlie battle of Boekmaii- 
 town road, with 250 men, mostly rav/ militia, against a 
 very large force of the enemy. The struggle was long, 
 and so bloody that more than 300 men were killed and 
 wounded between Beekmantown and the Saranac river. 
 The British wore foiled in all their attempts to cross the 
 river, and Wool remained master of the field. The vic- 
 tory was of groat importance to the Americans, as it is 
 more than probable that without it, a portion of the Brit- 
 ish troops, on the night of the 0th of September, would 
 have slept witliln the American linos. 
 
 For this distinguished conduct Wool received the 
 brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel in his own regiment, 
 and the thanks of Congress. lie was subsequently in the 
 unfortunate affair of La Cole Mill, in the battle of A die- 
 town, and other smaller engagements, in all of which he 
 displayed the same coolness and officer-like conduct, as 
 he had displayed at Queenston. In 1810 he was ap- 
 pointed inspector-general, a situation r>f no h'ttio difficulty 
 and hardship. In the performance of his duties lie wa.s 
 obliged to journey through every part of the United Statos, 
 often over mountains and prairios, thrrjugh dc^nse forests, 
 and uninhabitable wilds, where no foot but the Indian's ever 
 trod. In the territories of Indiana, Missouri, Illinois and 
 Iowa, he was often in the woods for months, exposed to 
 hunger, cold, and almost every hardship which man can 
 endure, with only Indian guides, whose fidelity was ex- 
 
116 GENERAL WOOL. 
 
 tremely precarious. Yet his persevering mind overcame 
 every obstacle, and he was uniformly cheerful and zeal- 
 ous, and always made it a point to sacrifice ease and 
 pleasure to duty. His services were the theme of admi- 
 ration to both civil and military officers, and he was not 
 unrewarded by government. In 1826, he was brevetted 
 brigadier-general in reward for ten years' fliithful services 
 as inspector-general ; and on the '25th of June, 1841, he 
 received further promotion, as full brigadier-general, and 
 intrusted with the command of the Eastern Division of 
 the army, which had been vacated by the appointment of 
 General Scott as commander-in-chief, on the death of 
 General Macomb. 
 
 While inspector-general. Wool was engaged in some 
 most important events not immediately connected with 
 his office, but which rendered him for some time a con- 
 spicuous object to the army. The first of these was his 
 commission to suppress the troubles on the Canada bor- 
 der. When the Canadians took up arms against the 
 mother-country, numbers of individuals, prompted by 
 sympathy and a kind of secret grudge against the old 
 enemy, lent the insurgents their best wishes. Others 
 went further. They transported supplies of provisions 
 and military stores to them, and afterwards crossed the 
 St. Lawrence to join their armies. These acts were 
 considered by Great Britain as national assistance to 
 treason, and, consequently her soldiers were not very 
 lenient to the Americans who fell into their hands. 
 Deeds of murder and robbery were given and retaliated, 
 until the whole border was in a tumult of danger and 
 excitement. The memory of these events is fresh to the 
 
G K N E 11 A L W O O L . 117 
 
 inhabitants of tlie United States. The whole country 
 was oppressed with gloom and foreboding, and war with 
 Great Britain was confidently expected. Had this been 
 resorted to, it would have been flir more terrible than 
 any which has transpired since the days of Napoleon ; 
 and it is probable that we were saved from it only by the 
 genius of one man — that man was General Wool. By 
 firmness and indefatigable exertion, he broke up the 
 mob meetings, prevented the injury of British or Ameri- 
 can ' bordermen,' stopped all nightly parties whose ob- 
 ject was plunder, and prevailed on the disaffected to 
 surrender their arms and return home. 
 
 General Wool was appointed to superintend the Che- 
 rokee negotiation, during the arrangement for a treaty 
 betvi^een them and the United States, prior to their re- 
 moval Avest of the Mississippi. In this affair he acted 
 with so much delicacy, as to win the acknowledgments 
 of government, and the thanks of the Indians themselves. 
 
 A somewhat more pleasing event tlian those we have 
 mentioned, was his military visit to Europe, whose ob- 
 ject was to gather hints from the tactics and disci]>line 
 of other countries, by which he might improve the army 
 of the United States. He was cordially received in 
 Europe. By invitation of Louis Philippe, he attended 
 an anniversary celebration of the " Three Days," at 
 which he had the rare opportunity of seeing 70,000 men 
 march before him, in all the exercises of review ; and 
 he was subsequently a witness of the siege of Antwerp 
 in Belgium. 
 
 On his return to the United States, Gen. Wool applied 
 himself assiduously to the perfection of American tactics 
 
118 GENERAL WO OL . 
 
 as far as was consistent with his duties as inspector. In 
 this he performed such efficient service, that on the 
 breaking out of the present Mexican war, he was autho- 
 rized by government to proceed to the West and organize 
 for active duty the twelve-months volunteers of Ohio, 
 Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Mississippi. 
 This was a task of no little difficulty. None of these 
 men had been in battle, and under the mere impulse of 
 the moment they had flocked to the national standard, 
 strangers to discipline or subordination, and expecting to 
 be led immediately into battle. At the least delay, they 
 became impatient, and even commenced loud murmurs 
 against their officers. They were without tents, bag- 
 gage, or proper arms or ammunition. Besides this, a 
 tedious correspondence was to be sustained, not only 
 with the different departments of government, but also 
 with the governors of six states, and many military au- 
 thorities. Yet all this was satisfactorily accomplished 
 in six weeks ; in which short time General Wool raised, 
 organized, and equipped, more than 12,000 men. In that 
 short time, he passed and re-passed through almost all 
 the western states, visiting depots, and barracks, and 
 superintending the organization of each company at its 
 arrival. Part of the troops were sent on to General 
 Taylor, prior to the storming of Monterey ; and the re- 
 mainder were collected into a separate command, to be 
 called the Central Division, and destined to act in New 
 Mexico. 
 
 About the middle of August, 1846, Wool arrived at 
 San Antonio. Here his army of about 3,000 men was 
 concentrated, and one column in readiness to march. 
 
GENERAL WOOL. 119 
 
 By great exertions, the general was soon enabled to put 
 half his men in motion ; leaving tlie remainder to be 
 brought forward by Inspector-General Churchill, as soon 
 as means of transportation and other indispensable sup- 
 plies should arrive. In order to hasten the latter, he 
 wrote for two hundred wagons and six hundred mules, 
 to be shipped from New Orleans to Port Lavaca. On 
 his arrival at that point, however, he found that nothing 
 had been done for this purpose; and it was only by 
 rigid economy in the arrangement of his actual supplies, 
 that he was not detained there a full month. 
 
 On the 8th of October, he arrived at the Rio Grande, 
 and crossed into Chihuahua on the 10th. In his march 
 he received many civilities from the inhabitants ; and 
 the strict decorum of his army drew commendations 
 even from the ill-disposed. On the 29th, he was at 
 Monclovia, where he remained twenty-seven days, in 
 consequence of the armistice subsequent to the capitu- 
 i tion of Monterey. On the 25th of November, after 
 leaving two companies on the Rio Grande, and four to 
 garrison Monclovia, he resumed his march toward the 
 city of Chihuahua ; but on his way he received notice 
 from General Taylor, that the expedition against that 
 city had been abandoned, and that he might take up a 
 position at Parras. This he did on the 5th of December. 
 
 While in this position, Wool received orders to col- 
 lect all the grain and flour that could be obtained, and 
 forward them to the army of occupation. He had just 
 entered upon this service, when notice reached him 
 from Brigadier- General Worth, that Santa Anna was 
 marching on Saltillo with a large force, and entreated 
 
120 GENERAL WOOL. 
 
 Wool to join Worth with his column, as that officer had 
 but 900 effective men. Wool received this notice on 
 the afternoon of the 17th of December, and in two hours 
 his force was in motion, with its heavy train of 350 
 wagons, containing the ammunition, hospital stores, and 
 sixty days' rations for the entire command. In four 
 days they reached Agua Nueva, twenty-one miles in 
 advance of Saltillo, having marched in that time 120 
 miles. At the same time, General Worth called for 
 General Butler and. his command. Meanwhile, Taylor 
 was on his way to Victoria ; but upon receiving notice 
 from Worth that Santa Anna was approaching, he re- 
 turned to Monterey. This multiplicity of movements 
 caused a clashing of commands ; the result of which 
 was, that General Wool was deprived of what he re- 
 garded as essential to his efficiency in the field — his 
 principal staff-officers, and all his wagons, ammunition, 
 hospital-stores, and provisions, leaving him only his bag- 
 gage train — in short, reducing him to the command of a 
 simple brigade. He protested against this and appealed 
 to General Taylor ; after which Butler was ordered to 
 Monterey, and Wool placed in command of all the troops 
 in and near Saltillo ; and his authority continued even 
 after the arrival of General Taylor, who merely retained 
 a small company in Saltillo. 
 
 Thus the toilsome march of General Wool was 
 brought to an honorable conclusion. It had the most 
 beneficial effi?ct upon all engaged, enuring the volunteers 
 to fatigue, habituating them to the climate, and preparing 
 the way for that endurance which they manifested at the 
 pass of Angostura, and among the plains, gorges, and 
 
GENERAL WOOL. 121 
 
 ravines of Bueiia Vista. They had encountered barren 
 plains, sandy ridges, cypress swamps, hog-wallow prai- 
 ries, rapid torrents, mountain gorges, intense heat, and 
 clouds of dust ; yet they gallantly moved on day after 
 day, and week after week, with an order, fortitude, and 
 celerity, which gave promise of efficient assistance upon 
 the battle field. 
 
 The honor of the choice of battle ground is said to 
 belong to General Wool. Colonel Hardin first noticed 
 the superior advantages of the field at Buena Vista, and 
 pointed them out to Wool long before the battle was 
 fought ; and although General Taylor preferred Agua 
 Nueva, he yielded his own judgment to that of his brother 
 officer. So says report. 
 
 At Buena Vista Wool was the officer of the day, and 
 a large share of the victory is justly his due. In the 
 beginning of the battle he was ordered to advance in the 
 very front of the enemy, wjiich he did in fine order, and 
 was soon engaged with immense masses of infantry and 
 cavalry. He animated his men by the most extraordi- 
 nary exertions of both voice and example, flying from 
 rank to rank, wherever peril most showed itself, entirely 
 heedless of the storm of bullets that was raining around 
 him. He was in the middle of that terrible conflict, when 
 the 2d regiment of Kentucky volunteers under Clay, Fry, 
 and McKoo, received the order to advance. In every 
 one of those emergencies, when the day seemed lost, his 
 shrill voice could be heard, piercing through the uproar 
 of battle, and encouraging the troops to one more eflbrt. 
 His services are represented by General Taylor as in- 
 valuable. 
 
 6 
 
122 THE K E N T U C K I A N S . 
 
 The distinouishing teaturo of General Wool's char- 
 acter, is his attention to order and discipline. This 
 makes liim a most valuable auxiliary in such an army 
 as that of the United States, composed in a great measure 
 of volunteers, from every portion of our immense terri- 
 tory. In some, respects, however, this is carried too far ; 
 and a common complaint against him is on account of a 
 harsh, overbearing deportment to both otticers and men. 
 This deprives him of the popularity which would be in- 
 spired by a noble suavity like that of Worth, or sucli a 
 disinterested frankness as characterizes Taylor. This is 
 unfortunate : being merely the excessive exercise of those 
 rare qualities which make General Wool one of the ablest 
 officers in the American service. 
 
 THE KKXTUCKIAXS AT RUEXA VISTA. 
 
 In one of those dark moments, when the fortunes of 
 Buena Vista seemed to be going against the Americans, 
 McKee and Clay were detached with tlieir Kentuckians. 
 to resist the onset of the enemy. They sprung to the 
 charge like eagles, marcliing over the most rugged 
 and broken ground with the greatest celerity. They 
 were watched by General Taylor with intense solicitude, 
 for, should they retreat, the battle was lost. On they 
 moved until they entered a valley broken up by masses 
 of stone and deep ravines, and exposed to tlie lire of the 
 enemv. AH at once a stranije commotion was observed 
 
THE K K N TUC KI A NS . 123 
 
 ill their ranks. A hill C(MuhmKhI cnery thing hut their 
 heads from t lie general, and these were observed s\vavin<T 
 hither and tiutlier, and scattering as ii' in fh'ght. The 
 commander rose upon his horse and bent forward with 
 deep excitement. A (light became more and more evi- 
 dent until he couhl no longer repress his emotion. 
 Turning to his aid, Mr. Crittenden, who was standing 
 near, he exclaimed M'ith startling energy : " Is this con- 
 duct for Kentuckians ?'' Tlie aid was silent, and the 
 general again bent his anxious gaze upon the faithless 
 regiment. Suddenly his features relaxed, and a flush of 
 pleasure swept over his aged ftice — they had emerged 
 from the valley in perfect order, each gallant leader in 
 his place, and pushing onward to the battle. Silently 
 and steadily they moved under the fire of the enemy, 
 until within musket range, when one wide sheet of fire 
 burst from their rifles, and the reeling ranks of Mexico 
 announced that victory was once more with the Ameri- 
 cans. At tliis sight the emotions of the general were too 
 powerful to be controlled ; and tears of exulting patriot- 
 ism coursed down Ids cheeks. 
 
 But of those brave men that thus moved on to danger, 
 under the deep determination to conquer, how many met 
 death for the last time! The storm of that awful day 
 passed by, and its thunder was hushed in the calmness of 
 evening ; but in every ledge, and by every stone, the 
 mangled sons of Kentucky lay cold and stiff, in the dream 
 that knows no waking. The young heart that had that 
 morning bounded with patriotism at the sight of the ene- 
 my, was now spilling its blood where no friend would 
 over pause over its grave. In the last charge, man afler 
 
124 THE K E N T U C K I A N S . 
 
 man fell before the Mexican cannon, until groups and 
 masses lay piled upon each other over all the held. Co- 
 lonel McKee fell pierced with a mortal wound, and was 
 subsequently hacked and mutilated by the bayonets of 
 the enemy. Lieutenant-Colonel Clay was wounded in 
 the leg, and sat down to die. But his brave men rushed 
 from their ranks, and bore him in their arms. The ene- 
 my saw it, and poured on, yelling like fiends. Unmind- 
 ful of themselves, the sorrowing soldiers bore their be- 
 loved leader onward, until the road became so rugged 
 that it was impossible for two to walk together. " Leave 
 me, soldiers," exclaimed the dying youth, " and take care 
 of yourselves." Still they bore on, until their burden 
 lowered from their exhausted limbs, and witli a gushing 
 of deepest sorrow, they left him on the field. The next 
 moment the Mexicans were by his side. But honor was 
 yet too dear to him ; raising himself on one arm he 
 wielded his sword with a fury that for a moment held an 
 army at bay. But at each motion the blood (lowed faster 
 from his wound, until he sunk exhausted. Then the 
 enemy approached him, and a score of bayonets gritted 
 together as they crossed in his lacerated frame. 
 
BUENA VISTA. 125 
 
 BUENA VISTA. 
 
 BY CAPTAIN Ai;ni:RT riKE. 
 
 From llio Itio (inuido's vvutors to llio icy ciipcs orMaino 
 
 Let all exult, lor wo have met tlio enemy a<>-aiii ; 
 
 Beneath their stern old mountains, we have met them in their 
 
 |)ri(ie, 
 And rolled from IJuona Vista hack tlie hattle's hloody tide ; 
 Wiien the enemy came surging, like the Mississippi's Hood, 
 And the reaper, Death, was busy with his sickle red with blood. 
 
 Sant' Anna boasted loudly that before two hours were past, 
 His lancers through Saltillo should pursue us thick and fast; 
 On came his solid infantry, line marching after line ; 
 Lo ! their great standards in tlie sun like sheets of silver shine ! 
 With thousands after tliousands, yea, with more than ten to one, 
 A forest of bright bayonets gleam fiercely in the sun. 
 
 Lo ! Guanaguato's regiment ! Lo ! Puebla's boasted corps, 
 And Guadalajara's chosen troops, all veterans tried before, 
 And galloping upon the sight, four thousand lances gleam, 
 Where, waving in the morning light, their blood-red pennons 
 
 stream. 
 And there their stern artillery climbs up the broad plateau, 
 To-day they mean to strike at us an overwhelming blow. 
 
 Now, hold on strongly to the heights, for lo ! the mighty tide 
 Comes tluuidering like an avjJanche, deep, terrible, and wide: 
 Now, Illinois, stand steady — Nt)vv, Kentucky, to their aid, 
 For a portion of our waving line is broken and dismay'd ; 
 A regiment of fugitives are fleeing from tiic field, 
 And the day is lost if Illinois and brave Kentucky yield ! 
 
126 BUENA VISTA. 
 
 One of O'Brien's guns is gone ! on, on ! their masses drift, 
 And their infantry and lancers now are jmssing to our left ; 
 Our troops are driven from the hills, and tiee in wild dismay, 
 And round us gather thick and dark the Mexican array. 
 Sant' Anna tliinks the day is gain'd, and, riding yet more near, 
 Minon's dark cloud of lancers sternly menace now our rear. 
 
 Now, Lincoln, gallant gentleman ! lies dead upon the field. 
 Who strove to stay those men that in the storm of bullets reeled ; 
 Now, Washington, fire fast and true ! fire, Sherman, last and 
 
 far: 
 Lo ! Bragg comes thundering to the front to breast the adverse 
 
 war ; 
 Sant' Anna thinks the day is gain'd ; on, on, his masses crowd, 
 And the din of battle rises up more terrible and loud. 
 
 Not yet ! our brave old General comes — he will regain the day — 
 Kentucky, to the rescue ! Mississippi, to the fray ! 
 Now, charge, brave Illinoisans ! and Davis drives the foe, 
 And back upon his rifles the red waves of lancers flow ; 
 Upon them, yet once more, my braves ! the avalanche is stay'd, 
 Back rolls the Mexique multitude, all broken and dismay 'd. 
 
 Ho ! May ! to Buena Vista ! for the enemy is near, 
 
 And we have none there who can stop their vehement career. 
 
 Still swelling, downward comes the tide — Porter and Yell are 
 
 slain ; 
 Marshall before him drives a part, but still they charge in vain ; 
 And now, in ^vild confusion mixed, pursuers imd pursued, 
 On to Saltillo wildly drift, a frantic multitude. 
 
 Upon them, with your squadrons. May ! — out leaps the flaming 
 
 steel. 
 Before his serried columns, how tlie frightened lancers reel ; 
 
BUENA VISTA. 127 
 
 They flee amain ! now to the left, to stay their triumph there, 
 Or else the day is surely lost in horror and despair ; 
 For their hosts are pouring swiftly on, like a river in the spring, 
 Our flank is turn'd, and on our left their cannon's thundering. 
 
 Now, brave artillery ! bold dragoons ! steady, my men, and calm. 
 Through rain, and hail, and thunder,* now nerve each gallant 
 
 anil ; 
 What though their shots fall round us here, still thicker than 
 
 the hail ? 
 We '11 stand against them, as the rock stands firm against tho 
 
 gale : 
 Lo ! their battery is silenced now ! our iron hail still showers^ 
 They falter, halt, retreat ; Hurrah ! the glorious day is ours ! 
 
 Now, charge again, Sant' Anna ! or the day is surely lost, 
 
 For back, like broken leaves, along our left your hordes are 
 
 toss'd — 
 Still louder roars his batteries, his strong reserve moves on ; 
 More work is there before you, men, ere the good fight is won ; 
 Now for your wives and children, men ! stand steady yet once 
 
 more ! 
 Now for your lives, your honor, fight, as you never fought 
 
 before. 
 
 Ho ! Hardin breasts it bravely ! McKee and Bissell there 
 Stand firm, before the storm of balls that fill the astonish'd air — 
 The lancers are upon them too, the foe stands ten to one — 
 Hardin is slain ! McKee and Clay the last time see the sun ; 
 And many another gallant heart in that last desperate fray 
 Grows cold, its last thoughts turning towards its loved ones far 
 away. 
 
 * A portion of the day, during the battle, a hail storm swept over 
 the field, accompanied with thunder, lightning, and rain. 
 
128 DEATH OF COLONEL YELL. 
 
 Still sullenly tlie cannon roar'd, but died away at last. 
 
 And o'er the dead and dying came the evening shadows fast ; 
 
 And tlien above the mountains, spread the cold moon's silvery 
 
 shield, 
 And patiently and pityingly look'd down upon the field ; 
 And careless of liis wounded, and neglectful of his dead, 
 Despairingly and sullenly in the night the foeman fled. 
 
 And thus on Buena Vista's heights a long day's work was 
 
 done, 
 And there our brave old General another battle won : 
 And still our glorious banner waves, unstained by flight or 
 
 shame, 
 And the Mexicans, among their hills, still tremble at our name. 
 So honor unto those who stood ! Disgrace to those that fled ! 
 And everlasting glory to the brave and gallant dead. 
 
 THE DEATH OF COLONEL YELL. 
 
 The loss of the Americans in officers, at the battle 
 of Buena Vista, is a subject of sorrow and astonishment. 
 One-eighth of the slain were officers. Many of these were 
 young men — in the full flush of hope and ambition, and 
 endeared to their country by their valuable services 
 during long marches, and by their heroism on the fatal 
 battle-field. One of these was Colonel Yell. He had 
 accompanied General Wool in his march through New 
 Mexico, and commanded the regiment of Arkansas 
 

T A Y L O It AT It n i: N A VISTA. 12!) 
 
 moiintdd vf)]uiil('(M-s'. Tliroiinli iIk; vvliol*! hiiltlc, Im^ luul 
 Ix'liuvcd vvilli IIk^ orculcsl. I)rii.v(;ry ; iuid wlirn I Ik; Mcxi- 
 ciins l,l)r(!ul,(Uin(l an ullack iijxiri IIh; Wii«ron-l,ra,iu near 
 Biicna Vista, ho was dcspalclKMl If) ()[)|k)S(! llifiri. 'Vlw. 
 cavalry of llic two armies iricl, and llic sliorl coiiflicf. 
 was l'\<'VCA\ and bloody. 'I'Ik; IVl(!.\i(;aiis ilwii divided, 
 OIK! jjarl. swooj)inf( by iIk^ Ainoricaii (J(![)()l, wIkm-c, lliey 
 received a heavy fire from a, (i)r(;(! collected then;; and 
 the oth(!r, passing on toward tli(; inain body, (/oloiiel 
 Yell was (!ii«^af^ed with tlif; latler ; and in tli*; a(;t of 
 charjrin^ upon them, at th(; head ol" his re«rim(;nt, lie 
 was kilh^d with a, ]ane(^, which ent(!red his mouth, 
 wrenched oil' his lower jaw, and crushed oik; sid(! of" his 
 face. '\lu'. IVl<!.\ica,ns wen; rejxilh-d with heavy loss. 
 
 (;icni<:rai. tayloii a'i iujiona vista. 
 
 'I'lii': most prominent (went in tiK! lill; of (General 
 Taylor — that which will f()rwar(l his name to postcsrity, 
 as one of the jrreatest of livirif^ (Ifiiierals — is his conduct 
 at Buena Vista. Palo Alio and Monterey had (treated 
 his military fame; but it belon<r(!d to a fi(!rc(!r (jonflicl, to 
 a s(!ason of un))arall(!l(!d hardship and da,n«i;f!r, to establish 
 it. I'\'W men could havc^ coiKjU(!red at that battle, (i)r it 
 was one of thos(! that baflh! sci(!ntili(; skill, and whose 
 cmerfTfUicies cannot !»! foreseen, nor its incidents UK^t, ex- 
 (M'pt at th(! momeiil of their development. TIk; nature 
 of lh(! trround,the mi.\(ul character of tin; assailiiifr army, 
 
130 TAYLOR AT BUENA VISTA. 
 
 together with the disparity in numbers, rendered it by 
 far the most remarkable military event ever enacted on 
 this continent. 
 
 But it is in such emergencies as this that General 
 Taylor is at Jiome. Here, as difficulty after difficulty 
 crowds upon him, his genius gathers its powers, and rises 
 like a giant to meet them. While the detached cavalry 
 of Santa Anna were scattering before the vollies of artil- 
 lery, he sat quietly on his horse, with his telescope in his 
 hand, and one foot over the pommel of the saddle ; but 
 when from the roughness of the ground the Kentucky 
 regiment, in whom lay all his hopes, appeared to be in 
 disorder, his every nerve was alive with activity, and his 
 face blackened with the intensity of excitement. Every 
 manoeuvre of the field was within his grasp, and every 
 soldier felt that the eye of General Taylor was upon him. 
 When he placed himself in the square of the Mississippi- 
 ans, they knew that victory was among them ; and no 
 one of them would for a moment have thought of retreat- 
 ing while he was there. 
 
 A cardinal element of this victory was the mutual 
 confidence of army and leader. Most of the soldiers had 
 never fought under the General ; they knew him only as 
 the hero of Resaca and Monterey, and as the companion 
 of their hardships. But they had associated his name 
 with victory, and during every peril of tiie battle, never 
 dreamed of defeat. " They didnH know u'hcn they icere 
 beaten.^^ Perhaps no one idea was so prominent in the 
 minds of those brave men during the whole conflict, as a 
 desire to serve their commander — their reward was vic- 
 tory. 
 
~3-f 
 
 ^Ar ^ 
 
GENERAL TWIGGS. 131 
 
 Such was General Taylor at Buena Vista. When 
 the excitement ever attc ding a recent great event shall 
 have subsided, and posterity will weigh the battle in the 
 scale of history, Taylor will be assigned a place by Wel- 
 lington, or Bonaparte himself. He may fight on other 
 fields, and win for himself fresh laurels ; but they cannot 
 add to the zenith of his military renown. 
 
 GENERAL TWIGGS. 
 
 The services of General Twiggs, \)i''un' to the Mexi- 
 can war, were rather solid than showy. He entered 
 the army as captain, March r2th, 181*2, and served 
 with ability until its close. A blank then intervenes in 
 his history until May 14th, 1825, when he was pro- 
 moted to the rank of major ; after which we again hear 
 little of him until he was made a colonel, on the 8th of 
 June, 1836. 
 
 Like Worth, Colonel Twiggs marched with General 
 Taylor from Corpus Christi, to take occupation of the 
 department of Tamaulipas. When the army had crossed 
 the Colorado, and were approaching Point Isabel, the com- 
 mander was waited on by a delegation, protesting against 
 his advance. While the conference was going on it was 
 ascertained that Point Isabel had been fired, and imme- 
 diately Colonel Twiggs was despatched to arrest the 
 conflagration, and capture the perpetrators. Some of the 
 houses were saved, and General Garcia with his Mexi- 
 cans made a very narrow escape from being captured. 
 
132 GENERAL TWIGGS. 
 
 On the field of Palo Alto, Twiggs led the whole 
 right wing of the army, and performed the most efficient 
 service ; and on the following day, the greater part of 
 the whole force was by turns under his eye. He com- 
 manded the van in crossing the Rio Grande ; and after 
 the capitulation of Matamoras, was appointed governor 
 of that city. For his valuable services in these trying 
 scenes, government promoted him to the rank of briga- 
 dier-general. 
 
 The opportunity offered by the siege of Monterey, 
 for the exercise of so much distinguished talent, was not 
 lost to General Twiggs. He was ordered by the com- 
 mander, to make a diversion to cover the attack of Gene- 
 ral Worth upon the Heights of Independence, and the 
 execution of this duty brought him into close quarters 
 with the batteries of the enemy. The conflict in the 
 streets of the city was terrible, and no man behaved 
 more bravely, or suffered greater loss, than did General 
 Twiggs. Under his immediate direction, the troops of 
 the 1st division fought heroically, and captured an ad- 
 vanced battery of the enemy, the guns of which were 
 turned against them. 
 
 The good conduct of General Twiggs during the 
 whole of this siege, is noticed by General Taylor in 
 terms of high commendation ; and after the capitulation, 
 he was honored with several posts of importance and 
 responsibility. He continued to afford efficient aid to 
 General Taylor, until the demand upon that officer for 
 troops, when he was sent to the army of General Scott. 
 
 At Vera Cruz, Twiggs displayed the same coolness 
 and bravery which had distinguished him at Monterey. 
 
GENERAL TWIGGS. 133 
 
 In taking tlie position allotted to him, he was obliged to 
 march up a most difficult ridge, over a great part of 
 which the cannon had to be lifted by the men. Having 
 gained the height, he remained there until the surren- 
 der. 
 
 On the 3d of April, General Twiggs left Vera Cruz 
 with 2500 troops, and marched toward the city of Jalapa. 
 He was preceded by 500 men under Colonel Harney, 
 and soon after starting, was followed by Colonel Bank- 
 head with the 2d artillery regiment and a large train. 
 On the 11th, the general reached the Plan del Rio, at 
 which place the advance under Colonel Harney encoun- 
 tered and dispersed a body of Mexican lancers. On the 
 following day he was joined by detachments under Gen- 
 erals Pillow and Shields. The same day he received 
 notice that Major-General Patterson was sick, and the 
 command of the whole thus devolved upon him. In the 
 great battle of Sierra Gordo, his division performed as 
 valuable service as any engaged. Colonel Harney was 
 particularly distinguished. He pushed his command 
 within full range of the enemy's guns, on the night of 
 the 17th, and on the following day carried one of the 
 strongest redoubts amid a heavy fire, and subsequently 
 pursued the Mexicans to a considerable distance. At 
 the same time Colonel Riley and General Shields crossed 
 a deep ravine and took position on the Jalapa road, in 
 order to cut off the retreat of the Mexicans. In this 
 service Shields was severely wounded, and his command 
 devolved upon Colonel Baker, who conducted it with 
 ability for the remainder of the day. 
 
