Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1847-05-22
From, the Ar,,,v
We arc indebted 70 the Kindness al fti.na 10, ,hs o.
portuny aying before the following interest.
Ing Letter from an Officer in tho Army.

drcd mies. rom Vera Cruz to this nlae. e,.s,,v 49,
ago to-day We fought the battle Cero Gordo with san
Ia Anna, ms army numbering ID or 1000 men. Before
this reaches you. will doubtless have read the official
account OF that engagement The enemy had taken nm
very song posuSn al pass in the mountains. had forth
ned H. and planted in position 30 OF 40 pcccs of artillery
The heights which they occupied were very precipi,ous
The one on their left indeed naturally so strong and
So diellt ct access, that they deemed for any
ofee To urn H. This We have learned the battle
They had possession OF several heights Their left rested
on two very hsh hills, or rather mountains the most
vanced OF which. and by far the s called Ceo
Go-do or big hill" and gives name TO the battle In Tho
road to Mexico, which winds around the base of hi. hill
the enemy had planted battery OF heavy guns in sueh
position as To sweep aud command entirely. To their
rgh and next TO Cerro Gordo, they had occupied and
iorHhed several other heights BY referring TO a map Of
MeSeo you can understand this better When l speak
VI the right or LETT OF the road right or left As
they faced towards their right course as our lett and
ries versa We heard % them time before we ar
riNed ON the ground. Our division made mos, atguinr
march ON the 10Th. the day before ball opened in
10 be there IN time. We heard cannon 30 miles of and
then we suited sdnd for Plan del Rio be-
tore the bac We started from the Pucne Nacionsc or
National Bridge, at IN the afternoon and marching ~ or
2S miles that night arrived camp about O'Clock on the
morning OF the Nth GA the morning, advance
under General Twggs opened the attack the following
manner. They following the road until nearly up Ia the
batteries, which have described planted In the road
aud thea detecting Ia the right wound around the base
the hrst height. charged and took IT, Our los. in
KILLED and wounded. on the inst day, amounted nearly
fifty.
ga the next day We all marched out TO take Cerro Cor
do which commands all the other positions To the right aud
'front.' following the road Gen. Twiggs had taken the
day before. When IN sight, the enemy from
height the right CeTro Gordu gave us few
~ round aud but without fleet. while the mean
time battery at from the hegh taken the day before
giving them trouble. Arriving the OF Ger
Gor", the Regulars charged aud carried the height
The MeXcans fought we'll standing unl our oops were
yards ct them. aud them even until we
got into their bTcaswoks They then broke. however
and seiEng their artillery turned upon them and
killed great numbers they descended the hill in order to
get the road. The inside Of the breast~,rk
where they made the most desperate. stand presented an
awful spectacle. Some OF wounded Were in the last
n DEATH and the dead aud dying shot IN every
Imaginable part the body. lyinv about IN all drec
tons. Just as we entered. Mexican officer General Vas
que sy dead aud him five or six others in the
same condition. noticed poor fellow whose he ad
had been carried entirely awsy by ball Some %
the wounded were uerine the most unearthly ye from
the PAIN 81 their wounds Their, lay of
brave fellows. Lieut. Ward formerly my regiment was
shot through the shoulder q him. and found
him quite lively.
whlic attack WAS going on Gen Pillow of the yo
unteers assaed the Mexican right and rcpused with
considerable loss
Gen Shields, rcar, came upon battery uncxpee
edly aud received Stape-shpt through his Not
withsianding however, the battery taken His force
consisted oi regulars and Illinois volunteers am
happy learn that he Is likely recovcr desperac n his
wound would SpPeir TO be.
A. marched in the morning we met several men
who had been shot the day before marching back to camp
With icr amputaied. and the stunps sticking
They Regulars. We ordered 10 TALL in again
immediately five six thousand OF the enemy were still
right. We marched down the hall into tho main
road, which winds around the base Cero Gordo which
had Just been taken. As went down. saw some most
distressing sights. poor woman shot through the thigh
the side OF the road and husband despc
ltry wounded holding her with both hands to prevent
her from bleeding to death. Our gave them some
and bread and did all that the hurry o the moment
would allow TO alleviate their sutferngs. poor fellow
who lay wounded IN the road seeing that was an officer
begged Gods sake him taken care Of and Il,
help him. told HIM II should be DONE but that could moi
now attend TO him. We gave him water from our can
teens. and bread. aud am happy say not only lac
but all the wounded that could be found afterwards
properly attended TO.
