The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-08-21

'NPut your trust IN heaven, and keep your
powder dry" Excellent advice; but let me
add another item-Curb your fancy: if it must
flow, turn it into the channel of cheerfulness
or you will be depressed into presentiment-
and then, heaven help you!
Through San Angel, the pursuit poured, be-
ing arrested in its course only to recruit our
troops, or to exchange shots with the runa-
ways. This little town is summer retreat for
the rich Mexicans; and we passed through,
we caught glimpscs of bright eyes through
latticed windows, and tonsured monks from the
gothic apertures Of its convent Through
Coyoacan, from the steeple of which the engi-
neers were accommodating, we passed rapidly
onward, to encounter men and scenes totally
unknown.
ssHaLt!' Hark-a quick and increasing fire
in front of our direction of march, was new
signal of action. Our brigade was in advance
of the column. The Rifles as light infantry,
had scattered themselves forward skirmsh
ers over the fields thanking our march, and my
regiment was the first hedgy infantry of the
vanguard.% As as the firing was heard
in our ranks, more than one voice shouted
'sThe Rifles are engaged, and viii be cut to
pieces!" and soon staff officer, without draw
ing bride, sung out his orders at the gallop-
. Forward, the first artillery and, at double
quick the men trailing arms, the First went
forward to mingle in the fray.
And here let me Intervene n word of ex-
PLANTATION and criticism. This was n grievous
error, and was most fatally atoned. Less than
a mile before us, and five hundred yards apart,
lay the convent and tete-de-p0Rt of Churubusco
so named from the little river flowing in
their rear, of which the latter is the guard.
Now, Worth, after taking San Antonio, had
proceeded by the direct road to the bridge
head, and it was his firing that we heard. The
Rifles were not engaged; the First arGs upon
desperate service, as we shall see.
We were rapidly lessening the intervening
-l.
when once more a loud cry arose. Make way
for the battery" and the rumbling of wheels
and the clatter of hoofs told that the ''light
bobs'' were coming. We cleared the road, and
scattering the clayey mud far and wide, Taylor
came down at the full jump.
A battery of light artillery coming into ac-
ton is a splendid sight; it makes the blood
tingle- in the cheeks, and the eye kindle with
enthusiasm. Then the drill is tested; then your
left aboutS" and 81 'countermarches," ," wheels
and ''reverses,' come into play ''under credit
able circumstances" then your horses are lions
on the spring, and your men tigers at the guns;
then your smooth and bright little skies bel
low, and culver, and recoil, and deal death with
a venom and CELEBRITY in special contrast to-
their mechanical rcpose upon the trim terre pieia
of some peaceful holiday fort.
Such were the thoughts suggested, lightning
like, by Taylors compact, swift and graceful
movements ''into battery" He did not come off
so well, however: s'two officers and twenty
men wounded, and fifteen horses crippled left
the guns shOrt-handed, and the mud of the
field in which they were, at each recoil closed
around the wheels with such tenacity, that it
was with wonderful exertiOn the pieces were
removed. Mas, TeUenOns.
We set forward again at the run, as soon as
Taylor had passed, and i'll ten minutes We
were being handsomely peppered. Through
a corn-feld of dense and luxurious growth
(ten feet more in heighth, and twice as thick
as plant it t)-lay the course pointed out by
an engineer, to what was considered one
gun batteJyn' We marched, or rather ran, in
fronting the storm of balls, ''by company into
line:" you could not see three feet ON any side,
and the stalks were clipped and torn all around
by a scythe of balls. One look | cast at my
captain when he sprang into the corn, and
when | saw him again, the death-rattle was in
his throat
OnwarG-spurred almost to madness by the
fire, the thick growth, and the uncertainty
unconscious of his fate, on [ rushed, with few
men; and after falling hcadlong into drain
from which was jerked by the first sergeant,
we at length cleared the corn!
Merciful heaven! were fifty yards in
front of a regaLar ticId- ,oork-two salients and
a curtain-containing at least three thousand
infantry with the whole army in reserve, and
SeUen guns in embrasure and barbette, keeping
time to the continued roar of musketry. The
rain of the night before had given it Shiny
parapet and wet ditch; and as soon as we
showed ourselves, we were mark for a thou
sand muskets. cone gun battery" indeed !
my heart jumped into my throat. My company
had evidently entered through the densest
growth, and were in advance of the rest of the
regiment, which had been organized by its able
commander, in readiness to take advantage of
"a closer and more reasonable reconnaissance.
This learned afterwards.
'"What shall we do, Lieutenant" screamed
the sergeant.
''Blaze awayl'' said I; tcmporizing in this
answer; for i plainly that something else
must be done.
He levelled his piece with deliberate aim,
and discharged it into the blazing crest of the
work, and was 50 'ramming cartridge" for sec
ond shot, when convulsive leap, the blood
pouring from his breast, and his gun ratting
TO the earth, told me he was shot through the
heart! L caught him to support his fall, and
while '.laying him out, second shot pene-
trated his brain. ALI he was doomed man :
when he was buried, he had five wounds, and
four acere IN Uitdl parts!
"O-o-o-ht Gracious Godi Hclpn' ] looked
around me in the direction of these doeful
cries; to the right to the left, behind, like au-
tumn leaves in gust, were falling the men
who had "broken cover with me. Dragging
two of the wounded, we gained the shelter of
an adobe wall few yards to the left, which
intercepted small shot, but which was riddled
by cannon. s'Victimized this timet' thought
L; but my hope did not fail: and there, in
momentary chance of being torn to pieces, as
the round shot ploughed through, we were
The artillery regiments, with exceptional