Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-04-13
MISCELLANEOUS.
Rat:!e ofRuena vista

Battle ofasuena Vista
Through the kndness OF a ltleud (says the
IJoion, we have beer favored with The following
extracts from private letter, written By IT,
Colope. Mansfield, Of The corps OF engineers. 10
. brother oaicer in this city. giving brief
and hastily wtilten description Of The battles OF The
pa and %. Of February.
To mos, nt oar readers il is; perhaps, useless
10 saw that Lieutenant Colonel Mansneld has
served win The army uniei Gen. Taylor from lis
landing g, Corpus Christi up 10 the present ''me;
and tina. or his Distinguished services and gal
lant conduct ON the Rio GraDdr and at Monterey,
re has been twice bregried:
aElauTEEs Miles SOUTH OF SALTlLLo,
"At Camp United States Army, Aqua Nueva,
"March l, lS47.
aDE.a CAPTAIN We are jast recovering from
the fa,isues c: a tremendous battle, fought by this
little army OH the Cd ano I'D February al Buena
Vista place aoon eleven ii.iles =. Our rear, and
seven miles this side of SalIio
ave had previously been On this very ground
from the ON 10 the 2Oh February, reconnoitrlD.
the position, roads, &c, and ascefIdlning &nere
the enemy was, and his numbers. We found
Santa Anna was 4, Encarn1cioa, tiii..,,y miles
IN cur advance, with twenty thousand troops. OF
infantry and artillery, ar5 -: - -il Was
Gen M:2on, Al EdioIda, say IWen.y-hye miles Oh,
win three thousand cavalry an !ancels.
"On the 2ls', at noon we troie a. oar camp
ant. ;e,i back 10 4 good position al Gacaa Vista,
10 await the enemy. Tn the 22i he came In
sieht-his advance heavy body Of iancers and
cavalry, followed ~ large bodies Vi infantry,
and abou, eighteen pieces ot artillery. 4 shir-
mish commenced IN nc afternoon, and me enc
my gained Inc mountain side on our !elt. On
our right OF The read were impossible gallieS
.oI ;,rt ay,npl;no In he
nouniaias, say one mile. On our leit oi the road
commenced steep ascea;s ~ the cops OF the spurs
OF the mountain, which united. and formed
beautiful lab,e-iani fol battle-ground, say one
mile east and west, by half a mile north and
south. There we're other spurs on the same side,
stretching along the road Lol;h and south OF Us,
with deep gullies between, many OF mem itDpas-
cable, but none forming tab'e.land like this.
90 ditch and parapet was Immediately thrown
across the road, and Washinston's artillery plac-
ed there, supported ny Two companies Of volun-
.eers, behind another parapet
Son the morning OF The 23t the enemy made a
rush with his infantry and laLccIs 70 possess the
table-land The key 10 the whole position and al
the sa ne time column OF iniaairy aud cavalry
advanced on The road towards Washneton's bat
;ery. A terrible iigh. ensucd Our let, was forced
back eff the table land and rallied under The bank;
on. our centre CHARGED wiih a tremendous fire OF
horse artillery ieieht pieces aud volunteers, ald
hurled them back against The mountain and broke
;her centre, SO that large bodies Of Infantry saw.
ed themselves by moving into the rayineS and en-
The spurs of the mountain 10 The rear OF our LETT,
where we sent reg iments and artillery 10 hsh,
them and drive them back ACROSS the same ground
on our extreme left, over which they had been
forced. II we had had but one single full regi-
ment OF regulars in reserve we could have charged
their battery ON our extreme let, aud taken tour
or FIVE thousand prisoners. As it was We could
only hold our own against such odds.
SAT the close OF the day, they made another
charge and rush, in great force, TO possess the Ia
BILE land and were again repulsed with great
slaughter, and with much loss on our part
Night rnt an end 10 The scene, and, under The CO.
yer OF darkness, Inc enemy retreacd % his place,
iAgua Nueva) where our light troops followed
them the next morning.
~, was beautiful bate-no, Il mistake made
the whole day, but every man perfectly exhaust
Cd at night. Our loss ahc2; e61 killed and 40
wounded. The eneny's loss about Z, 500 in killed
and wounded, and 3Ga0 missing,
al, is said that Santa Anna IS in full retreat 10
Maahoila and Saa Luis with mis- aI..y, dispir-
ed and disofgan;zed. He is said 10 have los,
many officers OF high rank. You will, in dae
time, get correct accounts.
"Noihing could exceed the gallant bearing d.
our horse artillery and dragons, aoi The bravery
and good conduct Uf tie volunteers as a Indy
Not regular infantry soldier was in this fight.
ave have lost most valuable officers. Capt.
Lincoln was killed in The first charge. Col. Nc
Kee and Ii. Coz. Clay, OF the Kentucky resi-
men and Col. Hardin, were killed, besides 9th.
err, in the second charge OF the enemy We los;
three pieces OF cannon, which sc had not the
men 10 recover. Our men actually sunk TO the
ground from excessive exhaustion.
III has ever Deen the misfortune OF our brave
old general 10 be obliged TO fsa, the enemy with
inferior numoers. Blu; there is 40 backing out
win him. This, his last battle, has done him
more credit Than any Of his previous ones. His
case was nc, near so desperate al Palo Alto, Tor
ihera he had he les. vi regular infantry.
81 had almost forgotten 10 speak oc our corps
We endeavored TO do our dulv. Lieut.. Beuham
behaved well, and was Slightly wounded As
Tor myself was more iol,una;c than at Monte
rey, and escaped unhutt. The old general, how
ever, WAS made ragged b. the balls passing
through his clothes. Yours, &c,
"JOS. X. F. MANSFIELD"
A variety OF letters have been received in
Washington ifom the army, which were never
Intended FOR The public eye. Among these, We
have been favored with INC inspection OF two
from fae officer, as well as scholar; one written
from the camp near Buena Vista, on the 2S;h
February, the other from the camp removed ~
Aqua Nueya, on the Isl of March. Hs states,
that as soon IS il was asceI,ained that Santa
Anna was near our army with large force, Ge.
neral Taylor very pruden;y resolved 10 tall back
and cover SalIillo. lie had already discovered
that several passes were open unon our rear. Our
troops had been led TO think otherwise before they
vent there. Buena Vista, very strong place,
about FIVE miles in advance of Saltlio, vas occu-
pied by most Of the army under General Wco!.
General Taylor with small force went into
Saliilo TO care fer large stores there. The next
morning it was reported Thai The enemy was ;a
full march upon General Wool. Although there
were from fifteen 10 eighteen hundred horse then
in sight Of Salillo, on the plain below, through
which the road 10 Monterey runs, headquarters
dashed of, leaving small garrison, and few
pieces of artillery behind-enougA for all the
iancers in Mexico. General Wool was found in
position. In tbecourse Of The day Gen. Santa Anna
sen. in a summons, asking General Taylor TO sur
render, as he was surrounded BY 'more than
twenty thousand Mexican" Annals own
words General Taylor answered, that numbers
were matter OF indifference TO him-that he had
come there 10 fight, ead he should do ii, ii h'ty