The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-05-31

ATOMS,
Y ~ IN l lestsy. dated aai Apxll
q 4 / Bs w "a xA;sh. IDasL %. ~
N IN \ fIssnlrs in giving them % our readers,
Rai2lfy Important services, and glorious death Of
Leut Ewcr well deserved the tribute OF praise yielded 10
- them by hesoic comnandersinchsf and his family
the proud recollection oftc danntess bearing Of The
youthful hero But this soace is sadly imperfect
Though the voice Of fame
May for moment soohe, 1t cannot stake
The lever Of vain longing; and the name
20 honored, but assumes bittsrer, stronger claim.
81 received your letter just as started from Vera
Cruz tAwil l2) towards this place, Dalapa) Twelve
very strong pass, called Cerro Gordo where General
Twggs, with his DIVISION had halted until the advance
q me man e9dy o. our army We reached I'm his camp y
remained inactive until the I7th ! mean we did not
fight much during that time We spent the hours in re-
connolzing cutting roads getting up guns &c On the
18th, Gen. Twiggs, with his division, (Which includes
the riesD made brisk attack on the enemy; and that
night the division slept on its arms. The assault was
made on the Cerro Gordo in grim earnest on the 18th
Here follows sketch OF the ground, and some desgna
ton OF the position occupied by the different corps. and
also BY the enemy-he forts, &c. OF the Mexcans-the
situation Of the mountains &c, &c Gen Pillows ,s dr.
minutes the firing OF musketry could be compared to
nothing more APPLY, I'm my op'non 50 far as its yoey
ing frequency concerned than to fierce showers oil
hail on a roof The volunteers retired for mo-
ment rallied, and again advanced, but were again
driven back. In the meantime, strong attack was
made the centre, or the pass OF Cerro Gordo This
was the key Of the position, and considered lby
the Mexcans) TO be mpregnabe. Our general, with,
out considering i fmpregnG6ie, was SO sensible OF
its importance that he massed against some OF The best
troops in the army. The LIST artillery the Sd infantry
the It'll infantry some companies Of the 4h and the rifle
I'm he Cen TwiOp 40 cOluu (rOn osn1
OF the regiments just named) had driven the Mexcans
from Of their redoubs after sharp skimsh On the
1Sh-of which have spoken areadythe troops above
mentioned with the dragons placed in and pro-
tected by bluff Of rocks, rushed forward like torrent,
and in less time and finer style than should have sup
doubts and tearing down the Mexican flag the fort
the summit Of the pass, up the American colors in
their place Some Of those who have described this af
fair, talk OF these brave fellows winning their way up
the hillside inch by inch;' b,n that's all CANNON
The intervening space was traversed at run and riM
atM-nothng else would have carried that gallant
column through the storm OF fire that swept their
path The fort thus won high conical HILL
commanding the other works 1t ,cas the key Of the posi-
ion. The moment Il was stomed, the work attacked by
Gen. Pillow surrendered. II about half an hour
after this, when the LIST dragoons moved forward We
found about 6Ooo Mexicans giving up their arms The
IN infantry was experimenting the operation Al tins
Lieut. Ewel, Of the rifles, after entering the enemys
works in advance OF all his command had fallen
ly wounded FASTENED to the spot with his brother,
Lieut. r. s. Ewe OF LIST Dragons, and found Tom Ewell
lying under blanket, fixed to shade him from the
and several officers OF his regiment around him. His
ed his brother But we ordered 10 pursue the
Mexican lancers; and all of us, including r. S. Ewel,
continued on Their traces until recalled BY an order from
18th, saw Ewel again. He was then suffering less,
but life had nearly ebbed. | approached him with his
brother and after we drew near ah nos Ewei though
~ AiR brother, that the doctor had informed him his
T xass mortal learned from Others that T.
coa Till the utmost GOODNESS and ability,
and his report formed the plan Of
aaAA 39sh, He discovered a ravine leading to
withS Nf the enemy's works; and, ms have
bsltlg n III tife way to them on the 18th, and was
sthe first Is eteT Them He gave his brother an account
of the stomng IN my hearing, and you might easily see
described the hill which the main fort stood,
large cone about 600 500 feet high difficult Of access
crowned on the summit with work OF masonry 20 feet
square, 30 feet high, and loophoed; around this
beaswork about 40 yards across; and lower down was
another beastwork SO yards across Tom Ewel led the
attack until the Mexcans were driven within the inner
ring, and the Americans formed outside the outer
To his own words. The word was given to charge
and jumped over the work; my company raised shout
ond work, and found about 200 Mexicans lying down
and ready to fire. passed my sword through the FIRST
e ret one fsd rs ps,f into me- nm
ss saG sss s Du'
General Scott went TO the hill where he lay, kne by his
sde and taking his hand spoke in the kndest and hand
soonest Of his services that day. He told him
:. need not tell you how much we iove great
captain The foresight which planned and anticipated
every Of the struggle Cerro Gorde belongs 10 no
common mind. And then general is solder-like
He for whom all of would do all things, bear
all things, defy all things. An inferior general would
have wasted his strength by attack all along the
mys front: Scott struck at the decisive point and the
blow crushing After that, resistance paralyzed
everywhere.
.'The dragons had opportunity this time but our
turn may come yet some day" :.