 On the 19th, Twiggs took undisputed possession of 
 
134 CAPTAINS o'bRIEN AND BRAGG. 
 
 the town of Jalapa, which was his last military achieve- 
 ment. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is a native of the state of 
 Georgia. His excellent talents as a soldier and officer 
 seem not to have been well understood, prior to the 
 Mexican war; but he has now earned for himself an 
 enviable reputation in military operations, and one which 
 renders him worthy of the marks of distinction by which 
 he has been honored from both public and private 
 sources. 
 
 CAPTAINS O'BRIEN AND BRAGG, 
 
 AT BUENA VISTA. 
 
 The artillery was the arm which won the battle of 
 Buena Vista ; and none distinguished themselves more 
 in its management, than the two officers who form the 
 subject of our sketch. They sustained, singly, the 
 charge of the whole body of the enemy's lancers, a force 
 numbering some thousands more than their own ; and 
 although each moment expecting that the crushing ava- 
 lanche would sweep over gun:^ and horses, yet they re- 
 mained firm at their post, until victory was certain. 
 The situation of O'Brien was peculiarly trying. A tre- 
 mendous cross-fire of the enemy swept across the field, 
 whistling and rattling on the stony surface, and driving 
 back the small body of infantry which had been ordered 
 to support him. At that moment he paused, and looking 
 
CAPTAITSS O'BRlExN AND BRAGG. 135 
 
 behind, the danger of his situation burst upon him. 
 Before him were the heavy columns of lancers, their 
 trampling horses crowding upon each other, and the 
 long rows of lances glittering and dancing in the sun- 
 shine ; in the rear and flanks were the infantry, whose 
 artillery had already driven away his only support. If 
 he yielded, the day was lost ; if he stood, he might be 
 crushed to pieces. Two horses had fallen under him, 
 and he had received a wound in the leg. Most of his 
 cannoneers were dead or wounded, and some of the 
 guns perfectly idle. He resolved to stand. Riding 
 round and round his guns, he cheered his men for the 
 terrible encounter, and exhorted them not to fire until 
 the cavalry were within a few yards of the muzzles. 
 On they came, shaking the earth under the gallop of 
 their horses. Nearer and nearer they drew, until the 
 raised hoof almost struck the cannon, when a roar like 
 thunder burst forth, and scores of steeds and riders 
 reeled back upon their startled companions. Then for 
 a moment all was confusion, and the huge mass swayed 
 to and fro in fearful uncertainty. But they again 
 formed, and prepared for a decisive struggle. This 
 was the fearful moment ; hundreds of anxious eyes were 
 bent intensely on the few devoted men, who were thus 
 battling in the jaws of death. At this moment, the 
 steadiness of the young cannoneers forsook them. They 
 were unable to maintain their stations, and their captain 
 grew pale with excitement, as he felt that victory was 
 wrenched from his grasp. Slowly and sternly he left 
 his guns, and retired to join the other artillery. But he 
 was not unrewarded ; he had remained long enough to 
 
136 CAPTAINS o'bRIEN AND BRAGG. 
 
 enable reinforcements to arrive ; and to him, as much 
 as to any man on the field, was the final victory owing. 
 
 Equally perilous was the service of Captain Bragg. 
 All day his force was moving over the field, engaged at 
 every point where it could be of any avail. When we 
 remember that all his movements were across rocks and 
 gullies where it was almost impossible to travel, we will 
 have a better idea of their importance. Charge afler 
 charge was made upon him, and oflen he was forced 
 to leave his heaviest artillery in some unprotected 
 position, in order to arrive at a threatened position in 
 time to be of service. He thus describes his last en- 
 counter with the enemy : " Knowing the importance of 
 my presence, I left some of my heaviest carriages, and 
 pushed on with such as could move most rapidly. Hav- 
 ing gained a point from which my guns could be used, 
 I put them in battery and loaded with canister. Now, 
 for the first time, I felt the imminent peril in which we 
 stood. Our infantry was routed, our advanced artillery 
 captured, and the enemy in heavy force coming upon us 
 at a run. Feeling that the day depended upon the suc- 
 cessful stand of our artillery, I appealed to the com- 
 manding general, who was near, for support. None was 
 to be had ; and, under his instructions to maintain our 
 position at every hazard, I returned to my battery, en- 
 couraged my men, and, when the enemy arrived within 
 good range, poured forth the canister as rapidly as my 
 guns could be loaded. At the first discharge I observed 
 the enemy falter, and in a short time he was in full re- 
 treat. A very heavy loss must have been sustained by 
 him, however, before he got beyond our range. My guns 
 
THE FIELD OF 15 U E N A VISTA. 1,37 
 
 "Nvorc now advtuu'od several hundrcMl yards, aiul opened 
 on a position held by the enemy, with a battery of heavier 
 calibre than our own — the same from which our left flank 
 had been driven in the aflernoon. Under the supj)ort of 
 the Mississippi regiment, I continued my fire until con- 
 vinced that nothing could be etlected — the enemy holding 
 an eniinence from which we could not dislodge him 
 without a sacrilico which might compromise the success 
 of the day. About sunset I withdrew my battery into 
 the ravine in rear of our line, and took a position for the 
 night from which I could readily move to any assailable 
 point. Here I remained, officers and men on the alert, 
 and horses in harness.'* 
 
 Had the Mexicans managed their artillery with the 
 same bravery as did these two intrepid officers, the 
 American army must have been cut to })ieces. Captain 
 Bragg discharged two hundred andfiftij rounds of ammu- 
 nition from each of his guns ; and during the whole bat- 
 tle, the ground seemed to reel with the incessant peals 
 of heavy cannon. As the batteries poured forth their 
 fiery showers, whole companies sunk shrieking to the 
 ground ; and in the morning, the masses of dead and 
 dying, piled upon one another, told a fearful narrative of 
 the artillery of the preceding day. 
 
 THE FIELD OF BUENA VISTA. 
 
 We find the annexed verses, by Don .lose Ho Ace de Saltillo, a 
 Mexican poet, in a recent North American. It may be well to re- 
 mark, for the information of our English and Canadian readers, that 
 
138 THE FIELD OF BUENA VISTA. 
 
 the battle of Buena Vista is that in which General Taylor (" Old 
 Zack ") last defeated the Mexicans, and that the Mexican poet calls 
 his own country Aztoc, its ancient name, while he gives to the 
 Americans the name of AUeghan or AUeghanian. The " sun " of 
 Aztec and the " stars " of AUeghan are the banners of the respec- 
 tive combatants. The " patriot chief" is Santa Anna, the Presi- 
 dent of the Mexican Republic, and commander of the Mexican 
 troops. 
 
 We saw their watch-fires tlirotigh the night, 
 
 Liglit up the far horizon's verge ; 
 We heard at dawn the gathering fight, 
 
 Swell like the distant ocean surge — 
 The thunder-tramp of mounted hordes 
 
 From distance sweeps — a boding sound — 
 As Aztec's twenty thousand swords 
 
 And clanking chargers shake the ground. 
 
 A gun ! — now all is hushed again — 
 
 How strange that lull before the storm ! 
 That fearful silence o'er the plain — 
 
 Halt they their battle-line to form ? 
 It booms again — again — again — 
 
 And through its thick and thunderous shock 
 The war-scream seems to pierce the brain, 
 
 As charging squadrons interlock. 
 Columbia's sons — of different race — 
 
 Proud Aztec and brave AUeghan, 
 Are grappled there in death-embrace. 
 
 To rend each other, man to man ! 
 
 The storm-clouds lift, and through the haze, 
 
 Dissolving in the noontide light, 
 I see the sun of Aztec blaze 
 
 Upon her banner, broad and bright ! 
 
THE FIELD OF BUENA VISTA. 139 
 
 And on — still on, her ensigns wave, 
 
 Flinging abroad each glorious fold : 
 While drooping round each sullen stave 
 
 Cling Alleghan's but half unrolled. 
 
 But stay ! that shout has stirred the air ! 
 
 I see the stripes — I see the stars — 
 O God ! v^'ho leads the phalanx there, 
 
 Beneath those fearful meteor-bars ? 
 " Old Zack " — " Old Zack " — the war-cry rattles 
 
 Amid those men of iron tread. 
 As rung " Old Fritz," in Europe's battles, 
 
 When thus his host great Frederick led ! 
 
 And where, O where is Aztec ? — where, 
 
 As now the rush of Alleghan 
 Resistless tramples to despair 
 
 The ranks of our victorious van ? 
 Still charging onward ever — ever. 
 
 They shatter now our central might. 
 Where half our bravest lances shiver, 
 
 Still struggling to maintain the fight ! 
 
 Still struggling, from the carnage dire 
 
 To snatch our patriot chief away — 
 Who, crushed by famine, steel, and fire, 
 
 Yet claims as his the desperate day ; 
 That day whose sinking light is shed 
 
 O'er Buena Vista's field, to tell 
 Where round the sleeping and the dead, 
 
 Stalks conquering Taylor's sentinel. 
 
140 TAYLOR AT ARISTA's HACIENDA 
 
 GENERAL TAYLOR'S VISIT TO ARISTA'S 
 HACIENDA. 
 
 The present war is emphatically a war of chivalry. 
 True it has its dark spots — retaliatory murders, killing 
 of the wounded, and robbing the dead. But most of 
 these may be considered atrocities on individual respon- 
 sibility, rather than the general character of the whole 
 warfare. After the battle is over, it is a well known fact 
 that the soldiers, especially of the American army, spread 
 themselves over the field, to afford assistance to the 
 wounded and burial to the dead, both friend and foe, and 
 it cannot be denied that the Mexicans have conducted 
 themselves far more humanely toward the wounded and 
 prisoners in this war, than they have ever been known 
 to do before. 
 
 We have a refreshing instance of this feeling in a late 
 visit paid by General Taylor to the plantation of General 
 Arista, The hacienda, as it is called by the Mexicans, is 
 very extensive, comprising more than forty square miles, 
 and containing several large buildings of the old Spanish 
 architecture. Many miles of it, however, are said to be 
 waste and overgrown with thickets of chapparal, and the 
 whole has that wilderness-like appearance, so usual 
 among the plantations of Mexico. The estate is man- 
 aged by an administrador, who has under him an over- 
 seer, and about ninety men and boys {])eons), with as 
 many females. The latter, with ihc peons, are nominally 
 servants — act u n 1 1 y si a ves . 
 
 General Taylor set out for this place on the 7th of 
 

 -«^^^^^\ .^ 
 
 
 /■',v,,, ,,,, ,',),/'""/ IJir/i\-iii'/ !)>: M'niiT ITnf'r 
 
TAYLOR AT ARISTA 's HACIENDA. 141 
 
 July, attended by his staff. This voluntary leave of ab- 
 sence, for the purpose of recreation, is so unusual with 
 the General, that it was regarded by the army as most 
 remarkable, if not ominous. The party passed through 
 several small villages, the sight of which seemed to afford 
 the hero great pleasure, and arrived at Salinas in the after- 
 noon. The alcayde of the town received his visitor with 
 demonstrations of cordial respect, and before leaving, the 
 party were revelling at a feast of the fat things of Salinas. 
 These were fio-s and green water-melons. 
 
 Upon hearing of the approach of General Taylor the 
 administrador of the estate began unheard-of preparations 
 for his reception- Plans of feasts, balls and soirees, were 
 projected immediately. Of the motives of the worthy 
 deputy, we are not informed. Perhaps gratitude to the 
 General for services to his master at Palo Alto, by which 
 he himself had been in a measure erifranchised, was one. 
 Perhaps, with a prophetic eye, he scanned the future, and 
 determined to serve him best, to whom he might be one 
 day indebted most. Perhaps he had a mind above the 
 common grade, and, like the barons of romance, poured 
 forth generosity equally to friend and foe. 
 
 Whatever may have been the feelings of the worthy 
 representative, they were certainly praise-worthy, if we 
 may gage them by his actions. He met the General 
 at some distance from the plantation, offered him the hos- 
 pitalities of the estate, and assisted in arranging the tents 
 amid a delicious shade of pecan trees, about half a mile 
 from the main building. These small favors were but a 
 prelude to weightier subjects. When the General had 
 adjusted himself, in true Rough and Ready style, a grand 
 
142 TAYLOR AT ARISTA's HACIENDA. 
 
 talk was held, which, although not chronicled, was no 
 doubt rile with '' war's dread story " and camp anec- 
 dotes. All parties forgot that they were enemies — indeed 
 they were not so. A more friendly circle rarely meets 
 in Mexico. 
 
 In the evening the Americans were invited to a grand 
 fandango (evening party) provided especially for their 
 benefit. The invitation and Order of Exercises were 
 presented to the General orally, it being somewhat ditli- 
 cult to tind a scrivener in Mexico. They were somewhat 
 novel to the commander. Orders from Washington, or- 
 ders from Arista, general orders, marching orders, and 
 some others he could understand ; but orders to attend 
 a Mexican fandago — what military code ever provided 
 for such an emergency ? By the help of the brother of- 
 ficers, however, the nature of the atlair was gradually 
 unfolded to him ; and the happy IMexican was given to 
 understand that in the evening his roof would cover Gen- 
 eral Taylor. 
 
 Evening came. General Taylor, " Whitey,'' and 
 suite, repaired to the halls of Arista. In front of the 
 house three rows of benches were arranged, forming 
 three sides of a square, and leaving a large space be- 
 tween. Upon them were seated the male and female 
 tenantry, tlie dancing-ground being liglited by two torches 
 ofsplit pine wood. We are not told of the GeneraTs re- 
 ception, but he was doubtless the observed of all observ- 
 ers, the very Hon of that social company. About sixty 
 "ladies" were present, all of them extremely brown, ex- 
 tremely ugly, and extremely eager for action. The 
 dance begun, notwithstanding, and each one seemed de- 
 
TAYLOR AT ARISTA's HACIENDA. 143 
 
 termincd to make the rest liappy. It was a gay time — 
 a bright relief to war's black page. The orchestra con- 
 sisted of two violins, two guitars, and a double chorus of 
 men's bass, boys' alto, and shrill soprano. The music 
 was \'Brious — an Indian chaunt, then a symphony, then 
 a national air, then a quadrille, then a condensation of 
 singing, chaunting, dancing, shrieking, and fiddling. 
 The General was a looker-on. 
 
 There was something singular in this scene. It was 
 wild and picturesque ; and amid the grand sublimity of 
 a Mexican prospect, filled the mind with emotions strange 
 and powerful. The Genius of War was waving his 
 bloody sword over that land, and the shock of mighty 
 armies had scarcely ceased its echo from the distant 
 mountains. Yet here was the favored one of that Genius, 
 unbending his mind from the din of battle, to enjoy the 
 festivities of those whom he had conquered. A little 
 more than a year ago, while Arista was rusticating on 
 this same hacienda, he received the notification of his 
 being placed in command, and his very first order, on as- 
 suming his authority, was dated from Mamaleque. Now 
 he is vanquished, disgraced, stripped of command and 
 estate, and his vanquisher has penetrated to his secluded 
 home, to be entertained and honored by his dependants. 
 
 The General remained at the hacienda during the 
 night, and early on the morning of the 8th he was quietly 
 trotting towards Monterey. 
 
OLD TOM, COLONEL MAY'S WAR-HORSE. 
 
 Among the distiiiguislied characters of tlie Mexican 
 war, history must do •• all honor" to ''Old Tom," whose 
 scars, brou!2:ht tVom many a '* ircN-troddcn fcM" attest 
 the \\ ar-worn and aged veteran ; altiioiigh he has, in 
 I'act, but attained liis sixteenth year. 
 
 It is not known tliat his liair has turned gray, in- 
 deed, at his years, the warrior seldom has much to boast 
 ol^ — on his chin, at least. .Tet- black, long, and ample, 
 however, was our hero's supply in his tilth year, when 
 first we hear of him emerging from the folds of Ken- 
 tucky, to join our troop in the Florida war. Arrived 
 there, by il/i/v, his cheval-ri/ was first discovered and 
 brought to light ; anil true it is, that since then, with 
 every emergency of travel, tiood, and battle-field, it hatii 
 ever kept parr, until now, when age and honorable 
 wounds entitle him to repose on his laurels — though 
 neitiier he nor otiier heroes can fatten on them entirely, 
 howcxer graminivorous they Mat/ he. 
 
 "■ Something too much of this." — The dignity of the 
 subject requires, perhaps, a graver strain ; not that it is 
 here meant to impinge on the province of History, by 
 entering into minute and learned detail, plentifully 
 sprinkled with philosoj>hical and political reflections, but 
 rather to give some characteristic sketches and promi- 
 nent incidents of the Life of Licutcnant-Co/omi 3[aifs 
 war-horse — which more appropriately belong to biogra- 
 phy, (By the by, this ought to be auto-hiographi/ ; but 
 

 LIEUTENANT COLONEL C A. MAY, 
 From a Duguerrcotjpe by Van I.ouii 
 
OLD TOM, may's WAR-HORSE. 145 
 
 let the critics concentrate their fire on this point, and 
 they may have no powder or shot for the rest.) 
 
 Old Tom, as we have intimated, left his native fields 
 of Kentucky some eleven years ago, among a herd of 
 similar natives, designed to recruit the files of the dragoon 
 troop, then in Florida. By way of a parenthesis, again, 
 it must be said, that the Hon. Wm. Cost Johnson claims 
 for Old Tom a Maryland origin — but it is now believed 
 to be abundantly settled, that he was sired in " old Ken- 
 tuckf^ by the celebrated " Whip.^' May^s eagle-eye 
 quickly selected him from the mass — '' ignobile vulgus,^^ 
 Trained and tutored in the menage, Tom's noble quali- 
 ties spoke a blood and spirit far excelling his colleagues. 
 The delight which the ambitious animal displayed in 
 every feat of daring or activity, seemed only equal to 
 his astonishing powers ; and it happened, occasion suf- 
 ficing, before the Florida war was over, that he had 
 won, like his master, laurels which will endure beyond 
 the natural lives of the two friends — for Colonel May 
 loves well his gallant steed, and in all things does him 
 full justice. 
 
 In Florida, Old Tom's amazing leaps and unflinch- 
 ing spirit became notorious to officers and men. But 
 one of his many achievements — the capture of King 
 Philip — particularly deserves historical notice. 
 
 The action of Dunlawton was still raging, and Old 
 Tom's vigor and ardor for the fight had carried the 
 gallant May ahead of his troop into the midst of the 
 Seminoles, when their daring leader sprung forth, with 
 ^upraised rifle, to oppose horse and rider. May's sabre 
 quickly swept the air, but the agile Indian avoided the 
 7 
 
146 OLD TOBI, may's WAR-HORSE. 
 
 blow as the fiery charger passed on. Instantly, however, 
 did " Old Tofu" turn on his haunches (as his master has 
 said, with all the spirit and purpose of his rider), and 
 rearing high, plunged both his front hoofs into the breast 
 of the Indian warrior, knocking him full ten feet (as is 
 well avouched) senseless, and thenceforth a captive. 
 
 Coa-co-chce, or Wild Cat, then became the " head 
 deviV of the real " Seminoles,'^ and swore vengeance 
 on his flither's captor. One of his attempts was as fol- 
 lows : May, in the habit of riding alone from his uear 
 post to St. Augustine, was returning over the sandy 
 road, unsuspicious of danger, one very dark night, when 
 he and Old Tom found themselves suddenly among a 
 drove of horses. May's pistol was instantly cocked, for 
 he then knew that "Indians were about;" and he deter- 
 mined to go ahead and get his men out of the fort. Old 
 Tom made his way through, but the Indians did not fire, 
 for fear of alarming the post. About half a mile from 
 where they passed through the herd, was a wooden 
 bridge which Old Tom always jumped; this, as usual, 
 he did, when, a minutr after, a horse's hoof was heard in 
 the black darkness of the night to touch the boards. 
 May then knew he was followed, and instantly reined 
 up. The treacherous horseman came on to meet the 
 discharge of the pistol. The Indian appeared to fall 
 from his horse and escape, as May rode into his post 
 with the horse followi? g. In the morning, the captured 
 animal was found to have on him the trappings known 
 to be Wild-Cat'' s — with a ball through his neck, and 
 •' the worse kind " of a kick from Old Tom's heels. 
 
 The theatre o;' Old Tom^s renown next shifls itself to 
 
OLD TOM, BI A Y S \V A R - If O R SE . 1 17 
 
 Mexico, wliorc lio quickly won the lulinirulicMi of tho 
 " /v) //<,'•// and ri'cuhi'''' riders ofoiir army, and the [)n)li)iiii(l 
 respect of the enemy. At lirst, tlie Texans were in- 
 clined to brag a little of their horses. On one such oc- 
 casion, May, knowing there was nothing " Old Tom " 
 would not " //•_}/," shouted to a mounted band — " Now fol- 
 low me "■ — pointing at the same time to a ravine \\liicli 
 no horse could possibly clear. Old Tom dashed on — but 
 at the brink each Texan halted. His leap was unhesita- 
 tingly made, and all thought, for the momcMit, that 
 liorse and rider had been dashed to atoms ; Old Tom, 
 however, had fallen unhurt in the soft earth of tho 
 chasm. 
 
 At Ilesaca de la Palma, in the charge which took 
 General La Vega, Toni's courage shone gloriously. 
 The Mexican guns were not only advantageously posted, 
 but had a breastwork thrown up, with a ditch in fi-ont of 
 it — in fact an actual" battery. So soon as General Taylor 
 perceived it, he rode up to May and told him he must 
 take it at any cost ; and olF he dashed at the head of the 
 dragoons, going forward like a tornado. " Old To?n " 
 went steady at the enemy, all the time making tremen- 
 dous leaps, as he bounded over ditch, breastwork, and 
 every thing else that came in his way. In tliis cliarge, 
 an escopette, or grape shot, struck Old Tom in the neck, 
 and there it now remains ; yet so steadily and unswerv- 
 ingly did " he go the pace " that it was not known till 
 after the battle that he was wounded. Eighteen of the 
 dragoons, among them the first lieutenant of May's 
 troop, fell, or were dismounted by the fire of the battery, 
 in this charge. The gallant Inge's fate has been much 
 
148 AN INCIDENT. 
 
 attributed to the want of that steadiness and vigor in his 
 charger which distinguished " Old To?n.'" 
 
 At Monterey, a spent grape shot keeled Old Tom 
 over. May thought him dead — spoke to him in sorrow 
 and in grief, but the old fellow in a few moments sprung 
 up, shook himself heartily, and began to return his mas- 
 ter's caresses as if " nothing to speak about " had occurred. 
 All the " damage " was a large welt on his flank — 
 perhaps the first time Old Tom had been " out-flanked.^^ 
 
 This one of the heroes of all Taylor's battles in 
 Mexico, fought his last fight at Buena Vista. He had 
 been under the saddle for four days and nights, when on 
 that bloody field this " creature of heroic blood " began 
 to show a failing strength, which his devoted master and 
 friend would not o'ertask. May had Old Tom withdrawn 
 — much against Old Tom's free consent ; and henceforth 
 our hero is destined, by the interest and affection of his 
 master, to pass down the vale of life through paths of 
 peace and plenty. May they ever be strewn with 
 flowers ! 
 
 AN INCIDENT OF THE BATTLE-FIELD. 
 
 Dr. Linden, a Mexican physician, in his report of 
 his operations at the battle of Cerro Gordo, relates the 
 following : 
 
 " I continued attending to the various stages of the 
 amputation, in the midst of balls and the cry of the enemy, 
 and at last finished an operation which appeared to me 
 
AN INCIDENT. 149 
 
 to have lasted an age. The serenity and resignation of 
 my companions in this crisis were admirable, and is 
 above description. All remained around the patient, 
 attending to the part of the operation which fell to their 
 share, in the midst of the whistling of balls and the cries of 
 death ; and when we rose, looking to Heaven with grati- 
 tude for our salvation, as we thought, a new peril came 
 to dismay us. A number of volunteers presented them- 
 selves in front of our entry, and, seeing our uniform, 
 cried — ' Death to the Mexican officers !' and presented 
 their guns to our breasts. I do not know what senti- 
 ments inspired me in the resolution which I took, but I 
 rushed to the muzzle of their rifles — I showed them my 
 hand, dripping with blood, and, holding a piece of the 
 mutilated leg, cried — ' Respect humanity, or a hospital 
 of blood — we are surgeons !' My words produced a 
 magic effect. In an instant, an officer, whose name I have 
 since learned to be Pion, stepped between the volun- 
 teers and ourselves, raised their guns with his sword, 
 and these men, animated by victory, thirsting to avenge 
 the loss of their general, mortally wounded, as 1 have 
 since learned, became from that moment our friends — 
 our protectors. 
 
 " While these events were passing in my hut, which 
 will never be erased from my memory, our firing had 
 ceased ; the troops in the redoubts, finding themselves 
 cut off from the public road, surrendered or capitulated ; 
 those on the slope of the Cerro Gordo retired through the 
 ravines, and the enemy remained master of all our posi- 
 tions, and of an immense materiel. 
 
 " The volunteers of the enemy commenced bringing 
 
150 AN INCIDENT. 
 
 in, without distinction, their own and our wounded, and 
 we dressed their wounds according to the dictates of 
 humanity and our instructions. We perfornned various 
 amputations on some real giants, which succeeded in 
 gaining their good will to such an extent that they re- 
 fused us nothing that could be useful to us or our 
 wounded. 
 
 " Although two of their own surgeons had arrived, the 
 body which I have the honor to command had the satis- 
 faction that from their number was chosen one member 
 to assist in some grave cases, even in that of General 
 Shields, who had been traversed by a grape-shot." 
 
 The Picayune says that Colonel Baker, who was on 
 the spot in command of Shields' brigade, was a spectator 
 of the scene described, and confirms its accuracy, but is 
 unable to conjecture what officer is intended by Captain 
 Pion, as there is no such name among the officers in that 
 brigade or in the army. From various sources we hear 
 praise of the professional skill of Dr. Vander Linden, 
 and we think none, after reading the above report, will 
 question the other admirable qualifications he possesses 
 as an army surgeon. On the 21st, three days ailer the 
 battle, the doctor went from Cerro Gordo to Jalapa, to 
 solicit in person of the commanding general permission 
 to move the wounded Mexicans thither. He, of course, 
 received the permission asked for, and was to commence 
 the removal the following morning. 
 
RIO BRAVO. 151 
 
 RIO BRAVO. 
 
 a la c ): f c a n 31 a m e n t . 
 
 BY DON JOSK MARIA JOACQUIM DE HOAXCE DE SALTILLO. 
 
 Air — Roncesvalles. 
 
 I. 
 
 Rio Bravo ! Rio Bravo ! saw men ever such a sight 
 
 Since the field of Roncesvalles sealed the fate of many a knight ? 
 
 Dark is Palo Alto's story— sad Resaca Palma's rout, 
 
 Ah me ! upon those fields so gory how many a gallant life went 
 
 out! 
 There our best and bravest lances, shivered 'gainst the Northern 
 
 steel, 
 Left the valiant hearts that couch'd them 'neath the Northern 
 
 charger's heel. 
 Rio Bravo ! Rio Bravo ! brave hearts ne'er mourned such a sight. 
 Since the noblest lost their life-blood in the Roncesvalles fight. 
 
 II. 
 
 There Arista, best and bravest— there Raguena, tried and true, 
 On the fatal field thou lavest, nobly did all men could do ; 
 Vainly there those heroes rally, Castile on Montezuma's shore, 
 Vainly there shone Aztec valor brightly as it shone of yore. 
 Rio Bravo ! Rio Bravo ! saw men ever such a sight 
 Since the dev/s of Roncesvalles wept for Paladin and knight ? 
 
 III. 
 
 Heard ye not the wounded coursers shrieking on yon trampled 
 
 banks. 
 As the Northern wing'd artillery thundered on our shattered 
 
 ranks ? 
 
152 RIO BRAVO. 
 
 On they came — those Northern horsemen — on Uke eagles to 
 
 ward the sun, 
 Followed then the Northern bayonet, and the field was lost and 
 
 won. 
 Rio Bravo ! Rio Bravo ! minstrel ne'er sung such a fight, 
 Since the lay of Roncesvalles sang the fame of martyi-ed knight. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Rio Bravo ! fatal river ! saw ye not while red with gore, 
 
 One cavaher all headless quiver, a headless trunk upon thy 
 
 shore ! 
 Other champions not less noted, sleep beneath thy sullen wave, 
 Sullen water, thou has floated armies to an ocean grave. — 
 Rio Bravo ! Rio Bravo ! lady ne'er wept such a sight. 
 Since the moon of Roncesvalles Idss'd in death her own loved 
 
 knight. 
 
 V. 
 
 Weepest thou, lorn lady Inez, for thy lover 'mid the slain ? 
 Brave La Vega's trenchant sabre cleft his slayer to the brain. 
 Brave La Vega, who all lonely, by a host of foes beset. 
 Yielded up his falchion only, when his equal there he met. 
 Oh ! for Roland's horn to rally his Paladins by that sad shore ! 
 Rio Bravo, Roncesvalles, ye are names linked ever more. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Sullen river ! sullen river ! vultures drink thy gory wave, 
 But they blur not those loved features, which not Love himself 
 
 could save. 
 Rio Bravo, thou wilt name not that lone corse upon thy shore, 
 But in prayer sad Inez names him, names him praying ever- 
 more. 
 Rio Bravo ! Rio Bravo ! lady ne'er mourned such a knight, 
 Since the fondest hearts were broken by the Roncesvalles fight. 
 