We marched down into the road and formed in column
having been informed that the enemy, who occuped the
heights the right might attempt TO escape by cutip0
their way through In few moments however they
sent IN white flag asking certain terms &c Gen Scott
replied that nothing would do but surTen
der Ii was after this returned that we ex-
pected them 10 attack In few moments however an
received the effect that they surrendered IN
eOHdOHaiy, prisoners Of Thus ended the battle
OF Cerro Gordo. We to. some four or five Generals
them La Vega aud his Aids who were taken At
lie Ia Palma, not quite year since. We took ao
i've thousand Prisoners twenty thirty pieces of
ullery, all their ammunition eight thousand stand Of
and mules horses and baggage of every description
Santa Annals private carriage, and about $4,000 in specie
also captured. He fed early in the engagement-
morning. whereas the attack did commence until or
after. HIS siny has been enurely broken up.
We returned camp, taking the pris ,ners with us -
They were marched into large plain the Rio del Plan
and surrounded bv guard Gen Vega and others
remaining with Gems Scott and Worth. Cant Bays +, al
Gen. Vega aid with that night lie had lost every
thing. made bed for him in my We had long
conversation in French, with regard the OF the
day. lie said the battle n terrible blow upon Mexico
Tie appeared TO the existence OF war between the
two counlnos and said that IN against head
ne would unite with Us, any time, heartily TIL
however, between Sister Republics he regarded not on IN
unnaturs but absolutely suicidal lie seemed To be
under the impression that peace would follow the ter
ribe Of that day. lie desired IT, he said IN st N
denuy, Tor he had been much pleased with his tie
United states. and spoke rsptucs Of our fair country
women. learned from him that La Vega commanded the
troops that had repulsed the attacks Gen Pillow whose
command he said very badly beaten He c1pfessed
his lst0nishmen success aud declared thn bef,
the battle he had the slightest idea that tue Mexican
position could have been carried 10y any troops earth-
We late night. and in the morning invited hm
u breakfast with but he excused himself very polite
~, on the ground that his duty required him his
cl.oi, Gen. La Vega
We received orders march Immediately after break
fast took eave Of Capt r. wished him al manner of
happiness, and expressed hope IN which be heartily con
CURED ihat might again a. enemies We
directed march Jaapa twenty miles distant passing
tte route, tho late field Of battle We passed a
number OF poor fellows dead along the road who had
doubt fallen exhausted from loss blood and remained
that position until death overlook them Dead mules
and dead horses stfewed the road for miles a. We nd
vanoed The whole country presented OF desc
huon, such the most lively imagination picture
without having witnessed u. Ihe prisoners oil
leased on parole a. those taken at Vera Cruz had been
they promising not To bear arms against the IT, States dur
inR the present war, unless regularly exchanged.
On tho 2Oh We entered J1lapa having passed Encerfo
hacends few miles FROM that city belonging Gen'l
Santa AIMS, tie 18Th. Some Of officers stad there
tst night They represent old Saniys quarters being
very hnc and furnished in the costly style maen
hccncc he ihst may, they made themselves quite az
home u seems. They smoked hs cigars made glorious
supper of Of his iurkeg, and slept his beds They
found wo Of h' spare cork legs Of which should
Judge he had large supply. for 4 them said to
have been captured in biz carnage az Ceno Gofdo lie
buy, them, doubt, by the gross
We marched into Jninpa, have already snid on the
2lM IL surrounded by the beautiful country and
The most picturesque mountain scenery tho world and
the city isel - every way worthy Of magnificent stus-
uon. A. We approached o.. green fields meadows and
gardens burs upon view % every step Of Rress
u "uF long range Of mountains which had passed.
a5nR them CcuO Godo ITSELF lowered m,esucay In tho
rf, mil their tops seemed lost among the clouds Just
before we entered The city, saw directly left the
snow clad summit ~ Ofzlb1 i0serng high above oil rival
~ aud seeming 10 touch the blue vault 81 the lleavens
n wa ih- hf't time nod him lett Vera
Cruz, and bee looked he az Old acquaintance.