Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-05-07

| fortified The pass oil he Sacramento isei, aou
Is miles in advance, and about The saiiie u's a,..
from this city We were also iniuiiiea l'a'
thel. was no water between the point We were a.
aid that occupied by the enemy; We iheieioie NC
iermined 10 halt until morning. ~ sni''iAe on
,hc 2sh, The last day OF February, We ioas vi 'he
! line u, march, and formed liz whole Tram con.
sjs,pn al 3lJ heavy l,aisEs' wagons ana cur
commissary and company Wagons, III" ''u'
columns. mus shortening our line, SO as To MAKE
il more easily protected. We placed HE ai'iiie'
nv, and all the command, except 2UU cavalry, Ino'
per, in the intervals between Inc columns VI va
CONS. Wethus fully concealed ourfoIcc, and,.s Po-
slion by masking our lofce WIN caSaliy. "nea
we arrived within three miles oil me enemy w
made reconnaissance OF his position and tne
ARRANGEMENT Of his forces. This we could easily
do-Ibe road leading through an open prairie val
lev herween The sterile mountains. The pass OF
the Sacramento is formed by point OF The noun
liains on our right their lett extending INTO Inc
valley or plain 50 as 10 narrow The valley 10
abonI /. miles On cur LEFT was deep dry san
dv channel of a GREEK, and between these points
he plain rises 10 sky feel ahrnplly. This rise is in
The form ola crescent, ;hc convex part being 10 the
north Of our forces. On The Iish', fiom The point
of ,rounlains, IL narrow part ui Ire plain extends
por;b IA miles further than on The LEFT. The main
road passes down the centre Of tie valley and
across the crescent, near The Left ord!y branch.
The Sacramento rises in The mountains On the
right. and The road falls on 10 il about one
! mile below the battle field OF enlrrncimrnt Of the
enemy. We ascerained that The enemy had
battery OF 4 guns, nine AMI six rogntcIs, on
\ tic poini II the mountains on our rig'it tlheir
! lrt:l IL Il good elevation IL sweep the plain and
| at the point wheIc lie moan.ains extended iur-
lhest into The plain. On our left (their lighp
| they had another battery on an elevation com
manding the road and three entertainments
of two six FOUNDERS, and on The brow OF the cres-
cent near The centre another Of TWO six and Two
four and six culverns, or rampaU pieces, mount
ed on carriages; and on the crest Of The hill or
ascent between the batteries and the right and
lett they had 81 redoubts dug and thrown up ex-
tending al short intervals across The whole ground.
In these their infantry were placed and were en-
lirely protected. Their cavalry was drawn up in
front Of The redoubts in the intervals deep, and
| in front Of The redoubs , Deep so as 10 mask
them as Tar as practicable When We had arrived
within II miles oil The entertainments along the
| main road, We advanced The cavalry still further,
| and suddenly diverged with the columns to The
| right so as to gain the narrow part nj The ascent
on our right, which The enemy discovering, en-
| deavored 10 prevent by moving forward with
1000 cavalry and pieces Of cannon in their rear
masked by them. Our movements were SO rapid
| that We gained the elevation with our forces and
| they arrived within reach OF our guns. The en-
| envy halted and we advanced The head of our co.
| lnmn within 200 yards ni lhtm, so as 10 let our
| wagons attain The high lands and form as before
| We now commences lac action 5y 4 brisk fire
| rom our battery, and he enemy unmasked and
commenced also; our fires proved effective at this
distance, killing 5 men, wounding and disabling
one Of the enemies guns We had two men light
| ly wounded and several horses and mules killed
| The enemy then slowly Geireated behind their
works in some confusion, and VIC resumed our
march in cur former order, still diyersins more
o;he right 10 avoid their battery on eur left (their
ri9hi,) and their strongest redoubis, which were
or the lei. near where he road passes Alter
marching as far as we safely could, without CON-
ing within range Of their heavy haery on our
| right, captain Weightman, If The artillery, was
ordered 10 charge with The two l2pcund howit-
GERS, 10 be supported by HE cavalry, under Caps
Reid, Parsons, and Hudson. The howizers charg-
ed al speed, and were CALAMITY sustained by Capt
Reid; bur, by some misunderstanding my order
was NIL given 10 the ether Two companies Cap
tain Hudson, anticipating my order, charged in
lime 10 give ample support 10 The hoWilzers. Cap
tain Pasons al the same moment, came 10 me
| and asked permission Tor his company 10 charge
lhe redoubls Immediately 10 the left OF Captain
| Weighman, which he did very gallantly. The
remainder oil The two haltalions OF The Isl regi-
nenl were dismounlcd during The cavalry, charge
and following rapidly on fool, and Major Clarke
advancing rs fast a practicable with HE rema IN
der NJ battery, We charged their rcdoubls from
RICH, 10 cf with Brisk and lead = fire Of rife
men, While Major Clarke opened rapid aud
we'll dirtc.ei fire on a column oi cavalry attempts
| Ing 10 pass 10 orr s So As 10 attack The wagons
and our rear The fire was so well directed as
| 70 force them Ia fall back; and on rifemen, with
| the cavalry and howi!zsIs, cleared alter an OBJ
snale resistance. Our forces advanced 70 The
! very DrinH OF tneif iedouD,s anu attacked them
xi.h heir sabres. When The redoubls were
CLEARED and Tic alterics in The centre and our
| lei were scuoei, line main battery on oar right
,ill confined 70 ponr in constant and heavy
lie, IL il had done during the heat Of lie engage.
