Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-05-31

wss heard over the battle field, they poured in
well directed fire, and rushed upon the enemy
Their deadly aim and wild enthusiasm vas irressti
bic. The Mexicans fed in confusion TO their re
serves, and Davis seized the commanding position
they had occupied. he next fell upon party Of
cavalry and compelled 1t to fly, with the loss OF neir
leader and other officers Immediately Afterwards
q brigade of lancers, 1000 strong, were seen aP-
preaching at a gasp, in beautiful array, Win SCUM
ding bugles and futteriDg pennons Il was an sp.
palling spectacle, bat not man nlncneu run LIS
| position. The time between our devoted pano anc
eternity seemed brief indeed. But conscious Iha1
the eye Of the army was upon them, tna. .ie M
of Mississippi was at stske and knowing that u tney
| gave way or were ridden down, our unprotected
batteries in the rear upon which the fortunes OF the
day d-pen, ed. would be captured, each man resolV
! ed to die In his place scontr than retrea~
mot & { spartan martyrs at IhermoPyI@ hv'
| the sacred battalion of Epaminondas not the tenth
legion of Julius C@ssr-not the Old Iusru Vi va
| polson-ever evinced more fort.tnoe tDan 1Iese
| young volunteers in a crisis when DEAN seemeu IN,
evitabie. They stood ike statues, as lIlsu
this extraordinary frmness, when they had anticl'
| pated manic and flight, the lancers advanced more
| deliberately as though they saw for the nrst time
the dark shadow of the fate that was Impending
over them. Col Davis had thrown his men into the
form of re-entering angle, (familiary known as
his famous movement,) both tanks resting on ra-
vines the lancers coming down on the intervening
ridge. This exposed them to covering hre, and
the moment they came within rifle range eaCh hIau
singled out his object and the whole head OF the col
umn fell more deadly fire never was delivered,
and the brilliant array receied and retreateo, par
| alyzed and diSmayed.
Shortly afterward, the Mexicans having concen-
trated large force on the right for their final at
| tack Col Davis was ordered in that direction. HIS
| regiment had been in action all day exhausted by
thirst and fatigue much reduced by the carnage Of
the morning engagement, and many In the ranks sui
ferng from wounds yet the noble fellows moved at
Il 4 han n
/ volunteers still acted with them. After marching
/ several hundred yards they perceived Mexican In
i fantry advancing in three lines upon Bragg bat
terry, which, though entirely unprotected, held his
1 position with resolution worthy of his fame The
| pressure upon him stimulated the Missssippians.
1 They increased their speed, and when the enemy
was within one hundred yards of the battery, and
confident of its capture they took him In nank and
| reverse, and poured in raklng and Obstructive
/ fire. This broke his right line, and the rest soon
gave way and fled back precipitately. Here Col
Davis was severely wounded"
After this lengthy extract in regard to the heroic
conduct of Davis, shall soon pass to the act of
| Quitman at the gates of Mexico; but before doing
So we will be permitted momentary notice of the
behavior of the South CarolinS regiment under the
| FIRE of the Mexican enemy. Those who sneer at
| Carolina courage and virtues are, In general, toe
ignorant of history to be affected by the record
Butler left his sick bed against medical advice, to
lead the Palmettos. His horse was shot under him.
He took another and was severely wounded. Dick
inson now commanded, and taking the nag from
Beggs, was himself shot down, as was also Beggs.
Butler, resuming the command, was killed by the
side OF Dickinson, under the flag Dickinson fell
again, but now MORALLY wounded; and GLADDEN.,
placing the flag in the hands eff Leonard, led the
charge. There was 40 wavering as death swept
through the ranks. Shot and shell hailed upon
them. The storm ragged.
