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‘--’;‘:F:“.:he:; ilfifi‘iiéiiiéf‘é “6*!" Hie
no a can! the ' '
3;. Mexico. on! of
w
THE BATTLE.
33; We lay belore our readers some lorther
"j“details 0| one of the proudest events ol
the present day. In adrlition to the letter
I.} of Mr. Kendall of the Picayune. embra
cing many ol the incidents oi the several
,z', engagements. and the list oLthe honored
{fl-dead. and of those who have been wounded
'f and shed their precious blood in the caus'é'
‘3 at their country. we publish a letter lrom
:... highly gilted ollicer ol the army, which
presents the most graphic and correct de
tails which we have yet seen. It is a let
,ter never intended tor the public ; but it
beapeaks a taste and talent which would
do honor to any writer. The details are,
not course. correct ; because they come
it'from an eye witness and an actor in the
stirring scenes. who has the judgment to
,1 seize the most important cvants. and the
power to describe them.
Perhaps the history ol this continent
does not lurnish a more daring and splen
did achievement. The bosom of every
American swells with pleasure and with
pride at this glorious event. The Mexi
cans fought to delend their capital. They
were acquainted with the country. They
knew all its strong and all its weak points.
They knew where to defend and where to
strengthen thetn. They had collected ar
artillery enough to make any position
which they might take lormidable toany
assailant. The country itsell presents
lastnesaes at almost every step—moun
tains which were to be ascended, and pas
sea which were to be overcome. 'l'hus en
lrenched. the Mexicans could bring into
the action about 30.000 men, or more. ot‘
all arms—of regulars and volunteeti.—.
They .had their best generals in the field.
' “'e had irom 13,000 to 15.000 troops,
the best perhaps in the world, excellently
equipped in other respects, but decidedly
interior in the number and character ot
the artillery ; but they were scattered tor
make dillerent attacks, and they presented ‘
only about 6000 to meet the Mexrcan
masses at one point. Our troops had the;
advantage at superior skill and discipline.
at confidence and eXperience, and at an
indomitable courage which knew no lear
and defied every danger. it was these
high 'qualities in the soldier and all these
prolessional attainments ol the officers
which constituted our strength and gave
us the decided victory in the engagement.
One of the Mexican correspondents is
grossly incorrect. when he says that his
, countrymen oflered the bayonet and we
declined it. On the contrary. as the gal
lant “’oth writes. we vanquished them
principally by the force at the bayonet.—
The superiority of our arms is (lemonstra-‘
ted by the result of the several battles in‘
which we were engaged. We drove the
enemy lrom all their boasted entrench
ments. We bravely overcame and then
captured all their artillery and all their
munitions. We seized all their strong
points which they had entrenched. We
have-killed, wounded. and taken prison
ers. five or. six thousand, it is estimated,
and we have lost about one thousand of
our Own gallant troops. We have reta
ken the two cannon which we lost at Boe
naViata. and wrestiid from them lheonly
trophies ol the War of which they boasted.
Wehave taken prisoners the Riley corps
of those infamous deserters who had aban
doned the service of a free people. We
pursued the flying enemy to the very gates
at the capital, and would have taken it. it
a desire to negociate a peace had not ar
rested the victorious general in mid career.
We can seize the city whenever we please.
We have lorced them to open negotiations.
and to listen to terms which Santa Anna
had so recently refused to consider. The
confusion and the consternation which we
had produced were so great, that they
were glad to avail themselves of a tempo
"?! Bruillice. and enter into negotiation.
Policy may have “partially contributed to
““5 delay; butit was the alarm which
they hldf'conceived which principally op
erated upon. their hitherto reluctant com
mander. . '
Thanks be to our brave and indomitable
. countrymen. Thanks to our regulars and
to our volunteers. Thanks to the brave
and experienced Scott. Thanks to his
gallant associates--to Pillow. to Quitman.
to Worthtothgge. to Codwallader, "3.
