Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-04-02
[F1om Ike New Orleans Bulletin, 1iaTca Isl
Hsattle Of Ruena Vista.
FOUR THOUSAND MEXICANs KILLED, AM

Battle Of bucna VISTA
FOUR THOUSAND MExICANs KILLED, ANU
ONLY SEVEN HUNDRED AMERICANS.
The reports lha, have been circulating lor some
DAYS of a severe battle between General lay'oi
ana Santa Anna, are at length confirmed, anu
the result has been another glorious triumph 10
,be A mer;can army The news was brought oy
ibs scbr. John Bell, from Brazos, which vessel
was left about twenty miles below inc Guy,
and was received last evening by specIai mes,
sepaers 10 our neishbors Of The Picayuhe anu
Mercury both OF whom issued extra shee's.-
We give the following from the Picayune-lha'
OF the Mercury is OF a similar tenor;
II appears that General Taylor had fallen back
from Aqua Nueva to Buena Vista, (abonl SIX
miles beyond Saltillo) as more advantageous
nosilion lor receiving an attack from lofce 50
vastly his superior, and tha, the action continued
two DAYS, ana ended in Santa Anna's complete
repulse after a terrible carnage. santa ANNA :
.ccouot Of The battle, which also is received by
vessel below from Tampico, acknowledges tnal
b;s army has been cut 10 pieces, though he as
sc,ts The same thing as regards Gen. Iaylot.-
He exaqgerales the force OF the American army,
which we know did not exceed 500U men, ana
ba. no doubt exaggerated in other respects. AS
10 Gen. TAYLOR having been driven from nVe OF
his positions, the result Of the action completely
Jisproycs The assertion and We have no doubl Inc
American army never changed Inc ground Oh
which the action commenced, lol Wild sucn ah
overwhelming force against them, any serious
reverse during The battle could hardly have been
recovered. and would have ended in their defeat.
The eyolu,ions OF our flying Artillery have pro-
badly been mistaken by Santa Anna Tor change
OF position. and we have no doubt that the enc
my's ranks have suffered dreadtnlly from that
highly efficient corps OF cur army.
We shall feel great anxiety 10 hear the details,
and particularly LIST of the gallant spirits who
have fallen on our side-it is painful 10 con!em-
plate even the few prominen. names, that we
have received, among which will be seen with
deep regret, that OF Lieut. Col. Clay, The eldest
son OF The honored statesman who LETT this city
but few days since with gloomy torbod.
ings and an evident presentimcnl o. evil The
blow will be keenly and deeply telt. COL Nc
Kee, OF the same Regiment, il will be seen, has
also lailen and we learn that the Regiment itself,
has suffered dreadfuly.
We nave no belief in Santa Annals intention
10 renew the battle after he obtained provisions
his own admissions show he has suffered very
severely. and the morale of his army must he too
,auch .!eranged 10 render it possible for him 10
Iesiare their organization and confidence So
promptly. Gen. Taylor, besides, will be imme-
diately reinforced from Monterey and Camargo.
ard has full stores and supplies Of every kind,
whilst Santa Anna is destitute OF the means
either 10 restore or strengthen his army.
|, was in conversation only yesterday, that
staff officer, recently from the army, slated to us,
if the reports of battle having been fought were
true, that he was convinced it mad 'aken place al
Buena Vista, as he had heard Gen. Taylor ex-
press his intention 10 take up that position 10 ease
of a superior force advancing on him. We men
ton this 10 show that Gen. T. was not driven
from Aqua Nueva, but had voluntarily fallen
back to a battle ground as his own choice.
The result of This battle will shed additional
glory upon the American arms, and when il is re-
collected that il has been an open field fight, BY
force almost exclusively composed OF raw Volun-
teers, who have only been embodied lew months,
and against an army of regular troops, four-told
their own number, ii has no parallel in The militia.
ry annals OF modern warfare.
Private letters from Mexican officer say they
have lost one thousand men, and four thousand
are in danger of disbanding for want OF supplies.
