Arkansas intelligencer., 1847-05-22
GENERAL TNL0RS OFFICIAL DISPATCHES
Detailed Report Of Battle of Burna IiSla.
lILAu-u, AElEH>, ARMY OF OccUP,r,ux. !,

i@n" NUsra, March t, IeI7 (
Sr-l have Ihe honor 10 submit a detailed re.
port OF the operations Of the forces under nv
command which resulted in the engagement of
Bucna Vista, the rrpulse of the Mexican rmy
and the reoccupatlon of this position.
The information which reached me of the nd
vance and Concentration Of a heavy Mexican
force in my front, had assumed such a probable
form, us TO induce n special Examination far be.
yond tie reach OF our plckcIs to ascertain Its
correctn IS. small party Of Texan spies urL, r
Mayor McCuIIoch. despatched to the hacicnda Of
lncarnacIon, thirty miles from this on the route
of San LUIS Potosl, had reported Il cavalry force
OF unknown strength at that pace. On the 2Oth
of r. bruarl strong reconnaissance under Lieut.
Col. May was dispatched % the hacienda of He
cIiouda, white MhIor McCuIloch made another
examination of lncarnntion. The results of these
expeditions left no doubt thai he enemy was in
large force at iucarEaclon under the orders of
Gen. Santa Anna, and that he mcdlalcd IL for
ward moN emcnt and attack upon our pC"uou
AS the camp OF Aqua Nueya could be turned
on either flank, and rs tie cucmy's force WIS
greatly SUPERIOR TO our own. particularly III the
arm of cnvaIry, dclermu, d, after much cun~lG.
"raion t. take up position about eleven miles in
rear. and ttere await the attack. Tho arm,
broke up It's camp and marched at noon on the
2l>l, CncrmpIng at the position IL little in
Il
small force | procccucd to SalliIlo to make some
necessary arrar gcmcnIs for the defence of the
town, leaving Bng. Gen. Wool in the immediate
command of the troops.
Before these arrangements were completed on
the morning. of the 22d, | WAS advised that the
enemy was III sight, advancing. Upon reaching
the ground It was found that his cavalry advance
was IN our front, hav ing marched from iucarna
con, as We haze since learned, AT IL O'Clock on
the day previous and driving IN n mounted force
left at Aqua Nueva TO cover the removal of public
stores. Our troops were III position occupying
line Of remarkable strength. The road at this
point becomes narrow dctiic, the valley on lis
rgh! bein., rendered quite impractcabIe for artiI-
lery by u system Of deep and impossible gul!cs,
while on the left II succession Of rugged ridges
and precipltous ravines extends far back towards
the mountain which bounds tho valley. The
features Of the ground were such nearly TO
paraIyze the artillery and cavalry, Of the enemy,
while his infantry could not derive all the advan-
lage ofits numerical superiority. In this position
we prepared 10 receive him. Capt. Washington s
battery (4lh ArtIIlery) was posted to comma nd
the road, whlo the lst and ID Illinois regiments.
undor Coils. Hardin and Bissell, each eight COM
panies, Ito the latter of which was attached Capt.
Conner's company of Texas volunteers) and the
ID Kentucky, under Col. Mckee. occupied the
cresls Of the ridges the left and in rear. The
Arkansas and kentucky regiments, of cavalry
commanded by Co.'s. Yell and Ii. Marshall, oc-
cupled the extreme LETT the base of the
mountain, while the Indiana brigade, under Brig.
Gen. Lane, Composed of the I'd and Sd Regiments
under Coils. Bowes and Lane) the Mississippi
rlhemen, under Col Davis, the squadrons of the
lst and ID Dragons under Capt. Stecn and Lieut..
Col. May, and the light batteries of Capls Sher.
man and Bragg, 3d Artillery, held in re.
serve. AT | | o'clock | receives from Cen Santa
Anna summons to surrender at discretion
which, with copy of my reply, have already
Transmitted. the enemy still forbore his attack
evidently waiting for the arrival of his rear col
umns which could be distinctly seen by ourlook
outs as they approached the field. A demonstra.
ton made on his left caused me to detach the 20
Kentucky regiment and section Of artillery tc
our right, in which position they bIvouacked fol
the night. In the meantime the Mexican hgh
troops had engaged ours on the extrcnn" lcf
Composed Of parts the Kentucky and Arkansas
cavalry dsmounted and rife battalion from the
Indiana Brigade under Major German, the whole
commanded by Col. MarshalI;) and kept up
sharp fire, climbing the mountain side, and appar
emily endeavoring to gain our henk. Three
pieces of Capt. Wushington's battery had beel
detached TO the left, and were supported by tn