Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1848-09-01

lHtHN VI lluS'ulot-lnCy htIG NnC tIb5N
da'hing troops the Republic had ever sent
10 the field. Opposed TO them were our
men on loot,-a mere handful in compari.
son, aud having about them none Of the
''p0mp aud circumstance" the glitter, and
gold. and feathers, and ~lassels. OF their an.
%lagonists. They stood calmly aud f%ssfirss-
) still, with their pieces at a carry. But
they, too, had an air one that had mis-
chef in IL. Their ranks had been thlnued
out some of their best men had fallen
There we're even fathers standing there,
whose sons had gone down by their sides,
their pet boys, whom they had reared
and brought forth 10 fight for their country.
And there were sons, too, whose clothes
had been baptized with their fathers blood,
not yet dry. Brothers, who had siood
shoulder to shoulder in the morning TODD
so no more but while one lay stark aud
motionless upon the earth. the other was
neal by 10 ayenge him. There were neigh.
bors, too, aud friends, who had grown up
together in school-boy days. They were
not yet separated. The survivors stuod
there, while those who had borne all these
tender relations TO them were strewn, dead
OF dying on every hand. Yet all IN sight
they lay the familiar forms aud faces of
thuse 10 wnum tney nad been deeply attach
ed and whom they had called by their first
names from infancy. Ii cannot be won
dered at. then, that these men stood firm.
1t was a sublime, a terrible sight. The
troops oil both sides we're so cool and de-
termined. that all knew the struggle must
be sanguinlry aud desperate in the extreme.
Not a word was spoken the diu Of the
surrounding battle seemed for a moment
hushed the rumbling sound of the earth,
as the brigade swept onward like a living
,hunderboli, appeared 10 be the only audi
bic manifestation Of the approaching car.
mage. As The Mexicaus came nearer, they
eyidentl, indnlged the belief that they could
draw the fire of our men before it could be
very destructive, aud that then, while the
pieces were empty. they could oyerwhelm
the slight barrier before them. and finish
their work with the lance. But finding, on
the contrary. that not n piece was dlscharg-
ed nor a man moving, the whole brigade
began inslinctively to diminish lis gait
This was a fatal mistake and, on their side,
il seemed a pity i, should have been made,
il was so out of keeping with the skill in-
dicaied by their soldierly appearance and
gallant bearing. Finally. instead Of DASH
Ing fora ard in a most splendid charge, as
they could have done, having the ground
Upon which to execute il, they had the mad
ness to pull IN 10 n walk and nj length IA
adH IN the very network Of the two lines
OF hie. The instant they did so, the pie.
ces came down on both faces &C The angle,
as II swayed by the same hand. For q mu-
ment their muzzles moved slowly about, as
each man felt for his aim then they settled
steady and firm as bars Of steel. Now,
like the blast Of a trumpet, the dreadful
word was shouied-"FIRgr - Two sheet,
If flame courerged on that beautiful brig.
ade. II was appalling The whole head
oil the column was Frustrated, and riderless
horses, a multitude. and crimson with blood
scattered from it in every direction.
Before the Mexicans could recover from
the effects of this blow, Sherman cut them
up with grape and canister. Then came
the rapid and deadly firing by file. of our
rihemen and infantry. No troops in the
world could have faced it without the most
awful sacrifice OF life; and under il the
whole brigade gave way, aud fed toward
the mountains, leaving the ground literally
covered with its dead.
In this affair, had il not been for that Nm.
accountable and suicidal pulling up TO a
halt before a body of the best marksmen in
the world, and distant only eighty yards -
had this compact mass of cavalry, in doing
thus, dashed at speed into the angle before
them, they would have lost many men, no
doubt but il is difficult 10 conceive what
could have saved the Mississippi and Indi.
ana troops from total destruction. And,
had so large a force broken through our
lines. and at this time gained the road be-
tween Buena Vista and La Angosiura, the
fortunes Of the day would again have been
placed in a jeopardy most painful to con-
template.
A TERRIBLE RETRIDUTIoN.
The Mexicans, who were thus hemmed
in, were played upon by no less than nine
pieces Of our light artillery at the SAINT mo-
menl being the centre Of a cross FIRE from
Reynolds pieces to their right. and O'Bri.
ems aud I Lomas' pieces on their lef, while
Sherman and Bragg were tearing them up
in front. Although at first they answered
our troops by II fire Of muskeiry, as the
ground from point to point afforded them
cover, yet, as they became more condens.
ed, and the effect Of our shot more desiruc.
live, they grew panic-slrIcken. Then horse
and foot mingled together, aud, without
ceasing 10 resist the storm under which
they suffered. pressed on closer toward the
mountain. These were the men who had
killed our wounded, when they drove us in
The morning. These were the men who
took no prisoners, when they might have
many, These were the men who left no
sign oflife in any thing American which had
fallen into their hands,-ihe men who had
stripped our poor fellows, and then stood
over Them and mutila; ed their remnins in
the most horrible and revolving manner.
These we're the men who had received the
surrendered sword of the Texan Lieulen-
ant, Campbell, a gallant gentleman, and
then plunged il into his bosom. These were
the men who in the morning had surround
ed that grey.haired man. Lieutenant Price,
OF Illinois, seyenty.two years old. and cruel
y forced their lances through him, as il
for pasiime. Now they were going back
over the same ground where all this work
had been done, We had but little consid-