Democratic banner., 1847-09-20

RtSNUo " SoHAS A9SSO HAAoO
ners-among them Gen. Blanco, Garcia,
Mendoza, and the notorious SaTas; all the
ammunition and camp equiPpage, while the
road along which those who escaped, fled,
was strewed with muskets. No less than
700 ofthe enemy among them many officers
were left dead on the held-the number of
wounded was undoubtedly far greater.
have no time now to enlarge or comment
upon the we'll planned and brilliant achieve
ment, but reserving a more full description
for some other time, must pass on to other
exciting events. The works at Coutreras
completely in the hands Of the American ar
my, Gen. Scott at once ordered Gen. Worth
to fall back upon San Antonio, to turn and
capture that work, and then to push on
towards the capital by the main road, while
the main body of the army under Gems.
Twiggs, Pillow, Smith, Pierce and Cadwal-
lader, moved on towards San Angel and
C~ohoycan. Scarcely had the advance Of
Gen. Twiggs got half a mile beyond the lat
ter village before arattling Of musketry an
nouLcsd that it was actively engaged with
the oufposts of the enemy, and the heavy
booming of cannon now gave token that the
noted I'd division had fallen upon another
strong work. But few minutes more and
a tremendous firing from the right, and i'm
mediately in the main road from San Au-
gustine to the capital, made it evident that
Gen. wcrtlI's division was actively engaged.
He had completely turned the strong works
Of San Antonio, but while doing so the enc
my had abaadcRed the place with the loss
of their heavy guns and had fallen back up
on his second and stronger line Of works.
IL was now the commencement of the bat
tie, about one O'Clock in the afternoon, and
such a rafting of firearms has seldom or
never beer heard on the c~ontinet Of Ameri-
ca, accompanied with such booming of ar
tilIery; and this was continued over two
hours and until the enemy was fully routed
from every point, and until those who were
not killed or taken prisoners were in full
flight for the city. Let me endeavor inI
words to give tho reader an idea of the pol
sition and works of the enemy. As you
come along the road leading from San Au-
gustip to the capital, and Immediately thisl
side of the Puente del Rosana, the Mcxi.
cans had thrown up a strong and exceeding
ly well built battery, commanding the road
completely. On the right as you face the
the city, stretching for a long distance was
Q continuous ditch, behind the bank of which
an immense number of Mexican Infantry
were posted. On the left of the tete de pont,
or work at the bridge and about three hun
dred yards distant, was the church Of Chu-
rubusco, or San Pablo, strongly fortified
with works Of infantry, and also having al
we'll constructed battery containing a num-
Der Of heavy calibre. This work was a lit
tie advanced from the tete de POM, and near
ly in a line between it and the village Of
Cohoycan. Further on, on the other side
of the work at a bridge, and about three hun
dred yards from the road, was a large build
ing, well adopted for the protection Of in
fantry, aud in which the enemy had also
posted an immense body. The ground in
the vicinity Of all these points, was CON-
Pletely covered with corn, and other fields
cut up in every direction by wide and deep
bitches, presented obstacles innuInerable
to the advance Of our troops. No recon-
n~oisaRce Of the position Of the enemy had
been made, and consequently its strength
could only be ascertained by hard blows
and knocks.
The divisions Of Gems. Twiggs and Worth
we're Of one engaged, the former with the
church and strong hold of Churubusco, and
the latter with the batteries at the bridget
and in the mean time Gen. Shields brigade
the New York and South Carolina vol
unteers-together with the 9th 18th and
18th regiments of i~afantry under General
Pierce, were hurrying onward from Cohoy-
saR to attack the hacienda. Soon they too
were engaged, and now tire battle became
general. The enemy had over twenty pie
ces Of cannon, all in admirable position, and
served with more than ordinary skill, while
bat few Of our guns could be brought to-
bear. The battery Of Capt. Frank Taylor,
itis true, opened a well directed fire upon
Churubusco, but so exposed was its situa-
ton that it suffered most horribly both in
officers and men.
. To describe the fierce conflict, even now
that two days have elapsed, or to give aRI
account of the part taken by the different
regiments, were impossible. From the open
ing of the strife up to the time the Next
cans were entirely routed and in full fight
for the city, was one continuous roar of can
non and musketry, accompanied by the
loud shouts Of the victors as some new van