The Arkansas banner., 1847-07-26

-+ @ sanguine, but ke sever informed me that As hopes caached tlSs extent. have c6 course to necessity to eolnmeAt upou his deelarnfioa that, af,er losing sahasn. e ordered the 3Ie wIo were leit te ad tnpce the foe, more than 4o0n strong SO as ta get within 5a yards t9 rssBms tAs Are sfo not blatne the second IndisAa regiment for rstIeasing under The state Of case made oul hy the Brgadier General commanding them. That the retreat was made ia confusion resulted fFom the nature of the ground they were compelled to traysrse-~those very eb. stacies which should have been kept in front to nl pede the advance of the enemy. But tsen Lane thinks that II the cavaey had not left their position the second lndlana regiment could haee rallied ca haeM, and have made head against the ehemyi You will be surprised 10 know that the cavalry did not commence to fall back nntl the retreat el the Ind ana regiment had completely uncovered their posi- ton aad the Indiana men Ind aefaatiS passed fhs ffRe at batte, fyMg to fAs FsaF. They did not re- treat upon the position ot Inc cavalry, but at tine inclined to eat line of battle and titceted upon fe ranche al Baena Vista. 1T Col Bowics did not call to them to stop. tien. Wool and Col. Davis did l will add that if they confused 1t naturally re- suited srom the obstacles which lmpeded their re-. treat UadsT these circumstances, how utterly ab sard it IS for Gen. Lane e attempt Co rectify this matter by declaration that they coaii have been raed upon the cavalry. fbe official reports of the Brigadier Gonegd commanding apa tho Major Gen efal shonld have been sufficient 10 have proved to Gen. Lane that the wiihdFawal of the cavalry from that point foreed by ths retreat of fac "a lad. aas regiaeai But the tas of that retreat was die. tated by other circumstances. Let as ask Ist when did the cavalry a: the base of the mountain com mence to withdraw assest that il did moi move until after the 2d Indiana regiment had passed the main ilHe ot battle, reireafiag. But beg vonI at teHfiot to the otrfri Fefett et (sssaaas com. manding the Indiana nflemen on the mountains who hxed the time beyond the possibility of farther eavi, and destroys the pretenee of Gen Lane that .f alt lad rallYing his regiment upon my position, Maj Cor man says
 Il had received orders from Brig. Gen. Lane. in the event we were compelled 70 yield to superior numbers, to come down and form on the 2d Indiana regiment Al about l2 o'clock frseered aolice tAat tte 2d Indiana regiment Aad beea coapstied 10 retire before very vastly superior numbers. proceeded to point where l could see the movement oi both armies in the plain and discovered that all hope was cut of for forming on the 2d Indiana regiment and seeing about l000 iancers coming at full speed our ngimeat and along the base ai the mountain then occupied, and seeing that the enemy had by this time forced their way around as on the left, and large body in point blank shot m our front. and that we were nearly surrounded dt pats momeat keara the bugte recalling Col Mar shaIt rutsRea Eh9 sctre gatlaag de{eading Lhe len immediately oGdered the command to retire to ihe base ot the mountain and to form the top of the next rsyine. All retired to the point indicated and formed Tn good order"
 HeFes then, IS the testimony of an Indiana field othcer-conmanding the uhemen whose attention was directed b the position ol the 2d lndiana--Who wished to joIn lt-who went and looked Tor i,--wbo delicately tells us 1t gone hy the reiaak s dis covered all hope vas cut oH of forming on # "-- $ho describes the scene as having witnessed Il with his own eyes, and then says, after he had noticed the regiment lad retired and after he proceeded to look and found, indeed, u And retired al that mo. ment, when all hope nearly seemed extinct, he saw v.H. ff.. .I.FE IsN. Tor the hrst hmc my huge from the mountains base recalling them to the plain It can be proved by 100 witnesses or that the cavalry at the base of the mountain dtd Rof until those riliemen of mlBe came down from the mountain and issued from the gorge which deboaehes on the plains Surely 1t must be plain that Gen Lane has hazarsled too much m hts declaration that had the cavalry not mo- ved he could have ralied the 2d Indiana and with the rttlemen from tue mountains could have again resisted the enemy. It would be d vain task 10 en- ter into any argument upon saeh theme, but the declaration conYinces me that ibe General did not have that coup d' sd which enabled hin to under stand all the parts of the battle at glance As sto Lae preciptfats retreat along the moantain's base pursued by lancers &c, which the General ascribes 10 that body ot cavalry, l haze only this reply 10 make: For at ieastfwo hours that body of cavalry checked the advance of the eneuay well as a small body D! mounted men could impede the advance of mass oi intantry-the Fiaemen who came fioin the mountains beiongiag to the ksatueay carGlyg joined heir commander; ,he dead bodies of the soidiery of that regiment wlll attest the charges which were more thau once made and executed along the base Of the mountain by that command and finally. the collision of fouefoh's brigad. with ,he same men near the spring at BaeHa Vista and s resrf should have taasht Brig. Gen. Lane that hs 6if ae eainst q file when he attempted 10 make a supplemental re- port at the expense of iheir reputation
 In conclusion beg you to be assured that haye read with the deepest wonder the part played by Gen. Lane, and astonished to find how little others had 10 do with the eatle of Buena Vista He seems to have been everywhere and often to have saved the day by his. genius ard courage Ii any part of the Indiana troops ial,eFed let the fact be forgotten when the brilliant exploits of the renain- der (Iict ia ypM pers etor1odsJ ard the Btigasier 6eneial are considered. Bui my object in this com InnnicaloR has been merely to correct the state nichts otrtien Lane touching the cavalry and their move[pents, and having accoap plished that submit this sfatement through the same medium 10 the pub- lic as Gen. Lane las chosen for 1be report which 1 have nolieed. Respectfully,
 H. MARSHALL,
 Late Col. Ky. Cay.
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