BMW. to Shields. (Whom death seems to
have spared only to add another evergreen
laure‘lvto his brow!) Thanks to the brave
olfitera-whorhave shared their danger: as
wellaa their honors. Thanks to the brave
men- who have looked danger and death in
the face.;end who have proved themselves
worthy of the. glorious republic 'in which
their lot has beanwcast" .Words .cannot
do adequate justice to the unconquerable
courage, the lolty patriotism they have
displayed.the inextinguishable glory which
theg have reflected. upon their country.
orcen'languafi do fall justice to the
brave men who hasjhoured out their blood
. and sacrificed .th'eiri lives on the altar of
mfimiocwmfi
moo rawaSni! caw
the republic. Their blood is beyond all
price. Their lives are; indeed. too pre
cious to be sacrificed. except lor the glory
at their country. \Ve know how to ap
preciate their loss—the heart of every pa
triot leels for their untimely end. Public
gratitude will erect a monument to their
memory. And while we weave the cy
press Will] the laurel, who does not symp~
at'htse intensely with their disconsolate
lamtlies? The lollowing letter specifies
some of the honored dead—the chivalrous
ex Governor Colonel Pierce Butler. ol
South Carolina. Captain Thornton. ol Vir
ginia, who has passed through so many
eventful scenes lrom the very commence
ment ol the war, and other officers, whose
names are registered in the list ot killed
and wounded. Judging by the number
who have lallen in the battle, never was
there a braver and nob‘er set ol men
gathered under the eagles ol' theircountry.
We may expect the oliicial details In a
few days. We shall then be better able
to estimate the loss we have received and
the services which our brave men have
rendered. We shall leave to military
men to analyze the details of the conflict,
and to do justice to the skill which has
been displayed in evolutions, and the
bravery with which they have been encu
ted.
As to the results which the battle is des
tined to produce upon the war. we are un
able to calculate them with precinct).—
Nor would we be willingl from various
considerations, if we had more elements
of calculation before us. to enter into any
thing like a decided speculation upon the
consequences. Peace may come, or the
war may be continued—we vrill not on
dertake to pronounce a positive opinion.
We are not. certain of peace. whilst we
cannot but entertain some hope of it. Yet
this we may beg leave to repeat. that this
decisive victory places the capital of the
Mexicans at the mercy 0! our army. The
consternation caused by the rout of their
army has induced the enemy to enter into
negotiation for peace. The issue of this
negotiation is not to be counted on with
confidence. The firmness Wllh which the
war has been prosecuted has brought the
inlatuated Mexicans to enter on the dis
lcuesion of peace. After the panic oi the
moment is past. they may again manilest
their insane obstiuacy in prolonging the
war. There should be no relaxation ol
our cflorts. no pause in our preparations,
until a peace is conquered. and u ratified
treaty shall secure its continuance.
Extract of a very interesting letter recei
ved in I’Vas/ii'nglon city : -
"Taounsvs. (in full view at the city
of Mexico.) August 24. 1847.
"The army left Puebla on the Bth of
this month. and, after a few days' march.
reached Ayotla. immediately on the mar.
gin of the valley of Mexico. Between this
place and the City. about four miles dis
tant, we knew there was a strongly forti
fied position. called St. Pinon;it is a small
isolated mountain. surrounded by water,
on one side of one of the principal cause
ways leading to the city. Alter spending
a day or '.wo in reconiioitering this place.
and which it would have caused a great
loss of life to have taken, it was ascertain
ed that there was a practicable road south
of Lake Chalco. The General determin
ed to take this route, and put the army in
motion, leaving our division to watch the
enemy in our rear. The march was a
dreadful one, being the rainy season. The
road was in many places. where it passes
at the foot of the mountains. and on the
margin ol the lake or narrow causeway.
nearly covered with water, and excessive
ly muddy; at others it was over rocky spa
ces of the mountains, and in places entire
ly obstructed by huge rocks rolled down by
the enemy ; but nothing seemed to damp
order of the army—all obstacles vanished
before them. in two or three days. when
‘ the whole army was in motion, they could
be seen from the front stretched out over
a distance of seven or eight miles. 0n the
18th, the General reached a small town
called San AugustinLahout twelve miles
south of the city. the leadin division hav
ing arrived there the day befiire.‘ General
Worth had placed his pickets in advance
for the arrival of the General ; he ordered
the whole division to advance and take
possession of a hacienda Within striking
distance ofa strongly fortified place called
San Antonio. and also that reconnoitering
parties should be pressed forward still in
advance; the party was supported by a
squadron of cavalry and a battalion of in
lantry. In passing to the front, I found
that a troop which had been placed as a
picket had gone forward; and as I came
uprith it. itmade a turn in the road which ‘
brought it in full view 9! the enemy’shat-l
tery. .which opened upon them. The first 1
fire killed Capt. Thornton, mangling his
body in the mosthorrid mannei‘ég'l‘he ball.