KIT CARSON, 153 
 
 KIT CARSON. 
 
 One of the most remarkable characters in Fremont's 
 expedition is " Kit Carson," lately made a lieutenant by 
 the President. The following description of him, though 
 rather long, we insert, because it not only gives a very 
 satisfactory view of the expedition itself, but may be 
 considered a type of each of the hardy adventurers who 
 conducted it. 
 
 " This singular man left Washington this morning, in 
 company with Mrs. Fremont, for the West. On entering 
 the War Office yesterday, we were asked : ' Have you 
 seen Kit Carson ? He has this moment left my room ; 
 and a singular and striking man he is ! Modest as he is 
 brave, with the fire of enterprise in his eye — with the 
 bearing of an Indian, walking even with his toes turned 
 in — I wish you could have seen him.' We were so un- 
 fortunate as to miss him, though our curiosity was greatly 
 excited; but, in the course of two hours, a gentleman 
 who had seen much of Carson, waited upon us and po- 
 litely furnished us with the following description of this 
 singular man. The portrait is admirably drawn, and it 
 gives us great pleasure to lay it before our readers. It 
 is the character of one of those bold and enterprising 
 spirits of the West, whom the peculiar influences of the 
 frontier settlements — between the white man and the red 
 man — are so well calculated to produce. Carson, how- 
 ever, is a master spirit, whose habits we like to under- 
 stand, and whose adventures we delight to hear. 
 
 " Kit Carson, within a i'cw years, has become quite 
 
154 KIT CARSON. 
 
 familiar to the public, mainly through his connection with 
 the expeditions of Fremont, one of the best of those noble 
 and original characters that have from time to time 
 sprung up on and beyond our frontier, retreating with it to 
 the West, and drawing from asociation with uncultivated 
 nature, not the rudeness and sensualism of the savage, 
 but genuine simplicity and truthfulness of disposition, 
 and generosity, bravery, and single-heartedness, to a de- 
 gree rarely found in society. Although Kit has only 
 become known to the reading people of ' the States ' and 
 of Europe through Fremont's reports, he was long ago 
 famous in a world as extended, if not as populous ; fa- 
 mous for excelling in all the qualities that life in the 
 trackless and vast West requires and develops. He has 
 been celebrated (though now aged only 37 years) as a 
 hunter, trapper, guide or pilot of the prairies, and Indian 
 fighter, uniting to the necessary characteristics of that 
 adventurous and sturdy class, a kindness of heart and 
 gentleness of manner, that relieves it of any possible 
 harshness or asperity. He is now in ' the States,' having 
 recently arrived with despatches from California ; and I 
 have taken the opportunity to extract from him a few in- 
 cidents of his eventful life. He is worthy of an honora- 
 able and more extended memoir ; and were his adventures 
 fully written out, they would possess an interest equal to 
 any personal narrative whatever. 
 
 " Christopher Carson was born in Kentucky, in the 
 year 1810, or 1811, his father having been one of the 
 early settlers, and also a noted hunter and Indian fighter. 
 In the year following Kit's birth, the family removed, for 
 the sake of more elbow-room than the advancing popula- 
 
KITCARSON. 155 
 
 tion of Kentucky left them, to the territory of Missouri. 
 On this frontier, bred to border life, Kit remained to the 
 age of fifteen, when he joined a trading party to Santa 
 Fe. This was his introduction to those vast plains that 
 stretch beyond the state of Missouri. Instead of return- 
 home, Kit found his way, by various adventures, south, 
 through New Mexico, to the copper mines of Chihuahua, 
 where he was employed some months as a teamster. 
 
 " When about seventeen years old, he made his first 
 expedition as a trapper. This was with a party which 
 had been induced, by favorable accounts of fresh trap- 
 ping grounds on the Rio Colorado of California, to an 
 adventure thither ; so that Kit's first exploits were in the 
 same remote and romantic region where, during the last 
 year, he and all his comrades, with their commander, 
 have earned imperishable honor. The enterprise was 
 successful, and Kit relates many interesting anecdotes 
 of the hardships of the wilderness, and of the encounters 
 of his party with the Indians. The Mexican authorities 
 and settlers in California were even at that time jealous 
 of the Americans, and threatened to seize even this inof- 
 fensive and roving party of beaver-catchers. They 
 made good their return, however, to Taos, in New Mexi- 
 co ; whence, soon after. Kit joined a trapping party to the 
 head-waters of the Arkansas (likewise a region em- 
 braced, since the last published expedition, in the surveys 
 of Col. Fremont). Without recrossing the prairies, Kit 
 went northward to the region of the Rocky Mountains 
 that gives rise to the Missouri and Columbia rivers, and 
 there remained near eight years, engaged in the then im- 
 portant occupation of trapping. The great demand for 
 
156 KIT C A R S O N . 
 
 the beaver, and the consequent liigli prices at tliat time 
 paid for the peltries, gave an additional slinuilus to tiie 
 adventurous spirit of the young men oi' tlie West ; and 
 drew nearly all who preferred the excitements and haz- 
 ards of life in the wilderness to quieter pursuits, into the 
 recesses of the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 " Here a peculiar class was formed ; the elements, 
 the sturdy, enterprising, and uncurbed character of the 
 frontier ; the circumstances that induencetl and tormcd 
 it, nature in her wildest, roughest, and grandest aspects 
 — savages, both as associates and iocs, of every cast, 
 from the wretched Root-diggers to the vindictive Black- 
 feet, and the courageous ami warlike Crows — and a vo- 
 cation of constant labor, privation, and peril in every 
 shape, yet of gains of a nature and degree to give it 
 somewhat of the characteristics of gambling.* The de- 
 crease oi' the beaver before a pursuit oi' \\\c poor animal 
 so ruthless as was thus stinuilated, and the substitution 
 of other conmiodities tor the beaver fur, have letl trap- 
 ping scarcely worth following as a vocation ; and the race 
 of trappers has nearly disappeareil from the mountain 
 gorges, where they built their rude lodges, where they 
 set their traps for the wily beaver, and \\ iiere were their 
 frequent combats whh the savages, and with wild beasts 
 
 i 
 
 j * Six clc>llars was tho price paid to \\\c trappor, at that timo, for 
 a beaver skin — ami a ^^ood backwooilsman wouKl secure froin tour 
 to seven benvei-s ot' a niiiht ; so that, notwithstandinii the exorbitant 
 charges of the ct)nipanies ibr every necessary or luxury lurnished 
 to the trappers, (tor exaniph', twenty dollars for n blanket, two dol- 
 lars for a tin-cup full of brown sugar, and the same for the same 
 measure of ootl'ee,) the trappers were still incited by the frequent 
 receipt of such sums as gave additional zest and tiiscinatiou to the 
 pursuit. 
 
K IT C A K SO N . 157 
 
 not less forniidiiblo. In the school of nuMi lluis l()rm(Ml 
 by hardship, exposure, peril, and teniplatioii, our Ucvo 
 acquired all Ihoir virtues and escaped their vicc^s. I It^ 
 beeaiiK' iioIimI throuiz;h the extent of the trappinn-ircounds, 
 and on hoih sid(>s of thi> Rocky Mountains, as a snee(\ss- 
 i'ul trapper, an unfailino- siiot, an unerring; ouide, and lor 
 bravery, sagacity, and steacHness in all circumstances. 
 He was chosen to l(Md in almost all t>n(erprises of un- 
 usual danger, and in all attacks on tlie Indians. At one 
 time, with a party of twelve, lie tracked a band of near 
 sixty Crows, who iiad stolen some of tiu* horses belong- 
 ing to liu^ trappers, cut loose tlie animals, whicii were 
 tied within ten feet of the strong fort of logs in which the 
 Indians had taken shelter, attacked them, and mach' good 
 ]u"s r(>tr(NU with the recovered horses ; an Indian of an- 
 other' tril)(>, who was with the trappers, bringing away a 
 Crow scalp as a trophy. In one combat witii the Hlack- 
 feet, Carson received a ride-ball in his left, shoulder, 
 breaking it. Save this, he has escaped tlie manilold 
 (hmg(M-s to which he has been exposed, witliout serious 
 bodily injury. Of course,- in so turbulent and unre- 
 strained a life, there were not unfrequent personal ren- 
 counters among the trappers themselves, nor could the 
 most jieaceably-disposed always avoid them. 'rh(\s(^ 
 were most frequent and savage at the periods when the 
 trappers went into the ' rendezvous,' as were called 
 the points wluM'e the companies kept their establishments 
 for receiving the peltries and suj)j)lying tlie trappers. 
 Here a few days of indulgence were connnonly allowed 
 himself by the trapper ; and there was much drinking, 
 and gambling, and eonstvpuMitly fighting. Feuds grow.. 
 
158 KIT CARSON. 
 
 ing out of national feelings, would also naturally enough 
 sometimes occur among the trappers — there being Cana- 
 dians and Mexicans, as well as the Americans ; all 
 having pride of race and country. On one occasion, a 
 Frenchman, who ranked as a bully, and had whipped a 
 good many Canadians, began to insult the Americans, 
 saying they were only worth being whipped with 
 switches. At this Carson fired up and said, ' He was 
 the most trifling one among the Americans, and to begin 
 with him.' After some little more talk, each went olT 
 and armed himself — Carson with a pistol, the French- 
 man with a rifle — and both mounted for the fight. 
 Riding up until their horses' heads touched, they fired 
 almost at the same instant ; Carson a little the quickest, 
 and his ball passing through tlie Frenchman's hand, 
 made him jerk up his gun, and sent the ball which was 
 intended for Carson's heart grazing by his left eye and 
 singeing his hair. This is the only serious personal 
 quarrel of Carson's life, as he is, like most very brave 
 men, of a peaceaole and gentle temper. 
 
 '* Colonel Fremont owed his good fortune in pro- 
 curing Carson's services, to an accidental meeting on a 
 steamboat above St. Louis — ^neither having ever before 
 heard of the other. It was at the commencement of 
 Fremont's first expedition. Carson continued with it, 
 until, in its return, it had recrossed the mountains. His 
 courage, fidelity, and excellent character, so far con- 
 ciliated the good will of the connnander. that in his 
 second expedition, he gladly availed himself again of 
 Kit's services, on meeting with him, as he chanced to 
 do, on the confines of New Mexico. Kit asjain left the 
 
KIT CARSON. 159 
 
 party after its arrival this side of tlie mountains — not, 
 however, until Fremont had obtained a promise from 
 him to join the third expedition, in case one should be 
 organized. Some incidents will be interesting, con- 
 nected with tliis latter expedition, which was interrupted 
 in its purely scientific character, by the treachery of the 
 Mexican chief (Castro) compelling Fremont to change 
 his peaceful employment, and which, owing to the con- 
 tinuance of the war with Mexico, is not yet completed. 
 
 " In the interim between Fremont's second and tliird 
 expeditions, Carson had settled himself near Taos, and 
 had begun to farm, preparing to lead, a quiet life, when 
 he received a note from Fremont, written at Bent's Fort, 
 reminding him of his promise, and telling him he would 
 wait there for him. On this occasion Carson showed his 
 strong friendship for his old commander, and the generous 
 and unselfish nature of his feelings. In four days from 
 receiving the note, Carson had joined the party, having 
 sold house and farm for less than half the sum he had 
 just expended upon it, and put his family under the pro- 
 tection of his friend, the late Gov. Bent, until he should 
 return from a certainly long and dangerous journey. 
 This protection, unfortunately, was taken from them, in 
 the late massacre at Taos, when Carson's brother-in-law 
 was also one of the victims to the fury of the Mexicans, 
 against all connected with the Americans. Mrs. Carson 
 saved her life by flight, leaving them to rob the house of 
 every thing. Kendall, and all others who have written • 
 of their adventures in New Mexico, ascribe the highest 
 character to the women of that country for modesty, gen- 
 erosity, quick sympathy, and all feminine virtues. To 
 
160 KIT CARSON. 
 
 this amiable class belongs the wife of Carson, wlio lias 
 paid so ilearly for her atlection for hini. 
 
 "The route of the third expedition led the party to tlie 
 southern and western side of the Great Salt Lake — a re- 
 gion entirely unexplored, and tilled, according to the su- 
 perstitions and tales current among the Indians and trap- 
 pers of the mountains, with all imaginable horrors. A 
 vast desert, void of vegetation and fresh water, abounding 
 m quicksands and in brackish pools and rivers, with only 
 subterranean outlets. Tiiis was the reputed character 
 of the country, justifying at least the a])prehension of 
 lack of those indispensables to the voyageur of the wil- 
 derness — water and grass. In truth, the southern border 
 of the lake was found to be skirted with a salt plain of 
 about sixty miles in width. Over tliis, as elsewhere, 
 Carson, in his capacity of scout, was always with the ad- 
 vance party, to search for water and convenient places 
 for camp — the usual signal of the prairies, a tire, serving, 
 by its column of smoke, to point out where the advance 
 were halting. 
 
 " The neighborhood of the Rio Colorado and the 
 Sierra Nevado, of California, is infested with Indian tribes 
 of IIippophagi,or Horse-Eaters (as they well may be call- 
 ed), who keep the northern parts of California in alarm, by 
 sweeping down into the settlements, arid carrying otf 
 horses and mules, wiiich they use for food. With these 
 savages the expedition had several skirmishes ; but, owing 
 to the perpetual vigilance which was exercised, neither 
 man nor animals fell into the hands of the savages. 
 
 "When Fremont's party, in May, 1810 (not knowing 
 of the existence of the war with Mexico), retired from 
 
KIT CARSON. 101 
 
 California, they procoeclod uortli as far as tlio Tlamatli 
 lake, in Orej^on, proposing to explore a new ront(^ into 
 the Willhanieth valley. 
 
 " A eourier having overtaken Col. Fremont there, to 
 say that Mr. (Tillespie and five men were endeavoring to 
 overtake him, lie tooU ten men and returned sixty milcvs 
 with the courier; making all Iiast(>, in order to nwch 
 them hefore night, and prevent any attack which the In- 
 dians might he tempted to make on a small party. 
 These Tlamath Indians, hy nature hrave and warlike, 
 have now a new source of J)ower in the iron arrow-luMids 
 and axes furnislied them by the British posts in that 
 country. Their arrows can only be extracted from the 
 flesh hy the knife, as they are barbed, and of course arc 
 not to be drawn out. The events of that night and the 
 dnys following illustrate so fully the niglitly danger of an 
 Indian country, and the treacherous natun> of savages, 
 that 1 will give them, and in Carson's t)wn words : — 
 
 " ' Mr. Gillespie had brought the Colonel letters frt)m 
 ])omo — the first he had liad since leaving the States the 
 year before — and he was up, and kei)t a large fire burn- 
 ing until alter midnight; the rest of us were tinMl out, 
 and all went to sleep. This was the only night in all 
 our travels, except the one night on the island in the Salt 
 Lake, that we failed to keep guard ; and as the men 
 were so tired, and we expected no attack now that we 
 had sixteen in the party, the Colonel didn't like to ask it 
 of them, but sat up late himself. ()w(mis and I were 
 sleeping together, and we were wakc^l at the same time 
 by the licks of the axe that kill(>d our men. At first, I 
 didn't know it was that ; but 1 called to Basil, who was 
 
162 KIT CARSO.X. 
 
 that side — ' Wluit 's tho mattortluMV ? — wliat V that fuss 
 about ! ' — iio never answorod, lor lio was doad tlion, {X)or 
 iMlow, and lio never knew what killed him — his head 
 hat! been eut in, in his sleep ; the other i2;roaneil a little as 
 he died. Tiie Delawares (we hail four with us) were 
 sleepintv at that tire, ami they sprauj]; up as the Tlaniaths 
 eharginl them. One o( them eauuht up a oun, whieh 
 was unU.adetl ; but, although he -could do no execution, 
 lie ke}>t them at bay, liohtiug like a Si")ldier, and did n't 
 o-ive nj> until he was shot full of arrows — three entering 
 his heart ; he dietl bravely. As soon as T liad called out, 
 I saw it was Indians in the camp, and I and C'Jwens to- 
 gether cried out ' Inilians.' There were no orders given ; 
 things went on too fast, and the Colonel had men with 
 him that didn't neetl to be told tluMr duty. The Colonel 
 and I, IMaxwell, Owens, Cunley, and Stepp, jumped to- 
 gether, we six, and ran to the assistance of our Dela- 
 wares. I don't know who lired and who didn't ; but 1 
 think it was Stepp's shot that killed the Tlamath t'bief; 
 for it was at the crack of Stepp's gun that he fell. l\c 
 hail an Englisli half axe slung to his wrist by a cord, 
 and there were forty arnnvs ]c\\ in his quiver — the most 
 beautiful and warlike arrows I oversaw, lie nnist have 
 been the bravest man among them, from the way he was 
 armed, and judging by his cap. When the Tlamaths 
 saw him fall, they ran; but wi^ lay, every man with his 
 rille iHH'ked, until daylight, expecting another attack. 
 
 " ' In the morning we found by the tracks that from 
 fifteen to twenty of the Tlamaths had attacked us. They 
 liad killed three of our men, and wonnded one o( the 
 Delawares, who scalped the chief, whom wt left where 
 
KIT CARSON. 163 
 
 lie fell. Our dead men we carried on mules; but, after 
 o-oino- about ten miles, we ibuml it impossible to n;et tbeni 
 any farther tliroui;h the thick tiiuhcM*, and, tindinu-, a se- 
 cret place, we buried them umler logs antl chunks, liav- 
 ino- no way to dig a grave. It was only a fews days 
 bi'Ibre tiiis tight that some of tiiese same Indians bad 
 come into our camp ; and, although we had only meat 
 for two days, and felt sure that we should have to eat 
 mules for ten or fifteen days to come, the Colonel divided 
 with them, and even bail a mule unpacked to give them 
 some tobacco and knives.' 
 
 ^' The party then retraced its way into California, 
 and two days after this rencontre they met a large village 
 ofTlamalhs — more than a hundi\Ml warriors. Carson 
 was ahead with ten men, but one of them having been 
 discovered, he could not follow his orders, which were to 
 send back word and let FreuKMit come up w ith the rest 
 in case they found Indians. But as they had been seen, 
 it only remained to charge the village, which they did, 
 killing many, and putting the rest to flight. The women 
 ami children, Carson says, wc didn't interfere with; but 
 they burnt the village, together with their canoes and 
 fishing nets. In a subsequent encounter, the same day, 
 Carson's life was imminently exposed. As they gal- 
 lopped up, he was rather in advance, when lie observed 
 an Indian fixing his arrow to let fly at him. Carson 
 levelled his rifle, but it snapped, and in an instant the 
 arrow would have pierced him, bad not Fremont, seeing 
 the danger, dashed bis horse on the Indian and knocked 
 him (k)wn. I owe my life to them two, says Carson — 
 the Colonel and Sacramento saved me. Sacramento is 
 
164 KIT CARSON . 
 
 a noble Californian horse which Captain Sutter gave to 
 Colonel Fremont, in 1844, and whicli has twice made the 
 distance between Kentucky and liis native valley, wliere 
 he earned his name by swimming the river after which 
 he is called, at the close of a long day's journey. Not- 
 withstanding all liis hardships, for he has travelled every 
 wlicre with his master, he is still the favorite horse of 
 Colonel Fremont. 
 
 " The hostile and insulting course of Castro drew 
 Fremont into retaliatory measures ; and, aided by the 
 American settlers, he pursued the Mexicans for some 
 time ; but, being unable to make them stand and fight, 
 they always flying before him, the flag of independence 
 was raised at Sonoma, on the 5th of July, 1846. Learn- 
 ing soon after of the existence of the war, the American 
 flag was promptly substituted, and the party proceeded 
 to Monterey, where they found the fleet under Commo- 
 dore Sloat already in possession. Castro, with his forces, 
 had retreated before Fremont, and, to prevent their es- 
 cape into Sonora, Colonel Fremont with a Imndred and 
 sixty men, were offered the sloop of war Cyane to carry 
 them down to San Diego and facilitate the pursuit, as he 
 hoped by that means to intercept Castro at Pueblo de los 
 Andelos. Then Carson, for the first time, saw the blue 
 ocean, and the great vessels that, like white-winged 
 birds, spread their sails above its waters. The vast 
 prairies, whose immense green surface has been aptly 
 likened to the sea, together with all objects ever seen 
 upon it, were familiar to him ; but it proved no prepara- 
 tion for actual salt water, and the pride and strength of 
 the backwoodsmen were soon humbled by the customary 
 
KIT CARSON. 1G5 
 
 tribute to Neptimo. The forces were laiuled, and raised 
 the ilag at San Die<To, and then they proceeded jointly to 
 tlic ca})ital, Ciu(hid de los Angeles, where, although from 
 the detention at sea, Castro had escaped, American au- 
 thority was also established. 
 
 " From this point on the 1st of September, 184(5, Car- 
 son, with fifteen men, was despatched by Fremont with 
 an account of the progress and state of affairs in that dis- 
 tant conquest. Carson was to have made the journey 
 from Puebla to Washington city and back in 140 days. 
 He pushed ahead accordingly, not stopping even for 
 game, but subsisting on iiis mules, of which they made 
 food as tlie animals broke down in the rapidity of the 
 journey. He had crossed the wilderness, as he expect- 
 ed, in thirty days, when, meeting with Gen. Kearney's 
 company, within a few days of Santa Fe, he was turned 
 back by that officer, to whose orders he believed himself 
 subject, and with infinite reluctance resigned his de- 
 spatches to another, and returned to guide Kearney's com- 
 mand into California. 
 
 " General Kearney entered Calif )rnia without molesta- 
 tion until the fight of San Pasqual ; an official account 
 of which has been published. In the charge made upon 
 the Mexicans, Carson, as usual, was among the foremost, 
 when, as he approached within bullet range of the enemy, 
 who were drawn up in order of battle, his horse stumbled 
 and fell, pitching him over his head, and breaking his 
 rifle in twain. Seizing a knife, he advanced on foot, un- 
 til he found a killed dragoon, whose rifle he took, and 
 was pressing on, when he met the mounted men returning 
 from the charge, the Mexicans having galloped off. At 
 
166 KIT CARSON. 
 
 the instance of Carson, the American party then took 
 possession of a small rocky hill, near the scene of the 
 battle, as the strongest position in reach. Not being in a 
 situation to go forward, they encamped here; and the 
 enemy collecting in force, they remained in a state of 
 siege. There was little of grass or water, on the hill, 
 and soon both animals and men began to suffer. The 
 way was so thickly beset with the enemy, that the com- 
 mander doubted the propriety of attempting to cut a pas- 
 sage through, when after a four days' siege, Carson and 
 Passed Midshipman Beale, of the navy (who had been 
 sent to meet Kearney, with some thirty men, as a compli- 
 mentary escort to San Diego), volunteered to go to Cap- 
 tain Stockton, at that place, and bring a reinforcement. 
 
 " This daring enterprise these intrepid and resolute 
 young men, accompanied by a Delaware Indian, who 
 was attached as a spy to General Kearney's command, 
 successfully accomplished, but not without extreme suf- 
 fering and peril. The distance between the camp and 
 San Diego was but thii'ty miles ; but as they had to 
 make long detours, they travelled nearer fifty. They 
 left the camp in the night of the 9th of December, crawl- 
 ing in a horizontal position through the enemy's lines. 
 Their shoes made some noise, for which cause they took 
 them off, and during the night, unfortunately lost them. 
 Lying by all day to avoid the enemy, they succeeded by 
 the end of the second night in reaching their destination, 
 and procuring the necessary reinforcement. Their feet 
 and flesh torn and bleeding from the rocks and thorny 
 shrubs, haggard from hunger, thirst, anxiety and sleep- 
 lessness, they were again, nevertheless, in full per- 
 
KIT CARSON. 167 
 
 formance of duty at the battles of the 8th and 9th of 
 January. 
 
 " When Fremont, after meeting with, and acceptino- 
 the surrender of the Mexican forces, reached Los An- 
 geles, Carson immediately returned to his command, and 
 in the ensuing month was again selected to cross the 
 desert, the wilderness, the mountains, and the prairies, to 
 bring news of those far-off operations of its agents to the 
 government in Washington. Leaving the frontier settle- 
 ments of California, on the 25th of February, Carson 
 arrived in St. Louis, about the middle of May— making 
 the journey, notwithstanding the inclemency of the sea- 
 son, and an unavoidable detention of ten days at Santa 
 Fe, in a shorter time than it was ever before accomplish- 
 ed. The unsettled state of the country— the war with 
 Mexico inciting the savage tribes to unusual license and 
 daring— added much to the inevitable hazard and priva- 
 tions of the journey, rendering the most unceasing vigil- 
 ance necessary, night and day ; while the speed with 
 which the party travelled debarred them from the usual 
 resource of travellers in uninhabited regions ; they were 
 fain to resort to the unsavory subsistence of those Hip- 
 pophagi of the Sierra Nevada ; only converting the poor 
 beasts to food, however, when they were travel-worn and 
 exhausted. 
 
 " Fortunately, the journey was made in its extent with- 
 out serious mishap, and Carson, with Lieutenant Beale, 
 his comradQ in the night-march" to San Diego, and Lieu- 
 tenant Talbot, the young gentleman who led the gallant 
 retreat of the little party of ten through the enemy's 
 midst, a distance of three hundred miles from Santa Bar- 
 bara to Monterey, are all now in Washington. 
 
168 ^ VERACRUZ. 
 
 " Since Carson's arrival, solely through the apprecia- 
 tion by the President of his merit and services, he has 
 received a commission of lieutenant in the rifle regiment 
 of which Mr. Fremont is the lieutenant-colonel. The 
 appointment was unsolicited and unexpected — the sug- 
 gestion entirely of the President's own recognition of the 
 deserts of this man of the prairies — a fact that is most 
 honorable to the Executive, and makes the favor the more 
 gratifying to the friends of Carson." 
 
 VERA CRUZ. 
 
 Vera Cruz is noted for its strong castle, its architec- 
 tural beauty, the unhealthiness of its climate, and for 
 the various sieges it has sustained. The first thing visi- 
 ble in Mexico, upon approaching the city from the sea, 
 is the Peak of Orizaba, which, by an optical illusion, 
 often appears transplanted above the clouds, and even 
 intervening between the sun and the spectator. As the 
 stately domes, towers, and battlements one by one heave 
 in sight, guarded by the old grim castle of San Juan 
 de Ulloa, the view is grand and pleasing. Perhaps the 
 first idea that strikes the beholder, when within a proper 
 distance of the city, is the thought of its immense 
 strength. 
 
 The streets arc mostly wide, straight, and well 
 paved, though generally in a very filthy condition. The 
 stones are laid out in squares, and present a handsome 
 appearance. Tlie houses are mostly two stories in 
 
VERA CRUZ. 169 
 
 lieight, though sonic are three, aiul built of a species of 
 white stone or coral, taken from the beach. The archi- 
 tecture is of the Moorish style, and many of the bnikl- 
 ings are adorned with every variety of ornament which 
 use or fancy can devise. To an American all this 
 seems strange and subduing, and it requires little en()rt 
 to imagine himself in one of the fairy-towns of Spanish 
 legends. On a still evening, when the moon is lighting 
 up the antiquated piles, this feeling is irresistible ; and 
 the eye hangs with a thrilling sensation upon the bal- 
 conied windows to catch a glance of some lovely being, 
 appearing to chant a dirge of 
 
 " Love, and advcnitures bold," 
 
 and broken hopes and hearts, and the tragedies of the 
 cloister, and her own dark sorrowful love-dream, and all 
 the other minutiie of romance. 
 
 The })ublic buildings of Vera Cruz are numerous, 
 and several of them elegant. Two of the most remark- 
 able are the })rinci{)al church or cathedral, a beautiful 
 structure ; and the convent of St. Augustine, noted for 
 the massive strength of its walls. There arc nine 
 towers upon the fortifications, connected by means of a 
 slone wall, the two largest of which are so placed as en- 
 tirely to command the port. These towers can mount 
 one hundred guns, and their fires cross each other in 
 front of the guard-houses. 
 
 Unlike most Mexican cities, the dwellings of Vera 
 Cruz are destitute of gardens ; and this circumstance 
 may contribute, in some measure, to its unhealthiness. 
 This is i)articularly unfortunate in the dry seasons, 
 
 8 
 
170 VERA CRUZ. 
 
 when not even a field of grass refreshes the sultry at- 
 mosphere. Were this addition made to the luxuries of 
 the city, Vera Cruz might be one of the handsomest 
 places in Mexico. The surrounding country produces 
 almost every thing in the way of eatables required by 
 the inhabitants. The woods abound in game ; the fields 
 in grain, vegetables, and tropical fruits ; and the savan- 
 nas, or plains, with cattle. Varieties of fish are found 
 in the rivers and large lakes ; while the more elevated 
 and temperate regions produce all the fruits and vege- 
 tables natural to the northern climates. In addition to 
 this the city is well supplied with the luxuries of other 
 countries, by numerous vessels from Europe and the 
 United States, which bring to her port the various wines, 
 liquors, and delicacies, which the most refined epicure 
 can desire. 
 
