The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1847-04-16

; anne time pouring n deadly fire upOl
them at an acute angle. They had {,
pass through gorge IN the mountain be
lore they could get under the protection
OF their own battery, and here they Iva,
to take 1t INST unmerrilully. They al
got hudd;ed together without any order
and both batteries playing upon them wll
grape and canister. moved them dow
IN iilulcs. They now felt he CRYING iar
quarters. or at least hoistd q White n,g
aud sent IT to Gen. Tay lor who Was no
Tar of. The bearer Of II had the simple
question 10 PROFOUND "Mr Ia, lor. what
do YOU wani?" Il want Won all To sur
render as prisoners OF war, and give you
hall an hour to make up your minds, -
was Taylor's reply, and the flag started
back. But II had no sooner got ont OF
thc reach Of or nusketry, than tie hca-
W battery at the mountain opened upon
Gen. Taylor AT his staff, and ball
came vi Lin an inch # the Generals
breast. by his rick hey got out of the
/ ilsh' place Ihey were in, and were maxi
ng Tor heir camp, when, to increase their
mIsI'rtunrs, they were headed Ivy can
nonade from thcr own battery at The
camp. tie o. lect Of which undoublcdl;
was TO make them stand their ground.
1t was now rhat Col. Hardin, who had
got NJ an additional company e Lis reg
imcnt by this time, was ordered. having
asked for the order several times before.
to make charge upon the heavy Mexi-
can battery rear the foot Of the noun
tain. tha, had been terribly in our way
all dry. But lie knew not how heavily
that battery was supported. Tie Mexi-
cans relied upon II as their righ, arm,
and besides the immense columns they
had all day in the engagement, they kept
reserve Of or 1000 cavalry and Ian.
GERS behind a hill corcealirg them com.
PItieIy from US, to suTpor, the battery
IN any event. So when they saw their
whole force retreallng. they easily knew
NAV on S'' 'ill'l "bNIN W HidNt NIlln lllt
battery. and their r. serve was immediate.
~ moved up. Hardin dashed III with
his five companies confident tia, he would
have no difficulty in driving the re,rea,lng
Mexican lrgions, though they might out.
number him 90 TO I; but lie had barely
opened his FIRE, when this reserve came
upon him; yet hi. boys stood their
ground; and next Gel. Clay advanced
to his assistance with part of IN. rrg'-
ment; and Col. Bisse of the q EBinci.
brought up fragment Of his. and here
this handful of men maintained Il cir
ground for over half an hour against not
ONLY the reserve that had come IN. but
against the whole Mexican army that
could find room 10 fire open them. No
other I1rccs was sent 10 their aid, and IN |
deed IT would have been folly To- 10 80.
and the order was given to rs'roat. hat |
10 effect this ihev had eilhe, 10 eros, a /
rise of ground 10 ge, back to lir haaacc |
of our iorces, where they would be CON /
peielv exposed 10 the deadly ire at tUr
whole Mexican force, or dawn q ray,ucI
lllat headed imwcjlirlv ~ lt.ir rear.
Most OF lhen took dow the rac.ur; bat
It was a mile Ia the road. and 10. they rau
down, both sides Of the rlyjna were lined
with Mexican cavalry add liuccrs. who
had fir play upon .hom, and our BOYS
were cut down by dozens. M aman
got ont of the ravIne bu, made hundred
hair breadth escapes. But many noble F,
fellow fell, and not one dropped but was
pierced with a dozen Of Ianrrs. No
quarters were given TO such as wished tn !
surrender. ahd tot q wounded man was |
found in the ravine. Col. Clay fell with |
wound in the ankle near the head Of the
ra'ne, and was picked up and carried
few hundred yards by two Of his men
but tie lancers came upon them so fast
tina, he told them TO drop him and save
themselves, which they did, and poor
Col. Clay was Immediately pierced IN a
hundred places and stripped Of every
thread of clothing lie had about him.
Col. Hardin got down the rayine and ont
of it, and had just turned into the mouth .
Of the next below 1t, when he was struck |
down by 2 or 3 Iancers, and the scoun-
drcs tina, did il never left him until they |
had pierced him in dozen Of places. |
every wound in itself sunicicn, to Kill |
him. But The villains hadn't time to
strip him Of lis clothing, and were con.
tent to take his watch and some so or $50 |,
of nancy lie had in his pocket. The
lancers followed our boys clear into the |
road, and cut down several in sight of the
force a, the pass; but at this time Col.
Washington opened upon them and um-
bled half dozen, which turned the rest
back, and about 900 OF our boys came in |
safe under the fire Of his battery.
Thus ended this most unfortunate
heavies,-indeed the only |
reverse Of the day. ]! was Col, Ilardin's
own movement. by permission only of
Cen. Taylor, and whether wise or not,
II cost hlm his life, and lha, of many gal. |
laui spirits besides. That the charge
would have been successful, but for the
concealed reserve, no one doubts for a |
moment, and if it had been successful |