Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1845-11-27

1
against pe-shot and cannon balls,
which would for the most pass over our
heads.
After the first discharge, they gal
Hoped towards US about hundred pa
ces, stopped again to load, fired again,
and advanced once more hundred pa
ces; halted anew, and repeated this sin
gular challenge, until they We're about
one hundred and fifty PAGES from us
Then they seemedto reflect for while.
I'VE still kept quiet. Evidently the
dragons were afraid ofsome ambush;
at least their warlike ardor seemed to
be much cooler, though the officerstook
every possible pains to revive it; at last,
however, they succeeded in making
two squadrons advance; the others
slowly followed.
| sWe had waited for this. Six of
our men were ordered TO Jump on the
bank, to take aim at the officers, and to
jump down again behind the bank as
soon as they had fred
sOur six brave rifllemen executed
the somewhat dangerous manevre with
surprising GOODNESS, before the face Of
the enemy, furiously firing at a distance
of scarcely fifty PAGES. They climbed
on the bank, quietly took their aim,
fired, and jumped behind the bank.
CAS- we had expected their small
number brought the enemy to within
the desired distance. He hesitated
however, at first, especially as some
three or four officers fell, but as soon as
our menhad disappeared behind the
bank, the squadrons made charge
But now Tanning got on the bank with
thirty Of our men; they leyelled their ri
files, took their aim, and firing success
|sively, they shot down one dragon after
another from their horses, always taking
the foremost ones as we had advised.
Wharton and myself, who followed with
the reserve of thirty-six men, as soon
as Tanning had fred his shots, had
nearly time to fire ten shots, when the
Dragons wheeled to the right as if they
were told TO do so, and ran off, full
speed. Our rifles had done too much
havoc! Like sheep attacked by a wolf,
they dispersed on all sides. valnIy
did the officers seek to stop the fugi-
tives. Enfreaties, threats, the drawn
swords, and even blows could not prevail
upon them to halt; and to tell the truth,
it was rather dangerous thing to halt,
as at hundred PAGES most of our
marksmen were sure Of squirrel, and
of course much more so of a Durango
dragoon.
But we had given orders to our men
to shoot slowly, and to retreat behind
the bank, each one Of them as soon as
he had fired, to reload Immediately, so
that some thirty or forty of our small
troop were always ready to FIRE, if the
enemy should make a general attack.
Our first welcome, however, had
cooled their ardor, and for while, it
was even doubtful whether they would
at all venture second attack, though
the officers took all possible trouble to
bring them 10 new charge; but their
prayers, menaces and reproaches, were
without avail for long time. Seen at
a distance, their gesticulations, the
dreadful blows which they made at US,
the capers which they caused their spir-
I tied horses to perform, looked strange
enough, real comedy, although l
must say for the sake oftruth, that. their
officers really evinced more courage,
resolvedness, and point of honor, than
had hitherto expected from them.--
They alone had not been afraid of our
rifles, so that almost all those Of the
two squadrons had been shot and the
few who were surviving, far from being
deferred, were the more anxious to
bring their men again to the advance.
AT last i. seemed as if they were
going to be successful. The way in
which they reached their end, was
strange and truly Mexican! Riding at
the head of their squadrons, they con-
stantly ran a hundred PAGES or more
ahead, and then ga.loped back again,
to show, as it were, that there was no
danger. Every one of these mannu-
vres made the Dragons also advance
some thirty or forty PAGES, as it were,
mechanically and involuntarily, when
they again halted, as if TO TIE word Of
command, looking on all sides, wheth
er they could see none Of the dreadful
riAes:--then the officers rode again a.
head, and the dragons agsinfollowed;
and thus they gal!oped and advanced
at leastten times; stopped, looked, and
advanced again, until they had arrived
to within hundred PAGES.