 Many changes have taken place in the site of the 
 city since its first erection, owing in a great degree to 
 the ravages made among the first colonists by the yellow 
 fever or vomita. Unfortunately, the modern site does 
 not at all remedy the evil ; for in addition to the insa- 
 lubrious nature of its warm and moist climate, other 
 causes, equally unfavorable to health, are continually in 
 operation. Among these may be mentioned the nu- 
 merous ponds and marshes in the vicinity, whose exha- 
 lations poison the atmosphere, and the reflected heat 
 from the sandy plains, which often raises the temjiera- , 
 ture to an extraordinary height. Added to these, is the 
 bad quality of the water, and the abundance of that tor- 
 menting kind of musquito, called the tancudo, whose 
 bite alone causes great irritation of the system, 
 
VERA CRUZ. 171 
 
 All these causes operating together, give rise to va- 
 rious affections, the most common of which are, to the 
 acclimated, serious tertian fevers ; vv^hile the stranger is 
 doomed to attacks of the terrible vomita, the very name 
 of which is now sufficient to terrify the most enthusiastic 
 adventurer. Years of careful observation and expe- 
 rience, have served to show all that can be done towards 
 curing this awful disease ; and these have been so far 
 successful, that within a few years its ravages have not 
 been so great as formerly. The two following facts 
 have likewise been ascertained respecting it — first, that 
 foreigners who have once become acclimated, and then 
 continue in the. city, enjoy better health than do the 
 natives ; and second, that although the climate is so un- 
 healthy and fatal during those periods of the year when 
 great heat and heavy rains prevail, yet as soon as the 
 north winds (which commence in October and terminate 
 in April) blow sufficiently strong to remove the mias- 
 matic exhalations and musquitoes, and to cool the atmo- 
 sphere, then it becomes much more healthy than the 
 climate of many places in the interior. 
 
 Notwithstanding these facts, however. Vera Cruz 
 must be regarded as one of the most unhealthy cities in 
 America ; and annually hundreds of foreigners, who are 
 drawn thither by curiosity or prospects of v/ealth, meet 
 with one visitor who blasts all their fond expectations, 
 and assigns them a place among others who are swelling 
 the tombs of this modern Golgotha. 
 
 The distinguished feature of Vera Cruz is its castle — 
 the most celebrated of all American fortresses. It was 
 commenced in 1582, upon a bar or bank in front of the 
 
172 VERA CRUZ. 
 
 city, al the distance of 1062 varas or yards from it, and 
 is entirely surrounded by water. The centre of the area 
 occupied by this fortress is a small island, upon which 
 Juan de Grijalva landed a year previous to the arrival 
 of Cortez upon our continent, at which period it acci- 
 dentally received the name that it still retains. There 
 was a shrine erected upon it at that time, on which hu- 
 man victims were sacrificed to the Indian gods ; and as 
 the Spaniards were informed that these offerings were 
 made in accordance with the commands of the kings of 
 Acolhua, one of the provinces of the empire, they con- 
 founded or abbreviated this name into the word Ulloa, 
 which they affixed to the island. 
 
 The whole fortress is constructed of madrepora astrea, 
 a soft coral which abounds in the neighboring islands, 
 and its walls are from four to five yards in thickness, 
 their exterior being faced with a harder stone. The ex- 
 terior polygon, which faces Vera Cruz, extends three 
 hundred yards in length, whilst that which defends the 
 north channel is two hundred yards. Besides this there 
 is a low battery situated in the bastion of Santiago, which 
 doubles the fire on that channel, and the southern chan- 
 nel is also commanded by the battery of San Miguel. 
 The madrepora is white, soft, and porous ; so that a ball 
 striking it, instead of splitting or demolishing the wall, 
 would quietly imbed itself, with scarcely any damage. 
 The cost of the castle has been estimated by various 
 writers to have amounted to forty millions of dollars ; 
 and this may be regarded as no exaggeration, if we con- 
 sider the difficulty of obtaining some of the materials of 
 which it is composed, and the fact that a large portion 
 

BOMBARDMENT OF VERA CRUZ. 173 
 
 of it is built on foundations laid in the sea, whose waves 
 it has resisted for more than two centuries. 
 
 The city and castle have sustained several sieges, 
 and the former was at one time sacked by a horde of 
 pirates under Lorenallo. Both are however strong by 
 nature and art ; and with an American or English gar- 
 rison, and ample supplies of provisions and ammunition, 
 they could resist the siege or assault of the most nume- 
 rous navy that ever entered the Gulf 
 
 BOMBARDMENT OF VERA CRUZ. 
 
 The 24th of March was as beautiful a day as had 
 ever shone in the soft climate of Mexico. A previous 
 norther had rendered the atmosphere cool and salubrious ; 
 and the waters of the great Gulf were as smooth and 
 glassy as the surface of a lake. Toward evening the sun 
 beamed with a mild and softened flow, lighting up the 
 few fantastic clouds with vivid colorings, and capping 
 the gray distant mountains with golden splendor. But 
 the beautiful prospect was unheeded by the armed thou- 
 sands, who all that day had been preparing for the terri- 
 ble encounter. Occasionally a dull sound would roll 
 fi'om the castle, and echo amid the mountains like the 
 breakings of thunder; and then a headlong plunge 
 would mark the falling of the ball ; but among the Ame- 
 ricans all was silent, save the hum of busy preparation. 
 
 As afternoon wore on, the excitement on board the 
 
174 B O M 13 A K D I\I E N T O V V j: li A CRUZ. 
 
 fleet became intense. Crowds thronged the decks and 
 masts of tlie diiTerent vessels, until every spar, and every 
 bow, and every rope was dense with life, each watching, 
 with suppressed breathing, the arrangements of General 
 Scott. At four o'clock, a loud roar from the beach told 
 that the thrilling drama had opened ; and in a i'ew mi- 
 nutes thick vollies of heavy shell were raining into Vera 
 Cruz, tearing and crushing their way through roofs, 
 walls, and barricades. The stern castle answered with 
 her heavy guns, and poured forth shot after shot in 
 haughty defiance, until the space between the batteries 
 seemed like a pathway of liquid fire. Time wore on, 
 the sun reached the western horizon, and his last 
 dim ray seemed to linger in sadness over tlie furious 
 maddenings of the sons of earth. But the combatants 
 knew no pause ; and as the shades of evening gathered 
 darker around, they only served to render still more stir- 
 ring the work of death. 
 
 The night bombardment was a scene grand even to 
 sublimity. The volumes of smoke had concentrated into 
 one dense mass, which hung over the Americans like a 
 cloud. At every moment its sides would be broken, and 
 a fiery ball leap out, with a noise that shook every sur- 
 rounding object, and after sparkling along its meteor-like 
 track, would light among tiic houses and battlements of 
 the city. Then would bo lu^inl the loud explosion, the 
 crashing of houses, and tlie flill of walls and roofing, ia 
 the echoing streets. The batteries, forts, and mortars of 
 both armies vomited forth unceasing diseliarges of fire, 
 and the balls, as they crossed and re-crossed each other 
 in long fiery streams along the dark sky-ground, pre- 
 
BOM JJ A RUMEN T OF VERA CRUZ. 175 
 
 sciitcd a "sight unknown to quiot life." But thnro were 
 feelings connected with tliat scene more powerful than 
 even its sublimity. Crowds of helpless individuals were 
 congregated in the houses, trembling at the horrors from 
 which it was impossible to escape ; and often a heavy 
 bomb would bear on through roof and walls, alight in 
 the middle of a cf>mj>any, and explode, throwing arms, 
 and legs, and mangled bodies against the surrounding 
 buildings. Women and children, the young ni\<\ the 
 decrepit, were equally exposed with the soldier ; — no 
 place was exempt from death. 
 
 In the morning a naval battery was opened by Com- 
 modore P(MTy, and the bombardment became more severe 
 than ever. It was answered by lour Mexican batteries, 
 whose precision of shot was the theme of universal admi- 
 ration. In the course of this day the walls and fortifica- 
 tions of the city began to crumble, and a large part of 
 their buildings was in ruins. On the 27th the distress 
 was so great that terms of capitulation were ofTered, and 
 the city finally surrendered. The scene within the walls 
 was distressing; churches and hospitals were crowded 
 with the wounded and dying ; mangled corpses were 
 lying in the streets ; and along the lanes, and within 
 ditches, were mutilated beings, stretclied on dear! com- 
 rades, half suflbcated with dust and blood, and moaniiig 
 fjr water. The proud spirit of the citizens had been 
 humbled by danger and suffering ; and after the capture 
 many could be seen timidly watching from their windows 
 the march of the American troops. In the second day 
 of the bombardment many were without bread or meat, 
 and reduced to a ration of beans, eaten at midnight by the 
 
170 liO l\l 1> A IJ It M K .NT or VKUA C li U Z . 
 
 fire issuin<2; i'vom sUowvvs oi' \)\\)jcvU\cs. T>y tliis lime nil 
 tlio buililino-s from La JMorccd to the Parraquia were 
 reduced to ashes, and the im})assable streets liHed with 
 stones, ruins, aud pruji^etiles. Tiie eiti/.inis iiad progres- 
 sively removed to a siile where, up to tiiis time, less de- 
 struction had happened, taking shelter in the streets and 
 entri(\s in such numluM-s that there was only room to 
 stand. But the third day the enemy alternately scatter- 
 ed their shot, and every spot became a place of danger. 
 Who can tell the amount of suftering experienced by the 
 desolate families, who, without hope, sleep, or food, were 
 solely engaged in preserving their lives ? JMost of those 
 whose houses had been destroyed had lost every thing — 
 all the property remaining to them was the clothes on 
 them ; and hundreds of j)ersons who before relied upon 
 certain incomes, now found themselves witliout a bed to 
 lie upon, without covering or clothing to shelter them, 
 and without any victuals. 
 
 Such Mas the bombardment and capture of Vera Cruz, 
 by the American army. It wns a sight splendid to the 
 eye ; but to the heart it told tah^s of woe, oi' trial, and 
 anguish, more dee})ly thrilling than could be eradicated 
 by all the false and cruel pomp of war. 
 
C A P T T TJ L .\ T I O N OF VERA C I! U Z . 17" 
 
 CAPITULATION OF VKRA (TJJZ. 
 
 The field in front of the city was covered with bombs, 
 Ciinnon, piles of balls, and other irnplenKuits of war, 
 which, with the ridf^es ploui^hed into tlic ground by iUo 
 shot, bore evidence of the fearful work which had just 
 been completed. It was a glad, sunny day, and long 
 columns of troops were moving over the plain in all (h'- 
 rcctions, while the heart swelled with the rolling of drums, 
 tiie galloping of cavalry, and the stirring strains of music. 
 Young bosoms, warm with lh(3 flushings of their first 
 victory, were gazing upon the scene with thrilling plea- 
 sure ', while their veteran companions felt young again, 
 as they caught the general enthusiasm. The beauty of 
 the day, the cool refreshing breezes, and the dashings of 
 the vast inland sea, as it rose and fell in multiplied heav- 
 ings, were unnoticed ; one absorljing idea — the pomp jmd 
 circumstance of war — banished every other. 
 
 At lengtli the Americans arranged lliemselves in two 
 lines, forming a hollow square, through which the con- 
 quered army were to pass. The music now ceased, 
 and a stillness gathered around the crowding soldiers. 
 That pause was long and deep, for bitter remcimbrancoB 
 of home, and earlier, happier hours, were binding tlie 
 weeping exiles to their city. They had lavished their 
 wealth and their blood to render it 'mmncJhJr, and fondly 
 cjititled it heroic ; but their walls harl boon battered 
 down, their dwellings ruined, and now they were 
 called to leave friend and fortune, and seek a resting 
 place in the distant wilderness. Can we wonder that 
 8* 
 
178 APPLYING TO THE BOSS. 
 
 their tarrying was long — that they loatlicd to lower tlicir 
 flag, in mournful degradation, from the towers of the 
 castle ? 
 
 At lengtli strains of low, sad music came floating on 
 the air, and their columns were seen emerging from the 
 gate in good order, and approaching the American for- 
 ces. Tiieir faces told the tale of their sufferings — pale, 
 haggard, and emaciated, they moved with eyes on the 
 ground to avoid the gaze of the victors. Women and 
 children followed them ; the young, tlie old, and tlie 
 maimed, bending beneath trunks, which contained all 
 their worldly possessions. Mothers were there, thinking 
 of the sons, sisters of the brothers, and wives of the 
 partners whom they left behind ; and as the dying moans 
 seemed still to echo in their ears, they Ibrgot national pride 
 in the stronger impulses of humanity, and poured forth a 
 flood of uncontrollable sorrow. Many a stern heart that 
 had rioted amid the thunderings of the bombardment was 
 now crushed and broken ; and even their enemies gazed 
 upon them with genuine pity. Thousands of men laid 
 down their arms that day, and marched with their fami- 
 lies to sutler or perish in the interior. 
 
 APPLYING TO THE BOSS. 
 
 Did you ever see a collection of men that could not 
 turn out a specimen of what is generally termed " a 
 character ?" If you ever did, you can, to make use of a 
 
A1'1>LYIN(; TO TUK F5 () S S . 170 
 
 vulojirisni, " beat my time" consicienibly, fur I never did, 
 und what is more, never expect to. Tlie nc^xt door to 
 my qu.'irl(M-s a eomj)aiiy oC V'iroiniu vuluJit<U!r.s are sta- 
 tioned, and as they turn out to roll-call and drill 1 have 
 a good opportunity of observing them. I had noticed 
 among th(> njcn a short ihick-sct Irishman, whose hc;id 
 seemed 1o have settled down between his shoulders a 
 trifle too litr lo permit him to sit as a model for a sculptor, 
 although he will answer very well for a sohhVr. There 
 was something so odd about his appearance and his man- 
 ner of perfonning the manual, that I was convinced ho 
 was " a character," and upon expressing my belief of 
 that fiict, I discovered that I was not f-ir wrong, the fol- 
 lowing anecdote being relaled of him: — 
 
 " Plaze, sir," said the soldier, touching his liat to his 
 captain, " whin will we be paid olF, sir ?" " In a few 
 days, Patrick," replied the ollicer. " Yis, sir," contin- 
 ued Pat, " and whin, sir, will we be after Santy Anny, 
 the blackguard ?" " That's more than 1 can tell you, 
 Patrick ; it's rather hard to tell when or where he will 
 show himself," rci)licd the ofllcer. " Yis, sir, thank you 
 kindly, sir, we'll be paid olf in a {"vw days, any ways, 
 however," said Pat, as he touched his hat again and re- 
 tired. In a few days he appeared again, and opened the 
 conversation with — " If ye plaze, sir, d(;vil the copper 
 have we been paid yet, sir !" " I know it, Patrick," was 
 the reply of the oflicer, " but I can't help it ; they are 
 waiting for the paymaster to arrive." " Oli, it's the pay- 
 masther we're a waiting for, is it? and what the divil's 
 the excuse he has for not bein' here when he's wanted ? 
 What's the use of bavin' a ])aymaster if he isn't on the 
 
180 A r r L Y I N G TO T n !•: i> o s s . 
 
 spot when he's wuntot] ?" said Pat, heginuiiig to wax in- 
 dignant at having to wait so long for his " tin." 
 
 The circumstance caused him much uneasiness, and 
 after cogitatins: the matter over and over, he was struck 
 with a luminous idea, and announced to his com- 
 rades that lie'd have his money before you could say 
 "thread on my coat." One morning, immediately after 
 breakfast, olf posted Pat to General Taylor's camp, and, 
 approaching his tent, inquired of a soldier standing by, 
 M'hcre the General's " shanty " was. " Tiiat 's liis tent," 
 said the sentinel, pointing out the General's quarters. 
 "And is that tlie Gineral's tent?" said Pat, taking off 
 his hat and rubbing hand over hair, which had been cut 
 to the degree of shortness peculiar to natives of Erin's 
 green isle. *" And where 's the Gineral's old gray 
 horse ?" inquired Pat. " There," rej)lied the soldier, 
 indicating the spot where the old horse stood, lazily 
 whisking the flies away with his tail. " And is that the 
 old liorse?" again inquired the sprig of Erin, with great 
 awe; " an' where, if you plaze, sir, is the old gintleman 
 himself?" continued Pat. "There he sits, under that 
 awning," answered the soldier. . " What," exclaimed 
 Pat, almost in a whisper, and in a tone amounting to rev- 
 erence, "an' is tliat the old gintleman ?" " Yes," said 
 the soldier, walking away, "that's General Taylor." 
 After gazing at the " war-worn veteran," in silent admi- 
 ration, for a while, he at last mustered sufficient courage 
 to approach him. "I beg your pardon, Gineral, but 
 you'll plaze to excuse the bit of liberty Pm taking in 
 presuming to call on your honor, but, if you plaze, sir, I 
 come on a little matther of business, bein' as I thought 
 
>\ P P L Y I N G TO THE BOSS. 181 
 
 you nii^ht ho afthcr liclpin' us out of a little bit of a 
 scrape." 
 
 "Well," said the General kindly, " what is \.\ui trou- 
 ble, and what do you wish ?" 
 
 " If you plaze, sir, I'd like to know when tlie hands 
 will be paid off, sir ?" 
 
 " When the hands will be paid off?" repeated thr; 
 General, a little puzzled. 
 
 " Yis, sir, if ye plaze to have the goodness. Th(; 
 hands have liad divil a cint of wages since they've been 
 in the country." 
 
 " Oh ! I understand, you're a volunteer, and wish to 
 know when you'll be paid off. Well, my good fellow, 
 you must apply to your company officers for that informa- 
 tion, I have nothing to do with it." 
 
 " Beggin' your pardon, sir, I did ax the boss about it, 
 but he didn't give me no sort of satisfaction about it, and 
 so I told the other hands I'd fix it ; and bein' as you're the 
 head hoss,l thought I'd be coming over here to see if you 
 couldn't give us some satisfaction." 
 
 The " head boss " being unable to relieve the anxiety 
 of Pat, the latter retired to the "other hands," having 
 the satisfaction of saying that although he had failed in the 
 object of his mission, he had seen the " head boss," his 
 "shanty," and "the old gray horse," which was "glory 
 enough for one day." — New Orleans Delia. 
 
182 GENERAL SCOTT. 
 
 GENERAL SCOTT. 
 
 W1NF.1ELD Scott, tlie commander-iii-cliief of the 
 American army, was born in Virginia, on tlie 13lli of 
 June, 1780. Ills early life was devoted to study, and 
 he passed with honor through the High School of Rich- 
 mond, and William and Mary College. After leaving 
 the latter institution he studied law, and gave promise 
 of becoming an eminent barrister. 
 
 During the dilUculties with Great Britain, young 
 Scott entered the service of the army, and was commis- 
 sioned as a captain of liglit artillery on the 3d of May, 
 1808. Here his abilities as a disciplinarian, and his ex- 
 cell(>nt general conduct, brought him into favorable no- 
 tice, and he received a lieutenancy in July, 1812. In 
 October of the same year, he assisted Lieutenant Elliot 
 in delivering two vessels from the guns of Fort Erie; 
 and ailerwards defended them against the eiforts of the 
 British for a recapture. He was made colonel the same 
 month. 
 
 At the battle of Queenston Heigiits Scott was con- 
 spicuous for his bravery, coolness, and efficiency. He 
 did not cross the river until the heights were carried, 
 when he arrived as a volunteer; but Colonel Van Rens- 
 selaer having been wounded, Scott was requested by 
 General Wadsworth to take cliargeof the colonel's com- 
 mand. Meanwliile the British had been reinforced by 
 detachments of Indians and regulars from l''ort George, 
 and a fierce struggle with Scott's conmiand now com- 
 menced. Colonel Chrystie coming over to the Canada 
 

 W .i^u^^/^^^^^ '^O^ 
 
GENERAL SCOTT. 183 
 
 side, took the command ; the main body of the British 
 reinforcements, 850 strong, under General SheafTe, ar- 
 rived, and the American militia could not be got across 
 the river ; so that a force of only 300 Americans was 
 left at the mercy of some 1300 British and Indians. 
 They fought, however, furiously, and it was only after 
 several hours' hard exertion that the enemy obliged them 
 to surrender. The prisoners, including Scott, were taken 
 to Quebec, but subsequently exchanged, and sent to 
 Boston. 
 
 Early in the following May, Scott was appointed as 
 adjutant-general, and joined the army of General Dear- 
 born near Niagara. These troops had lately been rein- 
 forced by those who had captured York, and were now 
 busily engaged in preparations for an attack on Fort 
 George. Batteries were stationed in every effective po- 
 sition, strong fortifications established between them, and 
 boats constructed for the transportation of troops. The 
 British were equally busy on the opposite shore ; but al- 
 though numerous opportunities were afforded each party 
 to harass the other, a noble and unusual magnanimity 
 pervaded both ; and the two nations seemed to vie with 
 each other in this forbearance. A slight incident inter- 
 rupted this voluntary truce. A few boats had been con- 
 structed above the forts, and in sailing down the river 
 boldly ran within blank range of the Brilwsh guns, where 
 they remained for some time, as if in defiance. The en- 
 emy soon opened upon these with a scattering and inef- 
 fectual fire, which did no execution ; but their first report 
 was the signal for the renewal of hostilities. One shot, 
 another and another, burst from the American lines, until, 
 
184 GENERAL SCOTT. 
 
 notwithstanding the efrorts of the commander, tlic wliolc 
 fort was in an incessant roar of artillery. All night, 
 shells and red-hot shot poured into the devoted works of 
 the enemy, until, catching fire, the flames swept along 
 all their intrenchments, devouring the labors of weeks, 
 and driving the troops from their posts. At daybreak 
 the British fort was a mass of smouldering ruins. 
 
 The prematurity of this attack diminished the grati- 
 fication of the Americans, as their troops could not then 
 take advantage of the panic and confusion into which the 
 enemy had been thrown. Accordingly, the latter had 
 time to recover from the loss, and reconstruct his fortifi- 
 cations. 
 
 The Americans continued to labor upon their works 
 with such assiduity that on the 2()th of May they were 
 able to embark for the opposite shore. The embarka- 
 tion took place at sunrise, all the troops crossing in small 
 boats, many of which passed within reach of the enemy's 
 batteries. The advance, consisting of five full compa- 
 nies, and fragments of others, in all about 600 men, was 
 led by Colonel Scott, whose movements were hidden from 
 the enemy by a dense fog, that hung over the river until 
 late in the morning. The river or strait of Niagara, 
 forms a semicircle of a mile in extent, with the opening 
 toward Canada. The British station of Fort George, is 
 on the Canada side, about three-quarters of a mile from 
 the lake, surrounded by a large level plain. The shores 
 of the lake are steep and rocky, and surmounted by a 
 large dense forest. In this forest the British had con- 
 cealed themselves, mostly stretched upon the ground, and 
 ready at the first signal to oppose the landing of the 
 Americans. 
 
GENERAL SCOTT. 1^5 
 
 Early in the morning all the guns commenced play- 
 ing upon the British works, and some artillery and dra- 
 goons under Colonel Burn, marched up the shore, and 
 made a feint against the Queenston road, in order to di- 
 vert the attention of the enemy from the main attack. 
 The British, however, remained perfectly quiet, until 
 Col. Scott's command were within reach of their small- 
 arms. Suddenly they then rose from their ambuscade, 
 and poured toward the advancing boats thick volleys of 
 musketry, which, however, were so ill directed as to pro- 
 duce little effect. As soon as the boats touched the shore 
 the advance formed, and rushed up the steep in the very 
 face of a heavy fire from a vastly superior enemy. They 
 were unable to gain the height, although such was their 
 ardor, that in ten minutes they made three separate at- 
 tempts to do so. At the end of that time, they were 
 reinforced, and succeeded in mounting the shore, on the 
 ledge of which they formed and commenced the battle in 
 good earnest. The skirmish which ensued was obstinate, 
 but the enemy were finally driven from their position, 
 and retired toward Newark village, near Fort George. 
 At the same moment the boats of the second brigade 
 reached the shore. The Americans then concentrated 
 their whole force on the plain, and formed in line to 
 await the arrival of General Lewis. That officer was 
 soon with them, and the army commenced a pursuit of 
 the retreating enemy. The latter, however, had gone so 
 far that their capture was found te be impracticable. Scott 
 lowered the standard of the fort with his own hands, and 
 aflerward continued the pursuit of the enemy. The 
 column was afterward joined by Colonel Burn with his 
 
186 GEN K K A L SCOTT. 
 
 dragoon.s ; but llio pursiiil w as soon disconlimiod by order 
 of the c'onimaiidor, and tho troops countcrnuirchcd to 
 Fort Cleorn;o, wlioro they })asscd the night. 
 
 In July, Sct)lt n\sioiiod his situation as udjntant-gcn- 
 eral, and was promoted to the conunand of a regiment. 
 He assisted in tiie capture of York, and in the unsuccess- 
 ful expedition against Montreal. 
 
 But it was in tlie stirring events of 1811, that Scott 
 won that reputation w iueii lias ever placed him among 
 tlie higliest of American olVicers. The hardest fought 
 battles in tiie whole war took place in that year, on the 
 Canaihi border; autl in all of them he acted a valuable 
 part. 
 
 The battle of Ciu"j)pewa Phiins was fouglit on the af- 
 ternoon of the r)th of.luly. The l>ritisl» iiad maintaincnl 
 u petty lire all the morning, wliicli was not returned by 
 their antagonists. About four in the allernoon this firing 
 had become serious, anil General Porter being sent for- 
 ward to ascertain tho f()rce and position of the enemy, 
 was soon in front of tlieir main force. General Brown 
 immediately ordered GiMieral Scott to advance witii his 
 brigade and Towson's artillery, and meet them upon a 
 j)lain in front of the camj). This order was promptly 
 oh(^yed, and soon Scott was unexpectedly in close action 
 with a superior force of British regulars. Th.e detach- 
 ment of (ien(>ral PorttM" was now entin^ly nuited, and 
 tiieir (light lefl. tlie brigade of General Scott exposed to 
 n most raking fire. lUit instead of retreating, he poured 
 forward on the British w ith such impetuosity, that they 
 first fell back toward a neighboring height, and afterward 
 commenced a disorderly flight to their works. This 
 
G E N E K A L S C O T T . 1 87 
 
 torrriiii.ilcd the oporalions of tlio day, ullliouf^li it Jiad 
 hcA-n llin intoMlion of General Brown tr)s1orni Uu; onerny's 
 fort. 
 
 Inspoaking of General Scott in conntiction with this 
 battle, the commander says : " lie is entitl(;d to the 
 highest praise our Cfjuntry can bestow ; to him more 
 than any othrtr man f am indebted (or the victory of the 
 511, of July." 
 
 At Niagara it was again General Scott's fortune to 
 commence the action. With the first brigade, Towson's 
 artillery, and a number f;C dragoons, Ije was ordered 
 toward the (iueenst(jn road, and came up with the 
 enemy, posted e-n the opposite side of a narrow wood. 
 He paused long enough If; inform (ieneral iJrrjwn of his 
 position, and then advanced upon the enemy. i.Ie passed 
 the wood, and fbi- a whole hour sustained a warm con- 
 flict, unsup|K.)i-ted, vvilb the wlioh; f;p[)osif)g fjrce. A 
 great deal of manaujvring tlien took place, a new line 
 was interposed between the British and General Scott in 
 ordr;r to relieve that officer, and an important height of 
 the enemy stormed and taken by ColrnK;l Miller. The 
 British were finally broken, and their def(;ut was com- 
 plete. The Americans, however, were too exfjausted to 
 pursue, and sunk down on their arms, upon the field of 
 confiict. 
 
 In tin's battle General Scott was severely wounded. 
 For his conduct at Niagara and Chippewa, he was re- 
 warded by congress with a gold m(;dal, and the nujk of 
 major-general ; and in 1816 the legislatures of New- 
 York and })is native state each votf;d him a sword, in 
 token of their af)preeiation of his military services. 
 
188 GENERAL SCOTT. 
 
 Scott was concerned in the Florida and Northwest 
 wars, and in tlio Canada disturbances; but tliey afforded 
 him no opportunities of distinguishing liiniself. On tlie 
 death of General Macomb, he became commander-in- 
 chief of the American army. 
 
 Upon the opening of the present war with Mexico, 
 Scott presented a plan of operations to government, 
 which, had it been actively followed out, would have no 
 doubt quickly terminated hostilities. It was, however, 
 rejected, together with the demand that he might repair 
 immediately to the scene of action. As the war pro- 
 gressed, it became evident to government, that in a 
 country like Mexico, it was necessary to act in more 
 than one position ; and accordingly, late in November 
 President Polk communicated his i)lan to General Scott, 
 to the effect that he should immediately proceed to the 
 seat of war, and take charge of the operations on the 
 Gulf coast. Scott sailed from New- York on the 30th, 
 and reached the Rio Grande on the 1st of January. 
 
