New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-06-07
"Reminiscences of Mexico.

Inc veterans OF the Mexican war TeSlOlu
in Indiana met in indianapolis, on Wednes
day last, and organized State association
| Speeches were made by Generals Lane
Manson and Chapman, and Colonel O;
borne, and the following letter from Ger
eral Lew Wallace was read:
1t is q matter of great regret to me tina
can not be present at the meeting tO-moI
row. No one esteems comradeshiD NOR
highly than do, to no one are its memo
else-more than business and its cares
more than the hopes and expectancies o
the future, they serve to while away N,
hours OF re st and reverie, and for that alon
would not part with my experience as
soldier tor any consideration. Since tn,
campaigns Of 1919, which you are pre-
pairing to commemorate, many of US hav,
trodden much broader field Of wa
with appointments much more grand
yet venture to assert that there is no
one of us to whom the service in Mexico il
not recollection passing in interest thu
most brilliant operation Of the rebellion
The reason is plain. Mexico was strange
land to us all, and full of novelties. There
was nothing upon the face of the country
with which We were familiar; the trees, The
grass, the dusty wastes, the mountains, the
modes Of cultivation and building, the vii
lagos and cities, and their Inhabitants, anG
their customs, costumes. and their habits
charmed us irresistibly; the SUN that shot
us full of fevers was q wonder, because Of
the climate he ruled, but most of all, VIC
reached the untriendly land by the sea
which We then rode upon the first time, and
will remember always as q sounding mys
terry, and monster that would not be con.
tent with half our rations. l can we'll un
derstand how every soldier who made the
march from BrazOs to Matamoras and Mon
terey, thence to SaltillO and Buena Vista
would like to go over the route and
see the country and people again. 1t has
been my fortune to do so several times. The
camping places are all as when we left
them. The ranches are unchanged. A few
of the towns. like Meir and Caiderita, are
considerably grown. Walnut springs bub,
form glides away, cooled and darkened by
the shade of the same old oak and pecan
trees. Passing from them to Monterey, off
to the right, one sees the black fort, and
above and beyond it, under the brow of the
mountain, like a sen tinel, the Bishops cas-
tie stands overlooking the most beautiful
valley on earth, not to say the most beau
titu1 city. 1t is spattered from base to Gu
pal0 with bullet marks, and perforated with
round shot, received, many of them, since
Worth scaled its rocky pedestal; for civil
wars have eddied round and round it with
reddening tides many times since that glo-
rious hour. From the breast of the bluff at
the castles foot leaps the torrent which, d.
vided into channels, rushes through the
streets below, now right, now left,
passing from garden to garden, here
a cascade, there a pool, moment
rejecting the sky, tho next green
with orange trees, the banana leaf broad as
a banner, and the palm, "a joy forever"
The vale from Monterey to Saltillo is match
less. The curtains ofpurple that covered the
SCARED craggs and tilted mountains in the
ancient time are there yet, softening every
up which one must 60 because there is no
other way-must 90, though it famed with
IRE and musket-must 60, if he would reach
the earthworks which Taylor's
took in a twinkling, but which
he same vanguard could have held against
\ hundred times their number. Saltillo is
out little less flour.shing than Monterey. A
more I'm American place may not be found
outside of old Damascus. Yet the traces of
The conquerer are every where in and about
t. Fort Washington is intact, ditch, para
pet and embrasure. Standing on its supe-
-ior slopes one sees the whole city at his
eet, turning right about he catches view of
he mountain, six miles off. under which
spreads the plateau of Buena Vista-a
name to stir the American pulse while
America lives.
l have ridden over the old field three
lines in the seven years last passed, and
always with the same feeling Of wonder at
he audacity of the chief who, with his $500,
lbided there the shock of the Mexican Ma
,oleon's $4,000, and of admiration at the
luck and endurance Of the few, who,
urned and broken, crushed On tile right
nd left, and, by every rule of scientific
'attle, whipped Oftener than there were
lours of the day, knew it not, but rallied
nd fought on, the infantry now covering
he artillery, the artillery now defending
he Infantry, the cavalry overwhelmed by |
egions of lancers, and union of effort !
on, and at last wrung vic. |
DRY from the hands Of assured defeat.
The field is but little changed. The road |
D La Apgostura is still the thorough |
are across it; winding along the foot of the |
ills on its left, and looking down into the |
snres and yawning gaps which made the |
alley to the right SO impossible, even to |
artery was planted across the road, liter
lily our last hope, and tried to recall the
,eling CT the moment. On the left all was
'st; Clay, Mckee, Hardin and Yell were
cad; where all were brave, but one regi-
tent was standing fast-the ONLY one
hich through ali the weary hours of the
hanging struggle. had not turned it's face
ON the enemy-I mean the Third Indiana.
gainst the battery go supported, along
le narrow pass. surged a chosen column of
-exicans. History tells how they were
lied back. In all the annals Of war moth
g more gallant on both sides, scarcely
lything more bloody and terrible! From
10 position of the Third Indiana at that
oment, away over the plateau, quite to
e mountain, reaches breastwork not
ere when our comrades fought, but sig
llizing an incident in the war Of the Mexi.
ms against the French.
You may imagine my feelings when l
de to the position of our second regiment.
was easily identified. A few days after
e battle, when the blood of the fallen vet
ackened the rocks, had been along the
ry line. Looking thence back to where
9 nearest support was posted, hardly
lew which to do most heartily-curse the
confidence of the leader who
vanced them to such position so far in
Q front or admire the valor that held the |
yIment, with the two guns, fighting single
nded full One-third Of the whole force of
enemy, until ordered irregularly to
treat.
Inc last time was on the sacred ground
Jaw "greaser'' working with hoe on
) side Of hill by which we identity the !
sition of the Third Indiana at the turn
, point of the battle. My curiosity
g excited. rode to see what he could
doing. A moment ago I said the field
g unchanged. l was mistaken. The
n was conducting little stream of water
IN the mountain miles away to irrigate a
eat field below in the mouth of the yery
line down which the regiment of Hardin, Z
IL and Mckee had retreated, seeking the ,
'er of Washington's battery-the very i
inc where the blood was thickest on the | I
ks at the end of the fight. l looked ]
Tn upon the velvet green Of the