Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-02-26
Buena Vista.

A correspondent of the Richmond Enquirer
thus describes the field of lIuena Vista, long af
ter the sounds of the battle had died away;
when the roar of cannon, the groans of the per-
ishing, the shouts of the triumphant, had all
ceased, and the vulture and the jackal had reti-
red from their horrible repast:
4" ! first rode near the battlefield of Buena
Vista, with some half dozen officers, one of
whom was Lit. Beham, Typographical Engineer,
who shared the perils of the fight He first led
us by the long ditch where repose the remains
of the Americans who fell in the battle. A hum
dred yards further, we came to the narrow pass
between the base of high hill and the deep
canons or gulleys which the Mexicans call An
gosturus, (the narrows,) where was stationed the
battery of COL Washington with a small ditch
on the right, in which lay two companies of
marksmen and on the high hill to the left, be-
hind some loose rocks hastily piled up, were
posted some Illinois troops. A deep ditch was
dug across the nauows, which are not more than
thirty feet wlde in front of the battery.
Next we passed up the valley, eleven hundred
yards distant, to the spot where the discharges of
Washington's battery stopped the onset OF the
host of Mexican cavalry that attempted charge
upon his position A few hundred yards fur
ther, behinds the hills, is where the Mexican le-
gions concentrated before the commencement of
the action. From the ast-named point we as
cended to the plateaus, where the main action
took place. which, at glan;e, appears TO be a
, vast plain, but which, in reality, is broken by
many rsvines, stretching down from the noun
, tains. Here and there on the field, we passed
f an arm, a leg, OF a skull of some Mexican, or
pile of their dead, who having fallen in battle,
4 were hastily aud slightly buried, and afterwards
uncovered and mangled and scattered by beasts
: of prey. Passing further on, we looked upon
{ the spot, beside a little bush, where Lincoln
l. was laid to bleed to death; and down in a ra.
f vine, we arrived at the place where the amlabIC
:, Clay fell, fighting to the last. There, too, fel
s Harding; and near by lies the Mexican and hs
t horse whom Harding slew in his last moments.
= Here is the spot where Bragg made his mem
u orable stand and here lies his dead horses
e and out there in front is huge pile of deaf
Mexicans, whom his grape shot cut down, ant
- whose shrieks and groans rose above the moist
II of all conflict Buttons and caps, and shoes
l. and fragments of various other clothing, ant
grape shot, and bullets, and cartridges, anC
u flints, and fragments of bombs, we met at everJ
e step. Over the whole field, eight miles IN diam
n eter, numerous evidences existed that there hat
1t been fearful struggle. At the head of rO
1t vine we reached the spot to which Benham wal
: sent by Gen. Taylor, to reconnoitre the enemy
J. after one of their repulses. Benham observed 8
J. crowd of Mexican ancers about half milC
: distant, apparently in much confusion-'Fom'
Is seeming anxious to come and fight again, ant
Is some anxious to go the other way. In few
y seconds, however, cannon ball struck th
ground on his right, and within ten feet of Ben
r qam: half minute longer, and another bal