11.16 pounder. afterwards struck the road,
and literally covered me with mud and
fragments of. stone, one of which made a
slight bruise on my right thigh. A guide
was knocked .from his horse within live
We! 0‘ mo, with a shockinggwonnd in the
head by a ptecc 0f Btone.~ It isthought he
Wi" “WV": but with the-loss of an eye.
The reconnoisance wasv continued r'iuht
and left with some hopes‘of storming i'hs
battery that afternoon; but night and [tie
rain came on. and it- was giventup. Very
early the next morning. ldiscon-red from
CLEARFIELD. PA., SEPT. 25.1847.
the top of the house where we were quar
tered in San Antonia, a large body ol the
enemy some 12.000 or 15,000 on our left.
about three miles distant. The General
had ordered reconnoissancesin that direc
tion towards Sun Angel. where I reported
to him. He immediately ordered two di
visions forward under Pillow and Twiggs,
and lollowed soon after himself. The en
emy were iound in an entrenched camp,
at a place called Contreras, with twenty
pieces of artillery, some of them very hea
vy siege pieces. The attack commenced
at noon. and firing continued incessantly
until dark, when it ceased on both sides.
our troops maintaining their ground and
occupying a village close by. During the
afternoon we watched the movements at
our troops With the most tenrlul anxiety,
and could plainly see one ol our columns
resist a charge of a large body at cavalry,
and the enemy falling, from their saddles
and taking rn their heels, or rather to their
horses’ heels. During the whole of the
fight. we could see on the right a body of
at least ten thousand infantry and cavalry
in reserve. towards the city; but they had
not the courage to advance, although San
ta Anna himselt was said to be there.—
'l‘he attack was ordered to be reneWed at
3 o’clock next morning. and the General
returner] to San Augustin. He left at an
early hour, taking Wllh him Gen. Worth’s
and one half at his division as a reinlorce
meat; but en route he was met by an of
ficer. who reported that the batteries had
‘been carried by our troops in a most gal
lant style, Col. Riley leading the assault,
As he approached the scene of action. it
seemed most incredible how our men got
over the ground to the attack. It was over
immense masses of lava thrown up in the
roughest. sharpest possible shapes, and co
vered with dense brushvrood. Streams had
to be crossed and deep ravines; and most
of them having passed the night in a palt
ing rain wtthout shelter, ll appears almost
incredible that they should be able to drive
double their numbers from a battery 0123
heavy guns. The scene. at the arrival of
the General was anil exctting. 'l'he chee
ring of the troops lelt to protect the prop
erty taken. and their delight on seeing
him, was very gratifying. Many of the
guns taken have been added to our siege
train. The amount of ammunition taken
exceeded by three times the whole which
we brought from Vera Cruz. so that we
are well provided. But the greatest cause
at exultation was the recapture of two 0!
our own guns, brought lrom Buena Vista,
the last battle ol General Taylor. When
[saw the U. S. on them, I felt like dis
mnunting and embracing them. What is
remarkable about their recapture, it was
made by lhe 4th artillery. to which regi
men! they lormerly belonged. They. with
other small caplured pieces, were imme
diately filled up an a light battery. and
the captain (Dunn) took command 0! it.
The General. when he received the intel-
ligence of this victory, sent Gen. Worth
buck lo make a demonstration on San An-
lonio. whilst he, with the portion of the
army which was pressing the enemy. should
get in its rear. 1 will not stop (0 describe
the scene on the field 0! battle. 0n leav-
ing it. the road was literally strewed with
dead Mexicans], arms. broken carriages.