 The first object that engaged the attention of General 
 Scott, was an attack upon the city of Vera Cruz. This 
 city, with its castle, is perhaps the strongest military 
 station in America; and commands the entrance into 
 central Mexico. Its massive works were lined with 
 artillery and manned by an excellent army, under the 
 command of General Morales. Scott's army was found 
 totally inadequate to the reduction of this place, and he 
 was obliged to order a detachment from General Taylor. 
 This swelled his forces to 12,000 men, and with these 
 he landed at Anton Lizardo on the 7th of March. The 
 landing of the troops, in full view of the enemy, was 
 
(; K N K UAL S C O TT . 189 
 
 cfrccted by CoJYimodorc Connor ; uiid after some days of 
 pre[)JiratioM, tlio honihardinciil commoncod on tlie afUir- 
 noon of lli(! 22(1. The (h^CcJictJ was vij^orous, l)u1. so do- 
 st ruclive was tlie lire of the assailants, tliat early on the 
 inornin<r of the 20tli, propositions of surrender reaelujd 
 the Anuiriean eanip. (Jonimissioncirs wore Mppoiiitrnl 
 from both armies; and on the 2lJth, the Moxiean army 
 abandoned the city and castle to their antagonists. 
 
 During; tiio whole of this t(^rrihl(! siege, when shells 
 and shots were Hying like hail from the ramparts of the 
 castle. General Scott was riding from rank to i-;i,nk of 
 his army, ordering, directing, and contrcjlling (!very 
 cll()rt of the artillery. His p(;rson s(!om(Mi itnporvious 
 to the shot ; and the; same lu^roism that had crowncid 
 him with glory at Queenston and Lumiy's Lane, dis- 
 tinguish(;d him before the bla/ing lines of Vera Cruz. 
 Very many doubted wliothor ov not the castle of Han 
 •luan could be tak(!n at all ; all thought the siege would 
 be tedious and destructive : Scott captured it in four 
 days. 
 
 On hearing of the fall of Vera Cruz, Santa Anna 
 raised a large army, by great exertions, and marclKul 
 toward the city. On tlu; Hth, (lotK^ral Scott loft it, and 
 advanced into the interior. As he approached, tiio Mexi- 
 can general retired, passing through Puebla and otluu- 
 places, until he reached the mountain |)ass of the Sierra 
 Gordo. In this strong position he (intrenched his forces, 
 and await(!d the arrival of the Americans. On tiw! iHlh, 
 a battle was fought, in which Santa Ainia was comi)l(;tely 
 routed, most of his army captured, and a free passage 
 made to Jalapa and Mexico. The American army imin- 
 
1 00 G E N !■: K A L S C O T T . 
 
 IxMVtl about six thousaiul, and tliat oi' tlio onemy twelve 
 tlunisand. The latter were posted in one of the strongest 
 positions ever occupied by iin anny, and tlieir defeat >vill 
 ever be regarded as a proud monument oi' American 
 valor. 
 
 A striking instance ot the l)eautiful arrangement which 
 })ervadt\s all tiie o])erations of CJeneral Scott, is atlorded 
 by the fact, that prior to this battle he had laid down all 
 its vicissitudes and emergencies with as nuich correctness 
 as he subsequently did in his otHcial report. 
 
 After this battle Puebla was taken by General Worth, 
 and subsequently Jalapa tell into the hands of the Ameri- 
 cans. Scott has ct>ntinued his march to the capital, but 
 on account of the smallness of his forces, he has not been 
 able to operate with the promptness that characterized 
 his former Mexican movements. Numerous reports, 
 however, favor the o})inion that he is on the eve oi' another 
 battle with Santa Anna. 
 
 Such is a skeleton of the life of General Scc>tt. So 
 much is said and written concerning the otllcers oi^ tiie 
 IMexican War, that j>anegyric seems to be exhausted, and 
 it were perliaps wise in us \o otler no conunent upon the 
 subject oi' our sketcii. Among all tlie military men of 
 America, i'ow liave (>ver ranked higluM* than Scott in 
 every qualitication that constitutes a great general ; and 
 the future historian will dwell with pride and profit on 
 his personal braviM'v, his indomitabh^ perseverance, bis 
 scitnitilic combinations, and his enviable success. 
 
K K M !•; I\I II ]■] n T UK A I, A IM O . 101 
 
 K KIM i: Ml IKK Till': ALAMO. 
 
 iiY T. A. i)iii;i;iA(ii;. 
 
 'Til lie — " Urmt'.'i Addictifi.'' 
 
 VViii'.N oil llic wide si»r(';i(l l);illlc-|»l!iiii 
 'riic liorscuiiiirs liiiiid Ciiii sciircc rcstniiii 
 Mis |);iiii|)(M'('(l sl.(U>(l lliiil S|)unis llic rein, 
 lv«Mii('iiil)('r llic Ahiiiio. 
 
 Wlion Houiulrt t.lio llirilliu^ \n\iy\o hiast, 
 And " cliiirn^o" (Voiu nmk lo raiil; is |Mist,, 
 'riu'ii,iis your s.ilirc-slrokcs rail I'asl,, 
 
 Ivciiiciuhcr llic Alaiiu). 
 
 Ilcod not llio S|)anish l)al(l(!-y(ill, 
 liOt ov(M-y sfrokd yo *x\yc. tlitMu /ell, 
 And I<>1 IJKMii liili as ( 'rock(-tl loll : 
 
 K(Miioiiil»«M- llio Alamo. 
 
 For every wound and cxory (lirust 
 On pris'iicrs dealt by liaiids iiccuiHt, 
 A Mtwican shall bilo llio diisl, : 
 
 Ivoinonihor llio Alamo. 
 
 Tho cannon's |»(!al shall rin^" Ihoir knoll, 
 Each volloy sound a passinn-hojj, 
 lOach clioor Coliimhia's vcnncMiicc^ l.oll : 
 
 U(Miionil)or llu! Alamo. 
 
 I'\)r il, disdaiiiinn- (linl,!, !|„.y slaiid, 
 And liy IIh^ issin; hand In hand: 
 Wo lo oach Moxican hrioand ! 
 
 UcmondH'r Iho Alamo. 
 
192 SLAVERY IN MEXICO. 
 
 Then boot and saddle ! draw the sword, 
 Unfurl your banner bright and broad, 
 And as ye smite the murderous horde, 
 
 Remember the Alamo. 
 
 SLAVERY IN MEXICO. 
 
 Mexico presents the singular spectacle of a people 
 governed by a republican constitution, and claiming 
 republican honors, and yet in fact having its lower 
 classes degraded to the condition of slaves. The people 
 talk loudly of liberty and their rights as freemen ; and 
 yet they permit their priests and political rulers to goad 
 and trample them at pleasure. They pass from one 
 usurper to another without seeming to have any interest 
 in their government, or at least in the difFerent changes 
 which take place in it ; and an able military ruler could 
 seize upon the government, and, like Bonajiarto, make 
 the whole subservient to his nod. 
 
 The Indians of Mexico have never been considered 
 as entitled to equal rights with the white inhabitants. 
 They were made slaves by Cortez, and as such they re- 
 main at the present day. They work tlie mines, execute 
 the public works, and are engaged in the meanest drudg- 
 eries. Their children will be slaves after them : servi- 
 tude is the hereditary legacy of the father ; and his sons 
 know not to aspire farther. Tell the Indian that his an- 
 cestors once reigned in power and grandeur over the 
 
SLAV II K Y IN M E X I C O . 193 
 
 whole country, and ho will roply (jiiiotly that he knows 
 it; hut the iniurence which you wish liim to draw, the 
 great practical motive for his own conduct, he is incapa- 
 ble of grasping. His native atniosphoro is slavery, and 
 he cannot thrive in any other. 
 
 Besides this transmitted slavery, tiiere are other kinds 
 in Mexico. The manufacturing system is one. Not 
 only arc tlie operatives forced to toil a great part of the 
 day, but in some cases they are regularly sold to tlie 
 proprietor, and remain in the building during life, under 
 a system of discipline more rigorous than that of our 
 prisons. Often the wretclied laborer is separated from 
 her friends and home, and obliged to toil in hopeless 
 misery, every day of which is hurrying her to the tomb. 
 
 Hut the most common form under which slavery ex- 
 ists, is what may be termed in some measure voluntary. 
 An individual will permit himself to get into debt, either 
 by borrowing, or receiving goods and other articles at a 
 store. At the moment of doing so, perhaps, he does not 
 intend to ])ay ; at least not in a formal manner. He 
 therefore engages himself to the creditor as his servant, 
 or peon, to work until he can liquidate the debt. As 
 these peons generally require all their wages for their 
 own subsistence, the original amount still remains un- 
 jiaid, and the servant continues in servitude for life. 
 This is nothing more than perpetual slavery, although it 
 is not so considered by the parties concerned. 
 
 Every store or business establishment has more or 
 less of these servants connected with it, who are consi- 
 dered as part of the property of the concern. In the 
 countiy establishments, their number often swells to such 
 9 
 
194 SLAVERY IN MEXICO. 
 
 an extent that the dwellings form a village, of which the 
 crystallizing point is tlie building of the proprietors. 
 The whole is denominated a rancho, the inhabitants be- 
 ing rancheros ; and is not unlike the jilantations of our 
 southern states. 
 
 This system is one of degradation, fostering indolence 
 and roguery in all concerned. The latter quality is so 
 characteristic, that no ranchero will permit an opportu- 
 nity of theft to escape him, even though it be upon the 
 person of a fellow ; hence in the civil wars wliich have 
 distracted Mexico, they have ever been a source of terror 
 to both armies, by lingering over the battle-field, and 
 murdering all the wounded, preparatory to stripping tlieir 
 persons. 
 
 There are other classes and conditions of slaves in 
 Mexico, but the above are the most important. The 
 general features in all are the same — degradation, indo- 
 lence, poverty, and consequently crime. Tlie system is 
 one of complete Feudalism ; the few revel in luxury, tlie 
 many starve ; and from this condition there seems to be 
 little prospect of amelioration. 
 
*'fire away. 195 
 
 The following song, published in several of the newspapers before 
 the recent events on the Rio Grande, will be read or sjnig with a 
 melancholy interest — a just tribute to the gallant artillerists, and to 
 their lamented leader. 
 
 (From tlie Boston Daily Times.) 
 
 "FIRE AWAY." 
 
 THE SONG OF RINGGOLD's ARTILLERISTS. 
 
 The Mexican bandits 
 
 Have crossed to our shore, 
 Our soil has been dyed 
 
 With our countrymen's gore ; 
 The murderers' triumph 
 
 Was theirs for a day : — 
 Our triumph is coming — 
 
 So fire — fire away ! 
 
 Fire away ! 
 
 Be steady — be ready — 
 
 And firm every hand — 
 Pour your shot like a storm 
 
 On the murderous band. 
 On their flanks, on their centre, 
 
 Our batteries play — 
 And we sweep them like chaflT, 
 
 As we fire — fire away ! 
 
 Fire away ! 
 
 Lo ! the smoke-wreaths uprising ! 
 
 The belching flames tear 
 Wide gaps tlirough the curtain, 
 
 Revealing despair. 
 Tom flutters their banner — 
 
 No oriflamme gay : 
 
196 THE BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO 
 
 They arc waveriiiy: — sinking — 
 So tiro — tire away ! 
 
 Fire away ! 
 
 'Tis over — the tliiinders 
 
 Have died on the gale — 
 Of the wounded and vanquished 
 
 Hark ! hark to the wail ! 
 Long tlie foreign invader 
 
 Shall mourn for the day, 
 When Rinjwold was summoned 
 
 To fire— fire away ! 
 
 Fire away ! 
 
 THE BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO. 
 
 The fight was fairly commenced on the 18tli April, 
 by General Twiggs and Colonel Harney, and it was 
 concluded on the next day, about noon, by General 
 Worth's and General Patterson's divisions. The enemy 
 could not have had less than 15,000 fighting men, while 
 our force was not over 12,000. The position of the 
 Mexicans was one of the strongest imaginable, and our 
 brave troops had a hard task to perform in routing them. 
 They were entrenched upon several large heights, upon 
 which no less than seven batteries were planted, mount- 
 ing 24 guns in all. One by one they fell into our hands. 
 
 At about 10 o'clock, a charge was made at several 
 points by the regulars, tlie two Tennessee, and two Penn- 
 sylvania regiments, wliich, for a time, was strongly op- 
 
THE BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO. 197 
 
 posed by the Mexicans, who fought desperately ; but 
 finally their trumpet sounded a retreat, and away went 
 Santa Anna and the larger portion of his army as if 
 " Old Nick " himself was after them! Not so, however, 
 with General La Vega, and 5000 of his command, in- 
 cluding four other generals,, all of whom surrendered, 
 and are now prisoners of war in camp, with all their 
 arms, ammunition, &c. 
 
 General Santa Anna, in his retreat, was so hotly pur- 
 sued by Colonel Harney, who had command of the 7th 
 infantry and mounted rifles, that he was forced to leave 
 his splendid carriage, trunks, some $70,000 in silver, 
 and one of his cork legs ! They are also in camp, and 
 attract much attention, and cause no little merriment. 
 
 Our loss in killed and wounded is severe, while that 
 of the enemy is very great. Among those killed and 
 wounded on our side, may be mentioned the name of 
 General Shields, who fell at an early hour in the day. 
 
 The Mexican forces on the height of Sierra Gordo, 
 were the 3d and 4th light infantry, the 3d and 5th regi- 
 ments of the line, and six pieces of artillery, with the 
 requisite number of cavalry. Colonel Obando, chief of 
 artillery, was killed, also General Vasques, general of 
 division. Many of our officers were of opinion that this 
 general was no other than Governor Morales. 
 
 Our forces consisted of the 2d, 3d and 7th infantry 
 and mounted riflemen, and Steptoe's battery. Captain 
 Mason, of the rifles, was severely wounded — having lost 
 his left leg. Lieutenant Ewell, of the 7th infantry, was 
 severely wounded. Captain Patten, of the 2d — left hand 
 shot off. 
 
198 THE BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO. 
 
 On the 17th, Lieutenant Jarvis, of the 2d infantry, 
 was wounded in ascending the first hill. 
 
 On the top of Sierra Gordo, the scene was truly hor- 
 rible ; — from the Jalapa road, dead bodies of the enemy 
 could be seen on every spot where the eye was directed, 
 until they literally covered the ascent to the height. 
 There is about half an acre of level ground on the top of 
 the mountain, and here was collected together the wound- 
 ed of both armies, and the dead of our own. Side by 
 side was laying the disabled American and the Mexican, 
 and our surgeons were busy amputating and dressing the 
 wounds of each — lotting them in turns, unless the acute 
 pain of some sufferer further along caused him to cry 
 out, when he \^'ould be immediately attended to. 
 
 The pioneer parties of our men were picking up the 
 wounded, and bringing them in from every part of the 
 ascent to the height. From the side towards the river, 
 where the storming party of General Twiggs' division 
 made the charge, most of our men suffered, and many 
 of the enemy also, for they made a desperate stand — but 
 when they gave way, and started in confusion down the 
 hill, was the time they most suffered — many of them re- 
 ceiving the balls of our men in their backs. 
 
 The charge on Sierra Gordo was one of those cool 
 yet determined ones, so characteristic of the American 
 soldier. From the time that our troops left the hill near- 
 est that prominent height, the fire was incessant, and they 
 had to fight their way, foot by foot, until they gained the 
 summit, from which place the enemy gave way, after a 
 very short resistance. 
 
 The second in command to Santa Anna is a man as 
 
THE FKIAK JARAUTA. 199 
 
 black as the ace of spades, with a name something like 
 Stinton. 
 
 All Santa Anna's plate was taken, and his dinner, 
 already cooked, eaten by our own officers. 
 
 The writer states that Generals Patterson and Smith 
 were both confined to their beds by sickness, and were 
 unable to go into the fights with their commands. 
 
 THE FRIAR JARAUTA, 
 
 DESCRIBED IN A LETTER FROM VERA CRUZ. 
 
 The city is perfectly quiet. No guerillas have been 
 seen in the neighborhood for several days, and I believe 
 all the " gray friars" have left for their respective divi- 
 sions in the mountains and on the roads. I have not 
 seen one since the night on which the row was kicked up 
 in searching for Jarauta. 
 
 This fellow has become quite a lion in Mexico — in- 
 deed he already finds himself famous ; and some one in 
 this city has attempted his life; not to take it, but to 
 write it — and the result of this effort was, a few days 
 since, given to the admiring world in an extra of El 
 Arco Iris, which I enclose with this. From this docu- 
 ment we learn that " Padre Pedro Caledonio Jarauta" is 
 a native of the city of Catalayud, in Aragon, and is now 
 from thirty-two to thirty-four years of age. At the com- 
 mencement of the revolution in the Peninsula in 1834, he 
 
200 THE FRIAK JARAUTA. 
 
 ran away from the convent of San Francisco, in which 
 he was a student, and joined the faction of Carnicer. In 
 the action between the command of this chieftain and the 
 forces of the Government at Mallals, in Catalonia, Jarau- 
 ta was severely wounded, and, together with a number 
 of the Carlist party, was taken prisoner, and confined in 
 the hospital prison at Valencia. From this place he 
 managed to escape by scaling the walls, but, together 
 with the companions of his flight, was recaptured, and 
 transferred to safer quarters. He was subsequently 
 sent to Cadiz, where he and the celebrated Isidro Ejea 
 planned an escape from the St. Helena prison, in which 
 they were confined, but were discovered in the act. In 
 August, 1835, he, with one hundred and thirty of his 
 fellow-prisoners, was sent to Havana, where he arrived 
 on the 4th of the following October. Here he was con- 
 fined in the Moro Castle, until Tacon issued an orxler for 
 all the friars amongst the Spanish prisoners to retire to 
 the monasteries of their respective orders in Havana. 
 Jarauta was, consequently, sent to that of San Francisco, 
 where he resumed the habits and followed the religious 
 pursuits which he had abandoned for those of the field. 
 Here his indomitable spirit and turbulent disposition 
 brought him into trouble, and in bad odor with his con- 
 freres, who repeatedly complamed of him, until the 
 Governor ordered him to be confined in the new prison, 
 where he found himself in 1838. From this place he 
 managed to escape, and made his way to Mexico. In 
 Vera Cruz he is well known, having been for some time 
 a curate of the church of San Francisco. 
 
 Jarauta has an extremely ready and lively genius, 
 
THE TWO FOLLIES. 201 
 
 posesses a warm and generous heart, while, as an enemy, 
 he is implacable. Possessed of an enterprising and ener- 
 getic cliaracter, nothing daunts him ; and when he enga- 
 ges in an undertaking, it is with the fixed purpose of de- 
 sisting only upon success or death. In the midst of his 
 greatest misfortunes, he is never sad nor depressed, but 
 his happy and daring genius is always found equal to 
 the emergency of the occasion. His stubborn and power- 
 ful will has won for him the well-merited soubriquet of 
 the "Aragonese." His figure is good — his stature five 
 feet three or four inches, and he has but little beard. 
 
 For the benefit of those who are puzzled to pronounce 
 Spanish names, I would say that his is prononced Har- 
 rowtah — the ow sounded as in " brow." 
 
 ''THE TWO FOLLIES." 
 
 The U. S. Steamers Fza^en and Sp/^re, originally 
 built for the Mexican navy, were purchased by our gov- 
 ernment and despatched to the Gulf, about the close of 
 August, 1846. 
 
 Commanders Tatnall and Sands, as intrepid, brave, 
 and active officers as our service can boast, cheerfully 
 accepted the command, though inferior to their grade. 
 The Vixen carried three twenty-four-pounders, and the 
 Spitfire one sixty-eight and two thirty-two-pounders — 
 otherwise the little beauties were much alike, and soon, 
 through scenes of usefulness and danger, so endeared 
 themselves to our tars, that they were familiarly and lov- 
 9* 
 
202 THE TWO POLLIES. 
 
 ingly christened " The two Follies." They had 
 taken the lead at the first attack on Alvarado — were at 
 the taking of Tabasco, Tampico, Laguna, and Tuspan — * 
 had assisted in covering the debarkation of our army at 
 Vera Cruz — in fact, were present wherever activity or 
 daring could hope to win honor ; but it is some of tlicir 
 mad pranks at the Siege of Vera Cruz that we are now 
 about to chronicle. Indeed, if for a moment the gal- 
 lantry and lieroic emulation of our tars could bo forgotten, 
 the narrative of some of the exploits of the " Two Fol- 
 lies,^' and of their colleagues among the ^^ Miisquito fleet,^' 
 would partake not a little of the ridiculous — thus these 
 small steamers boldly arraying their comparative insig- 
 nificance against the terrific battlements opposed to them, 
 might appear Quixotic, and their escape hopeless. Nev- 
 ertheless, they caused much destruction in the town of 
 Vera Cruz, and annoyed the Castle of San Juan d'Ulloa 
 considerably by their shells. But we know nothing of 
 " the log ''" — " the Commodore'' s orders " — or " official de- 
 spatches^^ — all we have the run of is some of the capers 
 of the " Two PoUies,^^ and of our follows aboard, which 
 we guess were not served up in tlie " Report to the Sec- 
 retaryj'^ but are, notwithstanding, " as true as preach- 
 ing." 
 
 On the 22d, the Spitfire and Vixen had a regular 
 blow out. All that night they lay under Punto de Hornos, 
 within range of the batteries of both city and castle, 
 pouring in broadsides till their ammunition was expend- 
 ed, and had been supplied from the fleet again and again, 
 when, early in the morning, the gallant Talnall, regard- 
 less of all odds, proposed to his friend and comrade, 
 
T II K r wo I'o 1, 1. 1 Ks . 2();i 
 
 Sands, closer (imirlcrs, and liiiil llicy should sUuid out 
 r\rfht in front of tlio town and ciistU^ — so ns to show more 
 of " Tlu^ Two PollioH," and of Ihvir hrhav/or, *' Agreed / 
 imtli all my /tmr/," says Sands — and away 1 hoy dashed 
 clown the middle. Tutnall had a, i^rcat swa^i!;erino; on- 
 sign at his foro, awfully bion(.|- (|,m, |,is vessel — as if just 
 to show who was admiral on this o(;easion. " Tlie Two 
 Vollics'^ wont it stroui^ over the wal(>rs — Itul wilh ininu"- 
 table grace, ihouoji they had to ])u(r and blow a little 
 before they brouifht up "idl standing" — asiftlnur lady- 
 ships wen; takinijj their places in a (piadrilh^ "vis-a-vis" 
 to Fort Sanf.iago and to the easlle. Now this was "^ liot 
 jplace,''^ especially lor small Iry. 'I'he ladies saluted, led 
 off — "forward two" — ]A)rt Santiai!;o, like a. o(>iitl(Mnan, 
 immediately returned tlw; coniplimenl, but lli(> castle, 
 surly, overgrown brute as he was, looked nriui and grull* 
 as a bear, and it was not until " The Two Pollies " had 
 let out a little oi" the Spiljire and Vixen of their nature, 
 that, with a tnunendous roar, all sorts of nn'ssiles show- 
 owd — sweet as suf^ar |)lunis in ('arnival — around the 
 apparently doomed little wretcdies. " The j)oetry of their 
 motJon," howev(!r, was undisturbed except by tin; acxud- 
 eration of tbeii- own " music." 'I'lie ji^- lasted inore than 
 an hour, during whi(di Uuw, it is but justice to tlu; Mexi- 
 can gallants to say that they were as " hloodij jmlilefiW'' 
 as tlu^y could be, uiic(^asingl v showering tludr favors 
 around imr Two J.*o///'e.s. Still, it must be confess(!d that 
 their civilities were awkward enough, for they took not 
 the least (dlect on any of th(^ t(;nder sensii)ilities of the 
 two ladies. ^^ Zounds — lahat, shoolJnu; !!''' Poor Tatnall 
 was in utter despair — Ik^ had waited with perO^ct serenity 
 
204 THE TWO POLLIES. 
 
 for them to take good aim — to make one decent shot at 
 least — but such unscientific peppering/ — never was the 
 like, it was entirely unbearable, he could not stand it, 
 and strode about the deck, out of all patience, exclaim- 
 ing : " What ! nothing — nobody hit yet ! — Zounds — no- 
 body killed f — not an officer killed or wounded ! ! — notldng 
 hurt ! ! ! — The d — / take such fun /" 
 
 Seriously, this adventure was one of the most gallant 
 and daring events of naval warfare. We repeat that it 
 was almost a miracle the ships were not blown " sky 
 high," or our " Two Follies " sent prematurely to " Da- 
 vy's locker " — but it is not our province to discuss grave 
 matters, nor to write by " the log." Mr. Secretary Mason 
 may look out for himself. We are going it on our own hook. 
 
 The Two Pollies, what with a regular hail-storm of 
 round shot and of shells, and some of them of the biggest 
 kind — fire without and fire within — boilers to burst — 
 shoals and rocks to bilge on — powder in the ugly 
 little magazine — powder in the wheel-houses — fire and 
 powder every where on their crowded decks, were 
 certainly in what " Mr. Secretary " might call " a 
 bad fix." Three hearty cheers from the officers of our 
 army ashore had greeted them as they stood in, but who 
 could say they ever would stand out ? Nothing disturbed 
 them, however. The music was being kept up, when the 
 gallant Lieutenant Parker * (the same who had, a few 
 months before, so daringly destroyed a vessel under the 
 very walls of the castle) was taken all aback with the 
 
 * Lieutenant James L. Parker, one of the heroes of the Creole ex- 
 ploits, &c., fell a victim to the fever, afterwards. 
 
THE TWO FOLLIES. 205 
 
 Quixotism of the affair, and left his gun, for a moment, 
 to inquire, with a most quizzical phiz, of the captain — 
 whether he saw '• any windmills ahouV^ — that they might 
 tilt a lance with — " No ! no /" sung out Sands — ^'■not yet 
 — hut we will catch one by and by.'' (They were not, 
 however, as unfortunate as the Don, for they all came 
 off with whole bones — but it was not their fault.) 
 
 From the captain to " the captain's darkey," it was 
 impossible to keep the fight down. Sands had a bridge 
 put across from the wheel-houses, and stood high and dry 
 thereon to superintend the fun. He had his weather eye 
 open, we guess, when he spied that fireman playing 
 " sodger," with belt, cartouch-box, musket and bayonet, 
 — every now and then chunking the furnace, and then 
 popping up, stiff as Cuffy, to take a hand himself The 
 captain made him " drop that, quick," for it would not 
 exactly do to burst a boiler at that stage of the game. 
 
 All hands, landsmen and boys, enjoyed the frolic. 
 The boy Tom, " captain's darkey/' couldn't stay quiet, so 
 they made a powder-monkey of him to the long gun, and 
 the way he kept a supply a-going " was a caution." Tom, 
 like the chap who pulled the bellows of the organ, seemed 
 then to think nothing could be done without him, but 
 "the darkey," afterwards, let fall some expressions, 
 which, with uncharitable and evil-disposed persons, might 
 militate against his courage ; for he was understood to say 
 that he thought " the harder he worked, the less he was 
 afraid." 
 
 The noise of the whizzing of balls, the thundering of 
 the artillery, the queer rumbling of shells through the 
 air — heaving and tossing the water, foam, and spray 
 
206 THE TWO r O L L I E S . 
 
 about, as they fell around (for tlio enemy's shot and shell 
 hit every where but in tlie rii>Iit place) — was only com- 
 parable to forty congressmen " on their legs " at once, 
 with the speaker's hammer calling to order in vain, 
 except that things went on aboard the two Follies as reg- 
 ular as clockwork, o;//// a Utile faster. Jack Matthews, 
 sick when he joined the Vixen, but always on duty, 
 and ever ready for a fight, worked his gun beautifully, 
 and with most philosophical steadiness ; while with the 
 other officers, Murray, Jefters, Simpson, it was " Shool^^' 
 Luke, or give me the gun." — They cracked away as if 
 they were " pigeon shooting," and were bound to hit 
 " wmc out of ien.^^ Matthews, with his gun, had llie last 
 shot; he nursed it up tenderly, got the sweetest aim ima- 
 ginable on him, and let fly. Sands had told Jack he 
 would "get his answer," and snre enough, the biggc^st 
 kind of a shell came screaching, whi/.zing, and whirling, 
 but it was " no go." 
 
 For some time, it had, somehow or other, been inti- 
 mated aboard, that there was a signal of recall flying 
 from the commodore's ship. It is not known exactly, 
 (and, perhaps, never will be known — at " the Depart- 
 wzfwy,") why TattiaU and Sands could not see it — mayhap 
 Sands vjm looking at Tatnall, and Tatnall wvis looking at 
 the enemy, — but so it was; an ofllcer from the commo- 
 dore, at last, had to bring a peremptory order recalling 
 " The Two PolUes" — Perhaps the commodore thought, 
 like mothers at a ball, that " the youn<r ladies had staid 
 long enough," — certain it is, " The Two rallies " came 
 off, however unwillingly, in time to prevent having their 
 good looks spoilt — making their " cong^' " so gracefully 
 
COLONEL IJ O N 1 i' 11 A N S MARCH. 207 
 
 and protfj'ly that, tJioy were af^ain cheered hf;artily from 
 tfie land and sea forces around them. 
 
 Tiius was wound up tliat "lark" of our ^^Tim 
 Follies,^' and this wlnrls up all we can tell, in this chap- 
 ter, of the " Musquito Jlccl.'' — We had forgotten ''the 
 Moral,'' — if our yarn ever had one ; — it must be, 
 however, something full as touching as this : — Whenever 
 " Two Follies " are circumstanced as they imre, and situ- 
 ated as they are, they must have the own luck, to 
 
 escape vuthoul a life lost, a wound received, or any injury 
 whatever. 
 
 COLONEL DONIPHAN'S MARCH, 
 
 DESCRIBED BV MR. BENTON. 
 
