New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-11
MCOVARDLY NEW-YORKERS."
GENERAL PINTO BRANDS Mr.. SIMMS's SloN
AS A ISLANDER.
THE STORY OF THE FAMOUS CHARGE AT cHoKo
pusco-ror Ar. yALOR OF ALL THE TROOPS

BUsCo-FoU\Iy ALOR OF ALL THE lNo0r''
the Editor Of The TIL ne yo.,,
Sir. was a commissioned officer In the New io'
regiment commanded by the gallant "aIu ID 49,,
An the Mexican War. During the ClVh war
tbe honor 10 be entrusted with far more Important
and more prominent command WIN eho "''7 -,
troops sent out by this state. But 10 mos -
n IL the first attachments and romantic Ic'hs' VI
voung soldier still strong in my heart ai'er al 0'
wears that lead me to declare that NV, s.,
manlier nor a Drawer body OF men IMAM 'io W."
York regiment that followed Generai eco'' n0"
Cruz to the great plaza IN the he"t VI '"'
Mexico. you can readily see then. that an lnSniO
o.a IN nv old comrades of the Mexican war from
vo,r yor, stirs me even more than would ming dO
tina e.u,ntrv 90 the men had the honor To cohiniauu
i'm Virginia for in the latter case Woi'" 'n' i
polnt to accented history IN reputation Oh ,''0 -
several OF the newspapers have copeo run
charleston News and Courier OF reeeln "''.' q"
article rejecting on the vdlor anu pa'ro'i'"i VI Wv
vevr York tnops ia the Mexican War, when Is an
i.m,t 20 tho ,aemory Of the many gallant dead ana
,h to,v surviving gray haired men of =" Burheo'S
In order 10 explain one of the most important ana
brilIing epi,ode, of the Mexican War, IL VIII "o
necessary To quote fully from the SANDER WHICH Has
provoked this reIoinder. 81 ,,.o
At a dinner given in Eibernia Hall, Chares'on' "
,,. month, ago. Mr. william Gilmore simnla' oil oo"'ii
- who soem, to have Inherited his fathers
,lent for fiction without his fithers judgment a. 10
,ho occasions when fiction Is admissible Fe-d'eu ui0
following story to the asscmllea knights Oh ~ &
n was one of the bloodies, held' OF Mexico imG
batte had RACED with great obstlhacy ioI nous 80
.ta,,cb Tho Mexican, had fOnght for every lHcA h
,rnund with that desperate VaDf WHICH - ,,, III
teri,tic of all races ieavu ui@n aI courage and
lad matched against them roe OF eiuiI a. ,I
the victory though dearly bought was Just M',niI h e,
grasp of the American Army Inc "a' Vn9 pV'nt and
go which was still in the hln1s Ot tue cilelS 'n
thcir commander realizing that was a lorto "o ,s
bd ,,cd the flower Of the Mexican oivary az t,S
most and determined to h0ld II at an haI"'p ~, han
!, ,,s. a desperate resolve. The MeAlcdis hdi o'o'
messed back from their original position ohN DS ~
heated and terrific charge, which In every III ta H
TJ Irf hundred, of dead and wounded On the Il, III.
They had not surrendered an inch or glOud ul.i NY
LA cnyerrd il with the bodic, of their bravcst men
nG now they took the last stand Ncrved to despera
zion by the misfortune, OF the Gay, uCl I.n.S
Il compact front, brlslhs WIN pNe' t "MI HIM n
would be hard to break and when he knew e"1Ia a.
he broken without tremendous ohslsuSn'' ne
termned To call for volunteers Ia do the depeiats
work and applying to the commander Oh f.lhs ~,
vanit regiment he met with a defamation; Not w.
,nur,iecd however, he asked a NJ" l"PH HSihsh,
IN undertake the charge, but he was asan mOrul,cu
10 md another portion Of nj, army unwilling 10 p,h
"a desperate 4 game Wheeling his horse tle u'''c.',
~, inniid IA the front OF the Palmetto Regiment ana
demanded Of Colonel Pierce W. uter II his men "onu
| ie villAg To clinch the victory by TINS 'hdi ~
ycs sir . wa, Tie gallant Cooners Response, every
I one of them. and to the very death IN less lian
mnute the rglment WIN 'lohcr ,a nG,y nn,n the
Mexlran front. The Mcxcans met the on,hnght WIZ
unbrolcn line and for few moments sustained 'I H
b po,ition with magnificent Tor. bul b'cT ip'O
eouf6crn blood wa no match for the superior pr"
and cool unnmchlng temper OF their more NoFtnern
t,cs and the struggle wa- brief slowly tiey Nero
rr.,cn hocl, cnuteudluc desperately. but their mont
w., trokcu and unable t. rally his men IL the fe'ch'
their leader ordered retreat and me gay was "ol,
mn inst here comes Of the prettest paIl' o. INC
story. Commanding company III tAe Ne" y i"rn
/ I'id tIat delightful writer Of adventure by field
and food over whose page every BOY mas d~on WIN Win
att lint he
faced death and his whole temperament was "ou'en
by the cowardy refusal oi nj co.2h,t 10 nre
uoring for the advance. he appealed to hiS men 10
/ follow them. hut out of his entire company ou,
/ eleven were found who were Wiling 10 run 81
| dnsn"rat. a risk with these eleven Lieutenant
Reid len his command and Joined the Palmetto Req.
