The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1847-04-06

2
and when il is recoElected that il has been
an open heId-fghi, by a force almost ex-
clusively composed Of raw volunteers.
who have only been embodied a few
months, and against an arlnv Of regular
troops fourfold their own number, it has
no parallel in the military annals OF mod
ern warfare.
From the Picayune Extra Of March %.
GEN. TAYLOR VICTORIOUS-THE
MEXICAN ARMY LEDBY SANTA
ANNA DEFEATED.
We lay before our readers, in advance
of our regular publication, the glorious II
dings from the army brought by the
schooner JOHN BELL. The following
account was prepared for us by an officer
of the army. ltmay be relied upon
MEnoRANDuM OF THE BATTLE OF Beg
Ma VISTA, PREPARED FOR THE Plea
rUNE By LIEUT.. Lie. BIBB, u, s, A.
DR.. Turner, U. S. Army, who arrives.
at Matamorass on the 9th instant, from
Monterey. brought the glorious intelli-
gence of another brilliant victory over the
Mexican army. The scene of action was
at Buena Vista, a hacienda about six
miles west of Saltillo. The fighting COM
menced on the 22d Of February, and end
ed on the 23d. Santa Anna retired 10
Aqua Nueva, a distance Of ten miles,
leaving four thousand killed and wounded
upon the field. Santa Annals adlntant
general and many olhei officers and men
are prisoners. The loss on our part was
seven hundred killed and wounded.
Santa Annals force amounted 10 at least
fifteen thousand men; that of Gen. Fay
Tor to about FIVE thousand, almost entire
ly volunteers. His army IS composed of
Wa~shington's, Bragg's, and Thomas's
batteries, one squadron Of the lst,and one
Of the ID dragons, the Arkansas and
Kentucky cavalry, a brigade of Illinois
and one Of Indiana volunteers, The LIST,
Mississippi and Cd Kentucky regiments;
and one company of Texas volunteers
DR.. #. brought a list Of 90 officers killed
and wounded:
The official dispatches of Gen. Tay-
lor have been cut of. Col. Morgan's
regiment Ohio volunteers, having been
reinforced by a command from Monte
rcy had reached that place in saf.tv.
Col. Curtis, Of Ohio, with one compa-
ny (Capt. Hunter's) of the I'd United
States dragons, his own regiment, and ]
think some Texas rangers, in all about
1000 men, was about to leave Camargo
to attack Gen. Urea, who is said 10 be
about thirty miles south of that place with
an army at from 1000 10 $3.50 Ell,
principally rancheros. He is believed TO
have with him only 1900 regular troops.
A great many, il not all ofthese rancho
ros, as soon as they hear Of the discom-
future of Santa Annals army will dis
perse, and the gallant colonel will no
doubt obtain the victory.
This news proves the reports which
we had before received Of Gen. Taylor's
retreat upon Monterey, and the advance
Of a large force to attack our depots at
Brasos and at the mouth ofthe Rio Grande
to be untrue. Of the defences at the
mouth of the river | know nothing. but
have been told that they are sufficient to
make a strong resistance. The lortlfica-
tons at the Brazos, with the force Of ar
~tillery and persons in the qu~artermaster's
employ, which can be raiscI as a garri-
son, is sufficient TO drive back a COM
mand of al least $500 or 1900 Mexicans.
The work, which may be technically
termed a continued line, encloscs all the
qnartermaster's and commissary's stores
in the depot. The parapet is formed of
barrels of damaged commissary's stores,
with sand bags for the interior slope; the
sand from a ditch in front, thrown up a.
gainst the barrels, forms the exterior
slope.
The armament Of the fort consists Of
four pieces Of artillery-two twelve and
two ~six-pornders, in barbette-which
sweep the foot Of and cross their fires up
on the level plain over which the enemy
would be compelled to advance, and a.
bout 500 hundred muskets to line the
~parapet. This was thrown up when an
attack was daily expected. Nothing hay-
ing reached US from Gen. Taylor for ma
nv days, we believed him surrounded, as
was reported, and gave some degree OF
credit to the rumor of the advance of a
large force upon our depots. After wait
ing three or four days, ~anxiously expect
ing the approach Of the enemy, we recel,
we'd the glorious news OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
of course, that the battle of Brasos San
tiago was n CO., and when | sailed The
artillery ofForI Harvey, instead OF nov.
ing down the Mexicans, was peallng forth
a salute in honor Of old"Rough and Rea'
dy'' and his gallant little army at Buens
Vista.
), ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.