Virginia statesman. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1828-1829, 1828-06-04
NO. %.

NIGH a pitch, Tor them TO be able to listen
TO a call Of duty. Finding, therefore. any
further attempts useless, | determined To
give their attack, since they were resolved E
to make it. all the additional effect which
regularity and discipline could confer.
The moment | announced this intention.
they paid implicit obedience to my orders.
Having completed my dispositions, | lay
down behind the ridge, along with the men.
Night had, bythis time, completely closed
in. the cloudswere racking over the moon,
which was near its full-and gave. when
its surface vas unobscured, that strong s.
distinct liglt which is scarcely ever seen
in the northern attitudes. never shall
forget thesensadons which / underwent as
y Law: cannot say that thoy a',,eu,a'aa 60
fear, but a sort Of sckening anxiety OPP
pressed and almost choked me. never
felt thus before or since, / had been in
all the thick of the work since 1908, and
had been in almost every principal action
that had been fought; and continued in &C
tive service to the very end of the war,
having been wounded IN the last ahah that
took place, namely, at the sorhe at Bay
onne. Yet at no time have | ever felt any
thing at all resembling the sensations OF
that hour.
At the least noise, every ear was on the
alert: and several times we thought the en-
envy was upon us when it was only false
alarm. On one ofthese occasions, as /
raised myself upon my arm to listen, my
eye CHANGED TO light upon the countenance
Of Valesquez, VINO lay within three yards
of me. The moon shone full upon him,
and even now | almost shudder as | call
to mind the CHASTITY expression 1t revealed
to my view His face, pale, attenuoted a.
wan. would have seemed more like that of
a corpse than a living man, If 1t had not
been for the burning expression ofhis blood
red eyes. from which a dark lucid light
seemed to CLEAN. The state Of iatense
excitaton in which he was, had caused
him TO bleed at the nose. and the blood had
tricklcd down upon the upper lp unheeded,
and clung clotted on his moustache. As
| looked on him. saw him suddenly start,
his ear had caught before mine, the loOiag
and tramplmg of cattle, and the tread Of
men, which heard Immediately after
wards. "Be steady" / exclaimed, "and
do not fire until give the word;" and 1
again laid down, and we all remained Sic
lent.
AS the enemy advanced, was enabled
to reconnoItre them by the light of the
moon which was now clear and unlmpe-
| ded Tony extreme surprise and dlscom-
! fort, found that what we had been led to
consider as a mere foraging party Of fifty
men, was in facta detachment of at least
two hundred and fifty strong; | easily
discerned the commanding officer who
rode on "a mule. The moon shone direct
| " upon his face, and saw distinctly, that
Immense moustaches, white as the driven
snow, overshadowed all the lower part Of
/ the face. There was no installing such
a man. Velasquez saw him also, for he
made a sort of convulsive spring which
would have betrayed us prematurey, had
not pressed my hand forcibly upon his
arm, and kept him in his place. The
| French were. at this time, about one hum
dred yards from US, on our left, advancing
with little or no order, and preceded by
drove of about twenty bulocks, driven
! by eight or ten Spanlards. looked at
their dense mass as they came on and
then at our scanty force which consisted
of not above ninety-Gve men. Ii IS true,
the keencst and fercest determination
shone in the dark and expressive eye Of
nv Cacadores-but dreaded their impet-
uosty-and / awaited the result with a
strong anxiety. knew right we'll that
10 quarter would be given-none received.
l. Victory or death0 was not an unmcanins
cry, but an unavoidable alternative
On they came: the cattle in front Of al,
and then the Spanlards, whose looks OF
citation plainly showed they expected
what was to happen. Notwithstanding all
! had said. the Portuguese were 50 lmpa-
tient that they had scarcely waited for the
last Of the drivers to get past tnem-WheD
they called 10 them, "lake care" they
nointed their fire into the French column.
| rs effect was murderous. The whole
line had fired. with the exception Of the
small body Immediately around me, who
had before staid with me, and the close
ness of the enemy caused almost every
shot to tell. At one part Of the line our
men could have almost touched the en-
emy with the muzzles Of their fire locks.
But the officer had escaped-we saw him
upon his mule, encouraging his men, who
were taken aback by so unexpected and