 On Friday the 2d inst. Col. Doniphan and his com- 
 mand arrived at St. Louis. They were received in a 
 most enthusiastic manner, by the ringing of bells, the 
 pealing of cannon, and the shouts of a vast multitude of 
 citizens. 
 
 Col. Benton was orator of the day, and pronounced 
 the Address of Welcome. The address is published at 
 length in the St. Louis New Era. We annex a few ex- 
 tracts. 
 
 "Your march and exploits have been among the most 
 wonderful of the age. At the call of your country you 
 marched a thousand miles to the conquest of New Mex- 
 ico, as part of the force under Gen. Kearney, and achieved 
 
208 COLONEL DONIPHAN S MARCH. 
 
 that conquest without the loss of a man or the fire of a 
 gun. That work finished, and New Mexico, itself so 
 distant, and so lately the Ultima Thule — the outside 
 boundary of speculation and enterprise — so lately a dis- 
 tant point to be attained, becomes itself a point of depar- 
 ture — a beginning point for new and far more extended 
 expeditions. You look across the long and lofty chain — 
 the Cordilleras of North America — which divide the At- 
 lantic from the Pacific waters ; and you see beyond that 
 ridge a savage tribe which had been long in the habit 9||^ 
 depredating upon the province which had just become an 
 American conquest. You, a part only of the subsequent 
 Chihuahua column, under Jackson and Gilpin, march 
 upon them — bring them to terms — and they sign a treaty 
 with Col. Doniphan, in which they bind themselves to 
 cease their depredations on the Mexicans, and to become 
 the friends of the United States. A novel treaty that ! 
 signed on tlie western confines of New Mexico, between 
 parties who had hardly ever heard each other's names 
 before, and to give peace and protection to Mexicans who 
 were hostile to both. This was the meeting and this the 
 parting of the Missouri volunteers, with the numer- 
 ous and savage tribe of the Navaho Indians, living on 
 the waters of the Gulf of California, and so long the 
 terror and scourge of Sonora, Sinaloa, and New Mexico. 
 " This object accomplished, and impatient of inactiv- 
 ity, and without orders, (Gen. Kearney having departed 
 for California,) you cast about to carve out some new 
 work for yourselves. Chihuahua, a rich and populous 
 city of nearly 30,000 souls, the seat of government of 
 the state of that name, and formerly the residence of 
 
COLONEL DONIPHAN'S MARCH. 209 
 
 the captains general of the Internal Provinces under the 
 vice-regal government of New Spain, was the captivating 
 object which fixed your attention. It was a far distant 
 city-about as far from St. Louis as Moscow is from 
 ^ans; and towns, and enemies, and a large river, and 
 defiles, and mountains, and the desert whose ominous 
 name portends death to travellers-e/ Jornada de los 
 muertos-ihe journey of the dead-all lav between you 
 It was a perilous enterprise, and a discouraging one for 
 a thousand men, badly equipped, to contemplate. No 
 matter. Danger and hardship lent it a charm, and the 
 adventurous march was resolved on, and the execution 
 commenced. First, the ominous desert was passed, its 
 character vindicating its title to its mournful appellation 
 —an and plain of ninety miles, strewed with the bones 
 of animals that had perished of hunger and thirst-little 
 hillocks of stone, and the solitary cross, erected by pious 
 hands, marking the spot where some Christian had fallen 
 victim of the savage, of the robber, or of the desert itself 
 -no water-^no animal life-no sign of habitation. 
 Ihere the Texan prisoners, driven by the cruel Salazar, 
 had met their direst sufferings, unrelieved, as in other 
 parts of the country, by the compassionate ministrations 
 (for where is it that woman is not compassionate ?) of the 
 pitymg women. The desert was passed, and the place 
 for crossing the river approached. A little arm of the 
 river Bracito (in Spanish), made out from its side. 
 There the enemy, in superior numbers, and confident in 
 cavalry and artillery, undertook to bar the way. Vain 
 pretension ! Their discovery, attack, and rout, were 
 about simultaneous operations. A ^ew minutes did the 
 
210 COLONEL Doniphan's march. 
 
 work ! And in this way our Missouri volunteers of the 
 Chihuahua column, spent their Christmas day of the 
 year 1846. 
 
 " The victory of Bracito opened the way to the 
 crossing of the river Del Norte, and to admission into 
 the beautiful little town of the Passo del Norte, where a 
 neat cultivation, a comfortable people, fields, orchards 
 and vineyards, and a hospitable reception, offered the rest 
 and refreshment which toils and dangers and victory had 
 won. You rested there till artillery was brought down 
 from Sante Fe ; but the pretty town of the Passo del 
 Norte, with all its enjoyments, and they were many, and 
 the greater for the place in which they were found, was 
 not a Capua to the men of Missouri. You moved for- 
 ward in February, and the battle of the Sacramento, one 
 of the military marvels of the age, cleared the route to 
 Chihuahua, which was entered without further resistance. 
 It had been entered once before by a detachment of 
 American troops ; but under circumstances how differ- 
 ent! In the year 1807, Lieutenant Pike and his thirty 
 brave men, taken prisoners on the head of the Rio del 
 Norte, had been marched captives into Chihuahua : in 
 the year 1847, Doniphan and his men entered it as con- 
 querors. The paltry triumph of a captain-general over 
 a lieutenant, was effaced in the triumphal entrance of a 
 thousand Missourians into the grand and ancient capital 
 of all the Internal Provinces ! and old men, still alive, 
 could remark the grandeur of the American spirit under 
 both events — the proud and lofty bearing of the captive 
 thirty — the mildness and moderation of the conquering 
 thousand. 
 
COLONEL Doniphan's march. 211 
 
 " Chihuahua was taken, and responsible duties, more 
 delicate than those of arms, were to be performed. Ma- 
 ny American citizens were there, engaged in trade ; 
 much American property was there. All this was to be 
 protected, both lives and property, and by peaceful ar- 
 rangement ; for the command was too small to admit of 
 division, and of leaving a garrison. Conciliation and 
 negotiation were resorted to, and successfully. Every 
 American interest was provided for, and placed under 
 the safeguard, ^^r5/, of good will, and next, of guaranties 
 not to be violated with impunity. 
 
 " Chihuahua gained, it became, like Santa Fe, not the 
 terminating point of a long expedition, but the beginning 
 point of a new one. Gen. Taylor was somewhere — no 
 one knew exactly where — but some seven or eight hun- 
 dred miles towards the other side of Mexico. You had 
 heard that he had been defeated — that Buena Vista had 
 not been a good prospect to him. Like good Americans, 
 you did not believe a word of it ; but, like good soldiers, 
 you thought it best to go and see. A volunteer party of 
 fourteen, headed by Collins, of Boonvillc, undertook to 
 penetrate to Saltillo, and bring you information of his 
 condition. They set out. Amidst innumerable dangers 
 they accomplish their purpose, and return. You march. 
 A vanguard of one hundred men, led by Lieut. Colonel 
 Mitchell, led the way. Then came the main body (if 
 the name is not a burlesque on such a handful), com- 
 manded by Colonel Doniphan himself 
 
 " The whole table-land of Mexico, in all its breadth, 
 from west to cast, was to be traversed. A numerous 
 and hostile population in towns — treacherous Camanches 
 
212 COLON KL DON IP II aim's M A II C II . 
 
 in tlio iuountains — wcvc \o Uc j)nsso(]. I'jVcM-y \h'\n^ was 
 to bo seli'-provickHl — provisions, transportation, fresh hor- 
 ses for remounts, and even the means of victory — and all 
 witlu)ut a military cliest, or even an (Mopty box, in which 
 ^^ovtM'innent <;old had ever reposed. All was accom- 
 plished. M(>xican towns were passed, in order and quiet ; 
 jilunderinn- Camaiiches \\(M"(^ |)unislied : hunius nmm'c ob- 
 tained lh)ni traders to litpiidate indispensable contribu- 
 tions ; and the wants that could not be suj)plied were 
 endured like soldiers of veteran service. 
 
 " 1 say the Camanches were punished. And liere pre- 
 sents itself an episode of a novel, extraordinary, and 
 romantic kind — Americans chastising savages ibr plun- 
 dering people who they themselves came to conquer, and 
 forcing tiie restitution of captives and of j)limdered j)ro- 
 perty. A strange story this to tell in Europe, where back- 
 woods character, western character, is not yd com})letely 
 known. But to the facts. In the nuisk(H>t forest of the 
 Bolson de Mapimi, and in the sierras around the beautiful 
 town and fertile district of Parras, and in all the open 
 country Ibr hundrcMls of miles round about, the savage 
 Camanches have hekl dominion ever since the usurper 
 Santa Anna disarmed the people, and sally forth from 
 their fastnesses to slaughter men, plunder cattle, and 
 carry oil' women and children. An exploit of this kind 
 had just been performed on the line of the Missourians' 
 march, not flir from Parras, and nn advanced party 
 chanced to be in that town at the time the news of the 
 depredation arrived there, ft was only fifteen strong. 
 Moved by gratitude f(>r the kinti attentions of the people, 
 especially the women, to the sick of General Wool's 
 
C O L O N E L I) (> N I I' H A N ' S IV] A R (,' If . 213 
 
 comrnaiid, necessarily Icfl in I'lirnis, and unwillin<,r i(, bo 
 ouldono by cricniies in gciiorfwily, tlio lun-oic t'iilccn, lipon 
 tho spot, voluntofircd to go back, bunt (JUt tJi*; (lc))rc(la- 
 tors, and pnnisb tlicrn, without regard to rnjnibcrs. A 
 gratciCul IVl(;.\icar) became their giiid(!. On thcjir way 
 tli(!y (ell in with fifteen more %>{' \\ic\r corm'ades ; and, in 
 a short timr-, sc^ventfu^n ('anianehes killed out of sixty- 
 five, eigjit(!en captives restoHMl to their (imiiliirs, and three 
 Iwjndred and fifty bearl of eatlh^ n-covcvcA for their own- 
 ers, was the fruil of this stidden and romantic e|)isod(!. 
 
 "Such noble concJuct was not without ils <;ll(;et on the 
 mifjdsof tho astonishccJ Mexicans. Anofli(;ial document: 
 from tlio pref(!ct of the i)lacc to Ca{)tain Jlcid, bsader of 
 this detachment, Jittcists thr; verity of the fact, and the 
 gratitude of the Mexicans ; and cotistitutes a, trophy of a 
 n(!W kind ifi the annals of war. lien; it is irj the; origi- 
 nal Spanish, and I will read it oil" in lOnglish. 
 
 " It is ollicially datfjd i'vn\n Ihe l*refceture of the T)c- 
 j)a,rtment of Ibarras, signfid hy th(! [)r(!fe(;t, .lose Ignacio 
 Arrahe, and addnjssfid to Captain \l(t'u\, the IHth of May, 
 arxl says : 
 
 '" At tli(! first noticf! that the barha,ria,ns, after killing 
 majiy, and taking ca[)tives, wr^n; returning 1o tlu^ir 
 haunts, you gfiUerously and bravely oflerrid, with fifteen 
 of your sul)ordinut(!S, to fight thfun on tlmir crossing by 
 th<! I *ay,o, executing this cntcr[)risr! with celerity, address, 
 ar)d bravery, worthy of all eulogy, and worthy of the 
 brilliant issue which all cebibrate. You recovered many 
 animals and much pli;nd(!)-ed property, and eighteen cap- 
 tives Wfirc Histonid to liberty and to social enjoyments, 
 their souls overflowing with a lively sentiment of joy and 
 
214 COLONEL DONIPIIAn's MARCH. 
 
 gratitude, which all the iiihahiiants of this town equally 
 breathe, in favor of their generous deliverers and their 
 valiant chief. Tlie half of the Indians killed in the com- 
 bat, and those which fly wounded, do not calm the pain 
 which all feel for tlic wound which your excellency re- 
 ceived defending Christians and civilized beings against 
 the rage and brutality of savages. All desire tiie speedy 
 re-establishment of your health ; and although they know 
 that in your own noble soul will be found tiie best reward 
 of your conduct, they desire also to address you the ex- 
 pression of their gratitude and high esteem. I am hon- 
 ored in being the organ of the public sentiment ; and 
 pray you to accept it, with the assurance of my most dis- 
 tinguished esteem. 
 
 " ' God and Liberty !' 
 
 " This is a trophy of a new kind in war, won by thirty 
 Missourians, and worthy to be held up to the admiration 
 of Christendom. 
 
 " The long march from Chihuahua to Monterey was 
 made more in the character of protection and deliverance 
 than of conquest and invasion. Armed enemies were 
 not met, and peaceful people were not disturbed. You 
 arrived in the month of May in General Taylor's camp, 
 and about in a condition to vindicate, each of you for him- 
 self, your lawful title to the double sohriquct of the gen- 
 eral, with the addition to it which the colonel of the 
 expedition has supplied — ragged — as well as rough and 
 ready. No doubt you all showed title, at that time, to 
 that third sohriquct ; but to see you now, so gayly attired, 
 so sprucely equipped, one might suppose that you liad 
 never, for an instant, been a stranger to the virtues of 
 
C O L O N i: L I) O N I I' 11 A N S M A li C II . 215 
 
 soup aj)(l Wilier, or IIh; ni;i<i;ic; rninist ralioiis ol" the h/d/n- 
 cliisscii.sr, und IIk; clcnanl. triin.sl(>niiiilioiis of IIk^ liisliioii- 
 uhlo tailor. Tlianks, j)(;rliaj)s, to tlio (lilllM'ciicf? bctvvoen 
 pay in the luinp at tin; end ol" service, and drihicls in the 
 course of it. 
 
 "You arriv(^d in (<en<'ral 'Taylor's eaiiij) ratro^cd ujid 
 roii^li, as W(! can well conceive, and ready, as I can 
 quicidy show. You r(!j)ort(!d (()r duty ! you askfid for 
 service ! — such as a niareh u|)on San i^nis (\v. I'otosi, 
 Za,cat(!cas, or the " iialls of the iVIont(!/uinas," or any 
 thin<4- in that way that tlie <reneral should have; a mind 
 to. I(" lie was ^')in*^- ii|)on ;uiy (^\cuJ•sion of tliat kind, 
 all ri<^ht. No matter ahout iiiti^ues that wen; passed, 
 or ex[)irations of service that un'f^ht accrue ; you came to 
 ^o, and oidy asked ihc privih'oc. 
 
 " That is what I call ready. (Iidiappily tiie con(pieror 
 oflNilo Alio, llesaca, d(! la I'alina, Montfirey, and lin(;na 
 Vista, was not in exactly tlu; condition that the lieuten- 
 ant-«r(!iieral, that nn'^lit have h(;(!n, intjindt^d him to he. 
 lie was not at ihe li(!ad of 'JO, ()()() men ! Ik; was not at 
 the head of any thousands that W(mld enahle him to 
 march ! and had to (kudine thf! })ro(Ii!red sfirvicc. Thus 
 th(! lon^-marelied and well-f()ii^ht vohinteei's — the; roijnh, 
 the ready, and the raj^trcd, had to turn their factis towards 
 home, still more than two tliousand miles distant. But 
 this hcing mostly hy water, you hardly count it in the 
 recital of your march. But this is an unjnst orm'ssion, 
 and against the precedents as well as unjust. " 'i'he 
 T(!n Thousand" counted the voyage on the iilack S(!a as 
 w(dl as the march from iJahylon ; and twenty centuries 
 admit the validity of the count. The present age, and 
 
216 COLONEL DONIPHAN S MARCH. 
 
 posterity, will include in ' the going out and coming in' 
 of the Missouri Chihuahua volunteers, the water voyage 
 as well as the land march ; and then the expedition of 
 the One Thousand will exceed that of the Ten by some 
 two thousand miles. 
 
 " The last ninc^ hundred miles of your land march, from 
 Cliihuahua to Matamoras, you made in forty-five days, 
 bringing seventeen pieces of artillery, eleven of which 
 were taken from the Sacramento nnd Bracito. Your 
 horses, travelling the whole distance witliout United States 
 provender, were astonished to find themselves regaled on 
 their arrival on the Rio Grande frontier, with hay, corn, 
 and oats from the States. You marched further than the 
 farthest, fought as well as the best, left order and quiet 
 in your train, and cost less money than any. 
 
 "You arrive here to-day, absent one year, marching 
 and fighting all the time, bringing trophies of cannon and 
 standards from fu^lds whose names were unknown to you 
 before you set out, and only grieving tliat you could not 
 have gone furtiier. Ten pieces of cannon, rolled out of 
 Chihuahua to arrest your march, now roll through the 
 streets of St. Louis, to grace your triumj)hal return. 
 Many standards, all pierced with bullets, while waving 
 over the heads of the enemy at the Sacramento, now 
 wave at the head of your column. The black flag, 
 brouglit to the Bracito, to indicate the refusal of that 
 quarter which its bearers so soon needed and received, 
 now takes its place among your troj)hies, and hangs 
 drooping in their nobler presence. To crown the whole 
 — to make public and private happiness go together — to 
 spare the cypress where the laurel hangs in clusters — 
 
T 11 K i; 1 O (i IJ A N D E 
 
 17 
 
 this lono- aiul perilous uiarch, wilh all its aocidonts of 
 field and eninp, presents an incredibly snuiU list of com- 
 rades lost. Almost all return ! and the joy of families 
 resounds, interminjj;led wilh the applauses of the state." 
 
 Coloiud DcMiiphan responded in elo([uent terms, and 
 admitted that Colonel Benton's speech «2;ave a oknving, 
 elinpuMit, and failiiful account of tlie expedition. He said 
 thai, if peace is to be secured to Mexico, it must be the 
 result of a vigorous prosecution of the war. The armies 
 must be inunediatidy reinforced, and not kept jKiralyzed 
 on a Held where their presence counted for nothing upon 
 the termination of the war. 
 
 (From Park noivjainiu's Western Continent.) 
 
 Till: RIO GRANDE. 
 There are sounds of iniohty couiliot by u pcacolul river's shore, 
 And the tranquil air is shaken by the deaf'ning cannon's roar; 
 By the deafening roar of eaiuion, like the rolling thunder })eal, 
 And the rattling sharp of nnisketry, the clash and clang of steel. 
 And the shouts of conquering squadrons, the groans of dying 
 
 men. 
 And the neighing of alTrighted steeds, swift scouring o'er the 
 
 ])lain ; 
 For the sons of young Cohuul>ia are batlliug iiaud to haml, 
 Witli tlie legions of proud Mexico, beside the Rio Grande. 
 
 Amid the thickest of the fray a gallant chief flies fast ; 
 His swartliy foes before liiiu bend, like reeds before the blast ; 
 10 
 
218 THE RIO GRANDE. 
 
 On right and left, on left and right, he wields a trusty sword, 
 And blood upon the trampled turf, like ruddy wine is pour'd. 
 His clarion voice rings loudly, his arm is stout and strong, 
 And none are readier to avenge his slighted country's wrong ; 
 But ah ! the death-shot, lightning-winged, has struck amid his 
 
 band, 
 And the gallant chief lies bleeding, beside the Rio Grande. 
 
 Dismay and consternation on that little squadron fell, 
 For there were none but loved him right faithfully and well *, 
 They fly with swift alacrity, to aid him, and to cheer. 
 And the eyes of lion-hearted men shod many a briny tear. 
 But while, with sad solicitude, his mangled form they rais'd, 
 His proud eye flashed unearthly light, as o'er the field he gaz'd — 
 " Rush on, my men, ye've work to do," he cried in loud com- 
 mand. 
 And bade them to the fight again, beside the Rio Grande. 
 
 They are speeding like the hurricane, they've left him, they are 
 
 gone, 
 And pillowed on the verdant turf, the soldier lies alone ; 
 The battle's tide has rolled away and none are near him now, 
 To soothe his agony, or wipe the cold drops from his brow ; 
 But from his breast escapes no sigh, no murmur from his lips, 
 And while his sight grows dim beneath the gath'ring death 
 
 eclipse — 
 As in a dream, the soldier's heart is with his native land. 
 And little recks he of the strife beside the Rio Grande. 
 
 He is sitting now, her darling boy, beside his mother's knee, 
 The wild fawn 'mid the free blue hills not happier than he ; 
 Or roaming through the meadow grass to pluck the early flow- 
 ers, 
 Whose perfume lingers round us e'en to life's remotest hours. 
 
THE RIO GRANDE. 219 
 
 A bright-eyed girl, more beautiful than morn's first rosy beam, 
 His fond enraptured spirit stirs with love's enchanting dream ; 
 She chides iiis warm caresses not— he clasps her gentle hand — 
 Ah ! thrill'd with pain, he wakes again, beside the Rio Grande. 
 
 And now returning lustre for a moment lights his eye — 
 
 Oh ! is it not a glorious thing thus on the field to die ? 
 
 For well he knows that after years shall venerate his name. 
 
 And crown his deathless mem'ry with the laurel wreath of fame ; 
 
 And youth, and sober manhood, and hoary-headed age. 
 
 Shall dwell with rapture o'er his deeds upon the historic page, 
 
 And patriot mothers tell their babes how well his valiant hand 
 
 Did battle in its country's cause, beside the Rio Grande. 
 
 The film is spreading o'er his eye — the ashen hue of death 
 Steals swiftly o'er his features now, and fainter grows his 
 
 breath. 
 Hark ! hark ! the cry of victory the dying man has reach'd : 
 He raised his head exultingly and wide his arms outstretch'd ; 
 A smile played round his pallid lips, then sank he on the sod, 
 And freed from its frail tenement, the spirit sought its God. 
 And now the green grass o'er him, by the southern breeze is 
 
 fann'd, 
 And the gallant hero slumbering lies beside the Rio Grande. 
 
220 PRISONERS OF ENCARNACION. 
 
 THE PRISONERS OF ENCARNACION. 
 
 DEEPLY INTERESTING NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTURE, ADVEN- 
 TURES, SUFFERINGS, ETC., OF MAJORS GAINES AND BOR- 
 LAND'S PARTY IN MEXICO. 
 
 From the New-Orleans Delta, July 16. 
 
 There arrived yesterday in our city, by the schooner 
 Home, from Tampico, John Swigert, John Scott, W. 
 Holeman, of Captain Milam's company of Kentucky ca- 
 valry ; P. Tunk, of Captain Pennington's, and W. P. 
 Denowitz, of Captain Heady's company, all of whom 
 belonged to the command of Major Gaines, which was 
 captured last February, near Encarnacion, by a large 
 Mexican force under General Minon. 
 
 These gallant fellows, who are very young men, 
 escaped from their guard at the town of tluequetla, 
 about forty leagues from Tampico ; and reaching the 
 latter place in safety, after a most perilous and trying 
 march, embarked for this port in the schooner Home. 
 
 In a very gratifying interview with Mr. Swigert, one 
 of these young men, we have learned many interesting 
 particulars of the capture, sufferings, trials, and adven- 
 tures of Major Gaines's party. To relate all the interest- 
 ing and romantic incidents, so modestly and forcibly 
 detailed to us by this brave young Kentuckian, would 
 swell our narrative quite beyond the compass of our 
 paper. We trust that the task of snatching from obli- 
 vion and handing down to posterity a faithful record of 
 the stirring incidents connected with the capture and 
 march of this party, will be assumed and discharged by 
 
PRISONERS OF ENCARNACION. 221 
 
 some of the very capable officers or soldiers who parti- 
 cipated in these eventful scenes. The genius of Cassius 
 M. Clay would, no doubt, do full justice to the subject ; 
 and we ardently hope he may soon be in a situation to 
 fulfil the hopes of his countrymen in that regard. 
 
 The principal events of the capture of Majors Gaines 
 and Borland's parties are well known to our readers. — 
 These officers, with three companies of Kentucky and 
 Arkansas cavalry, were out on a scouting party. It was 
 thought that there were small bodies of the enemy's ca- 
 valry prowling about the country ; but no one had the 
 slightest apprehension, that a large force could be so 
 near General Wool's camp. 
 
 Major Gaines having joined Major Borland at a 
 rancho near Encarnacion, the two commands went into 
 quarters for the night, after posting sentinels some dis- 
 tance in advance and on the top of the house in which 
 they were encamped. That night the officers, who, tired 
 by a very long march, had laid down to sleep, were seve- 
 ral times aroused by the alarms of the sentinel, who de- 
 clared that he saw an armed Mexican approaching the 
 rancho. But the sentinels on the top of the house de- 
 clared that they could see nothing ; and the man who 
 gave the alarm, was treated as rather a nervous and 
 dreaming individual. The officers thereupon retired 
 again to their blankets, but had scarcely fallen asleep 
 when they were aroused by another alarm from the sen- 
 tinel, who declared that he had again seen an armed 
 Mexican and had pulled trigger on him, but, his gun 
 being wet, the cap did not explode. Other alarms were 
 also given by other sentinels picketed some distance from 
 
222 PRISONERS OF ENCARN ACTON. 
 
 the rancho. Tlie night was now waning fast. It was 
 very dark and misty. Tlie officers bestirred them- 
 selves, and arousing tlie men, ]nvpared to meet an at- 
 tack, thinking that tlie enemy consisted of a force of four 
 or five hundred, which Major Gaines had already been 
 in pursuit of, and which he considertHl a force about 
 equal to his own. 
 
 Our men were all collected on the top of that rancho, 
 with their guns ready for action, full of courage and 
 zeal, and warmly desirous of a liandsome brush with 
 the enemy. The morn broke slowly. The mist hung 
 heavily around them ; and although tlu^y could hear 
 very plainly the approach of horsemen, they could see 
 nothing. At last the light began to bn>ak through the 
 mist immediately in their front, and the faint outline of a 
 strong body of armed horsemen was perceptible in the 
 distance. And as the mist rolled and gathered up into 
 huge clouds, and gently ascended toward the neighbor- 
 ing heights, it revealed, with most painful distinctness, a 
 whole regiment of splendidly equipped Mexican lancers 
 drawn up in line of battle, and occupying a command- 
 ing position within three hundred yards of the rancho 
 occupied by Major Gaines's party. 
 
 Undauntedly surveying and counting this strong 
 force before them, our men prepared for action, crying 
 out, " Oh, there are only six hundred of them — it's a fair 
 fight, and we will see it out !" But stop ! Look on the 
 right as the mists leave that side of the rancho, there is 
 another regiment, just as strong as that in front. 
 
 " Well," cried a stalwart Kentuckian, m'Iio kept all 
 the while a bright eye on his long rifle, " this is coming 
 
PRISONERS OF ENCARNACION. 223 
 
 it. ratlior slmno- ; \\\o tliiiio- looks serious, most decidedly, 
 but T reckon we can lick a thousand Greasers, and 
 throw in two hundred for good measure." "Can't we?" 
 was the unanimous cry of the party. 
 
 " But, oh cranky," cried the tall sergeant, " here's 
 more of the varmints." And there, sure enough, on their 
 left was anolJHM- regiment about six hundred strong, 
 whose bright helmets, (laming pennons, and showy uni- 
 forms, loomed out consi)icu()Usly in the dark horizon. 
 And tii(>re, too, just a i'cw hundrcnl yards in their rear, 
 was still another regiment. Thus was this small party 
 of one hundred and twenty Americans entirely sur- 
 rounded by a Mexican force of about three thousand ca- 
 valry, the fmest in the country, and connnanded by one 
 of their best oflicers. 
 
 Undismayed, our men prepared for action, deter- 
 mined to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Never 
 did men go more calmly and coolly to work than this 
 little Spartan band, as with many a careless jest and the 
 most imperturbable sang froid, they re-loaded and re- 
 capped their rifles, looked to their cartouch-boxes, felt 
 the edge of their bowie-knives, and glanced a proud de- 
 fiance at their legion foe. 
 
 In the mean time the enemy preserved the most j)er- 
 fect military order, and presented a display of martial 
 magnificence, such as our men had never before wit- 
 nessed. Their officers, covered with gold and splendidly 
 mounted and caparisoned, rode in front, while their 
 buglers blew the Mexican charge, and made the hills 
 around resound with their loud and exulting blasts. 
 
 Major Gaines ordered his bugler to respond to their 
 
224 PRISONERS OF ENCARNACION. 
 
 threatening flourish, by blowing, M'ith all his might, the 
 American charge, and directed the men to follow up the 
 blast wiih three loud cheers. The order was cheerfully 
 and heartily obeyed. The Mexicans, who were advancing 
 upon the rancho, were so awed by the loud yells and 
 terrific huzzas of our boys, that they halted, and looked 
 at our little band in mute terror and astonishment that 
 so small a party could make such a tremendous noise. 
 " Give them three times three," cried out Capt. Cassius 
 M. Clay, and the huzzas were prolonged to the full 
 complement until they made the welkin ring for miles 
 around, and so frightened the Mexicans, that their gene- 
 ral, to prevent his men from running away, had to order 
 bis fine brass band to stike up the Polka, and to wheel 
 his men into column and put them on the march. In 
 open order, and with military precision, the Mexicans 
 marched around the rancho to the tune of the Craco- 
 vienne ; and seemed, like the cat with its little victim, 
 to be sporting with their captive before they destroyed 
 him. 
 
