The Arkansas banner., 1847-09-20


 support hiiey aud Cadwalsder, and preyent. if pos ssosss (nhcfure ol the forces couing out from the eisy with those of Valencia. Bal few of the move ments oi our own troops could be seen from the n' Hhere we were posted, owing to the dense ghap- PsHAi, sharp rocks and rstinss but not hlotion o1 a 'ne enemy bat was plainly visible The order of sne paule ot Valencia was certainly most imposing -tuianafy were seen drawn up 70 support tEe bal .esles whlie iong lines nf she enemys cavalry ssaa,ohea ih The rear, as If awaiting the shock or aee s:0.i No separate charges of the latter were uisuncuy seen Tepnised by Col. Riley, who had moved ms brigade at one time to position partially In .ne rear oi The enemy'swork Col. Harney was exceedingly anxious to march his cava.ry to the scene oa acton. but it deesAed utterly imprae- .,eao'e. The nature cf the grounds such thai 'ne iniahtry even had great dficuityin finding the way across the psdregsl, as the Mexieaas term it. ground covered with sharp. jagged rocks.
 Chul hlght had faiFsy closed in the fire fton the enemy batteries did not slacken--it Lad beer a eensinuous roar for nearly six hours Gen. Scott Feured 10 San Aagustin about o'clock, and iB the midst of hard rain which had just commenced ial- ing Gehs- TwiggS and Pillow came ia about II o'clock, wet and completely exhausted. IL vas i'm possible to use horses on the rough and exceeding y broken ground on which they had been operating Tor nearly twelve hours. Not anticipating the i'm mense strength of the works oT the enemy or the almost insHrmouniabe difficulties of ching them,
 t had been al first thought thai the batteries would De taken at dash, and that the troops would be comfortably quaTtered in San Angel for the night {; instead ot tiis, large portion of them com peiied to bivuoac without blankets in The midst of Pittiess raln and on ground where they could not even stretch themselves out Add 10 this the nrrss- peets oi the morrow were far from hattering- enough 10 dismay any but the stontest hearts-that the enemy would doubtless reinforce and strength en his works durisg the night having every superi ority m knowledge of the groundadd again 10 this that the men were weakened by the long exertions want of food, aud chilled by the continuous night rain, and It IS not saying too much to that the oivouae oi the 18th August was gloomy in the ex- ueme.
 Early on the mor;,ing of the 20th Gen. Worth was ordered to move with a part of his division Gariand's brigade-iowards the scence of action al Coutreras, to aid in the attack upon Valencia for to force the position was deemed indispensable. A lew discharges ot cannon were heard about o'clock. and heavy ratiiing of musketry and some ereh said tAai in tie distance they had seen large masses of Mexicans Tn full flight towards the city; yet few dreamed that the batteries al Countesas had been siorTaed and carried. Yet so Ii was Gen Scott himself, accompanied by Gen. Worth, started Tor ihe scene ot action, when they were met by Capt. Mason wilh the joyful intelligence that Val eneia bad been compietel, routed after short but terrible struggle The attack upon his works was planned by Gen. Smith, and resulted in the capture ot l5 Ieces oi artillery, some l.55O prisoners among them Gems. BlaBco Garcia, Mendoza. and the notorious Saias all the ammunition and camp equIpage. while the road alon gwheh those who es- caped tied was siIewed with mnskets.-No less than TOO Of the enemy, among them many officers ieit dead on the hed-the number of wounded was undoubtedly far greater. l have no time now 10 ehlaTse or comment upon ths well planned and bril-
 liant achievement, but reserying more full des crpoB for some other time, must pass on to other exciting events. The works al Coutreras complete ly iH the power oi the American army. Gen. Scott at once ordered Gen. Worth 10 fali back upon San Antonio, 10 turn and capture that work and then io push on towards the capital by the main road, while the main body ui the army under Twiggs, Pillow, Smith, Pierce and CaIwalader, moved to-. watds San Angel and Cohoycan. Scarcely had the advance of Gen. rwiggs got halt mile bey ond the aler village, before rattiDg fire of maskeify an 0uneed that Ii was actively engaged with the out post of the enemy and the heavy booming of cannon now gave token that the noted 2d division had fal- len upon another strong work. Ba; few lnintes more aud atremendGous firing from the right, lm- mediately in tie main Ioad from San Augustine to the capital, made It evident that Grn Worth s di- vision was actively engaged. He had completely turhed ihe strong ~orks ot San Antonio, but while doing So the eaeny had abandoned the place with the loss Of their heavy sGas, and had fallen back upon his seeoud and stionger line ofwosks. Itwas now al the commencement of the battle, aboGt O. clock ia the afternoon and sure such rattling oi firearms has seldom been heard on the eont Bt of America, accompanied with such booming Of artillery: and this continued two hours
 
 point, and until those who not killed taken prisoners were n fu! 4 ,;t for the city. Let en- deayor tn words 10 give the reader an Idea Of the position and works ol tie enemy. As you come along the roal lea ing from San Augustin 10 the capital and immediately this side the Puente del Rosna, the Mexicans had thrown up a strong and and exceedingly well built battery, commanding the road completely. On ihc right you faced the city, stretching for long distance acoutinuous ditch, behind the bank Of which an immense num- ber of Mexican infantry were posted. On the lefi of the tete de oat work at the bridge, and about three hundred yards distant, the church. Chur- ubusco. San Paolo, strongly fortified with works for infantry, and also having well constructed tai tery containing number of guns of heavy calibre. This work was little advanced from the tete de oiaf, ana nearly in line between il and the village of Cohoycaa.-F'urther cn, the other side of the work at the bridge, and about three hundred yards from the road was a large building well adapted for the protection sl infantry, and n which the my had also posted an immense boly. The ground in the vicinity of all these points was completely covered with corn, and other fields, cut in every direction by wide and deep atcbes, presented ob- s;acles innumerabie to the advance of our troops. No reconnaissance of the position of the enemy had been made. and consequently it's strength could only be ascertained by hard blows and knocks.
 The division of Gems Twiggs and Worth werc al once engaged, the former aith the church and stronghold oi Churabasco, and the latter with the bAtteries al lhe Orguc, anu III t4c HieaAIhe ten Shields brirales--the New York and South Caro- lima yoIuntcers-iogether with the 9th, l2th and 10th Regiments of Infantry under Gen. Pierce, were hurryiBg onwar. from Cohoycan to attack tl=I hacienda Soon they loo were engaged, and now the battle became general. The enemy had over twenty pieces of cannon, all in admirable position. and served with morc than ordinar y~sk, while but few of our guns could be brough; to hear. The battery 0: Capt. Frank Taylor, IL Is true, opened well directed fire upon Churnbnsee, but 50 exposed vas it's situation that it suffered most terrible, both in officers and men.
 To describe the fierce conflict, even now that two days have elapsed, to give account Of the part taken by the differen, regiments, were impossible From the opening of the strife up to ihe time the Mexicaas were entirely routed and in fu flight for the city, WAS enc continuous roar oi cannon and muskeiry, accompanied by the loud shouts of the yicters some vantage ground was gained; and high above the din rose a dense column of smeke,