Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-09-22

| to resume our breakfast, which we did,
About ten minutes after we were again at
tackled by the whole force Of the enemy,
they having the advantage of position; be-
ing posted on hebrow Of Hill overlook
ing our position. with belt OF ehapparel,
some three hundred yards wide, inierven-
ing, over which we could not fire. Crit
tenden Immediately gave the order to
charge, leading himself, and forced the
enemy to retreatt TO large body Of chapa-
rel some seventy FIVE or eighty yards in the
rear Of their first position, from which they
opened 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
position. Criitenden gave an order to re-
treat 10 the house which was done, while
the enemy resumed his position on the Hill
and aSainopened his FIRE; upon which Crit
tcnden ordered second charge, at the
same time saying that he wished small
party to attain position at the right flank
Of the enemy, to charge from that side the
same moment he charged from the front.
Second Lieutenant w. II. Crafts (also OF
Company r. and myself volunteered, and
succeeding in attaining the position with
twenty men. After remaining in it Tor a
bout half an hour and hearing nothing of
CTttenden, 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 Crittenden-
The enemy soon after advancing towards
the house we We're compelled to retreat
leaving our baggage and stores; and tnat
night or rather the next morning we suc-
ceeded IN forming junction with Lopez
at Las Posas, hall anhour before he march
ed from that place. AT the same hour that
Critenden was attacked at the hacienda
body Of the enemy, eight hundred strong
under General Enna, attacked Lopez at
Los Posas.
After hard fight OF over two hours the
enemy retreated, leaving the Americans
masters Of the field, and over two hundred
Of their number (among whom were scve-
raj oftheir highest oiiiccrs) dead aud woun-
ded-the American loss being, in killed,
wounded and missing, only about thirty
men, among whom Colonel Downman and
Lieut. Sabizan were killed and Gen Pragay
and Caytains Brigham, and Gouti were
mortelly wounded. After the action, the
Spanish wounded were brought in, and as
well taken care of as circumstances would
aduit. Lopez rode entirely uharn,cd over
the field, through the hottest Of the fire, oc-
casionaliy applying Il red raw hide, with
great deal OF vigor, to the shoulders of such
men as he thought could be hurried into
firing little taster On the morning of
the lth at 2 O'Clock, Lopez marched from
Los Posas into thcmountains, leaving there
seventeen wounded Spunards and thirteen
Of our side, all of whom were bayoneted
by the Spaniards and their bodies piled in
heap, cross ways, at the foot ofa hill
Two days after, ION the 1Gth) Lopez
was again attacked by three hundred Ian
GERS and six hundred infantry while en-
camped at a hacienda which formerly be-
longed to himself, but was confiscatcd some
three years since. Here the action lasted
tiom II to 9 o'clock, on one the hottest
days ever experienced. The enemy
were again compelled to retreat, with
loss Of three hundred and twenty men, aud
at the same moment that the retreat Of the
Spaniards in one direction was reported to
LOPEZ, he issued an order to his own force
10 retreat in an opposite, and actually, that
day, made a forced march ofeightcen miles
IN five hours, over a mountain road. On
the l9Lh, being still on the mountains, we
were ovcrtaken by severe rain storm,
" hich destroyed the greater portion Of our
anmunt.on, and rendered our guns entire
~ useless. We encamped on the evening
of that day at a rancho on the loot of the
mountains, about two leagues from Bahia
Honda We remained undisturbcd that
night; and We're attacked, just at breakfast
time on the morning Of the goth. being ta-
ken by surprise, the sentry on the outpost
having left his post to wash himself ii a
creek, where he was killed. Owing TO the
unscrvceablc condition OF their arms, the
force under Lopez was completely routed,
flying TO the mountains in all directions
Lopez himself barely escaping on horse
back, with the loss Of his saddle, pistoIt and
spyglass--ofcvery thing, in fact, but what
he wore. That night he encamped on the
highest mountains on the island OF Cuba,
exposed to all the violence Of terrific nor.
ther, without neither shelter, fire or food
Ii is impossible for lne TO describe the
zullcrlngs Of that night. Heaven forbid
that | ever pass such another. The rain
fell in torrents, While ever and anon ter
riic crash would annouce that some mas
svc tree had fallen, either before the force
of the wind, or the still mighlier lightning.
The night equalled an ordinary liietime.-
On the evening Of the 2lst, having been
forty eight hours without eating, we killed
horse, which was divided among one
hundred aud twenty five men, who We're
all that now remained with Lopez. We
wandered through mountains, unable to ex-
tricate ourselves, subsisting ON such leaves
md roots as wc could find until midday OF
Sunday, the 25th, when we succeeded in
reaching aroad running from Bahia Honda
to San CristobaI, along which we advanc-
ed until nearly night, wnen two Spanish
lsncers We're discovered advancing, but
fed on seeing us. A halt was immediatc-
ly ordered, and an examination made of the
state OF our forces, which showed total
Of one hundred and twenty five men, eigh-
ty muskets, about twenty Of which were
serviceable,and about forty dry cartridges.
Under this state Of affairs, it was deemed
advisable to retreat, which was ordered,
and pursuit commenced by the enemy.
who lay in ambush some few hundred
yards IN advance, with force Of nine hun
dred men. On the approach Of the enemy
the whole force nf Lopez separated into
small bodies. and dispersed through the
mountains, throwing away the guns and
everything which could cucumber them IN
their fight, seven men only remaining with
theGeneral. a largcnumber rwere overlaken
and Immediately killed. |, myself, was
one Of a party Of eight who had previously
I nft