Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-08-17
GEN. LANES OFFICIAL REPORT TO
r GENERAL WOOL.
HEADQUARTERS, ID BRG., lsr DIv'N.
Buend Vista. JHerico. Feb 25.

Bueaa Vista, MEXICO, FEB 25.
BRIG. GEN WooL, U. A. Army:
SIR have the honor of laying before you |
/ he following report, Of that pat Of the bat
! tie of The 22nd and 23rd inst, in which the !
forces under my immediate command took
part.
! In obedience to your orders on the 22d, /
tolk position on The left OF tie field upon
which the battle wis tohgr near the foot o
the mountain, with the eigal blriann cum
panes oil tile 81 Regiment ot my B g ,sie /
supported by three pieces oil ighl arslller, /
Commanded by Ii O'Bren. The tour fl
companies OF this Brigade Two fom he u
and two from The Sd Regiments having beer
sent Guder your orders together with Two
companies of Kentucky mounted fiemen %
occupy an emuience and lldge on The side |
oi The muntain 10 check the adv NICE of the |
enemy's (wo reginenis) who were auemp
! ing TO turn the lett Il .nk OF my position b,
climbing he sides of the mountain. Those
rifle companies took their position in the az
iernoon Of The 22d, the iolr Indiana com
panies commanded by Maj Gprman, of the
I'd Re- ment. the wLole under command oil
4 Col. Nj rsai, of Kentucky, aud soon fer-
our forces bat with tile fleet, which they
con: Inaed wllhout inrrmisSion for hours.
f the meantime my nen being secure from he
, ene.nyS balls. and watching their chances
aud taking g1od ailn succeeded in killing
; and woundug SOME lhFy OF Ior,y ot tie
entmy.
) In this engagement nv loss was four men
slightly wounded. Dnng the night Of the
5 22d the enemy sent reinforcement of abou
$50 men up the mountain aud succeeded
in occupying The heights which Commanded
: The position OF The ltleinen My witole com
mand slept upon The field on their arms tbi,
nighl As soon as II was light on The morB-
/ ing of the 23 the enemy opened severe
iiIe from their whole turce on the mount ,in.
{ now amounting 10 all to aboul Zoo or 1900
1 men, cun'nanded, il is believed, by lie Mex
5 lcan Col. Ampudia. notwithstanding the
great superiority of the enemy in numbers,
our gallant rnemen held them in check foi
! several hours, killing aud wonndlng some 80
! or 90 of III III number.
About o'clock A. NJ of the 23d | sent
t part Of the Kentucky mounied iiilemen and
:, cavalry (dtsmpunled for thai pnrpose) up lhe
rnouih,Iu side TO support The 10 ces already
!, here, at which time Tue fIe oi the enemy
: became Tremendous, but which was returned
10y our galint lofco lof more Than one hour
: NIGER.
j. My Instructions from yourself were 10 hold
e my position on tie leh OF tie field agains
e any force uhich the enemy might bring
: against me in thai Quartet Tne enemy had
= = eeu in great tofcs all The morning OF the
23d diIeclly in my front and in sight, but too
e far distant to be reached by Is. OBiien' :
battery. About 8 o'clock | was informed by
l. Col. Churchill that the enemy were advanc-
1t ing towards my position IN great force, shell
o Ieing themselves in deep raVine, which
r runs.up towards The mountain directly in my
} front. Immediately put my columns in
e motion, consisting OF those eight battalion
~ companies, and Lit o. Bren's baliefy,amounl-
+ ing in all to abnul 400 10 meet them. The
j. enemy, when they deployed from the ravine.
and appeared on The ridge, d splayed oict
n OF about 900 infantry, suppofledby large
n body OF laucets. FlIe n(rnlry immediaiel!
e. op, ned destructive FIRE, which WAS return
IN ed by my small command, bath infantry and
"a artillery, in a most gallant manner for some
IT, time. ! soon perceived that WIS too ia'
n from the enemy for the muskeis TO take thai
nd deadly effect which desiIed, and immedl
ol. aely sent my ad-de-camp to 1t. OBfen
p directing him to place his battery in more
n advanced position with the determination o
ly advancing Tie whole line. BY This move
"a menl Should mol only be near he enemy
h, bul should also bring The compaures on M
n extreme left more completely into action, al
n the brow of the hill mpeded their FIRE. b,
,r- this lime the enemy'7 fire If musketiy aud lht
Tor raking fire ofballand grape shot olihslr baleT.
Il" posted on ny left fink had become terrible
IS and my infantry instead of advancing as wa
N ordered, regret to say, retired in some dis
nd order from their position, nolwilhslandln!
os- my own aud the severe etfois Of ny officer
'as 10 prevent them. About the same lime The
Of riflemen and cav-Iry on The mountain retire.
en-. 10 the plain below. The Alkinsas cavalry
Mo aho had been posted by your orders in m
pp lear al the foot of the mountain, 10 act a
mt circumstances might require.) also lett thel
nus nus position, The whole making retrogad
,od movement along Tie plain towards the rear
on al the same time one OF the Illinois regiment
en- not under my command, but stationed d
ey some distance in rear, and on the right {
my position also retired 10 The rear Ihes
'aH troops, the most of he IN, were lInm ediaiel
as rallied aud iuught DUNG The Whole DAY liz
1t veterans, IA few Of them. regret 10 say, d.
OH not return 10 the field al all. BY this appa
bic ent saccesS the enemy were mach eiaied,an
Iu- poured dos II along The side oflhe mountain O
,rm lie extreme left oil the field their Thousand
ng, uf infantry and lancers, and formed themse
the YES in good oider along tile mountain, iion
sdi- ING pepeadicuiaiy 10 whete our lines ha
ter zen posled. 4 this critical jnncime II
Issi Mississippi regiment, under command Z
GERS Col DAVIS, arrived on the field and beir
to- 10; joined by part oil the ID Indiana, met II
and and enemy in most gallant Style, and alter a :
ton we're and bloody engagemt nj repnlsed Tie
eqt with great loss In the meantime lafs
ster bods o! Iancers, quo or 500 in nufnb'-. wi
ids had passed down along the left t'wards o.
ans sf rear, made most desperate chHge upo
nv The Arka nsas aad Kennedy cavalry, with
edit view oi eating eff and plunderng The bs