Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1847-09-22
across the r,drega as the Mexicans term i,-ground

|
Until night had fairly closed in the fire from the en-
emys batteries did not slackcn had been
roar Tor nearly six hours Gen. Scott retired To Sal
Angst,n about O'Clock. and in the midst of hard raj
which had Just commenced falling. Gems. Twiggs ant
Pillow came IN about III o'clock wet and compile tel
| exhausted IL was impossible to horses tn
rough and exceedingly broken ground on which the,
had bcen operating Tor nearly twelve hours Not anti
cpatng the immense strength of the works of the enc
my, or the almost Insurmountablc difficulties OF reach
ing hc had been at first thought that the
would be taken at DASH aud that the troops would b,
all comfortably guartcred in San Angel for the night
instead oil TINS large portion Of them compelled
TO b'ouac without blankets in the midst of pities
RAM and on ground where they could not stretch
themselves out Add this the prospects of the NOR
row were far from nattering enough TO dismay
any but the stoutest hcarts--that the enemy would
doubtless reinforce and strengthen his works during the
night, having every superiority in know ledge of the
ground-add again to this that the weakened
by long cxcrtions, want food and chilled by the
unuos night rain and it is not saving too much
sef' bivouac OF the 18th August gloomy in
the extreme.
Early on the morning of the Goth, Gen. Worth was
ordered TO move with part of his division-Garlnd's
brgade-towards the of action al Coutrcras 10
aud IN the attack upon Valencia, for TO force this posi-
lion was deemed Indispensable. a few discharges of
cannon were heard about O'Clock, and a heavy rat
ting OF muskctry, and said that in the dis
lance they had seen large Of Mexeans in full
Hight towards the city yet few dreamed that the bat
tcres at CoutrcTs had been sormcd and carried Yet
sol was. Gen. Scott himself accompanied by Gen
Worth, started for the of action when they were
Valencia had been completely routed after Il short but
terrible struggle. The attack upon his works was plan
ned by Cen Smith, and resulted in the capture of f
teen pieces oil artillery, and some fifteen hundred pris
oncrs--among them, Gems. Blanco, Garcia, Mendoza,
and the notorious Salas all the ammunition and camp
eqnipa-e while the road along which those who csca-
ped fled was strcwcd with muskctS No less than 700
oil the enemy, among them many officers, left dead
on the hcd-the number of wounded was undoubtedly
lar greater j have no time now TO cnargc comment
upon tins wel-panned and brilliant achievement but
rcservIng more full description for other time
must pass on to other exciting events The works at
Coutreras completely in the power of the American
my, Gen. Scott at once ordered Gen. Worth TO fall
BACK upon San Antonio TO turn and capture that work
and then TO push towards the capital by the main
road while the main body of the army under Gems
lwlggs, Pillow, Smith, Pierce and Cadwaladcr, NOV
ed towards San Angel and Cohoycan. Scarcely had
the advance OF Cen Twiggs got half mile beyond the
ia'ter village, before rafting fire OF muskctry
nounced that 1t was actively engaged with the outposts
oil The enemy, and the heavy booming of cannon now
gave token that the noted I'd division had fallen upon
another strong work But a few minutes more and
tremendous hiring from the right, and Immediately in
the main road from San Augustine the capital made
II evident that Cen Worths division was actively en-
gagged He had completely turned the strong works of
San ANTONIO, but while doing the enemy had abau-
doncd the place with the loss of their heavy guns
had fallen back upon his second and stronger line of
works 1t was now at the commencement of the battle,
ABOUT O'Clock IN the afternoon, and such
Ting OF firearms has seldom been heard on the
continent OF America, accompanied with such booming
oil artillery and this continued hours and
until the enemy fully routed from every point and
until those who killed taken prisoners were
IN full flight for the city. Let cndeavor TO
give the reader idea of the position and works of the
enemy. As you come along the road leading from San
Augustine 10 the capital and this side the
Puente del Rosana, the MeXcans had thrown up a
strong and exceedingly wcllbuilt battery commanding
the road completely On the right as YOU faced the
CITY, stretching for long distance a continuous
ditch behind'thc bank of which immense number of
Mexican infantry were posted On the left OF the
de pont, OF work at the bridge, and about three hun
dred yards distant, the church of Churubusco or
San Pablo, strongly fortified with works for infantry
and also having well constructed battery containing
a number OF guns OF heavy calibre. This work was a
little advanced from the cte de pont, and nearly in
line between if aud the village of Cohoycan. Further
on on the other side of the work the bridge and a
bout three hundred yards from the road, was large
building, well adapted for the protection of infantry
and in which the enemy had also posted immense
body The ground IN the vicinity of all these points
was completely covered with corn, and other fields
cut up in direction by wide and deep bitches pre-
scntcd obstacles innumerablc to the advance of
troops No reconnaissance of the position of the enemy
had been made, and consequently its strength could
ly be asccrtaincd by hard blows and knocks.
