Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1846-07-30
BURLINGTON, IOWA, JULY 80, 1916

posted along the road, within the chapar.
rail- Gen. Taylor then ordered Ridgeley,
with his battery, to forward and clear the
way-Capts. Mccall and Smith to de
ploy on the right and left. as skirmishers,
until reinforced by the 9Th and S,h.-
Ridgely waited not moment, bu. started
his battery at full speed, determined to
have no more long taw shooting, but test
the Mexican metal at close quarters. As
he charged, with one loud shout from his
men, the Mexicans opened their artillery
and muskeiry from b upon him. On
he went, until he halted pieces within one
hundred yards of the muzzle of the enc.
my's pieces Cat A. and commenced the
action. Smith aud Mccall soon depIoy-
ed, and engaged the infantry. The fire
from the Mexican guns was awful. The
infantry were engaged within twenty
PAGES Of Ridgeley's Battery, and the
whole fire of their nine pieces concentrat.
ed on his battery. The first shot from
the Mexican Battery knocked over one
man and three horses at our first piece.
The enemy fired too high, as on the day
| before. The 9Th and 9Th Infantry soon
came up. deployed as skirmishers, and
took hand in the game-the space sep
Grating the two lines of infantry not ex-
ceeding twenty PAGES. Our men and
officers seemed particularly determined TO
have close hug of the enemy, and so cool
and collected were all hands, that not a
shot was thrown away. The command
from one end of the line to the other was,
not to fire until you could see the whites
of their eyes.
AT this time no adequate idea can be
had Of the showers OF grape, canister,
and round shot that flew from the ene-
my's batteries-it was perfect hail.
storm. Their battery, composed Of nine
pieces. kept up an incessant roar, whilst
Rldgeley gave il to them at the rate of
four guns per minute from each piece
The cannoneers threw off their coats; tied
their suspenders around their waists;
rolled their sleeves TO the shoulder, and
piled the match increasingly. For TWEEN
ty minutes this battery, supported by the
9th and 9Th, bore the concentrated fire OF
the enemy. As yet the enemy budged
not one inch, but soon the entering wedge
was placed, the 9Th and 9Th, under cover
of our battery, tried the effect of cold
steel, and whenever soldier missed the
Mexican with his shot, he advanced-as
did the brave Mexican-and whoever got
the frs, stab a, the other was the lucky
man.
A momen, before this the enemy press
ed Ridgely's battery very hard; the infan.
try covering his battery. in deploying, got
too far at times from his pieces, and ef,
them exposed. l was requested by Ridge.
ly 10 ride back and say to the General
that they were pressing his pieces very
hard. to send up some infantry. a,
once did so, and met the General riding
along as though nothing was going en-.
He replied to the message-'Oh, never
mind! He is doing very well Let him
alone-!here is no fear of him. l return
ed and found them driving the enemy.
BY this time the Sd and 9TH came gal
lantly on, deploying on the right and left
Then came the heavy blows that KEEP
the wedge moving. FRS. came a roune
from the battery. then blow on the RICH
from the 9Th and Sd, and then one from
the left by the 9Th and 4th; and so it was
the word was Push along-keep NOV
ing!' until Rdgely placed his batter,
where theirs first stood, and our mel
stood on the same ground that had beer
held by their infantry, and which wa
then covered by their dead and wounded
By this time Gen. Taylor was up II
the front rank Of the fight, with Coils
Mcintosh, Payne. and his staff. Hi
attention was riveted on Ridgely's bate
ry as though wondering if it were POSSIBLE
a Hght artillery battery could do so mucl
service, for entire nous, the General wa
not particularly an advocate of this arm
before this campaign. Very soon it ap
peared as though the enemy in retiring
with their battery across the ravne to tn
point c, had arranged it SO as 10 have tn
General and Ridgely's battery both il
their line Of fire, for the grape flew .hicl
and fast around him. Adj't Gen. Bills
advised him to change his position bu
no, he saw very we'll from where he was
and did not leave it for some time.
! AT this time the struggle was tremen
dous, the infantry had captured one piec
Of artillery on this side the ravine, an
) was charging across the pond Of water
, At times an interval would be left betwee
8 two of our companies and the Mexican
would charge across the ravine and TAX
+ a position there. In one instance, l.,
Deas the gallant Adjutant of the 5th, wit
ten men, asking me to rally as man,
more and follow, charged into the bashe
! where party of Mexicans on our sid
Of the ravine were obssinately disputin
r inch by inch with our men, and afte
placing the men in position. we wheele
to ride out for a reinforcement, whe
seven Mexicans jumped from behind u
r and within ten PAGES Of us and fred a
! we charged past them without doing an
! injury. however, Of consequence. Fo
! some time the cannonading and musketr
, though doing tremendous execution
could not drive the enemy, but at last a
the infantry closed the distance the enc
!. my had to move. Every regiment of in
> fantry did its duty, the fighting assume