The southern press., 1851-09-17

Lopez ordered Col. Crittcnden to remain there
and protect our stores consisting OF 100000
musket cartridges, three thousand muskets, and
several hundred pounds of powder, in kegs, to-
gether with the personal baggage OF all the otfi-
cers, saying that he would march on to Los
posas with the regiment OF infantry commanded
by Col. Bowman, and send from thence trans
porta'ion; and that he would remain there until
Joined by Col. Cri,tenden. Accordingly Lopez
marched at 8 o'clock, with three hundred and.
twenty-three men, leaving 'Crttenden at Caba.
nos, v it'll one hundred and thirty men. At IL
O'clock that night Crittenden received two carts,
and started Immediately after to join Lopez at
Los Posas.
| The carts being helvily loaded and the roads
bad. our progress was Of necessity SLOW, not ad-
vanrinn more than a mile Il hour. About two
hours after daylight on the morning Of the 18th,
we reached a house containing store and 9rog
! shop, about four miles from Los Posa.. Tie
advance guard and m lin body only had reach
| the house, (the rear guard with the cars being
still some quarter of Il mile behind) and were
engaged in eating breakfast. their arms being
laid aside when they were surprised by the re-
port of muketry and the whsiling OF bullets,
which proceeded from the advanced guard OF a
body of the enemy, five hundred strong. We
Immediately siezed our guns and killed nine Of
|
party having been injured. Not seeing any
more of the enemy, the Colonel concluded it
was but foragng party that had attacked us,
and our rear guard having come up with the
carts ordered us to resume orr breakfasts,
which we did, About ten minutes after we
were again attacked By the whole force OF the
enemy, they having the advantage Of position,
being posted on the brow of hill overlooking
our position with belt of chapparai, some
three hundred yaris wide, Intervening, over
which we could not fire. Crittenden iinmedi
ately gave the order to harge, leading himself,
and forced The enemy to retreat to q large boty
of chappir some seventy-five or eighty yards
4 in the rear of their first position, from which
they opened Il heavy fire upon our force as soon
as it appeared in sight on the brow of the hill
Finding that he could not maintain that posi-.
ton, Crtienden gave an order to retreat to the
house, which was done, while the enemy re-
srmed his position on the hill and az i'm opened
his fire upon which Crittenden ordered n second
charge, at the same time saying that he wished
a small party to attain n position mt the right
flank Of the enemy, to charge from that side the
same moment he charged from the front. Second
: lieutenant w. H. Crafts, (also of company lt,)
and myself volunteered, and succeeded in attain
ing the position with twenty men. After re
naming in il for about half an hour, and hear
ING nothing of Crttenden, we retu"ne to the
: house, where we found Capt Kelly, of company
r A, with ten men, guarding the carts, but could
! hear or see nothing of Crttenden The enemy
, soon after advancing towards the house, W.
were compelled to retreat, leaving our baggage
and stores and that night, or rather the next
2 morning, we succeeded in forming junction
with Lopez at Las Posas, half an hour before his
march from that place. a the same hour tha
Crittenden was attackc at the hacienda, body
Of the enemy, eight hundred strong, under Gen
Emma, attacked Lopez at Las Posas.
After a hard fight Of over two hours, th,
enc nv retrea ed. leaving the Americans masters
: of the field, and over two hundred of their mum
D her (amonp whom were several of their highes
= olIicers) dead and wouTlei-'he American
y loss being in killed, wounded, and missing only
: about thirty men, among whom Colonel Down
, man and Lieut. LIbizan were killed, and Gen
: Prapay and Captains Rr;giam and Cont were
-rmUrrrf+v wounded After the action, the Span
sh wounded were brought in, and as well tike'
4, care of as circumstances would admit Lopei
, rode entirely unarmed over the field, through
the hottest of the fire, occasionally applying
!, ID raw hide, with great deal of vigor, TO th'
shoulders of such men as he thought could b,
, hurried into firing little faster. On the morn
= inc Of the llth, at o'clock, Lopez marched
!, from Los Posas into the mountains leaving
!. there seventeen wounded Spanards and thirtec'
Of our side, all Of whom were bryonetcd by tn
Spanards, and their bodies piled in heap, eros
g ways, at the foot OF hilr
a Two days after. (on the l6th.) Lopez wa
, again attacked by three hundred lancers and si'
hundred infantry, while encamped ut haciend
a which formerly belonged to himself, but wa
conf .cated some three wear, since. Here tn
| II. "A g.. 4 D 10 D NJ on mi
:. hottest days ever experienced. The enem,
4 were again compelled to retreat, with loss o
three hundred and twenty men ; and at the SAM
=. moment that the retreat Of the Spaniar l. in ON
!, direction was rer erorted 10 Lopez. he issued nj
, order 10 his own force 10 retreat in an opposite
= and actually. that day, made forced march o
!, eighteen miles in five hours, over mountain
road On the 10Th, being i'll on the mountains
we were overtsken by severe rain storm
!. which destr we'd the greater portion OF our am
y, munlion, AMI rendered our guns entirely usa
: less We encamped on the evening Of thai da
at n rancho on the foot Of the mountains ahon
. two leagues from Bahia Honda. We remaine
. uudisturbcd tha: night, and were attacked just q
, breakfast time on the morning Of the 20th,bein
taken nv surprise. the sentry on the outpost hay
j ing left his post 90 wash himself in creek
!. where he was killed OSng to the unscrvicen
3 hle @ ndition Gf their arms, the force unfo
4 Lopez was cem,lete'y routed, flying TO tn
noun aims l. all directions --b,prz liimsel
! barely escaping on horseback, with the o's o
r his sd lle. pistols. spy gass-of cveiy'hina
. In fact. but what he wore. That night b, en-
camped on the ton of one Of the hiTh"st nNuu
: tains on the Island of CuNa, exposed TO al th
. violerca of a tcr,it uorthar, without ci'hc
shelter fire, or o1
II l. irpnssiblr & r me 90 describe the sniler
= inus Of that night. Heaven forbid that J eve
pass such another The min F"Il IN torrents
while ever and anon n B. rrifc crush would an
monaco that some ma4si tree had fallen, ei'he
e before the force of the VIZ the still nightie
IS lightning. That night rqrl!ir1 M ordinary lif'
u time. On The evening of ,te 2l't, having bee
forty eyht hours without eating, we killed
y horse. which was divided among one hundred
= and twenty fvr men, whn we're all thit now re
e NAMED with Lopez We wandered throug
i mcnn'ains, unable TO extricate Ourselves. snh
u ,s.ing on srrh leaves and roots rs we cnul