The divisions OF Gems. Twiggs and Worth at
once engaged the former with the church and strong
hold OF Churubuco and the latter with the batteries at
the bridge and in the meantime Gen. Shields brigades
the New York aud South Carolina voluntccrS-to-
gcthcr with the 9th 18th and 18th regiments of Infan-
try under Gen Pierce, were hurry ing onward from CO.
hoycon attack the hacienda Soon they were engaged
and the battle now became general The enemy had over
twenty pieces OF cannon all IN admirable position, and
served with more than ordinary skill while but few of
our guns could be brought to bear. The battery of
Capt Frank Taylor, IT is true, opened well directed
fire upon ChuTubuSco but exposed WI as its situation
that il suffered most terribly both in officers and men,
TO describe the fierce conflict, even now that two
days have elapsed, or TO give Of the part ia
Ken by the different regiments, impossible From
the opening of the strife up the time the Mexicaus
were entirely routed aud in full flight for the CITY, was
ono continuous roar of cannon and muskcry accompa
MED by the loud shouts of the vcors as some new van
tagc ground gained and high above ;hc din rose
dense column OF smoke, at times completely shroudug
The combatants. The strength of the enemy at this
baleis known to have been 1000 at least, many say
2OOOO all fresh troops and in position of uncommon
strength. Opposed to them were about 900 Amcyi-
cans, iadcd and broken down by marches and counter
marches and by nccssant toll before the stronghold of
Coutrcras and San Antonio. At Churubusco the Mex
leans themselves say, Santa Anna commanded in per
SON. but he left early The noted battaIions of dalgo
and Victoria and ofIndcpcndica Poikas or young
men Of the capital, from whom much was expected
nearly all fled without firing gun.
In the different works (but mostly in the church, ia
Ken by Cen Twiggs near 1000 troops captured.
Among them were Gen. Rincon, who commanded in
person. Cen Anaya lately President Substitute and
Cen Arcvallon, also Col Gorostcza formerly Min
lister at Washington. Gen. Garay was captured near
San Antonio by Gen Worth and several influential Of
hccrs, among them Col Miramon, by Gen Shields al
the hacicnda but the most important capture Of al! was
the entire Foreign Battalion mostly made up from de-
scrcrs OF , our own army with their commander, the
notorious Riley himself They arc all now under close
guard, and trust will be strictly dealt with.
The loss on our side has fallen most heavily upon the
South Carolina and New York volunteers the 9th In
anry and Smiths light battalion, attached TO Worth's
division and the batteries OfCapts Marrudcr and Tay
or. The s. Carolina regiment was nearly cut TO pe
ces losing 1877 out Of 212 men, with which it went into
action The LIST Artillery has suffered severely in Of
6ccrs.
The Mexican accounts acknowledge the loss in kill.
ed, wounded and prisoners, OF no less than thirteen
Generals, (among them three ex-Prcsidcnts) and for
tyvc pieces OF cannon. One of officers says that
We have captured more ammunition than Gen. Scott
has used since he has been in the country.
Yours, &c. CIV.
The National lntelligencer says A gentleman
who has Just arrived in Washington from the
White Sulphur Springs, Virginia. informs us that
himself and number of other gentlemen were in