&c. In passing a bridge, I looked ruler.
and saw the bodies of'ut least twenty. pi
led one on the other. and the bank of the
stream was'etrewcd with them. and it was
Some distance belore we got out of night.
Going on, we came to a church. in which
were confined 700 prisoners. '1 he Gen
eral halted in lew minutes, and addressed
the officers very kindly. Amongst them
were four generals. He then hurried out
lojoll‘l the pursuing army. We came up
with them at San Angel, where they had
halted. As the General passed along the
line, it Was one continued shout. After 11
lew minutes we pnsped on to a village cal.
led Coyoacan. where we heard firing on
our right, about two miles 01], in the direc-
tion of San Antonio. The General im
mediately sent me. wrtlr Capt. Kearny’s
troop. to ascertain the state of omits.—
We aalloped on; and on approaching the
place. I found that Worth had turned the
place by both flanks. lind driven the ene
my from it, and was in hot pursuit ol them.
I returned to the General as quickly as I
had gone. and an I galloped along I heard
a brisk firing in front. When I reached
him I lound that he was fiercely engaged
with the enemy at another strongly en
trenched position—San Pablo. 'l'his ac
tion lasted more than two hours. and the
tiring was more general and more coatin
uous than any I had heard yet. The ene
my’a grape and canister flew like bail, and
the fire ol‘nur infantry was one continued
volley. Capt. 'l‘aylor’s battery was obli
ged to retire. being most sadly crippled—
lost two officers. a great manymen. and
left the field with only two horses to a gun;
‘but the enemy, although behind entrench
ments, with heavy guns, could not with
stand the impetuosity and valor of our
troops. The place was carried by assault.
and the whole armament and a great num
ber of prisoners weretaken. In the mean
time", Worth having-hotly pursued the en
emy. came up ‘with him at another fortified
place in advance of San Pablo. called
Churubuaco, and after an obstinate resis
tuoce’.‘carried-it.’ made many prisoners.
and drove- the enemy before him, 'I he
dragoona pursued and tollowed him to the
very gates of the city, Two; ofic‘e‘r‘ear‘e
said to have been ktlled Inside the en
trenchments of the gateway. ’l‘hus ended
the day; and I think you will agree with
me that it was a TOLERABLY active one
four distinct battles having been fought
and won, and the enemy outnumbering us
in each at least three to four times. They
acknowledge to have had thirty thousand
men in the field on that (lay; and yet we
drove them on every occasion. and, in the
end, marle more than twenty-three hun
dred prisoners. am g them seven ot their
principal generalsffild about forty pieces
of cannon. Our loss. lam sorry to say,
as may be expected, has been Very great. 1
It may possibly reach one thousand killed
and woundedybut the returns are not yet
to; but enough is known to satisfy usthat
we have lost many very valuable officers.
Among the prisoners taken, I was morti
fied to sea between 50 and 70 deserters
lrom our army, with'the Mexican uniform
on. A court is in session to try them;
and I trust thatvmany of them will be pun
ished. It is pretty well known lrotn their
position in the battle of San Pablo. that a
volley lrornthern killed and wounded six
teen out of seventeen ol the second in
fantry. including an officer, and leaving
one officer (the adjutant of the regiment)
standing.
"The next morning. the General, leav
ing a hospital and a garrison in San Aug
ustin. seton with a determination of reach
ing this place before night. ”siting at
Coyoacan a short time. to allow time [or
his various orders for the movement of the
troops to be executed. he was met by a
flag irom the city, asking ter'ns. After
making his reply. the bearer of the flag. a
general of engineers, very civilly proposed
to the General. knowing his intention of
coming here, that if he would halt a few
hours”longer he would request his govern
ment to send word to the castle of Chap
ultepec not to fire on us as we approached.
But the General replied that it was his
Intention to come here. and he would take
. the risk; and on he went. 0n approach
ing the town, the General sent me forward
i with an order to CM. Hartley. of the (lru
goons, to take possesston at it, and make
the necessary disposition of pickets, &c..
and wait the arrival of General Worth
before unsaddling his horses.
