Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1852-09-09
Tie iluliIated Brid {:
An Episode OF tGae REexfcasl war.

AN Episode Of ,g.e aEexicasl War.
! Z bic first action fought by tic
American army'i the valley Of Mex
ico, on the 20th Of august, 1871.
WAS at Contreras. 1t was h attack
| ppQn fortified camp, III which LAZY
General Valencia with coo MexfcanF )
composed of the remnant of THE ar
my beaten by Taylor, on the hills pl
Buena Vista. 1t was styled ''THe
Array Of Tie North" most Of tile
5olliers composing it being from tile
northern departments-the hardy
miners Of Zacatecas and San LuEs
Potosi-and they wereesteemed "the
aower7' Of the Mexican army.
On the previous day powder
enough was burned TO have cured The
atmosphere for twenty miles around,
yet there was nothing done. We
held The ground, however, in mud Dip
to our ankles. Ia this way we lay
shivering un nder Il cold drizzle until
the morning BY daylight we were
at it in earnest. During the night,
two of our lest brigadeS had crept,
unperceived, through the clay "bar-
rancas' close up to the rear Of the
enemy's camp, ready to spring At
daylight, old Riley shouted .Foy-
~afd! aid gioe lihem A-Y" and be-
fore our Toes mot expecting US from
that quarter could bring their ar
tillery uhon US, We we're in the midst
Of them The action la asted just
seventeen minutes. At the end Of
that tim b w9 had laid our hands up
on thirty pf Yalencia's cannon, and
taken 8b$ but a thousand prisoners;
and had the satisfaction Of seeing
the rest Of them, in their lpng yellow
mantles, disappearing through the
assures Of the lava fields, in rapid
flight along the road to Mexico
We followed, of course; but as our
cavalry had not been able to cross
The Pedregal, and the enemy were
our superiors in retreat, We were soon
distanced. As we came dow a on
the village Of San Angel, the ocfa-
sional blast Of a light infantry bugle,
with the "crack crack e err-ack' :
of our rifles in front, told us that we
had still more work to do before en-
tering the halls Of the AIontezuma Us.
We were, in fact, driving in the lig ght
troops of Santa Annals main army
lying we knew not where, but some
where between us and the far fam ed
IS 60. /. H.
account of the battle that followed,
nor Should ! have entered into these
details of the fight at Contreras, but
to put the reader in possession of
situations and, moreover, to bring
to his u office an incident that occur
red, during that action, to a friend =
the hero of the narratiye-whom |
now introduce:
I was then "a sub, and my frie nd,
Richard III. was the capt;lil OF
my company young as myself, md
fail as ardent in the pursuit of the
red glory of war We had long
known each ether, had gone through
the campaign together, and more
than once, bad stood side by side un-
der the leadea shower.
We had come out of Resqca and
Monterey unscathed. We had pass
ed through Cerro Gordo with only
Il scratch SO far we had been for
tunate, as esteemed it. Not so my
friend, he wished to get wound fer
the honor OF the thing. lie was ac-
commodated at Contreras-for the
bullet from an eseopette had passed
through his left arm below the elbow
Joint. 1t appeared to be only 4 lesh
wound; and his sword-arm istill Safe,
-he disdaincd to leave the field . nth
the ''day WAS done. Binding the
wounded limb with a rng from his
shirt, and Singing it iii his sash, he
headed his Company in pursuit. by
ten o'clock we had driven the Hne-
nv 5 skirmishers out of San Angel
and taken possession Of the Will age.
Our commanded f-in-chief was as Yet
IGNORANT of theposition of the Mex
lean army; and we halted to a Eait
the necessary r@connoisallce.
notwithstanding the cold Of the
preceding night, the day had bee cpme
hot and oppressive. fhe soldiers
wdaried with Watching, marcl ing,
and the fight, threw them emselves down
in the dusty streets. Hunger kept