The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1847-05-28

the movement Of the army under IN,
command since my last official re.
port.
On the evening of the 9th Of Feb.
ruary, lS17, we left the town Of T.
Paso del Norte, escorting the mer,
chant train or caravan of 3l5 wag.
ons for the city Of Chihuahua. Oul
force consisted of 92I effe ctive men
One hundred and seventeen officer.
and privateS Of the artillery SO O
Lieut.. Col. Mitchell's escort, ant
the remainder the lst regiment Mis-
souri, mounted volunteers. We pro.
crossed in the dire ction of this place
until the 18th, when we were inform.
ed by our spies that the enemy, to
tie number of l,500 men, were al
lnSeneaS, the country seat Of Gov.
Trias, about 20 miles in advance.
When we arrived, on the evening
OF the Goth, near that point, we
found that the force had retreated
In the direction Of this city. On the
evening Of the 9th we arrived at
Sans, and learned from our spies
that the enemy, in great force had
fortified the pass Of the Sacramento
river, about 10 miles in advance,
and about the same distance from
this city. We were also informed
that there was no water between
the point we were atand that occu-
ped by the enemy; we therefore
determined to halt until morning.
At sunrise on the 2Sth, the last day
OF February, we took up the line OF
march and formed the whole train,
consisting Of 3l5 heavy traders wag-
ons and our commisSary and compa.
ny wagons, into four columns, thus
shortening our line so as to make it
more easily protected. We placed
the artillery and all the command,
except 200 cavalry proper, in the
intervals between the columns OF
wagons. We thus fully concealed
our force and its position by masking
our force with the cavalry. When
We arrived within three miles of tie
enemy, we made a reconnaissance
OF his position and the arrangement
OF his forces This we could easily
do, the road leading through IN onon
prairie valley between the steril
mountains. The pass of the Sacra-
mento is formed by point of the
mountains on our right, their left
extending into the valley or plain so
as to narrow the valley to about | !
miles. On our left was a deep dry
channel Of creek, and between
these points the plain rises TO sixty
feet abruptly. This rise is in the
form of crescent, the convex part
being TO the north of our forces. On
the right, from the point of noun
tains, a narrow part of the plain cx-
tends north | miles further than on
the left. The main road passes down
the centre of the valley and across
the crescent, near the left or dry
branch.
The Sacramento rises in the noun
tains on the right, and the road falls
On it about one mile below the bat
tle-held or eEtrenchment of the en-
envy. We asceItained that the enc
my had one battery of four guns, two
nine and six Founders, on the point
OF the mountain on our right (their
left, at good elevation to sweep
the plain and at the point where the
mountains extended furthest into the
plain, On ourleft their right they
had another battery on an elevation
commanding the road and three en-
trenchments OF two six Founders,
and on the brow of the crescent near
the centre another Of two six and
four and six culverins, or rampant
pieces, mounted on carriages; and
on the crest Of the hill or ascent be.
tween the batteries, and the right
and left they had 81 redoubts due
and thrown up, extending at short
intervals across the whole ground
In these their infantry were place.
and were entirely protected. Theft
cavalry was drawn up in front of tn,
redoubts in the intervals four deep
and in front Of the redoubts two
deep, so as to mask them as far a,
practicable. When we had arrived
within one and a half miles of I'll,
entertainments along the main road
we advanced the cavalry still fur.
thcr, and suddenly diverged will
the columns TO the right so as to gain
the narrow part Of the ascent on on,
right, which the enemy discovering
endeavored TO prevent by MOVING
forward with 1000 cavalry and Gou,
pieces OF cannon in their rear mask.
ed by them. Our movements wcr,
so rapid that we gained the cleva,
ton with our forces and the advance
OF our wagons in time TO form bclot,
they arrived within reach Of on,
guns. The enemy halted and W,
advanced the head of our colum,
within 200 wards of thc,, en- No !,