Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-06-18

though men fell at every step. The
foremost reached within fifty yards
of the guns, when the column falt-
cred, came to a stand, and eventus
ally fell back out of range of the
enemy's guns, where it was reformed
and prepared for another charge, but
ere another attempt was made, Gem
eaal Scott sent word to General Pill
low, thanking him for the charge he
made, attribUting the success of the
day, in great measure, to it, and in
forming him that the enemy had
surrendered. We had Is men killed
on the spot and 80 wounded.
Ivory Kent, of our company, was
MORALLY wounded and can live only
few hours. Murray was wounded
in the head, not mortally. Brewer
and Bibb were slightly wounded,
Lieutenant Colonel Cummings was
shot in the foot. Major Farquhar-
son was wounded in the shoulder.
Adit. Hale was killed, also Captain
Nelson, of the Rife Guards. Lieu
tenant Gill, of the Gaines Guards,
killed. Three or four thousand pri-
soners wer surrendered, with, l sup
pose, twenty or thirty pieces of artil-
lery and Generals Lavega and Urea
and many other officers. Santa Anna
escaped by making good use of his
time. His carriage, with several
thousand dollars, fell into our hands.
He took 1900 men with him who are
now hotly pursued. General Shields
was killed (error) The prisoners
are released on parole of honor. La
Vega and Urea refused it. | am
well.
General Pillow was shot through
the arm. A. w. Hawkins.
The foregoing is a history of the
part borne by Pillows brigade in the
battle of Cerro Gordo, as it was then
understood by the writer. After the
lapse of more thsn thirty-five years,
I am unable to remember distinctly
the part borne by Capt. Williams and
his independent Kentucky company.
The line of Pillows advance was
along a narrow and rugged dehle,
rendering it necessary, in many
places, to move in single file Has
kelrs regiment had the advance and
reached it's position long in advance
of other regiments. The charge was
made and repulsed before either of
the others had reached the point of
attack. After the repulse we rallied
on Colonel Campbells First Ten
nessee) regiment, which, by this
time, had come up. One Colonel
Wyncoop's) Pennsylvania regiment
came up still later. Possibly
there may have been two regi-
ments from Pennsylvania. 1 ain,
however, positive that the assault
was made by Haskells regiment
alone. General Scott was in error
in saying General Pillow and his
brigade twice assaulted with great
daring the enemy's line of batteries
Oh our left. Pillows brigade made
but one assault, and Haskell's regi
ment alone was engaged. My recol
lection is that the other regiments
were scarcely under fire. Haskell
marched to battle, as [ remember,
with less than 800 men. If Will
liams company WAS attached, as to
which do not remember, [ think it's
numbers included IN this aggregate
The intelligent reader can determine
whether it was blunder to hurl
300 men unsupported upon a
line of batteries defended by the
flower of the Mexican army at q
point which Robert Il. Lee had de-
cided it was impracticable to assault
with the whole of SCOTS invincible
army. If Williams and his com
pany were with us I suppose they
did no more and no less than we did.
l have a sort Of vague recollecti II,
it may be merely an impression, that
Captain Williams was dubbed "Cerro
Gordo' III consequence Of some~
what bombastlc letter or report writ
ten by him, in composing which the
gallant captain was charged with
having drawn too largely upon a
somewhat vivid fancy. I think the
soubriquet was originally givin, as
Josh Billings would say, in the way
of ''sarkasm." Respectfully,
A W. HAWKINS.