The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-02-11


men like a bombshell, projected from
the rear.
Stop the pursuit. What did itmean?
They had put the enemy 10 flight;
and they knew he would not again
make stand to oppose them that sue
the city. Nor even in the city, lof
the scare upon his scattered troops
would be sure To carry them clear
through it, especially when cna5el
| by KeaTney. Stop the pursuit " na'
could il mean The heutenahI-cVlo-
mel could not tell He could only neg
OF them to obey.
They laughed at him, for he had ho'
led them: and only looked tothe lieu
tenant who had. ud
- 'Tis a fatal mistake, SAID iie, anu
General Scott will will find IL our III
time. We have the city in our pow
er: and it will cost more biood 10 gel
/ it 50 again. ,.u,
GTbe orders are for you to malt =
shouted the aid-de-camp, wh"' accom-
panied by II cavalry bugier, gaiiopel
on after the dragons:
"Halt!D cried the New YORK neu-
tenant. fiinging himself III front OF
the pIrsuers, and raising his sword
| with an air of determination. IL was
a command that came only from a
sense of military duty, and the word
faItered upon his lips, as he pronouhe-
Ell IT, ,....,,
"Haltr repeated the officer III a
firmer tone -
aIf you say halt. be gorrah, Wen
do il; bat not fur any other officer in
the Amirikyan army"
With sword held at point, the lieu
teuaut stood determinedly fronting
them and the men came relu:antly
To stand. They had scarce done so
when a spectacle commenced passing
before their eyes, that made every
mar of them aad-aimOst mad. Back
along the road came riding the squad
ron of Kearney; not as they had pass
ed before, al full Sallop, and in tho
flush of a vigorous charge but slow
and detected, as if returning from 4
reverse,
And in the rear rode their leader, his
left arm no longer grasping the relhs-
but hanging by his side, like the sling
Jacket Of hussar,
The tale was SOON told. Some half
mile beyond the spot where the aid
de-camp halted Us, the enemy had cut
the Acapulco road, and thrown par
apet across it, with the usual fOsse out
side. Here few of their bravest men
had determined on making a last
stand.
But Kearney, Drawer than they, rid
} ing at wild gallop, had lcaped his horse
ipfO the WOTll-With one spring, clear
ing both ditch and parapet. His faith
full sergeant had followed him; both
as they alighted, plying their sabre
upon the enemy insidei
At that moment sounded the recall
bugle of the orderly accompanying
Scott's aid-de-camp; and the Amerl'
can dragons, trained to the signal,
pulled short up outside.
Itwas terrible predicament. Alone
within the ilTenehment, surrounded
by a score Of assailants, Kearney ana
his sergeant had no other alternative
but retreat; and, wheeling right about
both headed their horses to re-leap the
ditch.
Their gallant grays carried them
across. the sergeant safe; but the best
cavalry officer in the American army
; received a shot in his left arm, thai
caused him instantaneOusly to let &c
his bridle-rein.
1t pained me to see it hanging loose
as ne and his squadron filed past, go
ing back along the Acapulco road
but the cheer that saluted his return
was far more sympathetic, and moi
less enthusiastic, than that sent aftel
him in his impetuOus charge.
In the battle of ChurubuscO, as OF
other Mexican fields, the writer of this
sketch commanded corps of men
who were a strange congiomeration o
veterans and UieIlT sG6reIrs. They
had seen service on almost every Eu
ropean field, as also in Asia and Afri
ca. They had been organized in New
York city, under the Egis of an OlC
NapoleOnic officer-the Count de Bon
gars. BY the incidence Of campaign
/ life they came under my command
shortly after the battle of CerrO GordO
and so continued, till peace was seal
ed by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidal
go. Among them were many caval
\ ~ men. who had been trained III the
4 first schools, and taken part in cele-
brated charges. One and all confess
ed to me, they had never witnessed q
charge so perfect, so compact, Sc
dashing, as that led by Phil. Kearney
along the causeway of San AntOniC
de Abad.f
To convince me of this, l did not
need their testimony? for | too had
seen something of cavalry service
enough to know that, if there he any
dispute as to who is the Murdt of the
American army, it must he between
two men of similar Christian name:
two Philips in short, betweeT
KEARNEY and SHERIDAN.