The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-05-03

D
walking up and down his post HIS remark to the po,r
fellow was, You shall be shot-I'I make you
ple and doubtless he would have carried the promise
into execution, had not several Of the nnen bscoun
desperate ct the prospect Of such outrage openly
expressed their dissemination to resist it that he
forced to countermand the order
At ten In the morn ming party of nativss consisting o.
five men and four women, were captured, but inor
sy IN oresr tSsy na we're Gus
the enemy. In the course OF the morning, Captio
Crsghten, d the Now York company (compauy C) mai.
The same suggestion had been made the dsy b,soe
the measure increased In necessity n proportion they
cussances Of TIE case WAS now of ths most vi i
portance. Many of the weapons OF very Interior
character some ,f them had been loaded at Granada
discharged alopg the road in the killing o, beef all ha
been osdsd for at least week Those in possession OF
the company were diy worth brioging ing
and they had been rendered hopeless of oy
ing been used lea sing poles, in crossng streams
when reversed, wettirg both lock and road Many
without much a to draw the charge
f the foreigners ignorant of the
that they did know wnch of the cartgs to bite
of n to load Taking all these croumst
raton Colonel Schsssnger thought II might be
advisable to have inspection OF arms, he ordered
oDe at O'CLOCK but when O'Clock came he postponed
tho ceremony until three.
been captured in the morning compatned Of bsng scg
wbereupon the Colonel Ia freak of Hbsrslity lat ths
whole squad 20. But proved to be fatal f,y, for in
less than three quarters of an hour pickle. guard
crying "The comng! and the enemy made
his appearance at two points on the right sma body
showing itself n elevAA pos the side of the
house and the main bocy pproachng it froa the pAn
below. The guard who ran In would have given the
alarm carrier and thus have allowed the scattered
to form. but his musket would not go off, 40 he vas
OBJ geo to bring the news in with his heels with the
nv bard upon them,
This alarm at once threw the whole camp into
confusion, ard none seemed entirely bewtlde ed
and panic stricken as sch'es singer himself as
cheeks turned pale, mis- knees smote tsge hes; 1t
seemed imposaibe for him to comp himself sufficiently
TO give order SO in the absence Of dirsc
panes forced to act TOR themselves As tue
hyiDg guard came in, Lieutenant Higgins Of the New
ing the company, Captain Creighton led thea, to com
maLding but exposed position at the left hand of
the house. This position faced both the approaching
coun Of the enemy and consel luenty liable to
both its lines OF Seeing position Of the Ne~
YORK company Captain Thorp formed hh company bs-
bind IL en- and behind the of Captain Thorp at
little distance to the right the French took their posi-
ton. The Germans did not form at all aud the Volti
gsuls agreeaby tactics spread them
about the field to work in Iie shot whenever opp
tunity offered.
| Tbs first volley which company reserved was from
! the house. but percelvng that they red rib
bors like themselves, Captain Creighton and L,eute-
was fome Of their own bat,alioa who had got there
by mistake. At this moment their attention
ed the fire from below, where the enemy with tn
small field pieces, handsomely deploylug In the
plain With all the ccolness and precision OF old troops
at this point ef the sair that Schessnger ap
peaed the time upon the scene. He showed him
sell for moment at the corner Of the house the
New YORK Company, and pesping apprehensivsy around
they ~ and then falling back he exclaimed "Com-
p0gnie Frdncuise ~ and off into the mountain fast
as lis legs coud carry him. The French company hear
ing his au8ti0n and imagining he wished them tc
execute flank movement of after him, and they
were followed BY The bewdered Dutch, the latter &C
'uay throwing their weapons oa the ground and ruo-
nipg away empty handed.
In the mean,ime the party with red ribbons, the
hill had got in another volioy company c. aud the
play OF hre also began to roll from below. Still,
the New York company withheld its fire from the par
ty the hill first because Of the supposed mistake an
next from he 10 column, because ihsv not yet
enough enable retaliation have due efe
Blu. third vooy from the false red ribbons the hill
gave people warning of the deception to the extent
of thlee lives, whereupon Lieutenant Higgins who
In his excl had in front OF the line till this
moment retired from his position and gave the order to
the angry veley sent with such good will to Ike
| the hill parry wavsr and retire. Before company
% the were
for moment BY gallant fel,w named Parker, who,
however, fell dssc, shot through the heart, while
gagged 10 his noble effort But at the same nomsnt, as
II 10 offset this loss, sharpshooter named Carhart,
who had posted himself on the piazza of the house,
dropped leader of the enemy who had been riding
lively up down their lines and who had thres times
loaded and discharged his rifle into the American ranxs
The er emy had gained all the approaches to the
hacienda and the New York company ndng themselves
alone upon the field (or the New Orleans company had
just retTed) withdrew under the countsnAnce of Major
UNel who had just returned TO fight with them, after
nsaec,ua enceAvor to check the flight Of schssn.
ger snd to ineucs him to assist In raying the men, The
New York compsny had entered the fight with fortyfour
men, and left the field with twenty-five being the only
company that fred voey In the action and the last to
| eave the ground
Such was TIE battle OF San,a Rosa (for that was the
name of the hacenda) and may be characterized
the most dgracefu connected with the American
name, or known In the history Of arms upon this
| tinent.
Bad the troops behaved evsr the fault does
lie entirely against their coDstancy manhood 1t
which fed from this field woud under other lions,
have behaved with the most perfect fortude and
age but 1t would be hard for the oldest and the prouest
troops to Withstand the demo razng effects Of the flight
of their commander, or to consrue such circumstance
into anything but proof that they were hopslessly
overmatched. Panic under such example was nevl-
| tabls to any body of men, and particularly t, a
raw raoble Of recruits with compsniopshps to unite
patriotism to inspire them, and led chiefly by officers
Of dsaoute and III regulated lives, who did not oumand
particle OF their respect and Of could not
else the least control On the other hand the force Of
the enemy IN addition to being than twice the
Der, and having the advantage OF making toe attack
were actuated by the highest motives which usp ire
conpshed generals who in ADDITION to established mill
tary repua lions, carried the prestige of havog besn
previously victorious against the Americans in toe
bloody and disastrous fight at Rivas M)veover, these
troops the flower Of the Costa Ricsn army. Men
whom long service had cultivated to the highest degree
OF discipline and who being literally infused with Euro
c:onstAncy and spirit Of the very highest dessrp-
Gl ws the smss
! aud precsi i.n, depoying and dischArgiog, aud
managing their field pieces with the same cooness and
performed TO the sound Of the buge; they would
drep and rise in order to load and fire. aud proof OF
the excellence and great superiority of their Is
found In the fact that of them discharged
shaped bullet which indicated the possession their
OF the Mimic other patent rifle. The
CT the other side have already described being the
greater part Of the most worthless and Indifferent
aoter
The greatest advantage which the enemy possessed,
however, being able to make the attack, and to
make 1t, too, while the American camp utterly
and TINS good fortune they owe as much to the
want Of policy and forethought the part OF those
planned the expedition those who had intrusted
their Attached TO the battalion should have
least hundred OF the native troops we to involve
Nicaragua In the responsibility Of the to provide
that species OF picket guard service which only
well performed by those who native to . country.
He'd this policy been adopted surprise would have
fallen upon the camp at Santa Rosa; stubborn and
most likely successful resistance would have ensued
and in Of defeat stroke Of genius could have led
the retreatng party down upon Guanacase, (now but
twelve miles of, and empsd of her troops) and have
converted the disaster into stroke OF fortune All this
might have been done had the troops had timely notice.
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