"IR the whole history says Claiborne there
has never been striking example of indifer-
ence to death, the result of stern resolve. Each
man fought for the honor of Carolina. Several
companies were almost annihilated. Some had not
men enough left to bury their dead. or bear their
wounded to the ambulances. The uniforms of some
OF the officers literally torn from their per-
sons; the color bearers were shot down, but the l
flag, bsthed n their blood, was always seized as
they FELL and borne to the front Proudly it float
ed through the tempest OF death, until the victory
had been won; and then, all torn and blood stained
It dropped over its own glorious dead! The regi-
ment entered the battle with 273, rank and fle and
when it over it mustered 1861 1t had no miss
ing; its dead and wounded made up the deficiency,
Cadets of noble State, of sunny cline.
branded by their country traitors for defending
the Constitution and rights from usurpation and
outrage, yet dying cheerfully for that country in
foreign land the world may learn that such race,
in defence of their homesteads and institutions,
can never be subdued"
The LaIest UsurpatiOn-The Seizure of
TelegrPhIc Dispatches.
From the Hartford Comm Times, May "a.
We give some further extracts from the conser.
vative and constitutional papers of the " free
States relative to the last act of arbitrary usurpa
ton by the President and his Administration At
Washington, in seizing the entire tslegraphic cor
respondence Of the people The act itself while it
SURPRISES IN despOtlsm anything that Louis Napo-
eon or even the Austrian Emp rOr, ever resorted
to- is but one of number of recent events in the
United States all Of which indicate the fatal direc
ton in which the country under its present man.
arement is drifting There is too much cause to
fear that our Republican Government will, unless
this tendency of things is checked, be entirely
subverted, and military despotsm erected on its
ruins.
From the New Haven (Oonn,) Register.
TEE CONSTITUTION TRANPLED UPoN-It seems that |
a simple order from the Administration Tor one of |
the heads of the Department. transmitted to the U.
s. Marshal is, in these days. suh ;ient authority
for entering any mans premises and peruslng his
private papers. Such an order Is said 10 have been
executed on the agents of the telegraph Offices in
New York and other places. If this can be done
with impunity to telegraph men, it may be done to
all other men, matter what their business or en-
plovment And has it come to this that every mans
house which we have been taught 10 believe as hs
castle" ca be entered at any time, by an Execu
tive officer without warrant any other prelimIn
ary proceedings than secret order from the seat
of Government, and his private papers taken from
him to be rausacked by strangers?
Even monarchical England in modern times would
not tolerate such inquisitOral proceeding. None
but the worst governments of Europe could or
would do it. The Constitution of the United States
was supposed to mean something when it declared
that
The right of the people to be secure in their per-
sons houses papers and effects, against unTeasona
BILE searches seizures shall not be UOLGted; and 10
warrant shall ISSUE but upon probable cause sup
porte bg oath affirmation, and particularly de-
scribing the places to be searched and the persons or
things to be seized.'
How then can any officer of the Government, or
any other person, without warrant and without the
preliminary oath describing particularly the places,
persons and things enter the premises of citizen,
and seize his private papers? 1t may, perhaps, be
ssld that now is atime Of war. Admit 1t; but mar
tal law has not yet been proclaimed here. We are
living not in q camp but under civil Constitution,
and every man is bound by its requirements. Dur
| ing the last war with England, lSl2) many were
suspected in the Eastern States of holding illegal
correspondence with the enemy; but the idea Of
entering mans premises and seIzlng ms private
papers by an executive mandate, never entered the
| head of the most ultra warhawk. One experiment
| of the kind in those days would have reused the
whole of New Eng land one man against the Gov
eminent. Even the Hartford Convention was al
lowed hold its secret sessions. The present war
| is not, however, with foreign enemy-itis war
10 enforce the observance of our own Constitution
upon certain seeding States. 1t is war, in other
| words, for the ConsStutOn-Gnd yet in an effort to
make others obey this Constitution we are ourselves
| trAmpling that sacred instrument under foot.
| If there was a well grounded belief that any
| New England man was false to the Government,
| there would be some apology for such process;
but it should have some higher authority than the
| within OF the Attorney General.
CAN'T SNEEB-Col. Churchwels regiment are as
sembling from different parts of the county, at
Camp Sneed, near Knoxville. Capt. Ramsey's COM
pany of Knoxville, will be mustered into this regi-
ment to-day.-EnorriLe Register, Nays
TIVE EAST TENNESSEE VoLUNTEERs.-There are
now some eighteen or twenty companies (some of