Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1847-05-13
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,l
Plan del Rio, 30 miles from Vera Cruz,
April 10, I947.

H SiR Tho plan OF attack, sketched IN general
orders, No. Ill herewith, was finely executed
by this gallant army, before two % cl.ck, I. M.
II yesterday. We are quite embarrassed with
the results Of victory prisoners Of war, heavy
ordnance, field batteries. small arms and accou.
trements.
II About 5000 men laid down their arms with
the usual proportion Of field and company Off.
GERS, besides five generals, several Of them of
great dis,inction- Pinson, Jarrero, La Vega,
Noriega AMI Obando. A sixth general, Vas
quez, was killed in defending the battery
Qower) in the rear Of the whole Mexican army,
the capture Of which gave US those glorious re-
suits.
Our loss though comparatively small In
number, has been serious. Brigadier General
Shields, commander Of activity. zeal and tai
eni. is, fear, if not dead, mortally wounded.
fio is some five miles from me al this moment,
The field Of operations covered many miles,
broken by mountains and deep ehgsms, and
have not report, yet, from any division or
brigade.
H Twigg's division followed by Shields's (now
Col. Baker's) brigade, now at or near Xalapa,
and Worth's division IL in route thther, all
pursuing with good results, as learn, that
part of the Mexican arm, perhaps six or
seven thousand men, who fed before our right
had carried the tower and gained the Xalapa
road
Pillows brigads alone is near me nt this de-
pot of wounded, sick and prisoners, and | have
time only To get from him the names of Ist
Lieutenant T. b. Nelson, and Cd C. G. Gill,
both Of the Cd Tennessee foot (faskells regi-
ment,j among the killed, and in the brigade,
log, Of all ranks, killed or wounded.
Among the latter the gallant Brigadier Gen.
eral himself has smart wound in the arm, hut
not disabled, and Major X. Farqueson I'd Ten.
nessee; Capt II. F, Murray, I'd Lieutenant
G r. Sutherland, Ist Lieutenant w. p. Hale
(adjuiani,) all OF the same reg iment, severely !;
and lst Lieutenant w. Yearwood, mortaily
wounded. And know, from personal obser.
vation on the ground, that lst Lieutenant
Ewell, of the rifles, if not now dead, was NOR.
tally wounded in entering, sword in hand, the
entrenchments around The captured tower.
Second Lieutenant Derby, Typographical en-.
gineers, ! also saw, at the same place, severely
wounded, and Captain Patten, Cd United
States infantry, lost his right hand Mnjor
Sumner, I'd United States Dragons, was ight-
y wounded the day before, aud Captain John
son; Typographical engineers (now lieutenant
colonel Of infantry,) WAS very severely wound
I'd some days earlier while accommodating.
Il must not omit TO add that Captain Mason
and I'd Lieutenant Davis, both of the rifles
were among the very severely wounded in
stoiming the same tower
\ ! estimate our total loss in killed and wound.
I'd, may be about $50, and that of the enemy
$50 In the pursuit toward Xalapa (25 miles
hence) | learn we have added much to the
enemy's loss in prisoners. killed aud wounded
In fact, | suppose his rstreating army to be
nearly disorganizod, and hence my haste to
follow, in an hour or two, to profit by events.
i In this hurried and imperfect report must
not omit to say that Brigadier General Twiggs,
IN passing the mountain range beyond Cerro
Gordo, crowned with the tower, detached from
his division, US ! suggested the day before, a
strong force to carry that height, which CON-
handed the Xainpa road at the foot; and could
not fail, IL easrisd, To eut of The whole or any
part of the enemy's forces from retreat in
any direction.
A portion Of the Ist artillery, under the Of
ten-dIstingnisbed brevet Col ChiIds the Sd
infantry under Capt. Alexander; the 9Th in.
iantry under Lieut.. Col. PIympton and the
rifles, under Major Loring, all under the TEN.
pora,y command Of Col. Ilarney, % Dragons,
during the confinement to his bed Of brevet
Brig. Con p F. Smith, composed that detach.
mont. The style OF execution, which | had
the pleasure tn witness, was most brilliant and
decisive.
The brigade ascended the long aud difficult
slope Of Cerro Gordo, without shelter, aud un.
ry, with the utmost steadiness, reached the
breastworks, drove the enemy from them,
planted the colors Of the lst artillery, Sd and
9TH infantry-the enemy flag still Aying-anj
after some minutes Of sharp firing, finished the
conquest with the bayonei.
Ii is most pleasing duty to say that the
highest praise is due to Harvey, Childs, Plymp-
ton Loring, Alexander, their gallant officers
and men, for this brilliant service, indeErn-
dent of the great results which soon followed.
W0rth's division Of regulars coming up at
this time, he detached Breyet Lieut.. Col. &. +.
Smith, with his light battalion, TO support the
assault, but not in time.
The General, reaching the towera few min
utes before the, aud observing a white flag dis
played from the nearest portion Of the enemy
toward the batteries below, sent out Colonies
lIarney and Cbilds to hold "A parley. The sur.
render followed IN an hour or two.
Major General Patterson left n sick bed to
share in the dangers and latigues of the day
and after the surrender went forward to com
mand the advanced forces towards Xalapa.
Brigadier General Pillow aud his brigade
twice assaulted with great daring the enemy s
line Of batteries on our left and though with
ont success, they contributed much To- distract
and dismay their Immediate opponents.
President Santa Anna. with Generals Canal.
sand men, escaped toward Xalnpa just before
Cerro Gordo was carried and before Twiggs's
division reached the national road above.
] have determined to parole the prisoners
officers aud msn--as I have not the means Of
feeding them here, beyond to-day, aud cannot
afford to detach heavy body Of horse and
foot, with wagons, to accompany them to Vera
Cruz. Our baggage train, though increasing,
is not yet large enough TO give an assured pro-
gress to tins army. Besides. n greater number
Of prisoners, would, probably, escape from the
escort in the long and deep sandy road, with.
out subsIstence-ten to one-than we shalt find
again, out Of the same body of men, in the
ranks opposed to US.
Not one of the Vera Cruz prisoners is be-
lieved to have been in The lines OF Cerro
Gordo. Some six of the officers, highest IN
rank, refuse to give their paroles except to-
Vera Cruz,and thence, perhaps, to the United
States.
The small arms and their accou,remcnts,
being of no value TO our army here or et
home, have ordered them to be destroyed;
| Tor we have not the means of transporting
them.
| | am. also somewha, embarrassed with The