Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1848-11-09
Engagement Of the Mississippi
Rinemcn.

n FROM cAsLEToNs BATTLE or nrENA VISTA.
H After the Mexlcans had failed IN their attack
lon Duena Visa, they made determined ei-
II fort to force their way 10 the road al point
\ nearer the plaiean. They brought down,
n from nea. the mountains opposite and TO he
/ lsft Of the hacieada, fresh brigade of cavalry,
covered by infantry in al ils passages of ra,-
Hines. With this shey advanced 10 engage the
Il Miss'ssIp r!ie,nsn, the fragment of the cad
Il indiana Eolun,ceIs, and the 3rd regiment OF
the same, who were still acting together, and
|, who had near them one hOwiizcr unde. Capt.
i SHERMAN. The position of these troops was
some five huadred yards nearer the road than
he point where Col DAVIS regmcnt was
I, first engaged in the morning, but farther down
The saue raylne. AS soon ds this new brigade
| indicated, by the manner Of its approach, its
4 deter .hlnatlon 10 charge our remen and lnian-
Try, they were rapidly formed to receive it,
/, The Mississippi regiment, IN llne Of battle, en-
tended across the liille plain upon which they
now vere,--lh.lr night beng nea, the rayne,
! lhc!r front toward the mountains the Indiana
troops were formed so thai their left rested on
the right Of Col DAVIS regiment, their right
upon the raylGc higher up, their front Icing
also toward the mountains, but more 10 the
north. In THIS way, an obtuse re.cnering an
Gle WAS presented towards the approaching
cavalry, SIBERIAN 5 howi,zer being on lis left.
/ The enemy WAS formed III close column Of
squadrons, and came TO the slope at an easy
hand galop. lis ranks were well closed, his
troopers riding knee to knee, and dressing
handsomely on their guides. All the flags and
peun0ns were ilylng,-some fifteen hundred oi
them-,he men were in full uniform, and the
horses elegantly caparisoned. Every lancer
50. erect, aud kept MS charger well in hand
a. tie whole brigade, preserving exactly It's
intervals and the direction Of It's march, moved
forw ard With The ease and regularity oi the
best drilled troops on u Eeld-day. Had the
commander OF th!s beautiful brigade desired 10
win the applause OF both armies, lie could not
have put II Ia better order, or led his men ON
with more of professional style. The tout en-
stYHlle of his column was most admirable. Ii
had a solt Of All about lt.-an easy, nonchalaHt
manner of going into the ork,-which could
not but recall! 10 ones mind his ideal pictures
oi the cavalry of the olden days. Those fine
fellows were the chivalry of Mexico, and, with
tie exception of the President S personal guard
the regiment OF llussags-they were the
mos, jlshng uoors the Republic had ever
sent 10 TIE field. Opposed To them were our
men On iUot,-a mere handful IN comparison,
and having about them none OF tie "pomp
and circumstance" the glitter, and gold, ana
feathers, and tassels, of their antagonists
They stood calmly aud ieariessly sull, with
their pieces al a carty. But they, TOO, had All
air one that had mischief IN II. Their ranks
had been thinned out some of their best men
had fallen. There were even fathers standing
there, whose sons had gone down by their
sidcs.-iheiI pet bows, whom they had reared
and brought forth TO fight for their county,
And there were sons, too, whose clothes had
been baptsed with their fathers blood, not yet
div. Brothers, who had stood shoulder ~
shoulder In the morning, stood 50 no more -
but, while one lag stark and mouonlrss upon
III. earth, tie other was near by 10 avenge
him. There were neighbors, too, and friends,
wto hid grown UP together IN sch0ol-boy
days They we're not yet separated. The
survivors stood there, while those who had
b.rUe aii these tender relations 10 them Were
sIrown. dead or dying, on every hand. YET
all ia sght they lay The idR!iIar forms and
faces If those 10 whom they had been deeply
attached, and whom ihsy called by their first
names from infancy. II cannot DC wondered.
them that these men stood hrm.
|. was a sublime, q terrible sight. The
troops on both sides were 50 cool and deter
mined, that all knew the struggle must be san
EA.NatN GuU u.s. CISNS III VIC SA'iSuiN' avn
word VAS spoken the din Of the surrounding /
basic seemed for a moment hushed; the rum
bling sound Of the earth, as the brigade swept
onward Ike 4 living ihunderbolt, appeared to
be the ONLY audible manifestation OF the ap- .
preaching carnage. As the MeXicans came \
nearer, they evidently INDUCED the belief, that
,hey could draw the FIRE OF our men before IL .
could be very destructive and that then, While .
he pieces we're empty, they could o'erM helm
the slight barrier before them, and finish their
work with the lance. But finding, on the con- I
trarv, that not a piece was discharged nor a
man moving, the whole brigade began instluc- |
lively to diminish its gait. lhls was fatal
mistake and, on their side, It seemed pity !
It should have been made, 1t vas 50 out OF
keeping with the skill indicated by their SOLE
iery Appearance aud gallant bearing. Final /
w., instead Of dashing forward IN most splen-
did charge, as they could have done, having
the ground upon "hch TO execute 1t, they had
the n.a!hess TO pull up 10 walk ,and at length
TO halt IN the very network OF the two lines
Uf FIRE. The instant they did So, the pieces
care down cn both faces Of the angle, as II
sHayed by the same hand. For a moment .
their tnUzzles moved slowly about, as each .
man ftt for his aim then they settled steady
aud ..rm as bars oi steel. Now, like the blast
OF trumpet, the dreadful word was shouted,
-tIgE. The sheets o, flame cOnverged on
that beautiful brigade. Ii was appalling -
The whole head OF the column was prostated,
and rdegiess horses, a multitude, aud crimson
with blood, scattered from 1t III every direc-
ton.
Before the Mexicans could recover from the
eject of this blow, SHERMAN cut them up with
grape aad canister. Then came the rapid and
dcaIy hrlng by file, OF our rgtlelnen aud nian-
try. No troops in the World could have faced
1t without the most awful sacrifice OF lie ard
under II The whole brigade gave way, and fled
towards the mountains, leaving the ground 1T
eraily covered with lIs dead.
In luls affair, had II not been for that unac-
cnuntable aud suicidal pulling up to halt be-
fore body Uf the best marksmcn III the world,
and distance only eighty yards had this
Compact mass OF cavalry, IN room OF dong
thus, dashed al speed ia,o the angle before
them, thcy would have lest many men, no /.
doubt bUtit s difficult TO conceive what could
have saved the Mississippi and Indiana troops
from destruction. Aud, had so large force
broken through our lines, and, al this tine,