“We rode intotown without molestation; l
but a troop. which had accompanied Capt, 1
Lee, in advance, had preceded us. It was
lucky for us that Chapultepec did not fire
upon us ; for the town is in perfect range
of its guns. and might have knocked us into
a cocked hat. Worth's division did not
arrive until near dark. and we have none
but dtagoons with us. The same evening
another flag was received from the city.—
I will not pretend to give the objects. Sev~
oral have been interchanged since ; and I
am happy to say, that an armistice was
this day agreed upon, With the object ofne
gotiating (or a peace. The terms were
dictated by the General. and everything
looks as favorably as may be. The Gene
ral, very maguanimoualy. and very dis
creetly, no doubt, too, did not ask a surren
der 0! the city, as it is virtually under his
control; and to have taken the army into
it, would have been productive of some
trouble. as ll would be next to impossible
to control the troops. We are occupying
the Bishop’s Palace, 3 huge pile of build
inge wrth magnificent gardens attached.
but an uncomfortable as can be. there being
no furniture. The view from here, tbo’
is beyond description. Chapultepec, a lit
tle on thelel't. looks frowning down upon
us with its heavy guns, and the city, with
its innumerable spires. nearly surrounded
by water. is directly in lront But‘l have
not space tor further description."
The following letters are from KENDALL.
one of the editors of‘the N. O. Picayune.
the contents of which may be relied upon :
TAOUBAYA, Aug. 27,1847.
The official report of General Salas.
who was second in command at Contre
ros. and who is now a prisoner. has'been
published in Mexico. He admits that his
defeat was tLtal. but, as usual. lays the
blame on some of his brother officers. He}
says that on the afternoon of the 19th—
(Ilu's was wlule no one was returning
theirfire)—tho Mexicans fought with un
common valor and enthusiasm. but that
only on the morning of the 20th August
they were suddenly surrounded. and at
once thrown intoconf‘usion, and, in the
end, utterly routed.
Salas says that at the outset of the dis
order he shouted " Victory for Mexico,”
ordered the trumpets to sound, and direc
ted General Torrejon to charge with his
lanccrs ; but according to the some ac
count, that officer fled in the most cow
ardly manner. the infantry not mxed up
with the cavalry and also fled. and the
'route of all was complete and most disas
trous. Salas says that Gen. Valencia ran
olfat the commencement of the fight HP“
he does not know what has'tie'come of him,
and for this reason has Mt hi‘mselt called
upon‘to mak‘e u'report. “-- a '
General Salas himself acknowledges
that in this battle General Frontera was
killed; that, besides himself. Generals
Mendoza, Blanco and Garcia were woun
ded‘eud'taken prisoners, in addition to a
list of over 100 Other officers—colonels,
captains. Sim—who were eithe- killed,
wounded, or are now in our hands. And
herc'let mo mention ‘one' fact in relation
NEW SERIES-«VOL. 11. NO. 23---WI{OLE NO, 1073.
to the after battle of Chnrubusen. which
will show how near General Scott W"
capturing the entire army. At the time
General Worth was pressing upon the
tele cle point, General Twiggs upon the
church. and Gens. Shields and, Pierce up
on the hacienda larther on. the command
eroin-chiet ordered Major Sumner to take.
command of the rifles. and by a eir‘cuitous
march to reach the road between the cue.
my and the city. _
Nothing but the daring impetuostty of
our own men in front prevented this plan
irom succeeding. Hail the Mexicans held
out, or our own soldiers held 0“. ten min
utes longer the enemy would have'be‘en
in a bag, as it were. and killed or captured
to a man. Santa Anna might. Pflhflph
have escaped, as he has a peculiar way of
his own ; but he would not have taken e
ven the remnant of an army with him.
A Mexican mail was captured by a par
ty of our dragoons on the 2‘2d on its way
from the,city to Morella. It contained a
multitude ol letters dated on the 21st. "“3
day atter the gteat battles. and they gave
vivid, and at the same time dolelul ac
counts of their‘terrible and utter defeat.
Some oi the writer: lay the blame on San
ta Anna alone; some on Valencia; some
on Santa Anna and Valencia; some on
Santa Anna. Valencia, and all the‘oflicerls
while others say that Santa Anna. Valen'
cia. and all the officers and soldiers are
utterly worthless. The latter writers are
more comprehensive. and probably nearer
the mark. Many of the letters are ex
ceedingly rich.
