The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-27 00:00:00

the cap of the lieutenant was cut into halves on his
head. At daylight Lopez sent a pronunciamento to
Las Posas, a small village ten miles distant, in which
he informed the inhabitants that he was about to
march to that place, and would give no quarter to
any whom he found there who Weetotjoin him. There
being no means of transportiug Baggage at Cabanos,
where we landed, Lopez ordered Colonel Crittenden
to remain there and protect our stores, consisting of
100,000 musket cartridges, 3,000 muskets, and 7001 b.
of powder in kegs, together with the personal baggage
of all the officers, saying that he would march on
to Las Poses, with the regiment of infantry com-
manded by Colonel Downman, and send thence means
of transportation, and that he would remain there
until joined by Crittenden. Accordingly Lopez
marched at eight o'clock, with 323 men, leaving Crit-
tenden at Cabanos with 130 men. At 11 o'clock that
night Crittenden received two carts, and started im-
mediately after to join Lopez at Las Posas. The
carts being heavily laden mad the roads bad, our pro-
gress was of necessity slow, not advancing more than
a mile an hour. About two hours after daylight, on
the morning of the 13th, we reached a house contain-
ing a store and grogshop, about four miles from Las
Posts. The advanced guard and main body only had
reached the house (the rear guard with the carts
being still some quarter of a mile behind), and were
engaged in eating breakfast, their arms being laid
aside, when they were surprised by the report of
musketry and the whistling of bullets, which pro-
ceeded from the advance guard of a body of the
enemy, 500 strong. We immediately seized our guns
and killed nine of the enemy', and made one prisoner,
none of our party having been injured. Not seeing
any more of the enemy, the Colonel concluded it
was but a foraging party that had attacked us,
and, our rear guard having come up with the
carts, ordered us to resume our breakfasts, which
we did. About ten minutes after we were again
attacked by the whole force of the enemy, they
having the advantage of position, being posted on
the brow of a hill overlooking our position, with a
belt of chapparal some 300 yards wide, intervening,
over which we could not fire. Crittenden imme-
diately gave the orders to charge, leading himself,
and forced the enemy to retreat to a large body of
chapparal, some seventy five or eighty yards in the
rear of their first position, from which they opened a
heavy fire upon our forte as soon as it appeared iu
sight on the brow of the hill. Finding he could not
maintain that position, Crittenden gave an order to
retreat to the house, which was done, while the
enemy resumed his position on the hill, and again
opened his fire, upon which Crittenden ordered a
second charge, at the same time saying that he
wished a small party to attain a position on the right
flank of the enemy, to charge from that side at the
same moment he charged from the front. Second-
Lieutenant W. H. Crafts (also of Company B) and
myself volunteered, and succeeded in attaining the
position with twenty men. After remaining in it for
about half-an-hour, and hearing nothing of Critten-
den, we returned to the house, where we found
Captain Kelly, of Company A, with ten men, guard-
ing the carts, but could see or hear nothing of Crit-
tenden. The enemy soon after advancing towards
the house we were compelled to retreat, leaving our
baggage and stores; and that night, or rather the
next morning, we succeeded in forming a junction
with Lopez at Las Poses, half-an-hour before his
march from that place. At the same hour that
Crittenden was attacked a; the hacienda a body of the
enemy, 800 strong, under General Enna, attacked
Lopez at Las Pons. Afer a hard fight of over two
hours, the enemy retreaod, leaving the Americans
masters of the field, and over 200 of their number
(among whom were several of their highest officers)
dead and wounded ; the American loss being, in
killed, wounded, and nissing, only about 30 men,
among whom Colonel Downman and Lieutenant
Labizan were killed, and General Pragay, and Cap-
tains Brigham and Gout were mortally wounded.
After the action the Spanish wounded were
brought in, and as wet taken care of as circum-
stances would admit. Lopez rode entirely un-
armed over the field, through the hottest of the fire,
occasionally applying a red raw hide, with a great
deal of vigour, to the shoulders of such men as he
thought could be hurried into firing a little faster.
On the morning of the 14th, at two o'clock, Lopez
marched from Las Posas into the mountains, leaving
there 17 wounded Spaniards and 13 of our side, all
of whom were bayoneted by the Spaniards, and their
bodies piled in a heap, cross-ways, at the foot of a
hill. Two days after (on the 16th) Lopez was again
attacked by 300 Lancers and 600 infantry, while en-
camped at a hacienda which formerly belonged to
himself, but was confiscated some three years since.
Here the action lasted from 11 to 2 o'clock, on one of
the hottest days I ever experienced. The enemy were
again compelled to retreat, with a loss of 320 men ;
and at the same moment that the retreat of the
Spaniards in one direction was reported to Lopez, he
issued an order to his owe force to retreat in the op-
posite, and actually that day made a forced march of
18 miles in five hours, over a mountain road. On the
19th, being still on the mountains, we were overtaken
by a severe rain storm, yihich destroyed the greater