The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-03-26 00:00:00

hamlet 1500. which Jed the march, crs.s.ril it im-
- owl nlrithr•l towards the tight flank of
, :elteremeinv, in order to go in his rear. in fuel. Ibis
peaky riaciird the point at which the enemy intend.
ed In pass it: bet in lien of ordering it to like up
the position of the old ericallipment, at a short dis.
. lance from that river, it was placed in 111111rf of hat.
Ile in a single line, at the distance of • tong I,slr league
from its proper position, the cools advantageous
nint we had gained. As I held no employment, and
ss se serving, if I may si !ley, usher as an adventurer
than a General Officer, I was Amble to prevail on
f:.sr.Ssal ACTIN In nollrbrise me lb pep in ohm stale
ati •ies then stood. • I found the cavalry in the ter-
soatiou I have before stated ; and advancing a IN%
fruitier I pet reived that the enemy had comnsitted the
goratest error which can be committed in warfare,
the presence of an enemy's army, which was that
of Ideals' itself in a defile, where it could not hat
have met • itb entire destruction, Ban Maccountable
blindoess, or the darkness of ignorance, had not pro-
ve:veil roc attarking him in that critical sitegsion. I
called to me the advaneed guard of the horse grena-
diers, which might consist of about billy men ; with
this small body I attacked two squadrons of the
enemy, .lock fell back: 1 immediately informed
General VALcAnce of the MOM situation in which
the enemy then was, retplestiog him to acquaint Ge-
anal Sew blASTtrr, end to coins to the spot with all
possible expedition; nevertheless' no movement was
made by oar army. I was impatient, knowing how
valuable each moment was, and I repeatedly made,
use of the most convincing arguments to persuade
General li.tar MARTIN to attack them; but he was
with his troops at the distance of a league. In the
mran tiote10•1111 of the light artillery guns Were fired
several times, nevertheless nothing of importance
was done, nor did the army arrive. The enemy
then perceiving our irtetoluoitnt, or rather our stu.
pidity, wisely took advantage of is, awl passed she li
river in sight of us ; he ',heroin!a formed his army
in column, arid vomolested retired no Talcs. Nail
attention beets paid to • she advice which I gave,
Pr if Central SAY MARTIN, at he ought, had at
least advanced with rapidity on hearing the discharge
of our cannon, as is done in every army in the ;
world by Generals who are careful. wive, and ca.!
prble of conducting a war, and seasons in availing
themselves of theme favourable OCCutletiCPll which
they had brought about by their skilful ma.
natuerea, the 'allele of she enemy's army goshd
hare been demos ed or taken, and probably
without the loss of a single man, tine, it teas unable
to make troy essurrement4 or even defend itself; and
an completely compromised, that it would have been
Imposeitde for it to escape, had we either attacked •
it, or necapied the positions which commanded it,
those of the only defile by which it tool,l retreat.—
In • word, this woul,l be similar to what happened
to she I{-n:sett in the " Forest Caudinat." But
General SAN bIAnTIN did not arrive with his troops 1
until fire o'clock in she 'groin:, that is to say, Oil-
til four hours after he was made acquainted with this,:
which, served only to prove to him that he oeglected
so avail himself of one of the finest oppottunities
which good fortune could have piosented him, of en.;
tinny destroying the enemy's army, end consequent. 1
ly •f briogiaig 'he war to a most fortunate tercnime.;
lien by gaining possession of Talcaho•onos hick had re..
milord without • garrison. I had before imagined
that the art of tarrying on a slur without interrop- ,
lion, seal following allyanteges, as known iu Chili,
although that is far from being prbsell, since in tin
one este have we known how to take advantage of
the favourable occurrences which good fortune has j
press sited In us. And one Cum", hut he convinced.,
that as long as this fortren rensaitss ill the tiandi:Of
the enemy, the war in Chili can never he brought to
• coretosion. I here must do justice to General j
VALCASCIS, who is well known as a distinguished
officer, and as it was not his fault that we did not'
lake advantage of the error which the enemy had cos-
Pitted. As soon as the enemy had freed himself from
skis liangerses situation, and General Sty Mason se
strived, he ordered General VALCASCE to ad..,
•aoce with all Ilse 'oilier; and cavalry. The enemy ,
had taken up au advantageous position at the dis-
lance of • quarter of a league from us; he was co.
yeses' by • wide and low broken ground, fall of ,
trees, ditches, and Nisbet, whiclorprevented the pos..!
sihility of our approaching his. 'Notwithstanding,
our cavalry, in one line, withoot• any referee, ad-
veered under the orders of GrriOral fl.ss MARTIN. I
and for about hell • league mid, a movement as If
charging trees and the other. obstecles, 'welch com-
pelled it to retreat In the. palest diseerler, without
bating geirmi the sitteilterideantage, after having
ILO *hoot 150 men. -Mier Ibis ridiculous and hoes-
plicabie maireravre, retch loopired the enemy with
sin searietinsi bet c:ipternot, General SIN IVI onst
mciftlipstl near Cry,* His position was faulty for
aPalit IMOIO ;Ott, .fleemse the left of oar
rest on Bagimsress of Talcs, where the enemy
mist forx‘and from whence he cook' take we in
wiMiccovre in our rear, and attack as one:-
1 pettedly, *Wiest our right wing having the power
;143 of acting. Idly, That the ground which we *mo-
ts pied was intersected by largo and nearly unpasastde
" ditches, which prevented all commonicalion between
our Iwo wings, and consequently prevented any
viral manmeere, the reinforcing parts of the line, or
Ilse cosncentratiou of oar forces.
1 made my remarks to General S.tm Msons, who,
as usual, paid not the least intention to thins. Our
peep.," position shoeid- have been about a league in
11 • rear, on account of the ground being highly fa.
sourahle, as it presented obstacles front its rugged-
'erns, and the defiles which the enemy would have had
to pass before he could reach us. Thus the enemy,
prohting by the badness of our position, attacked as
the 'sine night of the Inth of March, at lilf.past
sr sin, am d obtained, an is well known, the most ins-
-I.,.rtn,rsdventegm.. All the army was thrown into
~,fusion and Jaspers, d., I was then with the ad•
•.ne.d poets, and posting she goards when she el-
t-cis began. I wished to fall bask in the encamp-
mrot, Put found it ohasoloosed. Nevertheless, at a
arty shoot distance, I met COL Ira Maas, all pm-
err of the greatest promise, also, if (octane favours
him, wilt he some day she glory and pride of his
- /cowry. Without fear of lie dangers that threaten.
u sec, he endeavoured to collect' a few troops to op.
rose the enemy. At his voice (such is the amend-
anry, beldoess and courage possemi over the minds of
Ike geoefility of maukitd) some troops raffia,