%f so;c and bc1 IN VIEW TIVE S0 Svc workers.
! secure the fortunes of the day
This i, the ba,o,c,s lie incorporating through
,ba n,ss Of the county in ra guic % history. NJ
man Acquainted with the alphabet Of m'Ii'aj matters
oven though he had the malisnity OF Jut~s ana inc
turntide Of the distinguished Anauas and his spouse
could have coined given currency 10 so infamous
a lie such speech might have been eAcusshle II
Charleston in $50 and 1861, when the Mother oil t'e
IN tarrcd Confederacy firing the southern near
with stories Of Northern cowardice ana leading hei
sister STATE, Of the south 10 blue ruin but il has not
toby even the poor excuse OF eNredien'y. IL +
wholly unnecessary FOR me t. defend the vllor OF the
fcturer Of nct ON 50 wautpny ISLANDERS. but II + due
10 the truth of history and To- the honor II my OWL
state that / should give the facts Of the charge al
Cmlubu7co exactly they occurred
Although William Gilmore ,mms did not figure a
an author Of creative teraturcup t. the date ~ t'
uttcrauce Of the invention just quoted he Ia, thC
reqp novcl,t's trick Of ignoring dates and places
-. that the vcrsimtude of hi, story shall not b'
Inrr.d. lie takes care not to name the battle II
La of \. York and Penn wanna lls
.r,ced themselves. and the south Carol mans, as Ia
tc,u their iuvarable habit. skinned all the cream ="
glory from the field which they FOUGHT nav
eu south Caroluians tirn tail Just HE ordinary
Now Workers or GeOrgians. or pcnnsylvanlan,, bus
VIII confess that the Palmetto Regiment IN Mexico Wa
gallant body oi men. stu do not believe that the'
could have captured the Halls of NonteAuma all by
tl..r lore selves | infer that If William GImo"
simm, had any field Of the Mexican war in his mind
No. ANYTHING else but the desire 10 coin and giy'
cur.cnrv ~ A cowardly SANDER IL must have beer
Chuiuhusco Tie New York Regiment the Pilmett
Regiment and Gcary', Pennsylvania Regiment con
stimt.d ~hiclds's Brigade. and from vera NfuA /
N,Nic, we fought together like brothers 'hurupu>c
cns b, all odds the scvereot battle Tor No. ana u
only one IN which the enemy despite inc NaI'
Characteristic of all races reared under tr0p'c sun
offered a stubborn resistance 10 our charging Columns
and locked their lances with oar bayonets.
For the purpose OF description. Contleas. which wa
f,ucht on the morning of August 20, ISL an
Cluruhi,co which fought on the afternoon oi IN
,anr day may he ola>-cd ~ one battle. More thAI
l,f of the Amersi army htm t'hlcraN' WIN II
nr.slncfs and spots that the troop ciilei upo
- carr, Churubusco and 80 secure the ROAD eddlls
tbe civ ct Mexico aud the Ctstlc oi 'hipu't.Pc.
,',,,i.sr,d Int A Little over 1000 men. santa Anna
who, available army confronted 10, and II had to't
f,gcc of about - 900 men. win an abundant suPPi
,,tiI,r, an arm IN which We were sadly dehtleht Il
, That poinI . 49,. Nth . d,..eru
il /, nes my intention to weary You WIN oc'IIlp
,i,, nt ,pl, batlle Enough tor ms purpose Ia snow
me- nan, played by Nielu,- Brigade. We were Oh tii
extreme lcft of the attacking iote ana a. VIC ln"o
nr thrcc regiment, were detached from any support
ana \r.uall acted a, an independent cohWdl". III
',,,i,y from Lake Chaico rendered the Elohiu =
N,noy a. to make marching difficult ana ruins n
| un--,lr We pressed under a heFVe hIt t"a' V"V
irly ON oar uttlo force. but there Was no uap9s'
I lion to ,kuln on the part of the New iorhvls' H'u
tmnk she cam he said OF the IcilsS n', t 10