The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1847-09-30
Desails 81 the Great
lRufal.as

-" ~~NN@"sHsts tbtGt'SuUE IUkteI tbuill q gem
tlenan !. the army. written AFTER the sanguin-
airy battles Of the l0'h ard 10Th Of August,
At Contrerds and Churabusco. X is dated
from San Augustin. cigh, miles from the cit,
Of Mexico. on the 25,h ult. From this .eiter
WARE permitted 10 make such exyfxcts ny
will enable The reader more windy to conceive
the sat Culinary character Of the engag enen,s,
and the immense sacrifice of our best men
which this war has again brought upon US.
Our arms" The writer says. .are again
victorious, but at fearfnl cost Of blood and
life. We have lost one thousand in killed
and wounded. and among the killed are The
best officers OF the army. Capt. Capron and
Capt. Burke are with the buried, having been
killed dead At the storming Of Churubusco,
where We los, in three hours seven hundred
officers and men.
On the l0th, our division advanced upon
the enemy in position at Con,reras, their frs,
work, defended by ten thousand mcn, witt,
twenty-five pieces of artillery, and admira-
bly, entrenchcd.
The advanced guard was commanded by
Captain Roberts ard Captain Porter. and By
them the at,ack was commenced. Captain
Roberts deployed in front ot their battery
about one thousand yards from their lines.
and advanced steadily under the fire OF shells,
round. grape and canister shot, driving in all
their pickcts aud skirinishers, add took hi.
position under shelter Of q cover of rocks and
deep ravine. eb.ni Two hundred yards from
their first line ct batteries and breastworks.
where he remained until the rest 81 The divis-
ION aud Gen. Quitman's supporting command
had come up 10 join the attack. 1t was found
impossible, in consequence Of the MIXTURE Of
the ground. considered impossible by the
Mexicans, 10 form the order Of battle and a.
sault the works. until morning, our men hav.
ing made u long march, and having labored
Tor hours in making runds aud hauling ariiIle
~ aud ammunition. The whole army took
cover within mu>ket range Of the enemy
who poured upon us uIl the time their fire
from ten thousand mnske,s-and slept u. on
our arms during the night.
AT O'Clock in the morning. under cover
Of darkness and rain. our positions were tax.
EN-, and at seven the assault was made. The
works were oil carried by the bayonei. in less
than an hour, and The Ion thousand Mexican.
put To perfect route. The scene cannot lie
described: $50 Mexicans were dead upon The
field. between three and four hundred wer.
wounded, and fifteen hundred taken pri-cncr,:
and their twenty-five pieces Of artillery. and
great quantities Of ammunition and other ma
ferial ut war, captured. Our loss in XII ed
aud wounded here was less than TWO hundred.
Capt. Hanson, Ut the 9TH infantry and Lieut..
Johnson. OF the LIST Artillery. were the oniy
officers killed. We pushed forward to thi.
place, in pursuit ot the retreeiing enemy
when tie lancers made stand. anu con,in-
ucd 10 fire upon us through the roads and
fields MP t. Chnrubusco, when the most terri.
ole battle ever Tough, on this continent took
place. This assault by the bayonet has re-
deemed the impsnched vnlor of the Mexican
army. Gen. Twigg,', Gen. Worth's and
Gen Pillows divisions We're all concentrated
hire. and TOR tw, hours and hal: every man
vas brought under the lire of the works.
he strength vi this position can hardly be
c"nc"ived. We Ind but one approach, water
surrounding 1t on al sides bu, one. This
aa> defended by % coo men, be
a'nd the most approved field works. Of great
ard seemingly impregnable. Or
csnr>e, they were carried, bu, The fields aud
works, covered with betM cen three thou 81 nd
and four thousand killed and wounded, IN
both sides, showed the terrible cost. Fifty
OF our officers were killed aud wounded.
leiore Gen. Worth had joned our disi..
ion in this attack. he had stormed and carried
The work, Of San Antonio with but b,i,le loss
on may well imagine that our division was
too much exhausted aud Gu. to pieces to push
on further. We had been fighting some
eight hours. and had marched ne rly eight
milcs--nll we're worn out with hunger, thirsl
and fatigue. As for myself had eaten no-
thing bu, the hall Of hard biscuit. for for,y.
eight hours. Gen. Worlds division, more
fresh. pushed on. aud siormcd and carried
another strong fort before dark. within one
mile OF the city gates. Capt. Ihl. Kearney
lost an arm here. bu, lac is dung well, and j.
in no danger. lilo was greatly distinguished,
and has covered himself with glory.
The 2O h Of August. ,si7. will be a day
never to be forgotten. Its history is written
IN blood, and the halo Of glory that il wrea,hes
upon The arms at our country 10 too deeply
ensangnincd with the blood Ut Americans. IN
rejoice the army that has covered itself with
ilnper'shabie rcnown. Our camp is filled
with mourning. aud the reflection That the
greater grief isyet To be carried Ia the hen r;ls
aud hnmcs oil those who have fallen, is TOO
sad Tor n,ierlnce. What carnage for sin.
gle day! The sun that rose on the Goth, shed
ITS glad light upnn seven thousand men, full
81 l'ie aud hope. who >irewed The battle field
with their scattered limbs and c,rscs when
night closed in. The dry was tumn!,, re.
vcnge!nl and bloody: The night gloomy, fea r
ful and dark--ihe stiffness ONLY broken by
the groahs Of the wounded and dying.
Gf course, all the ordnance Of the four po.
ii that aP assembled
ammunition Ard stores Of every kind We
have three thousand prisonars--among them
ex-prcsident Annaya-,he commanding Gen.
eral Of the army (Rncon.) and ten other gen.
eral officers. We hardly know what TO Go
with our prisoners and stores. Some forty
deserters from our army nrc among the or;s.
oners, who will be ,argcd as coon as we ca
have military commission convened for tLcir