Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1847-05-13
Battle Of Sacramento--Defeat Of the Enemy,
and Capture Of chihuahua.
HEApouARrERs or the Army IN CurHUAuuA.
CITY Of chihuahua, March 4th, I847.

m ,ha avaning of the 9Th of Februarv i9a7 we
lee The ,own Of Ell Paso del Norte. escortino the
merchant train or caravan of about 3l5 wagons for
Inc civ of Chihuahua. Our force consisted Of D24
effective men; III officers and prya,es of the nrtil
lerv. GO of Lieut. Coz, Mnchers escort and the
remainder the LIST REGIMENT Missouri mounted vol. |
unteers. We progressed in the direction of this
plaoe until the 18th when we were informed by our
sn;es that the enemy. 10 the number Of 500 men |
were at Inseneas, the country sea, Of Gov Trias,
about 25 miles in advance.
When we arrived. on the evening OF the Doth. |
near that point we found that the force had retreat
ed in The direction of this city On the evening Of
the 9th we arrived al Sans. and learned from our
snies ,ha, the enemy. in great force. had fortified
,ba nass oc the Sacramento river about IL miles II,
advance and about the same distance from this civ
We were also informed that there was no water
between the point We were al and that occupied BY
the enemv we therefore determined 10 hal, until
morniug. Al sunrise on the 2Sth. the last day of
FEBRUARY we took nm the line of march and formed
tho whole train. copsis,ing of 3l5 heavy ,raders'
wscons and our commissaSv and comoanv wauons
~, 1v, colnn,s ,bus sbo,,e,;ng M, i'm. so n. m
make !, more easily pro,ected. We placed the ar.
,;lIe,v and all the command excent 900 cavalry
n,one, I, The ip,ervals be,ween The columns or
WAGONS We thus fully concealed our force and
II. nos;,;an hv masking ouy force with The cavalry
WIZ, ,ve arrived ,y;,b;u ,brae miles or the enemy
unaAa nanTa nj md n
ARRANGEMENT of his forces This we could e,sil,
do-tbe road leading ibrougb an omen prar;e val
Iev he,wee, The sterile maintain. The mass or,be
S.,r.msn,o I. co,msd he Nom, oe The moun,.;ns
on our right their left extending into the valley or
plains so as TO narrow the valley TO about l IL
miles On our left was deem dry sandy channel
of creek, aud between these points the plain rises
10 sixty feet abrupty This rise is in the form Of
crescent the convex part being TO the north of our
a narrow pa,h of the plain extends north . miles
further than on the left. The main road passes
down the centre Of the valley and across the cres-
cent. near the left or dry branch. The Sactamen.
tn rises in the mountains on The RIGHT and the road
falls on to il about mile below the bait e.6ed or
ENHANCEMENT Of the enemy. We ascertained that
the enemy had one battery Of guns, nine aud
six FOUNDERS. on the point Of the mountain on our
right Qheir Ieft,) at good elevation to sweep the
plain and at the point where the mountains extend
ed iurihest into the plan. On our leit (iheir
righi) they had another battery on an elevation
commanding the road aud three entertainments Of
two six FOUNDERS, and on the brow Of the crescent
near the centre another of two six aud two four and
six culyerins, or rampant pieces, mounted on carr-
ages; and on the crest of the hill or ascent between
the batteries, and the right and left, they had 81
redoubts dug and thrown up extending a, shirt in
teryas across the whole ground. Ia these their
infantry were placed and were entrely protected
Their cavalry was drawn up M front of the redoubis
in the intervals deep. aud IN front of the re-
doubts deep so as 10 make them as tar as pracil-
cable.
When we bad arrived wiihin l.2 miles Of the
entertainments along the main road. we advanced
the cavalry still further. aud suddenly diyergrd with
the columns to the RICH, so as to gain The narrow
path Of the ascent on our right, which the euemy
discovering endeayored to prevent by moving Tor
a.. 4 A r