 An officer w^ith an interpreter and white flag was sent 
 to Major Gaines to demand his unconditional surrender. 
 " Never," replied the gallant American. " Then no 
 quarters will be given," remarked the Mexican. " Very 
 well," exclaimed Captain Clay, " remember the Alamo ; 
 before we surrender on such terms, more than five hun- 
 dred of your yellow. belly scoundrels shall be left to 
 bleach on yonder plains." This remark, the interpreter 
 did not think he could do full justice to in the translation, 
 and he left the officer to guess at its meaning, wliich, 
 however, was no difficult task, as the captain accompa- 
 
PRISONERS OF K N C A R N A C I O N . 225 
 
 liied his declaration with very cnipiiatic and expressive 
 gesticukition. 
 
 It was finally agreed tliat Major Gaines should have 
 an interview with General Minon. From him tlie Major 
 received very courteous treatment, and was assured that 
 in surrendering himself and his party they would be 
 treated with all the consideration of prisoners of war. 
 
 Major Gaines, on communicating the result of his in- 
 terview with General Minon to his officers, took a vote 
 whether tiiey siiould fight or surrender, and Captains Clay 
 and Danby, and Lieutenant Davidson, were for figliting, 
 and Majors Gaines and Borland were for surrendering. 
 While they were parleying with the Mexicans, Major 
 Gaines observed that their men were approaching near 
 the rancho. He immediately ordered his men to fire 
 upon the Mexicans if they approached a foot nearer, and 
 told their officers he should not continue the parley until 
 their men fell back to their original position, which they 
 did in very quick order when a fe\y rifles were levelled 
 in their direction. They finally. Captain Clay giving in 
 to Majors Gaines and Borland, agreed to surrender on 
 the most honorable terms as prisoners of war, the officers 
 to retain their private property and side-arms. They 
 delayed the surrender, however, as long as possible, with 
 the expectation of being reinforced from General Wool's 
 camp. It was an express condition in the capitulation 
 that the Mexican guide, who had been forced by Major 
 Gaines to act in that capacity, should have a fair trial, 
 and if he was acquitted, he should be released. The 
 Mexicans at first objected to this, but Captain Clay said 
 he would die before ho would surrender the unfortunate 
 10* 
 
226 PRISONERS OF ENCARNACION. 
 
 guide without assurances of his safety. As soon as he 
 was surrendered, the faithless Mexicans immediately 
 murdered the poor fellow. The prisoners were then 
 marched, without food or water, for thirty or forty miles 
 on the road to San Luis, under an escort of eighty lan- 
 cers. Major Gaines, having been allowed to ride, se- 
 lected, in preference to his own charger, a blooded mare 
 belonging to Sergeant Payne. 
 
 Captain Henrie, whose name is familiar to all who 
 have read the stirring history of Texan warfare and ad- 
 venture, and who accompanied Major Gaines as an in- 
 terpreter, had rendered himself extremely useful on the 
 occasion of their capture, by his coolness, sagacity, and 
 knowledge of the Mexican language and character. 
 Captain Henrie was very anxious for a fight, and strongly 
 dissuaded Major Gaines from surrendering. He told the 
 men to count their bullets, and if they had one for every 
 two Mexicans, it was a fair game, and he would go it. 
 He also cautioned them to hit the Mexicans below their 
 beards, that they might frighten off the others by their 
 groans, and to give them as much misery as possible. 
 One of the Mexican officers, recognizing him, cried out 
 in Spanish, " I shall have the pleasure of your company 
 to the city of Mexico, Captain Henrie ! " " Excuse me, 
 senor, I generally choose my own company ;" replied the 
 cool and courtly captain. 
 
 It was the second day after their capture, and near 
 the town of Salado, famous in Texan history as the place 
 of the decimation of the Mier prisoners, that Major 
 Gaines's high-spirited mare showing considerable rest- 
 lessness, tlie major requested Captain Henrie, who is a 
 
PRISONERS OF p:ncarnacion. 227 
 
 famous rider of the Jack Hays school, to " mount her and 
 take off the wire-edge of her spirit." The captain did 
 so, and riding up to Captain Clay, carelessly remarked, 
 " Clay, I am going to make a burst." The Mexican 
 commander, half suspecting his design, placed additional 
 forces at the head and rear of the column of lancers within 
 which the prisoners were placed, and rode himself by 
 the side of Honrie, who would pace up and down the 
 line, cracking jokes with the boys, and firing up the spirit 
 of the mare by various ingenious manoeuvres. At last, 
 Henrie, seeing a favorable opportunity, plunged his spurs 
 deep into the sides of the noble blood, and rushing against 
 and knocking down three or four of the mustangs with 
 their lancers, started off in full view of the whole party, 
 at a rate of speed equal to the best time that Boston or 
 Fashion ever made. After him rushed a dozen well 
 mounted lancers, who, firing their escopetas at him, 
 started off in close pursuit. But it was no race at all — 
 the Kentucky blood was too much for the mustang. 
 The lancers were soon distanced, and the last view they 
 got of Henrie, he was flying up a steep mountain, waving 
 his white handkerchief, and crying out in a voice which 
 echoed afar olF through the valley, "Adios, seiiores — 
 adios, sefiores !" 
 
 Our readers may fancy the intense excitement which 
 this scene produced among the prisoners, and will, no 
 doubt, excuse them for so far forgetting their situation 
 as to give three loud cheers as they saw the gallant Hen- 
 rie leaving his pursuers far behind, and safely placed 
 beyond their reach. The subsequent adventures and 
 sufferiniTs of Henrie are well known to our readers. 
 
228 C A V T U K E C) F T A 1> A SCO. 
 
 After many narrow escapes from tlie enemy and starva- 
 tion, and after losing his noble mare, Ilenrie arrived 
 safely at our camp, and gave the first authentic intelli- 
 gence of the capture of Majors Gaines and Borland's 
 party. 
 
 CAPTURE OF TABASCO. 
 
 FROM THE GRArillC PEN OF AN " OFFICER OF THE NAVY." 
 
 Off Tabasco, June 22, 1847. 
 
 Long ere this, you have no doubt received my letter 
 giving an account of the Tuspan affair. Since then, tliis 
 ship has been constantly on the move ; in fact, nearly 
 the whole squadron has been very actively employed 
 since Connnodoro Perry took the comma lui ; he is at 
 present ccrlaiulij the man for the nan/ ; in many respects, 
 he is an astonishing man — the most industrious, hard- 
 working, energetic, zealous, persevering officer, of his 
 rank, in our navy ; he does not spare himself, or any one 
 under him. This I like. His great powers of endurance 
 astonish every one. All know he is by no means a bril- 
 liant man ; but his good common sense and judgment, 
 his sociable manner to his officers — no hnmhuggcri/, no 
 mystery — make him respected and esteemed. 
 
 When here a few weeks since with his squadron, for 
 the purpose of filling up our water, he imderstood the 
 Mexicans were making great preparations to receive him 
 
CAPTURE OF T A li A S C (> . 220 
 
 at Tabasco, should he visit tlieni. He could not then do 
 so, as / kjiow he was obliged to be at Vera Cruz with his 
 squadron at a certain time on important business. He 
 sent them word, however, that he would return in a i^ew 
 days and visit them ; that his delay would give them 
 more time to prepare for him. This notice they took 
 advantage of to sink obstructions in the river, about live 
 miles from the city, opposite which (the obstructions)* 
 they threw up a strong breastwork, concealed by the 
 busiies and chapparul. Their fort near the city was 
 also much improved, and mounted three 32-p()unders and 
 four field-pieces ; it was built on a high hill, command- 
 ing completely the channel to the city as far as the guns 
 could range. On the 12th and 13th inst., as if by magic, 
 nearly all the squadron assembled here from various 
 points on the coast. Where dull-sailing vessels were 
 stationed, and had hars to cross on coming out of the 
 rivers, steamers were sent to tow them. In this way the 
 commodore concentrated his squadron with astonishing 
 rapidity. 
 
 The commodore arrived in the " Mississippi " on the 
 13th, having stopped at the river Guasacualcos to despatch 
 this ship and the Stromboli. I will give you some details, 
 by way of showing the rapidity of his movements. 
 
 The day he arrived we were ordered by telegraphic 
 signal to " report the number of officers, seamen, and 
 marines prepared to land to-morrow." You must know 
 that every ship had a brass Jield-piece on board, with a 
 portion of the crew regularly trained to them, and the 
 rest of the crew drilled as infantry, always ready for 
 service, boats prepared, and haversacks for each man's 
 
230 CAPTURE OF TABASCO. 
 
 provisions, &c., &c. Orders were given to prepare a 
 week's provisions. The next morning all were on the 
 alert, and breakfasted as soon as the hammocks were 
 stowed — not knowing at what moment the signal would 
 be made to "disembark the troops." As we expected, 
 the steamers were soon ordered to tow over the bar the 
 bomb- vessels Stromboli and Vesuvius, the brig Washing- 
 ton, gun-boat Boneta, and the schooner Spitfire, with 
 Taylor's apparatus for lifting vessels over shoals, &c. 
 When the steamers returned from this duty, the signal 
 was made, " disembark the troops." In a few minutes, 
 nearly one thousand officers, seamen, and marines were 
 in their boats astern of the different steamers — the Scor- 
 pion, Vixen, and Spitfire — the commodore leading in the 
 Scorpion. 
 
 A more animated and lively scene, you cannot well 
 imagine. Each ship had, in addition to her own boats, 
 a large surf- boat, borrowed from the army at Vera Cruz, 
 in which we built platforms, and placed on them our 
 field-pieces. All the boats were provided with awnings ; 
 and officers and men, except the marines, lived in them. 
 The marines were on board the steamers. After all had 
 crossed the bar, each steamer, the Scourge included, 
 (she was lying in the river, not good for much,) took cer- 
 tain vessels and boats in tow, and the expedition moved 
 up the river against a strong current of four or five knots. 
 It took us until the afternoon of the 15th to reach a point 
 near which were the obstructions in the river. 
 
 At two points on our passage up, the enemy opened 
 with musketry on the leading steamer (the Scorpion, with 
 the commodore) and boats. The guns of all the large 
 
CAPTURE OF TABASCO. 231 
 
 vessels and the field-pieces were trained on the two 
 shores as we advanced, and ready for service at a mo- 
 ment's warning. At these two points the commodore 
 was informed the enemy would give him a volley ; and 
 at their flash our " great guns," with canister and grape, 
 poured it into them, which silenced them effectually. 
 None on our side were hurt— several of the enemy killed 
 and wounded, as we were told in Tabasco. The expedi- 
 tion arrived at the " Palms" about 5 o'clock in the after- 
 noon. This is a point about five miles below Tabasco 
 — a short distance from the obstructions in the river, and 
 near which was the concealed breastwork. As it was 
 too late to land, arrangements were made to land the 
 army at daylight the next morning. About dark a vol- 
 ley of musketry was fired into one of the vessels, and a 
 man's leg was broken — the only damage. Grape and 
 canister silenced them also. At this time the vessels 
 were lying within ten and twenty yards of a high bank 
 covered with chapparal, bushes, &c., and the river at 
 this point not more than 70 or 80 yards wide. So you 
 may judge of our situation if the enemy had thought 
 proper to annoy us ; but the grape and canister from 
 the " big guns" they could not stand. Several were 
 killed by our shot at this point, although they could not 
 be seen at the time. The next morning at early daylight 
 the scene was again an animating one — one never to be 
 forgotten by those who witnessed and participated in it. 
 About 5 or 6 o'clock the commodore had two boats 
 sounding for the obstructions, in charge of Lieutenants 
 Alden and May. Just at this time a steamer had in tow 
 the " Bonita," towing her to a position above the Palms 
 
232 CAPTURE OF TABASCO. 
 
 — -a point upon which there are seven beautiful palm 
 trees — to assist in covering our landing, as it was sup- 
 posed we would meet with resistance there. The steamer 
 grounded, and the fact was reported to the commodore, 
 who immediately remarked, " that gun-boat must be 
 placed off the Palms." The Germantown's boats were 
 ordered to perform this duty, and at the same time one 
 of her boats landed to ascertain the best point for disem- 
 barking. The boats towing the gun-boat had proceeded 
 very little above the Palms when they were joined by the 
 boats sounding for the obstructions, as well as one or two 
 other boats, when a volley of musketry was poured into 
 them, wounding Lieutenant May very seriously in the 
 right arm, breaking it below the elbow, and wounding 
 also one or two of the Germantown's slightly. The fire 
 was instantly returned by the mortars, Rolando's howit- 
 zer on the launch, and from the Bonita and Scourge. 
 We heard no more of them, as they put off on horses 
 ^•' with despatch," having several wounded. All the offi- 
 cers in the boats say it was a miracle that not more of 
 our men were hurt, as the balls flew very thick. May, 
 in a whale-boat, was nearest them, and thought there 
 were about a hundred muskets fired. About this time 
 our gallant leader gave the order " prepare to land ;" and 
 the marines and all hands being ready, he led the way 
 in his barge, with his broad pennant flying. All eyes 
 watched his movements as he pulled up the river. When 
 opposite the Palms, he steered for the shore, and in his 
 loud, clear voice, which was heard fore and aft the whole 
 line, gave the order, " Land ! — three cheers !" and three 
 such cheers never before were heard — each boat strivinsr 
 
CAPTURE OF TABASCO. 
 
 533 
 
 to be first to obey the order. Such spirit, such enthusi- 
 asm, I am confident, never was surpassed. The com- 
 modore's boat was the first to strike the beach, and, I 
 believe, he was the first to land. The shore was bold— 
 close-to— and the bank from ten to twenty feet high. 
 Imagine the apparent confusion of upwards of fifty boats, 
 of all sizes, containing a thousand men, and ten pieces 
 of artillery — all exerting themselves to be first on shore ; 
 and in less than ten minutes from the moment the order 
 was given, all were on shore, and drawn up in order of 
 battle. None who did not witness the exertions of the 
 officers and men that day, in dragging those field-pieces 
 out of the boats and up perpendicular banks ten or twenty 
 feet high, can credit it. The banks giving way under 
 them, large logs in their way, chapparal bushes, &c., 
 were trifles to contend against, where such a spirit of 
 perseverance prevailed. And now came " the tug of 
 war." Here we were, nearly eighty miles in the interior 
 of an enemy's country, on our way to capture a city 
 containing from eight to ten thousand inhabitants ; and, 
 as report informed us, from two thousand to two thousand 
 five hundred men under arms to oppose us, with strong 
 entrenchments to pass, and a strong fort to take, before we 
 could reach the city ; the country unknown to us— 
 through which we had to cut a road with our pioneers — 
 no guide could be found to direct us. Such was our 
 situation when the army was ready to move. Every 
 officer and man knew that, before the sun set, a decisive 
 blow would be struck ; but no one doubted the result. 
 We expected many lives would be lost, as a matter 
 of course ; but we felt and knew that, with Perry's deter- 
 
234 CAPTURE OF TABASCO. 
 
 mined perseverance to conquer, defeat was out of the 
 question. The order to march was given about 8 o'clock, 
 and at 4 in the afternoon we entered the city of Tabasco, 
 in a full run up some of the steep streets, with the artil- 
 lery. That you may form some idea of the difficulties 
 we had to encounter on the march, I will mention that 
 we marched less than ten miles ; to do this, we were 
 eight hours on the road, which had to be cut and made 
 by our pioneers under charge of Lieutenant Maynard, 
 and the advance column of marines, under Captain Edson 
 — through chapparal and high grass and reeds, frequently 
 above their heads — the ground very uneven and full of 
 holes — a vertical sun, and, in consequence of the grass 
 being so high on either side of the road, we could not get 
 a breath of air. It was distressing to witness so many 
 gallant spirits, who, from the excessive heat, want of 
 water, and over-exertion at the artillery, drop to the earth 
 without a murmur. Such suffering never was witnessed. 
 There were but two places on the route where we could 
 get water from the river, which was then so muddy that 
 you swallowed almost as much mud as water, and of 
 course very warm. After a few hours' march, the road 
 was strewed with the sick — gallant, noble fellows, falling 
 completely exhausted. The medical corps, which was 
 well organized, had their hands full ; and their kindness 
 and attention to the sick was just what the navy has al- 
 ways experienced at their hands. They were well pro- 
 vided with men with litters, to carry the wounded and 
 sick — tents, medicines, &c. ; but, before the march ended, 
 additional men had to be detailed to assist them. Many 
 of the officers carried canteens with liquor, and the mo- 
 
CAPTURE OF TABASCO. 235 
 
 ment they saw a poor fellow fall, they would give him a 
 " drop of comfort," which had an astonishing effect on 
 him. Two or three times on the route there was some 
 skirmishing, but none of our men were hurt, but several 
 of the enemy killed and wounded. 
 
 " As the steamers had orders to proceed up the river 
 if they could pass the obstructions, they soon did so ; and 
 when we were within two or three miles of the city, we 
 heard their ' great guns,' and knew they had passed the 
 obstructions, and were engaged with the fort and city. 
 Three cheers were given to the steamers, and our pace 
 was increased.. The firing was very rapid, and contin- 
 ued for some time. We thought they must have some 
 hot work, and all were anxious to push on ; but over such 
 roads our speed could not be much increased. When 
 the firing ceased, we were all anxiety to hear the result. 
 We did not wait long, however ; the news soon reached 
 us 'that the fort and city were taken.' Just at this 
 time the advanced guard saw the stars and stripes flying 
 on the fort. Cheers, hearty cheers, passed along the 
 line ; but the disappointment of all hands you may ima- 
 gine. The field-pieces iecame a thousand pounds heavier 
 at once. You would have been amused to have heard 
 the abuse heaped upon the ' bloody Mexicanos ' by Jack : 
 ' The bloody, cowardly rascals are not worth fighting, 
 any how ; they won't stand and be licked like men ;' and 
 various other remarks. Jack is certainly a queer com- 
 pound. 
 
 " It appears that Smith Lee, commanding the Spitfire, 
 was the first to pass the obstructions. He struck on 
 them ; but a good head of steam and a determined will to 
 
236 CAPTURE OF TABASCO. 
 
 pass, soon put him over them. He had in tow at the 
 time the gun-boat Bonita and several boats. After he 
 had opened the way, the Scorpion, Scourge, and Vixen 
 followed.* Soon the Scorpion came up, fired, and passed 
 on to the city. Porter (Lee's first lieutenant) landed, by 
 Lee's order, took possession of the fort, and spiked the 
 guns. He brought olF two handsome field-pieces of brass. 
 The Mexicans ran about the time Porter was pulling on 
 shore : they took but one prisoner — a fifcr hoy. The 
 city is still in our possession ; and I believe it is the 
 commodore's intention to liold it. The whole number 
 of wounded on our side does not exceed a dozen — none 
 killed. The foreigners in Tabasco say tliere were 1,800 
 men under arms. The fort could easily have destroyed 
 our gallant little steamers. One shot passed through the 
 Spitfire's wheel-house — no other damage. We have 
 taken a large quantity of arms, ammunition, &c., &;c. 
 Van Brunt (with his bomb- vessel, Etna, with 70 marines) 
 will be left as governor of Tabasco. The Spitfire also 
 remains. The commodore is still in Tabasco, but is ex- 
 pected daily. 
 
 *' Thus has ended an enterprise that must always re- 
 flect great credit on Commodore Perry. He is certainly 
 the only man of his age and rank in the navy who would 
 have undertaken it; no difficulties prevent his "going 
 ahead." During that march, he attended in person to 
 all the arrangements ; all orders emanated from him ; 
 and no man underwent more fatigue than himself; and 
 
 * The Scorpion having the ndvantnge of superior speed, (from 
 having no boats in tow,) passed ahead gallantly, and received and 
 returned the opening fne of the forts. The Spitfire was next en- 
 gaged. 
 
CAPTURE OF TABASCO. 237 
 
 after we entered the city, all the necessary precautions 
 for holding it were made by him personally. You would 
 not have supposed, from his appearance, that he had 
 been taking more than an ordinary walk. The next 
 morning he was quite fresh, and assured me he could 
 take just such another walk that day. The responsibili- 
 ties of the command of this squadron would kill one-half, 
 at least, of our old officers. I do not know one of his 
 rank who would have ordered four brigs to cross a bar 
 where there is not water enough to float them. He or- 
 dered the Washington, Etna, Stromboli, and Vesuvius to 
 ' anchor inside the bar of Tabasco river.' He knew 
 what water Ihey drew, and what water was on the bar ; 
 but it was the place of their commanders to get their 
 vessels there. Of course they had to take every thing 
 out of them but their guns and a little ammunition ; after 
 doing this, they were forced over by steam, striking quite 
 hard on getting in and coming out. These are trifles 
 with Perry, when there is an object to gain. 
 
 " I have spun you out quite a long yarn, something in 
 a sailor's strain, because I thought a few details would 
 amuse you. I have written in haste, as the Raritan 
 may sail to-morrow, and I send this by her. The Alba- 
 ny also sails for home soon. 
 
 " The vessels of the squadron now here are, the Mis- 
 sissippi, Raritan, Albany, John Adams, Germantown, 
 Decatur, brigs Etna, Vesuvius, Stromboli, Washington, 
 schooner Bonita, and steamers Spitfire, Scorpion, Vixen, 
 and Scourge." 
 
238 WAR 
 
 WAR. 
 
 Ho ! ho ! — fling out our starry flag unto the sunny sky ! 
 Let sound the bugle and the drum with stirring notes and high ! 
 Grasp now the slumbering musket, and harness on the sword, 
 And stand erect and ready, for our country's voice is heard ! 
 
 She calls unto her honest sons to claim redress for wrong ; 
 To wipe away the insults deep, which they have borne too 
 
 long :— 
 She asks them in the name of Right, to hasten at her call, 
 And for the cause of Justice, to conquer or to fall ! 
 
 The Mexican hath pressed our soil — his hand hath shed the 
 
 blood 
 Of brave and gallant bosoms — and fiend-like he hath stood, 
 Gloating with all a murderer's joy, as his poor victims lay 
 Unburied on the desert shore — the loathsome vulture's prey ! 
 
 The Mexican ! — where is the heart so dead to pride and shame, 
 As not to feel a patriot's scorn at mention of that name ? 
 A name that wakes the memory of wrongs too long endur'd — 
 Of countless crimes, which call aloud for the avenging sword. 
 
 Then, ho ! shout out the battle-cry ! — draw forth the glittering 
 
 brand ! 
 And from the soil of freemen expel the invading band I — 
 Our cause is just and righteous — meet it with dauntless brow — 
 And may there be no recreant soul to fail or falter now. 
 
 Washington, May, 1846. 
 
THE BATTLE OF HUAJUTLA. 289 
 
 THE BATTLE OF HUAJUTLA. 
 
 Tampico, Mexico, July ]8, 1847. 
 
 " Considerable excitement has existed in this city for 
 the past two weeks, in relation to the detention, by Gen- 
 eral Garay, at the town of Guautla, (pronounced Wa- 
 houtla,) 140 miles from here, of one hundred and eighty 
 Americans, who were recently liberated in the city of 
 Mexico, and sent toward this city with a small escort. 
 They are those who were taken last February at Encar- 
 nacion. The renowned General Garay, in true Mexican 
 style, pretended that their passports were not correct, and 
 that he would be under the necessity of detaining them 
 at Guautla, until he could hear from his government. 
 
 " Six of them made their escape, and arrived in safety 
 in this city, and immediately communicated the above 
 facts to our governor. Col. Gates. 
 
 "An expedition was fitted out on the 8th inst., by or- 
 der of Col. Gates, and the command of it given to Col. 
 De Russy, of the Louisiana regiment. The expedition 
 consisted of one hundred and twenty men, and one six- 
 pound field-piece ; forty men, third artillery, commanded 
 by Capt. Wyse ; forty dragoons, mounted on untrained 
 mustang horses, and commanded by Captain Boyd and 
 Lieutenant Tonnehill, late of the Baltimore battalion ; 
 and forty mounted men from the Louisiana regiment, 
 commanded by Captains Mace and Seguine. Lieuten- 
 ants Lindenburger, Campbell, and Heimberger, of the 
 Louisiana regiment, accompanied the expedition, to act 
 in such capacities as might be required. 
 
240 THE BATTLE OF HUAJUTLA. 
 
 '• Their march for four days was unmterrupted, pasa 
 ing through tlie towns of Puebhi-Viejs, Tampico-Alto 
 Ozuama, and Tantayoca, in all of which tlie people 
 made professions of friendship, and had got within seven 
 miles of Guautla, eight miles beyond the last-mentioned 
 town, and one mile from Rio Calabasa. Here the colo- 
 nel met an Indian, who informed him that a large force 
 of Mexicans, under the command of Garay, had heard 
 of his approach, and was in ambush on both sides of the 
 river. Col. De Russy immediately despatched Lieut. 
 Lindenburger, acting adjutant, with an order to halt the 
 column (advanced guard) under command of Capt. Boyd. 
 The captain had halted at the river for the purpose of 
 watering his horses, and while in that act, he received a 
 destructive fire from an unseen enemy. As I said be- 
 fore, the horses were all mustangs, and at the report of 
 the musketry they became unmanageable, threw most 
 of the riders, and created great confusion. Capt. Boyd 
 dashed across the river, followed by his lieutenant and 
 six men. In crossing, the captain was shot in the head, 
 and died on reaching the opposite shore. Three of the 
 men were also killed. All this took place before Lieut. 
 Lindenburger reached him. The remainder succeeded 
 in crossing the river, and joined the main body. Thus 
 fell one of the bravest and finest men that ever lived. 
 
 " On hearing the report of musketry from the opposite 
 bank of the river, the Mexicans concealed on this side 
 commenced firing on the main body of the expedition 
 from every side, when Capt. Wyse came gallantly into 
 action with his field-piece, and opened a destructive fire 
 on the enemy with grape and canister. At the same 
 
THE BATTLE OF HUAJUTLA. 241 
 
 time Capts. Mace and Seguiiie charged the enemy on 
 the right and left in the most spirited manner. The bat- 
 tle now raged with great fury on both sides for an hour, 
 when the Mexicans sounded a retreat, at least that por- 
 tion of them in front. 
 
 " The colonel now discovered a large body of lancers 
 approaching him in the rear, but before he succeeded in 
 getting within reach of them, they captured a portion of 
 the pack mules, and then took to their heels. 
 
 " During the engagement Lieut. Tonnehill was mor- 
 tally wounded, a ball passing through his thigh and 
 breaking the bone. The six men at the cannon were all 
 severely wounded. Three bullets passed through Col. 
 De Russy's coat, and as many through Capt. Wyse's. 
 Capt. Mace was struck twice with spent balls, but not 
 hurt. 
 
 " After the engagement, to the astonishment of all, 
 only one round shot and one charge of canister was left 
 for the gun, when, our troops having fired away the 
 greater part of their ammunition, it was deemed pru- 
 dent to fall back on Tantayoca, which was accordingly 
 done. 
 
 " The road from the river to Tantayoca lay through 
 a narrow defile, the summits of the mountains nearly 
 hanging over the heads of the men as they passed through 
 it. The deep and precipitous sides were covered with a 
 dense chapparal from base to top. Here the enemy ral- 
 lied, and, concealing themselves from view, poured a 
 destructive fire down upon our gallant little band, which, 
 from the nature of the ground, they were unable to re= 
 turn. 
 
 11 
 
242 THE BATTLE OF HUAJUTLA. 
 
 " On approaching Tantayoca, in which they had en- 
 camped the previous night, and from wliich they had 
 started peaceably that morning, our men found, to their 
 surprise, that the plaza, church, and streets, were 
 crowded with lancers and other troops. They marched 
 up boldly to the enemy, until they got within a few hun- 
 dred yards of the plaza, when they opened to the right and 
 left, and gave Captain Wyse an opportunity to discharge 
 his last round shot. It did some execution, killing and 
 wounding some three or four, and also making a tre- 
 mendous hole in the walls of the clmrch. Colonel De 
 Russy, with Captain Seguine, at the same time made a 
 charge up the street, when the Mexicans, for the second 
 time, took to their heels, returning only a few scattering 
 shots. The lowest estimate I have heard made of the 
 number of Mexicans engaged in this affair Avas 1000. 
 Some say as many as 2000 or 3000. Our troops now 
 took possession of the town, and encamped on the same 
 ground they had occupied the previous night, (Sunday 
 the lith inst.) 
 
 " A detachment was now sent through the town to 
 search for ammunition ; and they succeeded in finding 
 enough to make five rounds of canister, which at this 
 time was an invaluable prize. 
 
 " A number of the men, contrary to orders, broke open 
 both stores and houses, and helped tliemselves to every 
 thing valuable they could lay their hands on ; and fore- 
 most among them, were the Mexican muleteers who 
 accompanied the colonel. They appeared to be old 
 hands at tlie business. 
 
 "After our troops encamped, ihey could see large 
 
THE BATTLE OF 11 IT A J U T L A . 243 
 
 bodies of the enemy niovinc^ to tho roar of tlicin, for tlie 
 purpose of cutting off tli(3ir fartlicr retreat ; but both 
 men and horses were so cxliausted, tliat it was d(;ter- 
 mined to remain in their present position for a short time 
 to rest. 
 
 " Near dark, General Garay's aid-de-camp and a 
 major of the staff, came near Colonel De Russy's camp, 
 with a flag of truce. The colonel did not allow them 
 to enter his camp, but met them a short distance outside 
 of it. The colonel was accompanied by Captain Wyse. 
 The aid handed the colonel a letter. The colonel told 
 him, in substance, ' that it was too dark to read it, and 
 that ho liad no candles or liglit, probably he, the aid, 
 could toll him tlie purport of it.' The aid (wlio spoke 
 English fluently) replied, ' tliat it was a summons for 
 an unconditional surrender, as General Garay had suf- 
 ficient men and means to conquer him, and he wislicd 
 to spare an efFusion of blood.' Colonel De Russy im- 
 mediately returned the letter, unopened, to the aid ; and 
 he told him to ' tell General Garay that the idea of sur- 
 render had never entered his mind, and he therefore 
 declined any correspondence on that subject ' — when 
 the aid and major, after the usual compliments, retired. 
 
