Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1847-10-15

cd San Augustine, village three miles nearer
the Capital, where Santa Anna was said to be
with 10000 men. When we arrived at San Ju-
an, the men were told 10 sling their blankets
across their shoulders, put their knapsacks into
their wagons and to put two days bread and
beef in their haversacks. When this order
came, all knew that the time had come. The
officers arranged their effects, put on their old
coats and filed their haversacks and TASKS
Soon we were all ready for any thing but n
thrashing. We here heard the position OF the
enemy, which was nearly as foows:-Sania
Anna with 10000 men was at San Augustine
Valencia with 10000 was at hill called Con-
treras, which commanded another road parallel
to the San Augustine road, but which led into
It between the city and Santa Anna Now, by
cutting a road across, il we could whip valcn-
cia, We could follow the road up and thus get in
between Santa Anna and Mexico, and whip him
too. Gen. Worth, supported by Gen. Quitman,
was to keep Santa Anna in check, while Twigg,
backed by Pillow, was to try aud astonish Va
lencia, which you will sec he did very efectual-
w. Pillow with some of the ten regiments was
to cut the road We left San Juan about
O'Clock, not particularly desiring eight 50 late
in the day, but still not stunning It in case we
could have respectable chance. About p.
NJ, as We had crawled to the top Of hill
dcr's battery and the mountain howitzors, we
suddenly espied Valencia fortified on hill about
200 yards off, and strongly reinforced by a col
umn which had Just come out Of the city. We
laid down close to avoid drawing their FIRE, while
the battery moved past at a gallep. Just then
Gen. Smiths manly voice rang out, "Forcard
the RyFes-io support he B0iiory." On they
went, till we got about 800 yards from the work,
when the enemy opened upon them with his
long guns, which were Afterwards found to be
sixteen and eighteen inch howitsers. The
ground was the worst possible fer artillery, COW
cred with rocks large and small, prickly pear
and cactus, intersected BY bitches filled with wa
ter and lined with magaey plant, itself impervi-
able to cavalry, and with patches Of corn which
concealed the cnemyis skiTmishcrs, while It i'm
pcdcd our own passage. The artillery advanced
but slowly under most tremendous fire, which
greatly injured it before it could be gotin range,
and the thickness of the underground caused the
skirnishers thrown forward to lose their relative
position, as well as the column. About the
battery got in position under a most .murderous
FIRE Of grape, canister, and round shot Here
the superiority Of the enciny's pieces rendered
our IRE nugatory- We could get bat three PIE
ees in battery, while they had tceaty-eUen, all
OF them three times the calibre Of ours. For
Two hours our troops stood The storm OF iron and
'S"t Deg "ehOu "poh Ucuii uIhnVNcus hA eve
ry discharge they laid flat down to avoid the
storm, and then sprung up to serve the guns
AT the end OF that time, two Of the guns wore
dismounted, and We badly hurt; thirteen of the
horses were killed and disabled, and fifteen Of
the canno1eers killed and wounded. The reai-
ment was then recalled. The lancers had been
repealed in three successive charges. The sd
Infantry and LIST Artillery had also engaged. and
successfully rpelled the enemy's skirmishers
without less OF either officers or men. The
greatest loss had been at the batteries, Officer.
looked gloomy for the FIRST DAYS fight. but the
brigade was formed, and Gen. Smith IN porson
took command. All felt revived and followed
him with veil, as, creeuinq lov 10 avoid ,Se
grape, which was coming yery fast we made :
circuit in rear of the batteries. and nass;nr o,T
to the right we were soon lost IN view ;SS A.. |
and cactus. Passing over tho nssb
that we scrambled through, behold us al alros,
6 O'Clock in the evening, tired, hungry and sor.
rowful, emerging from the cbapnarsl and &C.
ing the road between il and Valencia Uerc
we found Cadwallader and NJ. br;gade slrasJv |
formed, and discovered Rilcv's br;gade sl;rm;st.
ing in rear of the enemv's works Valonc;" ,ra.
ignorant of our approach, and we were as.va,
safe. In front Of us was Valencia stronoIv en-.
trcnched on hill side and surrounded by reg. |
ular field work concealed from us by an, orchard
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