The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-04


Never was Jefferson Davis a moro
glorious figure than that day at
Buena Vista He formed his men and
advanced against a force five times
his In strength. A rain OF bullets
poured upon his men, but they went
forward steadily. Not until they wese
close to Ampudla did Davis give the
word to fire. Then the hail OF bullets
that struck the foremost ranks of tho
Mexicans shattered the line. One
more volley drove the enemy to cover.
Through 1t all O'Brien's guns played
steadily. Hardly man Of his orig
inal force remained. But for O'Brien.
Davis never could have formed his
men and rallied a portion of the panic
stricken regiments.
When Davis drove Ampudia back
o'Brien had breathing spell. The
scene of battle shifted The Mexican
cavalry, led by Torre1on, had crossed
the mountains by one of the upper
passes and descended on the hacienda
OF Buena Vista. They were opposed
by MarshalTs mounted Kentuckians
There was a homeric fight In the
streets between the cavalrymen, while
the little garrison Of the hacienda
poured shot at the Mexicans from the
roofs of the houses. The Americans
were greatly outnumbered, but when
Torreion fell, desperately wounded.
what was left Of his men fled to the
| mountains.
| With Torrejon beaten and Ampudia
repused. Santa Anna tried a ruse. He
sent a flag of truce to Taylor, who
meantime had arrived from Saltllo.
J Firing ceased. Santa Anna pretended
that Taylor had displayed n flag. and
| after much parlcying insisted that he
merely wanted to know what General
Taylor desired. When Taylor discov
cred the trick he ordered the battle
resumed, but meanwhile Ampudia's d.
vision had been making Its way out of
danger. marching through a ravine
into which Davis had driven the Mexi-
cans.
Taylor. angered at the treachery Of
Santa Anna. hurried two regiments,
one of Illinoisans and one Of Kentuck-
ians, and OBrien's battery to pursue
Ampudia. They hurried toward the
head OF the ravine. which was at the
southern end Of the plateau. but when
they reached 1t they found that giving
time to Anpudia to extricate himself
was not the only thing Santa Anna had
in view in his flag of truce ruse. The
whole reserve of the Mexican army
had been brought forward and was in
the ravines nearby, while neighboring
ridges We're alive with Moxicans.
The two regiments were made up
wholly of volunteers. They poured
one volley into the Mexicans. and then
scores and scores ,of the men rushed
precipitately into the nearest gorge.
It's sides were steep and many of the
men rolled headlong to the bottom.
n = l.INy =
by the fire of the Mexicans When
arose they saw at the mouth OF the
cut squadron Of lancers ready to
prevent their escape
On the plateau O'Brien and his men
had been left-deserted as they had
been earlier in the day. If his battery
was abandoned the two regiments were
doomed. If he could hold the enemy
at bay for few minutes there would
be time for retnforcements-oth bat
terles, perhaps--to come up.
The Mexicans were pouring out OF
the ravines onto the plateau and form-
Ing. Charge after charge of canister
each discharge he fell back Just far
enough to load and fire again. He
was the centre of a heavy fire himself.
thousand muskAts were being dis
charged at him, He was wounded and
all his men were killed or wounded,
but those of the wounded who were
able helped him work the guns. He
never flinohed. but steadily, desperate
~ kept firing, dropping back, loading,
firing, praying in agony all the time
that aid might come How many times
he fired the guns. how many times he
tore great gaps in the lines OF the
MeXicans never can be known. The
Mexicans had no stomach for charg-
Ing upon that volcano. but he was
near the end. The whole force OF the
reserves We're almost upon him when
he heard In the rear the crack Of
whips. the rattle of wheels and the
shouts Of voices he knew. Then he
fired one farewell volley of canister
and abandoned his piece, The voices
ne heard We're of Bragg and his men.
They unlimbered their guns and OPEN
ed fire. Hardly had the cannon be-
gun than Davis, Sherman and Lane
came up on the run, and soon the
whole southern plateau was ablaze
with fire. little later washing TOMS
battery opened on the right, throwing
shot into the ranks Of the lancers