Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1847-05-17
OFFICIAL REPORT OF col. DoNlrnAN.
tleApau >nrrns OF rHH Amy IN CnuAuurA,
lny II l'hihn lhiin Much l. lSI7.


The army under my Command since my last official re-
port
On the evening If The sih ui February. ls5. we left
the ownof III Paso del Noric. cseorting the merchant
tram or caravan oi ahou, 35 Wagons for the cit Of
Chhaahua onr hrce consisted Of .2i effective men,
II, officers and prisa,cs OF the artillery 81 OF Lieut.
Nol MichelPs escort mud the remainder the lsi iogi
ment Missouri mounted volunteers We progress,,t IN
The direction OF this place until the 25h when we arc
informed by Our spea that The enemy, 10 the number OF
900 men, WERE at nseneas. tho county seat Of Gov
1rias. aboo, % miles IN advance.
When We arrived, on tho evening of tho 10th, near
Mat pont we found That the orde had reiterated IN The
direction oil this city, On the evening OF the 9Th we
arrived al sans and learned from SPECS that the
my In great oree. had fortified the pass n the Saoramen-
10 river. about fifteen nes III advance. and ahont the
same distance from this city. We We're also informed
that there was water between tho point we were Al
and the one occupied by the enemy; there therefore
Determined 10 wait until morning. At sunrise On thu
stii, the last day Of February. we tool, up the line of
arch and formed the whole Train. consisting II 35 hea-
W traders wagons and eomnssary aud company
wagons, into four columns, thus shrcnng our lines as
10 make II more easily protected Wv placed the artila
~ and all the command except 200 cavalry proper. in
The intervals between the columns Of Wagons We
thus fully concealed lrce aud ts position. by mask
my our torce with the cavalry. When we arrived with
IN three mllesoi tile enemy, made reconnaissance
al his position and the arrangement oi his tces. This
We could easily do the road leading through an open
prairie wiley between the sterile mountains, The pass
ol The Sacramento is burned by point OF Tho mounians
on our right their left extending into the vallyor plain.
50 us 10 narrow the valley IL abont aud hall miles
Tn our lett was deep dry, sandy channel o creek,
and between these points the plain rises 10 sixty feet alb
fnpy This rise IL IN the form oi crescent, the
ses part being 10 the north o our forces. On the right
from the poln, Of mountains, narrow aii Of The plain
extends nurh and hall miles further than the
left The main road passes down the centre Of the val
Icy and across the crescent the left on dry branch
The Sacramento rsea in the mountains the right aud
the road falls to 1t ahoutone mile below the battlefield
u. entronchment II the enemy We nsoeria ned that
The enemy had battery Of four guns. two nine and
six FOUNDERS, On thu point Of the mountain right,
Chen lett at good elevation 10 sweep The pan and nj
the point wherc the mountains extended inlos into the
plain. On our le CHER rphD They had another battery
o an elevation commanding the fund aud three cnlrench
nents OF Two sN poundcfs and On the brow Of the
scent, near the centre, anoher oi Two aud two and
cnlNors or rampant pieces, mounted carriages and
ON the ens OF the hill between the batteries
and the right and EFF they had q ledoubts dug and
thrown up, extending al short intervals Tho whole
ground. In these their infantry Were placed and were
entirely Protected Their cavalry Mas drawn w in ir1n
ot the redouhts IN the norns four deep, aud IN IF nj oil
the rodoubs two deep 10 mask them IA far "a pac
tieahle. When VIZ arrived within one aud hall miles
OF the entrenchmenls along the main rond, advanced
The cavalry still further, aud suddoy dsegod with the
ascent on righ, which The enemy discovering end.a
yoftd iopreveni by moving forward with o0O cavalry
and ionr pieces o cannon IN their mashed by them
our movements were sofapd lha we gained III, elevation
with our forces and the advance OF Wagons in tim.
TO form before they arrived within reach Of our guns
The enemy ha ted and advanced the bead ofour col
umn within twelve hundred yards Of llcm, 10 let
our wagons attain the highlands and form ms before.
We commenced the action by hrs, fire from
our battery aud he enemy ,nmaskcd and commenced
also Our fires proved effective al this distance. killing
fifteen men, wonodng aud dlsanng tue ii The enemy
guns. We had two men slightly wounded, and several
horses aud mules killed. The enemy tIen slowly re-
treated behind their works in some confusion, aud We
summed march IN former order, sill disergine
more 10 the right 10 avoid their battery our lii. (rheI
right. and their strong, 81 redouhts, which the
left near where The read passes After marching lr
safely could without coming within range Of lhcb
heavy battery right. Capt. Weghtnan. Of The M
lllery. ordered 10 charge with two - pound hpwt
To be supported by the cavalry under Captains Reid
Parsons, and Hudson The honziters chargd speed
and were calamity sustained by Capt Reid; but by SON,
misunderstanding my order not given 10 the other
two companies Capt lludsan, anticipating 10y order
charged III time 10 give amp support 10 the howil2ors
Capt Parsons, nj the same moment came 10 Inc and ask
ed permission 9r his company charge the rodouhts
,dlately the le Of apt. Nclghman which he did
gallanily. The nder OF The two baitaona Of
the first regiH dsmounod during the cavalry
charge and following rapidly on foot. and MAJOR larke
advancing FAST practicable with the remainder oi
the battery, charged their reloubis from NIGHT 10 LET
with brisk aud deadly fire IF rifemon. while MAJOR
Clarke opened r1pd and well directed fire a column
o cavalry attempting 10 pass Cur lelt as 10 attack
The wagons and The fire well directed
to free them 10 fall back; aud rhemen, with The
cavalry aud huWil2ers cleared afcf obstinate resis
lance. Our forces advanced Ia the very brink Of then
tedoubts and attacked them with sahres. " hon the
doubts cleared, aud the batteries in the aud
our let sIenced, and the battery right
sill continued 10 pour constant and heavy fire, II
had done during the heat of the engagements but the
whole fate Of The battle depended upon carrying the
doubts and centre battery this the night remained
and the enemy had rallied there five hundred
strong.
MAJOR Clark was directed 10 commence a heavy fire
upon 1t, while Ledt. Coils Mitchell and jackson, c0n-
mandug lac Isl battalion, ordered 10 rcmonnt and
charge the battery on the left Wilde Major Gilpn was
directed pass the ID battalion foot up the rough
cent a he mountain the opposite side. The fire OF
our battery was 50 effective AS 10 completely silence
theirs. and the rapl advance Of our column put them to
Il ght over line mountains in orr al confusion.
Capt. Thompson, the si Dragons, aetedas my aid
and adviser the field during tie whole engagement
aud ofihe most essential service 10 me. Also
Lieutenant Wooster Of the United States Army. who
acted very coolly aud gaantly, Major Campbell, of
Springfield Missouri. also acted volunteer aid du
ring part Of The time but left aud joined Capt. Red
IN his gallant charge. Thus ended the battle Of Sacra
mento
The force Of the enemy was 200 cavalry from Du
range and Chihnahua, with the Vera Cruz dragoons ),
200 infantry from Chihuahua. 800 artlarss, and 420
rancleras badly army with issos, lancos and machetoes
knives pieces Of artillery two nine, two eight
four SIX and two four FOUNDERS, and six culverns or
rampant pieces. Ihcirtorces commended by Major
General liendia. General of Durango, chihuahua,