Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1857-11-12
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moments pause, the three hundred
heroes flew to do battle against two
thousand. At that instant the storm
broke forth in all its fury, aud the
Mexican cannon and dread artillery
of heaven opened together. Mingled
grapeshots, bullets and hailstoneS rat
tied among the chapparel in fearfu
rivalry as if man and nature had
Joined in mortal combat, while the
! shrieks of the wounded and moans
of the dying, could be heard only al
rare intervals amidst the ferocious
shouts of the warriors and the more
tremendous peals of appalling thun-
der. Such was the scene of horror
nearly, if not quite unequalled in the
bloody annals Of the world.
Ampudia hurried mass after mass
of infantry against the little band Of
dreadful adventures, and thinking
thus to crush them by the mere
weight of numbers; but firm and un-
| yielding as solid rock in the ocean,
they resisted and rolled back every
billow ia broken waves.
Canales charged upon them with
! five hundred horses; but the rifle and
revolver proved too much for the
Mexican lance as we'll as the bayonet;
and still slowly, steadily, and ever on
ward, the Texans forced their way
into the suburbs of Meir, and about
midnight effected their lodgment in
several of the stone houses, when the
contest ceased.
The following dawn came bright
and beautiful from the dew dropping
chambers of the golden orient, and
| the sunny air teemed with smiles and
bushes, as if no tears had ever stain
ed the blue eyes of heaven, and no
blood had ever crimsonec the green
bosom of the glorious earth.
But, with the first flash of the
burning sun beams Ampudia and Ca
males renewed the terrors of battle.
The Mexican artillery, arranged in
suitable position during the previous
darkness, opened with round shot on
the buildings where sthe rangers had
taken refuge, and continued to thun-
der for hours; but the deadly aim Of
the American rifle picked the cannon
GERS off one by one, until at last every
gun was deserted, and the enemy
had recourse to the protecting para
pets of fat house tops in the neigh
borhood.
The officers urged on, by alternate
threats and promises, column after
column to the tremendous strife; yet
still they melted away like snow be-
fore burning sun, at the fierce fire
OF the Texan sharpshooters, until the
Mexican force withdrew from the ia
tai range of the unerring rifles, lea
wing more than five hundred dead in
the streets and on the stone roofs Of
the houses.
Ampudia then, with the customary
craft Of his countrymep. resorted to
stratagem, and sent a white flag with
Gen. La Vega urging the Texans to ca
pitulate, and Offering highly favorable
terms; and as it was known that a
large additional force had already az
rived in the vicinity, the rangers ac-
cepted the proposition and laid down
their arms.
Nevertheless, every article of the
oviruru agreement, by which the pri-
soners had been induced to surrender,
was violated in few days, and a
powerful guard marched them off to
the city Of Mexico. Their sufferings
and privations during the journey al
most surpass belief, and many of.
them sunk under the crushing burden
of melancholy, hunger and fatigue,
and were butchered by the way.
But still the youth Jack Phelps,
who hadespecially distinguished him.
self during the battle, and bitterly op-
posed the capitulation, maintaining
bis usual flow Of spirits, laughed and
jested as merriIy as ever. However,
beneath the glittering crust Of this
levity. he concealed a deep and dar-
ing design, and having communica-
ted the desperate plan to the other
caRives, they suddenly assaulted and
oveipowered their armed guard, and
nearly twice as numerous as
themselves, and while they were en-
tierdy without weapons. I
They then started to retreat home- !