 " Col. De Russy now ordered camp-fires to be made, 
 and all the horses to be imsaddled ; and every thing had 
 tho appearance, to the Mexicans, of his remaining there 
 all niglit. In this, however, they were deceived ; fov 
 tho colonel took up his lino of march at 2 o'clock, A. M., 
 during one of the heaviest rain storms ever experienced, 
 and passed silently through the city. They took the 
 road for Penuca, passing in a contrary direction to the 
 
244 THE BATTLE OF HUAJUTLA. 
 
 one he had come by, and on which Garay was en- 
 camped, and was ten miles from Tantayoca when day- 
 light overtook him. 
 
 " At 10 o'clock, A. M., the lancers and guerillas again 
 came in sight, and hung in the rear of the detachment 
 all day, spearing and shooting down, without mercy, 
 such unfortunate persons as straggled off from the main 
 body. On one occasion, a large body of lancers col- 
 lected in a group, when -Captain Wyse gave them a 
 salute with a charge of canister, and made great havoc 
 among both horses and riders, killing and wounding 
 about thirty men ; and from that time they kept at a 
 respectful distance. 
 
 " The Mexicans followed our little detachment for two 
 days, occasionally exchanging a few shots. Lieutenant 
 Heimberger was shot in the arm during the retreat the 
 first day. When Colonel De Russy got within fifteen 
 miles of Penuca, he despatched Mr. George Lefler, an 
 old citizen of this place, to Colonel Gates, giving him an 
 account of his position, and informing him of their being 
 entirely out of ammunition, and a large body of the 
 enemy in his rear. 
 
 " Colonel Gates immediately despatched Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Marks to his relief with 160 men, two pieces of 
 cannon, and plenty of ammunition. Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Marks went to Penuca with his command per steamboat, 
 where he met Colonel De Russy and his command, com- 
 pletely tired out, and almost without a cartridge. As 
 there was an attack anticipated the following night on 
 this place, both parties returned. 
 
 " Thus ended one of the most brilliant affairs, for the 
 
A soldier's l e t t e k . 245 
 
 numbers engaged in it, (terminating with a masterly re- 
 treat,) which have taken phice during this war. 
 
 " Our loss on the occasion was about thirty killed, 
 wounded, and missing ; while that of the Mexicans is set 
 down at 150 killed and wounded." 
 
 A SOLDIER'S LETTER TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 Engineer Camp, near Vera Cruz, April 2rf, 1847. 
 I FIND, my dear mother, that there is more truth than 
 poetry in the old saying, " there's no rest for the wicked," 
 for I have had about as much as I could attend to on my 
 hands, ever since this kennel capitulated. On the morn- 
 ing after I wrote the letter to father, the garrison marched 
 out, with music playing and colors flying— they then 
 stacked their arms and colors, and " vamossed the 
 ranch."— On the southern side of the city, there is along 
 narrow lagoon, running nearly north and south ; around 
 this, and between it and the city, is a large level meadow. 
 It was here that the ceremony took place. They issued 
 from the gate of Mercy to the tune of that infernal old 
 " che-wang-a-wang, che-wang-a-wang," which may well 
 be called " the tune the old cow died of,"— halted on 
 this meadow, between our troops, who were drawn up in 
 two lines, one on each side of the meadow, and about 
 400 yards apart. At a signal, they laid down their arms 
 and accoutrements, filed out, and marched on towards 
 Alvarado, our troops presenting arms as they marched 
 by. I took such a position that they passed within ten 
 
246 A soldier's letter. 
 
 feet of me as they marched on. First came a company 
 of sappers, clothed in white ; then a gayly-dressed band, 
 followed by its regiment (one of the line), &c. They 
 were nearly 4000 in all — some dressed entirely in 
 white — some with white jackets and pants, and scarlet 
 caps — some in blue — in short, dressed off in all kinds of 
 colors. Their miiforms were coarse and cheap. The 
 men looked like mere barbarians. Some of the officers 
 were fine looking men ; the majority of them very poor 
 specimens of humanity. I observed some iew — very 
 few — officers, who were evidently very much affected by 
 their humiliating position ; but the great mass of officers 
 and men appeared too brutish to have any feeling in the 
 matter. I could not help feeling that we were fighting a 
 nation far, very far beneath us. They are not " worthy 
 of our steel," although I must confess that the rascals 
 can send their confounded shot and shells as thickly about 
 one's ears as it is desirable to have. them. Altogether 
 it was a motley procession — rancheros, officers, soldiers, 
 women, children, mustangs, burros, burristos, parrots, 
 dogs, monkeys, and heaven knows what else, for I don't. 
 It was a proud moment for us when we saw our noble 
 old stars and stripes rise slowly over San Juan and the 
 city. The next instant we were fairly deafened by the 
 sound of artillery firing salutes to it. From the castle, 
 the works around the town, our light batteries, breast 
 batteries, from our own and the foreign vessels in harbor, 
 pealed forth one great salvo of artillery in honor of our 
 beautiful flag. I know not which was the most magnifi- 
 cent, the beginning or the end. 
 
 I landed with the first, in Worth's brigade ; about 
 
A soldier's letter. 247 
 
 8000 were landed in the surf-boats at the same thiie. We 
 were first collected in two long lines, in tow of the 
 Princeton, and when all was ready were cast off and 
 pulled steadily in four lines to the shore. Just as we 
 cast off from the Princeton, a round shot whistled over 
 our heads, and we all thought, " Now for it — they are 
 going to pitch into us !" but it was a shot from one of our 
 own gun-boats at some Mexicans on a sand hill. Oh, if 
 the fools had had sense enough to have placed a dozen out 
 of their 256 pieces of artillery in battery on the sand 
 hills, but few of us would ever have reached that shore ; 
 the destruction would have been awful. Every moment, 
 from the instant we left the Princeton, did we expect to 
 hear and feel their shot crashing amongst us, but we 
 rowed on and on, every ear strung to its utmost tension 
 — every eye straining to see the expected flash. Not a 
 word was said amongst us, or those we left behind us in 
 the fleet — for they were more anxious for us than we 
 were for ourselves ; we had the intense excitement to 
 carry us through. But when the first boat struck the 
 shore, there arose a shout from the fleet, which was taken 
 up by us, and carried on from boat to boat, from ship to 
 ship — a sound so cheerful, so full of life, so indicative of 
 confidence, of joy, and strength, I never expect to hear 
 again, unless in battle. It was a stirring sound, and fol- 
 lowed by a splendid sight, in which fine discipline ap- 
 peared (for we were all regulars). As the boats struck, 
 the color-bearers ran to their places, and the men formed 
 upon them ; in an instant there were formed in line of 
 battle along the beach, two regiments of artillery and 
 four of infantry ; in another we advanced over the sand 
 
248 A SOLDIERS LETTER. 
 
 hills, and found that the most dangerous part of our work 
 was over, without the loss of a man. Six regiments of 
 regulars were established on the shore, and we knew 
 that nothing in Mexico could drive us back. We landed 
 with four days' provisions in our haversacks (hard bread 
 and ham), and our overcoats. We bivouacked in the 
 sand that night, but were aroused about one o'clock by- 
 musket balls singing around us. It turned out to be a 
 little skirmish between some riflemen and the piquet, a 
 short distance from us. The investment was commenced 
 on the next morning. We took our position witli the 3d 
 artillery on the right of tlie army on a most interesting 
 bare sand hill, where we were almost burned to death. 
 The Mexicans in the Castle and Santiago amused them- 
 selves by firing at us with their heaviest pieces, but 
 could not reach us by 200 yards or so ; the men were 
 cracking their jokes at them continually. About 1 
 o'clock, we (Company " A ") were ordered over towards 
 Malibran, where there was some skirmishing. We cut 
 a road to that place, or as far as the railroad. Here we 
 had quite a lively little skirmish, between about twenty 
 of our men and a party of Mexicans. We " ran them 
 off," however. I took a shot at one fellow, but don't 
 think I touched him. — We then went back to Malibran, 
 and bivouacked there, wet to our waists — hard bread and 
 ham for supper (water of course). Malibran is a ruined 
 convent at or near the head of the lagoon I spoke of. It 
 must be at least three hundred years old, and is a curious 
 old place. The walls are made up in a great measure 
 of earthen pots filled with sand. It abounds with queer 
 cells, &c. The next morning we cut a road up to some 
 
A SOLDIERS LETTER. 249 
 
 bare sand hills, which had been occupied the evening 
 before by the Pennsylvania troops without opposition. 
 It was very troublesome and hard work, for the chappa- 
 ral was very thick, and the round shot, shells, and esco- 
 pette balls, intended for other parties, fell in, around and 
 amongst us, all the time. It was on this day that Capt. 
 Alburtis was killed, and on this very road — the shot 
 which killed him taking off the leg of a soldier near by. 
 On this same morning, near the same place, one of the 
 mounted rifles was killed, and several volunteers wounded, 
 among them the lieutenant -colonel of the South Caro- 
 lina regiment. Late in the afternoon we returned to our 
 old place on the right, and bivouacked again in the sand. 
 I will write another letter to-morrow, if I have time, 
 and try to give you some idea of the siege. — We are 
 now encamped on the sea beach. Every exertion is 
 being made to leave these diggins as soon as possible. 
 Our next move is on Jalapa. We expect some opposi- 
 tion at Puerte del Rey, but will probably " turn it" by 
 means of our ponton train. I think we must have peace 
 in a month or so — if not then, I don't think the war will 
 be over in less than four or five years. I should think 
 that they were now sufficiently well thrashed to convince 
 them that they have not gained the victory. M'C. 
 
 11* 
 
250 GEN. lane's description of 
 
 GENERAL LANE'S DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 
 
 Buena Vista, Mexico, May 10, 1847. 
 
 From the comments of the press, the numerous letters 
 that have been written and published, the many false and 
 ridiculous statements uttered by different persons at sun- 
 dry places concerning the battle at this place on the 22d 
 and 23d February last, and more particularly in conse- 
 quence of the erroneous statements invented and circu- 
 lated in reference to the Indiana brigade in connexion 
 with that memorable day, I feel myself constrained, in 
 discharge . of an imperious duty, to give to the public a 
 succinct account of facts which may enable every candid 
 reader to arrive at correct conclusions, and that the pub- 
 lic mind may be disabused of a studied and systematic 
 attempt at misrepresentation and detraction. 
 
 The disposition of the troops seems to have been con- 
 fided to General Wool, and were posted in the following 
 order — viz., the 2d regiment of Indiana volunteers, com- 
 manded by Colonel Bowles, with three pieces of artillery 
 under Captain O'Brien, were posted on the extreme left. 
 The 3d regiment of Indiana volunteers, commanded by 
 Colonel Lane, occupied a height in rear of Washington's 
 battery ; the 1st Illinois regiment, commanded by Colonel 
 Hardin, was stationed on a high hill near, and a short 
 distance to the left and front of the same battery ; the 2d 
 Kentucky volunteers, under Colonel McKee, were on the 
 22d posted on the right of a deep ravine, at a distance of 
 half a mile on the right of the battery, but on the morn- 
 
THE BATTLE OF li U E N A VISTA. 261 
 
 ing of the 23d were ordered to cross tlie ravine, and 
 took position near Colonel Hardin, and to his left. The 
 2d regiment Illinois volnnteers, under Colonel Bissell, 
 were posted further to the left, and in the rear, and to 
 the right, at a distance of about half a mile from where 
 the 2d Indiana regiment were placed — which regiment, 
 as before remarked, occupied the extreme left of the 
 field, near the base of the mountain. The four rifle 
 companies of my command, under Major Gorman, were 
 at early dawn of day ordered to move u{) the side of the 
 mountain to engage the enemy, some three thousand 
 strong, who were endeavoring to cross the points of the 
 mountain, and to turn our left flank. These riflemen 
 were directed to check their advance, if possible. Three 
 rifle companies of the 2d Illinois regiment, and three 
 companies of Colonel Marshall's mounted regiment, were 
 dismounted and sent up the mountain to the assistance 
 of Major Gorman, who had now been for some time hotly 
 engaged with the enemy. The contest on the mountain 
 brow raged with fury for about the space of three hours, 
 when I was informed by Colonel Churchill that the ene- 
 my in great force were advancing under cover of a deep 
 ravine, about four hundred yards in my front, and to the 
 right. I immediately put my small command in motion 
 to meet them. It should be borne in mind, that my 
 whole force was the eight battalion companies of the 2d 
 Indiana regiment, and Captain O'Brien's battery of three 
 guns — in all, about four hundred men. On arriving on 
 a narrow ridge, between two deep and rugged ravines, 
 T found the Mexican inflmtry, from four to six thousand 
 strong, supported by a body of lancers ; tlie infantry were 
 
252 GEN. lane's description of 
 
 coming up out of the ravine on my left, and forming in 
 beautiful order across the ridge, leaving the lancers in 
 the ravine ; I immediately directed Captain O'Brien to 
 halt his battery, and get ready for the fray. The col- 
 umn was halted when the first company was up with, 
 and on the left of the battery, and formed forward into 
 line of battle. I rode in front of the column, and contin- 
 ued in front, as the companies were forming into line, 
 and was much delighted to see the officers and men move 
 forward in good order. Coolness and courage were de- 
 picted on every countenance. By the time that half the 
 companies were in line, and while I was yet in front, 
 the Mexicans opened their fire from their entire line. 
 In a moment, the left companies were in line. I passed 
 to the rear, and the fire was returned with promptness 
 and good effect. Thus commenced the battle on the 
 plain of Buena Vista. The distance between the enemy's 
 line and my own was about one hundred and twenty 
 yards. About the time the action commenced, the ene- 
 my opened a tremendous fire from their battery of three 
 heavy guns posted on my left, and a little to the rear, 
 which nearly enfiladed my line. In this manner the bat- 
 tle continued to rage for near twenty-five minutes, the 
 firing being very severe on both sides — the lines of the 
 Mexican infantry presenting one continued sheet of 
 flame. I observed the Mexican line to break and fall 
 back several times ; but their successive formations 
 across the ridge enabled them at once to force the men 
 back to their position, and keep them steady. I then 
 foiled the determination to take position nearer the ene- 
 my, with the hope of routing and driving them from that 
 
THE BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 253 
 
 part of the field, and for the purpose of placing the line 
 out of the range of the enemy's guns, which had succeed- 
 ed in getting the range, so as to be doing some execution 
 nearly every fire. For that purpose I sent my aid to 
 direct Captain O'Brien to advance his battery some fifty 
 or sixty yards to the front, and to return to me to assist 
 in passing an order to the line to advance to the same 
 point. He went with the battery to its advanced posi- 
 tion. I was at that moment near the left of my line. 
 Before my aid returned to me, I was much surprised to 
 see my line begin to give way on the right, and continu- 
 ing to give way to the extreme left, not knowing at that 
 time that Colonel Bowles had given an order to retreat ; 
 and it was several days after the battle (and not until 
 after I had made my official report) before T was satisfied 
 that the regiment had retreated in obedience to an order 
 given by Colonel Bowles. This order was not obeyed 
 until it had been twice repeated, as has since been proven 
 in a court of inquiry appointed to inquire into the con- 
 duct of the colonel. Lieutenant-Colonel Haddon and 
 twelve other good witnesses have testified to his having 
 twice or thrice given the order before the line broke, so 
 unwilling were they to abandon their position. The 2d 
 regiment occupied an important position — it was the key 
 to that part of the field — and were unsupported by any 
 other troops. 
 
 An evidence of their being in a very hot place is, that 
 about ninety of them were killed and wounded before 
 they retreated. They had stood firmly, doing their duty 
 as well as ever did veteran troops, until they had dis- 
 charged over twenty rounds of cartridges at the enemy, 
 
254 GEN. LANES DESCUirTION OF 
 
 killing and wounding some five hundred of them ; and I 
 have no hesitation in saying, that if it had not been for 
 that unnecessary, unauthorized, and cowardly order to 
 retreat, they would not have left their position. I hesi- 
 tate not to express my belief, that if my order to advance 
 had been carried out, and we had taken the advanced 
 position, as intended, we would have driven the enemy 
 from the ridge. 
 
 Although the men retired in some confusion, the 
 most of them were soon rallied — say to the number of 
 two hundred and fifty — and they continued to fight like 
 veterans throughout the day. Lieutenant Robinson (my 
 aid-de-camp) and Lieutenant-Colonel Haddon were very 
 active in rallying the men. Major Cravens was ordered 
 to proceed to the ranche and bring back such of our men 
 as had gone in that direction ; which was promptly done. 
 Captains Davis, Kimball, McRea, Briggs, Lieutenant 
 Spicely (then in command of his company in consequence 
 of the fall of the gallant and lamented Kinder), Lieuten- 
 ants Shanks, Hoggatt, Burwell, Lewis, Foster, Benafiel, 
 Kunkle, Lowdermilk, Roach, Rice, and Zenor, with the 
 most of the company officers, were also very active in 
 rallying their men. Captain Sanderson and Lieutenants 
 Davis, Hogan, and Cayce (and several other officers), 
 were wounded, and had to leave the field, as also Captain 
 Dennis ; who had fought like a hero, with gun in hand, 
 until he found himself unable, from fatigue and indispo- 
 sition, to remain longer on the field. 
 
 Paymaster Major Dix, having arrived on the field at 
 this moment, was very active in assisting to rally our 
 broken and scattered forces. He seized the colors fi'om 
 
THE BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 255 
 
 their bearer, who was unable to carry them longer, and 
 handed them to Lieutenant Kunkle, who carried them 
 triumphantly throughout the day. 
 
 These colors, now in the possession of Captain Sand- 
 erson, were well riddled with balls ; one 24-pound shot, 
 one 6-pound shot, and many musket-balls passed through 
 them while they were in the hands of this meritorious 
 young officer ; and they could at all times be seen high 
 above the heads of the Indiana brigade, moving to and 
 fro, wherever it was necessary to meet and repulse the 
 enemy. Lieutenant (now Captain) Peck, of the rifle bat- 
 talion, who had been compelled to retire from the moun- 
 tain to thq plain, and after the fall of his gallant old cap- 
 tain (Walker) succeeded in rallying about twenty men 
 and joining the 2d Indiana regiment, continued to fight 
 gallantly throughout the day. The severe loss in killed 
 and wounded which the 2d Indiana regiment sustained 
 in the action, will convey some idea of the danger they 
 faced, and the tenacity with which they struggled. One 
 hundred and seven of their number were killed and 
 wounded. 
 
 At or about the time of the retreat of my small com- 
 mand under that ill-fated order, the riflemen were com- 
 pelled, by superior numbers to abandon their position: 
 on the mountain side, and retreat to the plain below. 
 The cavalry, which had been posted some distance in my 
 rear, and out of range of the enemy's battery, to act as 
 circumstances might require — either to advance upon the 
 enemy, and cut them off, in case they should retreat ; or 
 to succor my small force if they should be compelled to 
 fall back — instead of affording me the least assistance, 
 
256 GEN. lane's description of 
 
 left tlieir position without receiving one fire from the en- 
 emy, and made a precipitate retreat to the rear, along 
 the foot of the mountain, pursued by a large body of lan- 
 cers, who succeeded in cutting off and slaughtering quite 
 a number of our forces — most of them riflemen. If they 
 had made a bold stand, and allowed the riflemen and 
 the 2d Indiana regiment to rally on them, all together 
 would have been a force sufficient to check the enemy 
 before he had gained any considerable advantage. Afler 
 these successive and almost simultaneous retreats of the 
 different forces on the left, it remained wholly undefend- 
 ed ; and the enemy — numbering several thousands — came 
 pouring down from the mountain and from the front, and 
 formed in good order along the foot of the mountain, in 
 the rear of the position at first occupied by our forces. 
 Soon after the retreat of the 2d, and while I was rallying 
 them, the Mississippi regiment arrived on the field, and 
 in a most gallant manner engaged tlie enemy, but were 
 compelled, by vastly superior numbers, to fiiU back. At 
 this time the 3d Indiana regiment, under Colonel Lane, 
 was ordered into the fight, and, joined with the 2d Indiana 
 and Mississippi regiments, composed a force about one- 
 fifth as large as the enemy, but sufficient to engage them 
 with success. Captain Sherman, with one gun of his 
 battery, at this time joined us, and the whole moved to- 
 wards the foot of the mountain, and engaged the enemy. 
 Here the artillery proved very effective. This portion 
 of the enemy's force became at length so closely pressed, 
 and our artillery continuing to waste them away with its 
 destructive fire, and they being separated from the ene- 
 my's main force, would in a short time have been com- 
 
THE BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 257 
 
 polled to surrender, when a white flag was seen on the 
 field, and we were ordered to cease firing. We did so; 
 but the Mexicans continued to fire from their battery, 
 thus covering the retreat of their forces. This flag was 
 sent to the left wing from General Taylor, in consequence 
 of Santa Anna's having sent to him a flag, which the 
 general naturally supposed conveyed propositions either 
 of truce or surrender. Hence the white flag on our part 
 of the battle-field. This flag proved to be nothing more 
 than a stratagem of the Mexican general to extricate that 
 portion of his troops which he saw was absolutely in our 
 power. During the delay caused by this interchange of 
 flags, this portion of his army, so completely within our 
 power, moved ofl*, and made good their retreat to where 
 the enemy's main force was posted. We now moved 
 some distance, and took position to meet a large body of 
 lancers, supported by about 2000 infantry. The Mis- 
 sissippi and a portion of the 2d Indiana were formed 
 across a narrow ridge between two deep ravines, sup- 
 ported by one gun from Captain Sherman's battery ; and 
 the other part of the 2d Indiana and all of the 3d Indiana 
 regiment, were on the brow of one of the ravines, and 
 parallel to the same, the line being nearly in the shape 
 of an L, and faced by the rear rank. The charge was 
 made on the left flank of the 3d Indiana — now right, as 
 they were faced. This charge, it is due the enemy to 
 say, was made most gallantly, and was beautifully re- 
 ceived by our forces, delivering our fire when they were 
 within a short distance. It proved most destructive to 
 the enemy, felling many a horse and his rider, breaking 
 their columns, and putting them to flight, leaving many 
 of their companions dead on the field. Soon after this 
 
258 GEN. LANE'S DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 successful repulse of the enemy, the field on the left was 
 completely cleared of the enemy's forces ; and hearing a 
 sharp and continued firing on our right, and to the left 
 of Washington's battery, I put my command in motion 
 at double quick time, for the purpose of taking part in 
 the conflict. This fire proved to be a severe action be- 
 tween the entire Mexican infantry, and the 1st and 2d 
 Illinois, and 2d Kentucky volunteers ; which was Santa 
 Anna's last and great eftbrt. These forces had been re- 
 pulsed by overwhelming numbers, and were retreating 
 in confusion, hotly pursued by thousands of Mexicans, 
 who were loading and firing on our men at every jump ; 
 when my command, consisting of the 2d and 3d Indiana 
 and Mississippi regiments, arrived within musket-shot, 
 which we did by coming up suddenly out of a deep ra- 
 vine, and opened a destructive fire upon them. Finding 
 themselves thus suddenly attacked from an unexpected 
 quarter, they quit the pursuit, formed promptly into line, 
 and returned our fire with considerable effect ; but they 
 in turn were compelled to retreat, under our well-direct- 
 ed fire, to the position they had occupied in the morning. 
 
 This was the last firing between the infantry of the 
 opposing forces on that memorable day, although the 
 cannon continued to play at intervals until dark. I 
 
 The battle on the plain was opened, as has been 
 shown, by the 2d Indiana regiment ; and the last mus- 
 ketry fired, were fired by the 2d and 3d Indiana and 
 Mississippi regiments. 
 
 It should also be stated that our forces had been under 
 arms since the morning of the 22d, and remained upon 
 the field of battle till the morning of the 24th. 
 
 I have here given a brief and faithful account of the 
 
THE BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 259 
 
 operations of the Indiana brigade on the 23d February, 
 as came under my observations ; and there was not one 
 minute, from the time the battle commenced until the 
 last gun fired, that I was not with them. 
 
 Captain O'Brien, who commanded the battery of light- 
 artillery posted on my right, at the commencement of the 
 battle, as well as Captain Sherman, who acted with us a 
 part of the day, are deserving of particular praise for 
 their gallantry and good conduct, moving and discharg- 
 ing their pieces with all the coolness and precision of 
 a day of ordinary parade. 
 
 The intrepid and honorable conduct of the 2d Ken- 
 tucky, and 1st and 2d Illinois volunteers, could not have 
 been exceeded; and no commendation of mine could 
 add lustre to the glory which should, and will be theirs. 
 There is enough of honor and glory for each man who 
 did his duty at Buena Vista. And he must be an un- 
 charitable and selfish American citizen, who would, 
 knowingly, wish to detract from any portion of that glo- 
 rious little army, with a desire to augment that of any 
 one corps, at the expense of another. The many gallant 
 officers and men, who did their duty on that day, should 
 not suffer by invidious comparison. 
 
 If I have neglected to particularize the conduct of 
 the Arkansas and Kentucky cavalry, or to define their 
 position on the field, it is not because I deemed them of 
 little moment or importance; but for the reason, that 
 from the time of their retreat, 1 had no opportunity of 
 seeing any thing of their movements. They partici- 
 pated in the ranche fight, where the gallant Yell nobly 
 fell at the head of his column : he, with the noble souls 
 
260 BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 
 
 who fell on that day, should never be forgotten. The 
 ambition of distinction should never prompt us to deface 
 any portion of the tablet of fame, which our country will 
 erect to the honor of the actors in that battle ; and the 
 regular and volunteer army should be proud of it, as 
 one of the greatest epochs in our country's history. 
 
 It is due to the commanders of the different batteries 
 of light artillery to state, that their efforts were most 
 powerful and efficient towards gaining the almost unpa- 
 ralleled victory of Buena Vista. Ready at all times to 
 meet the enemy at fearful odds, their guns wasted them 
 away with their fire in a handsome manner, compelling 
 them to retreat whenever coming within their range. 
 
 Generals Taylor and Wool were present as com- 
 manders (the former as commander-in-chief). They 
 were exposed to dangers almost every instant of the 
 day, watching the movements of the enemy, and order- 
 ing and disposing of our forces in the best manner to 
 meet and repel them. By their coolness and courage 
 in gaining this victory, they have won laurels and a 
 fame, that shall endure as long as traces of American 
 history shall exist. 
 
 Respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 Joseph Lane, Brig. Gen. 
 
AFFECTING INCIDENT. 261 
 
 AFFECTING INCIDENT. 
 
 Pico, brother to the Governor of California, had been 
 dismissed by the Americans on parole, and was re-cap- 
 tured in the very act of breaking it. He was leading 
 an insurrection cruel to the army, and devastating to the 
 country, and the soldiers now clamored for his death. 
 The haughty chieftain was brought before Colonel Fre- 
 mont, identified, and subsequently condemned by court 
 martial to death. Through all the examination and de- 
 livery of the sentence he remained cool and composed, 
 and learned that he must die, with the solemn dignity of a 
 Spaniard. 
 
 The hour of twelve was fixed for the execution, and 
 the intervening time was solemn, even to the American 
 commander. He had faced death amid the hurry of the 
 battle-field with impunity ; but something so repulsive 
 seemed to lie in the idea of coolly executing a prisoner 
 of war, that the brave heart shrunk from it with appre- 
 hension. As the time approached, the colonel retired to 
 his room, and remained almost alone. Suddenly, about 
 eleven o'clock, a noise was heard without, and before any 
 one had time to ascertain its cause, a company of ladies 
 and children rushed into the room, threw themselves on 
 their knees, and with all the eloquence of passion begged 
 that the husband and Jaiher might be spared. Young 
 lips, which had often pressed those of the prisoner in 
 pride and happiness, now quivered as they pleaded in 
 agony for his life. The stern officer turned from the 
 scene, while thoughts of other beings, far away, crowded 
 
262 AFFECTING INCIDENT. 
 
 upon him. His noble heart was unprepared for such an 
 event, and humanity obtained the victory over discipHne. 
 Raising the mother, he exclaimed solemnly, " He is par- 
 doned !" Then, what a change ! Blessings, loud and 
 many, were showered upon the commander, and his grat- 
 ified attendants ; and tears of despair were changed to 
 those of joy and ecstasy. 
 
 The thought now occurred to Colonel Fremont to 
 send for the prisoner, and permit him to hear of his re- 
 prieve in the presence of those most dear to him. It was 
 done. There was no room for explanations. The coun- 
 tenances of all present told him of his good fortune ; and 
 when it was confirmed by the word of the colonel, the 
 effect was overpowering. He had borne misfortune and 
 disgrace, but he could not bear the news of pardon. 
 With impetuous emotion he flung himself before Colonel 
 Fremont, clasped his knees, swore eternal fidelity, and 
 begged the privilege of fighting and dying for him. 
 
 The country is now restored to peace and order ; and 
 there is no firmer friend to Colonel Fremont in it, than 
 his former inveterate antagonist, Pico. 
 
D. Appkloii S,' Co.'s riihUcaiwns. 
 
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