One loving husband writes to his wife.
whom he calls ' angel,‘ and ‘ idol,’ and
his ‘ adored Chulita.’ and tells her not to
uccasinn herself any uneasiness about his
safety. as he. does not intend to expose
himself! Another oflicer comes out even
plainer. He tells his beloved Rosa that,
he thought other when the balls were fly-‘
ing, and ran .’ The capture of these let
ters is valuable in more ways than one ;
they give much information ass-regards the
strength and plans of the enemy, and tree
ly and frankly acknowledge that they
have been defeated and utterly disorgani
zed. The number of Santa Anna's grand
army is put down at from 30,000 to 35,-
000. and nearly all of them took a part in
the battles of the 20m. ‘ "
=I
Santa Anna has come outin along man
ifesto to the Mexican nation. He begins
by saying that he shall speak openly and
candidly to his fellow-citizens. as frank
ness has always been a characteristic ot
his administration! He next. speaks of
what he has lately done in the way of col
lecting an army and munitions {or the de
fence of the capital. and then goes on to
lay all the blame of his reverse upon Va
lencia. who would not obey his orders on
the 19th, evacuate Contreras, and fall
back upon the second line of defence at
Churubusco. He intimates that he con
tinued with his soldiers until the last mo
ment; and after they were routed and
driven from Churubusco. he says that he
was enabled to rally his troops at the Ga:
rita—the third line—and thus save the
capital! On the following day, he says,
while occupied in reorganizing his forces.
strengthening his batteries, and placing
himself once more at the head ofa column
to delend the capital to the last extreme,
he received a letter lrom General Scott
proposing an armistice. &c. (Santa An
na says nothing about his talking this mat
ter over the previous evening with Mack
intosh and Thornton, and their immediate
departure for the American lines, but ab~
isolutely harangues his countrymen as tho’
i the first proposition came from Geu.Scott.)
In the concluding paragraphs of his mani
festo. Santa Anna says that he has grant
ed an armistice to the Americans. to lis
ten to what their peace commissioner has
to say. Hevgives it as his opinion. that a
suspension at hostilities is always benefi
lcial ; that war, is always an evil—in fact.
that perpetual war is an absurdity! Ho
intimates that he has competent authority
tolisten to oVertures of peace ;, and then
he goes on to tell his people that he has a
sufficient number ol troops to sustain the
rights and vindicate the honor of the na
tion. He considers himself as free as tho’
he had obtained a signal victory; and that
his fellow-citizens need have no fear of
his being deceived or imposed upon by the
negotiators of the enemy. inasmuch as he
does not dread their men or.. cannon! [f
peace can be brought about withont ‘09!“
the honor of the nation. well magma 3
it not, Santa Anna intimates that-he will
return to the sword as an arbitrator; 'Suqti
is a mere outline of 'a' rlocuméntivshich'
makes nearly three columns in the mafia
del Gobieruo. ' ‘_ "
The commisuionera upon me'pm oi 'the
ngican Government to listen looui‘ five;-
(u'réa of peace are Gens. Moray lelnmi!
andeose Jonehin de Herréra., the; MN,"
fornggrly _P;psxde.nt.. and now, military
commandant of Mexico. His] chßVsC.‘¢'o
as all our readers knnw. in (hil! 9' “WWW
est butwenk mam. Don Antonio Gary,
is well-known 'lcupilaliqth and. “RUFF!!!
Minister of Finance, has; n|§OxfiPROWN
("m the ‘cpmyniéaionnpuf'fifufiwa‘,” servy.»
He is known to' b§,;\!&fm'3. in; “"9“ ‘9'
péuce, pruybalilyf Homingcwti‘é: 13'"? c 9!"
In't'osloners on Ithé" pay: of;~M¢FiCQo‘, WW}
Mr. 'l‘rist, (Us quid. aredtholdflfifig {lm
meeting this" nl‘lernoou, at some plugging”
this. ’_’, ) [.,1. ”.3; ”hunky” ! II"? “was! . ‘
71;; ;x- :1. :(SSF:‘¥‘/91?P§€')aim:U‘~=~I!
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