| ,nen but is the whole tale II The battle depei ded
| upon CARRYING The redoubS and centre battery,
This one on The right remained unattached, and
Inc enemy had rallied there five hundred strong
Major Clarke was directed 10 commence a
| heavy fire upon il, while Liens. Col. Mitchell
and Jackson, commanding The Is, battalion, were
ordered 10 rrmounl and charge The battery on the
left, while Major Gipn was directed 10 pass the
| Cd battalion on foot up the rough ascent Of The
mountain on The opposite side. The hre OF our
battery was 80 effective as 10 completely silence
theirs, ard the rapid advance Of our column put
lnem 10 flight over The mountains in great conlu-
sion.
Capt Thompson, Of the Isl Dragons, acted
As my aid and adviser on The field during Inc
whole engagement, and was Of the most essential
service 10 ne. Also, Lieut.. Wooster, OF The U.
S. army, who acted very coo!ly and eailanly.-
Major Campbell OF Springfield. Missouri, also
but left me and joined Capt. Reid in his gallant
charge
Thus ended - battle of Sacramento. The
force Of the 'resay was 200 cavalry from Du-
range ana Cn.AaaLua, with III. Vera Cruz d!a-
soons; LEGO iaulrv from Chihuahua: SEQ aril-
ierists, am 42u ancheros badly armed with las
sos, lance, ani Eachcoes, Of corn KNIVES, ten
pieces OF artillery, : nine, eight, six, and
iour-poanders, and six culverns, OF rampant pie.
ces. Their ;oIces we're commanded by Maj Gen.
HeIdea, general i Durango, Chihuahua, Sono-
"a and Me- M-yico; Brig General Jastmani,
Brig. Cen Garcia Condo, formerly Minister Of
War tor hr Rrpnhiic Of Mexico, who is a scicni-
Ec mar, a.ni planned his whole field of defence;
Gen usnellc and Gov. Trias, who acted rs Brig.
Gen au ID fed, ana colonies and other officers
without number.
Ouf Ioice was9!4 effective men al least 100
O. WI ~ we're engaged in holding horses and dri-
wing teams.
The loss q the enemy was his entire artillery,
10 wagons, masses Of beans and pinola and
other Mexican provisions, about three hundled
many oil whom have since died, and forty pri
suneiS.
The fell was literally covered with the dead
and wounded from our artillery, and the unerring
fire OF our rfemen. Night put stop to The car
mage the battle having commenced about three
o'clock Our loss was one killed, one MORALLY
wounded, and seven so wounded as 10 recover
without any loss Of limbs. cannot speak loo
highly OF the cnulness. sallanrry aud bravery OF
The officers and men under my command
| was ably sustained by The field officers, Lieut.
| Coils. Mitchell aid Jackson, q the FIST battalion,
and Major Glpin, oflhe ID battalion; and Major
Clark and his artillery acted nobly, and did the
mos, effective service in every par OF the field
! II is abundantly shown, in The charge made by
/ Captain Weghman with The section oil howi;-
GERS, that lhey can be used in any charge Of ca
valrv with graf effect. Mnch has heen said,
and Justly said, Of The CALAMITY Of our artillery,
unlimhering within $50 yaidS al The enemy at
Palo Alto; bul how much more daring Was The
- r n 80 Lo, ,ri.