Washington telegraph., 1851-10-15

eiShIy ydEos IN the rear OF their first pO-
sition, from which they opened "A heavy
hre upon our force as soon as it appeared
III sight Oh the brow of the hill. s
Finding that he could not maintain
that position. Crttenden gave an order
TO retreat to the house, which was done,
while the enemy resumed his position on
the hill and again opened his fire; upon
which Col. Crlttenden ordered a second
charge, at the same time saying that he
wished small party to obtain a position
at the rlght flank of the enemy. to charge
from that side the moment he charged
from the front. Second Lieutenant w.
ii. Crafts (also of company R,) aud my,
self volunteered, and succeeded in attain
ing the position with sweuty men. After
remaining IN it for about half an hour,
aud hearing nothing of Col. Crittenden,
we returned TO the house, where we
found Capt. Kelly of company a. with
ten men, guarding the carts, but could
hear or see nothing of Col. Critten den
The enemy soon after advancing iowa rds
the house. We were compelled to retreat,
leaving our baggage and stores; aud that
night or rather next morning. we sue
ceeded in forming Junction with Lopez
at Los Posas, halt an hour before his
march from that place. At the same
hour that Col. Crittenden was attacked
a. the hacienda, BODY OF the enemy,
eight hundred strong, under General
Enna. attacked Lopez at Los Posas.
After IA hard fight of over two hours
the enemy retreated, leaving the Amer;-
cans masters Of the heit, and over two
hundred of their Number (among whom
were several of their highest otiicers)
deau and wouuded-the American loss
being, IN killed, wounded and missing,
only about thirty men, among whom
Colonel DoWunIan aud Lieut. Cablzal
were killed, and General Pragay and
Captains Brigham aud Goui were NOR
tally wounded. After the action, the
Spanish wounded were brought in. aud
as we'll taken care of as circumstances
would admit. Gen. Lopez rode entirely
unarmed over The field, though the ho'-
est of the fire, occasionally applying a
red raw hide. with great deal of vigor,
TO the shoulders of such men as he
thought could be hurried into firing a
lilre faster. On the morning of the 14lh,
at 2 o'clock, Lopez marched from Los
Posas in the mountains, leaving there
seventeen wounded Spaniards and tlIlr-
teen of our side, all OF whom were bay
oueIed by the Spanlards. aud their bod
les piled i'll heap, cross-ways at the
foot of hill.
Two days after, ION the 16rh) Lopez
was again attacked by three hundred Ian
GERS aud six hundred while enoamped at
hacienda which formerly belonged to
himself. bu! was conh>cated some three
wears since. Here the action lasted from
IL to 2 O'Clock, on one of the hottest
days [ ever experienced. The enemy
were again compelled to retreat. with
the loss of three hundred and twenty
men; and at the same moment that the
retreat of the Spanards III one direction
was reported to. Lopez, he issued au Or
der to his own force to retreat III all op-
posite, and actually, that day made a
forced march of eighteen miles in five
hours over mountain road. On the
10Th, beiLg still on the mountains, we
were overtaken by severe rain storm
which destroyed greater portion OF our
ammunition, and rendered our guns en-
tireIy useless. We encamped Oh the
evening Of that day al a rancho on the
foot of the mountains, about two leagues
from Bahia Honda. We remained un-
disturbed that night; and were attacked
just at breakfast time on the morning of
the Goth. being taken by surprise, the
sentry on the outpost having left his post
to wash himself in creek, where he
was killed. Owing to the unseryiceable
condition of their arms, the force under
Lopez was completely routed, flying to
the mountains in all directlous--Lopez
himself barely escaping on horseback,
| with the loss of his saddle, pistols and
spyglass-or everything in fact. but what
he wore. That light he eEcamped on
the top of one of the highest mountains
on the Island OF Cuba. exposed to all the
violence of terrific norther, without:
either shelter, fire or food.
1t is impossible for me to describe the
suffering of that night. Heaven forbid
that ever pass such another The rain
fell in torrents, while ever and anon a
terrific crash would announce tina. SOME
massive tree had fallen, either before the
force of the wind, or the still mightier
lightning That night equaIled an or
dinary lifetime. On the evening al the
2lst, having been forty-eight houss with
out eating we killed horse, which was
divided among one hundred aud twenty
five men, who were all that now remain
ed wtn Lopez. We wandered through
mountains unable to extrlcate ourselves,
subsistlny on such leaves and roots as we
could find, until midday, of Sunday, the.
24th, when we succeeded IN reachiug a
road running from Bahia Honda TO San
until nearly night, when two Spanish