Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-06-01

\ letter from New Orleans. publ, he'd in
the National Intelligence speaking o., ia
late brilliant actions CA tho Rio Gaude. ssys
All accounts alee uhat the Mexican suny
who fought Con. Tayior we've well and fully
equipped aud supplied with every requisite
and that they displayed much skill and firm.
ness in action. Conceal Ncgt now here. AYE
that the charge made 10y The dflgoons under
CJpt. May and the consequent capture of ths
Mexican artillery. saved the AmsTican Army.
These guns wer not only sdSantagsously posi-.
ed, but had a brcastwurk thrown up. with q
ditch IN front of tin fact an actual battery.
80 soon as Gen. Taylor perceived IL. he rpit
up TO Capt. May aud told him he must luke
II al any cost, and of hr dashed. at the h,-ad
Oi three troops ol dragons, going forward like
q tornado, bounding over ditch, brrastwolk.
ant every thing else that came ina MS wal,
followed by tile fifth infantry, in full ran.
who nobly Supported him, althuugh of riur-e
The horses heels Ouistipped them la the mcc.
One oi the published acCounis states thlt the
MeNIcans subs quently renamed these guns.
but learn this was not The case. as the fifth
regiment followed 80 clos that thcl prevent
ed A., aud the Mexicans ucVcr again tired those
guns, aud they remained in our possession.
Eighteen of the ~dragoou,, among them the lst
Lieut.. oi Mays men, fell or were di,mouutei
by their fire IN the charge. a simultaneous
cheer rang through the ranks as they saw thc
dragons 80 calamity dash over the brcos,
work, and, as one letter cNprcsses IL, fright
through the MeNiCaus like "A streak OF light
ming Capt. MAY killed himself three Mex
leans IN the charge, and personally made Gen.
Vega his prisoner. SO adyantageously was
this battery posted, one letter says, that. had
Il not been Immediately silenCel, ii would I'm
u very short tint have made sad havoc In our
ranks, and the sudden fall OF two or three hun
dred of our men under It's fire might have made
a very unhappy result; as it was il never fired
but one ound. The poor "benightcd Crea-
lures ! suppose, never dreamt OF Dragons
s%torming a battery. Another striking feature
IN the battle, aud at which Gen. Vega has oX-
pressed great surprise. was the manner i'm
which our artillery was manruyr Il and ser
we'd; the CELEBRITY and precision OF It's fire was
a subject of general remark and admiration:
one portion Of IL dashed forward with the hor-
ses al top speed against a body OF Mexican in
iantTy, aud before the latter had hardly tim,
10 see what IL was OF make amy movement.
they had halted, the horses were detached.
the guns unlimhercd, aud pouring in thcgrape
with such rdpidIty aud effect that the Mexi-
cans broke al once undcr thc fire.
The letters say that, from the FIRST TO the
last OF the action, there was not "a mistake. n
false movement on one moments hesitation or
wavcnpg on the part of either officers or men
m the most prompt execution OF every orler.
that was given. | have always understood
that a finer set OF officers were never collect
ed with any army, and they do distinguished
honor to West Point, where nearly the whole
OF them graduated.