In an extra from the Delta office we find the
following credited 10 The Tampico Sentinel CT
March 18th:
nOur city was thrown into a grea'stalc nj ex-
element Yesterday by the receipt OF news from
San Luis Potosi, giving The particulars OF a bloody
enuaaemeni between The American forces under
Cen Taylor. and these Of the Mcyicans under
Santa Anna, al a point called Buena Vista
AS these details arc from Mexican journal, we,
of course, have 10 receive them as such, AMI
give Them just So much credencc as each ndivi-
dual may suppose them 10 be worth, making a
proper allowance for the known disposition OF
this people 10 ezaggerale every thing, from the
noble conflict Of two courageous armies to the
allurements of The cockpit. When the contents
"a ,,,1o a1 first
such horror commineled with The recital, that
one would have supposed that Alexander the
Great was again al he head oi The Macedonian,
carving triumph and devastation wherever MS
army appeared and there was such IN air OF
grandeur thrown around The slratasems Of The
dignifed and conquering Mexican chieftain, that
we were carried bacs 10 the golden days OF Ro-
man warriors
"From all we wsie aole 10 gather, in The excl
ted state Of the public mind which, having lile
10 work upon, was inveniing aud conflicting with
itself in every possible way, The accounts pub
ished in our paper Of the 9Th inst, are partly
confirmed. In that number we gave The sub
stance Of despatch from Santa Anna, declaring
his intention TO give Gen. Taylor battle on the
2ls,. Gen. Taylor was then represented as be-
ing at place called Aqua Nueva, NEW Wa
teri terrifying himself. We are now inclined
10 think this was intended by The general as a
Tnse to decoy Santa Anna into regular standing
engagement, knowing thai The point he had selec-
ted was one that Santa Anna must pass, being
the only good wafer within a great number Of
miles which would be sufficient 10 supply the
wants of SO large force as Gen. Santa Anna
then mad under bis command; and as we have
drawn this much from the probab abilities attending
this bloody encounter, we will draw further, and
suppose il probable that on arriving here, The
Mexican army, which had been fully prepared
for The strife by starvation aud thirst, called all
their energies into requisition, and hence the
slaughter reported TO have taken place on both
sides-the one, struggle for food and drink; on
the other, a natural display of courage and mill
tary enthusiasm.
"The enemy, outnumbering our army about
four to one, and standing as il were upon his own
ground, possessing superior advantages in the
way of interested friends in all parts OF The coun
try together with correct knowledge OF It's seogra
phical and geological character, and many ohel
facts calculated 10 favor him, is reduced TO The
necessity OF inveuling subleriDges 10 account fol
an objectionable want Of success, amounting, IN
word, 10 defeat. This is Illuminating indeed
Twenty 10 twenty-five thousand men against ioul
or FIVE thousand, with all the attending favorable
circumstances, and yet that the larger force shoulc
| acknowledge the necessity OF falling back, aftel
4 100 huoh wv A"J ooNlSi 10 diW0Ss
we would be inclined 10 think the dispatches o
Santa Anna forgery, as Tar as this acknowledg
men, goes, did we mol find il in one of The print.
under the patronage of the government. Blu
| here is the precious document-let il speak lis
| own shame Tor the present.
sin addition to the above, we find in the SAINT
paper private leuer from an officer in The Mey
can army, giving some facts which, when con
lrasled, has something of the Sublime and ri
culous" order mingled with the horrible. Al frs
he states that the Mexican army were then en-
camped upon the same ground which they hac
previously occupied; from which we infer tina
they had been driven from it, and had been able
10 recover Il, either from the iacl that the Amer
can forces had chosen some other camping
ground, or that they generously permitted themle
remain where, by The fortune Of the day, they
found themselves a, the close Of the contest. He
also states that the loss of the Mexicans was
.bout one thousand men, and that their disposi.
ton 10 disband was SO great, that Santa Anna
was compelled 10 return 10 Aqua Nueva, from
which We are led TO suppose, as before stalled,