Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-27
in MEXICO 20 YEARS AGO

1t was on this occasion that General
Cayior. calmly seated on horseback
ciose TO Braggs battery, the air all
around thick with the flying missiles
OF death. gave the historic command:
"A little more grape Captain Bragg
A year and half later "a little more
grape, Captain Bragg" was engraved
en- the banners of marching hosts in
every part Of the United States as vast
mass meetings cheered and cheered
TIL the echoes rang for the hero of
buena Vista, soon to be the President
CT the United States The Captain
bragg here mentioned was General
brexton Bragg. distinguished leader
War.
General Taylor's entire force of Of
hcers and men engaged was 4,759. OF
these but two squadrons of cavalry
ana three batteries of light artillery,
numbering in all 45S men, were regu-
lar troops. The volunteers who fought
under Taylor at Buena Vista were all
newly recruited regiments, coming
principally from Indiana, Illinois, Ken
lucky, Mississippi and Arkansas. Here.
at the head of his Mississippi regi-
ment, fought Jefferson Davis, after
ward President of the Southern Con-
Lederacy; Here, in a lonely mountain
dehle, while gallantly leading the Sec
ond Kentucky Regiment, fell Lieuten-
ant-Colonel Clay, beloved son of the
great statesman, Henry Clay.
BY ntghtfall Santa Anna concluded
he had had quite enough. He re-
treated as rapidly as he could with
what was left of his army, but many,
very many. who had entered the ra-
vines of Angostura never left them
The only burial they received was to
ne entombed In the maws of the hordes
OF filthy vultures that hovered over
the field of the slain. For years there
NNrEN
wild vines and brambles, cleaned In
each lonely defile.
The American loss in killed,
wounded and missing was 746, among
whom were 2S officers killed on the
reid, many of them of high rank. The
Mexicans are known to have had more
than 1000 killed and wounded, while
Santa Annals army of more than
10000 men was further depleted by
large numbers of the starving and
falf-clad Wretches straying off into the
mountains in hopes of in some way
reaching their homes. On the night
Of February 23, 1s47, there was gloom
IN the camp Of Santa Anna. A few
Gays later, as the news of Buena Vista
slowly filtered in, there was gloom in
the Mexican capital
n Tribute to Gen. Zachary TAYLOR
All in all, Buena Vista was the most
remarkable battle of the Mexican War.
RdlTeQ VICTORIES
over generals but little distinguishe ed
in wars great drama. Now he was
met by one on whom rested the ex-
ferience OF campaigns, revolutions and
counter-revolutions whose popularity
With the Mexican people was such that
at nod ne gathered around him a
| host of 10000 men, and conducted
them successfully through all that SOL
diers can endure. Fame had heralded
the coming of Santa Anna long before
his troops appeared in sight; and when
he stood on the heights of Angostura
and saw sweeping before him his
legions, victory seemed already within
his grasp.
And to oppose this veteran general
and his army we're a little troop, less
in number than their opponents cav
airy, and apparently inferior in every
thlng except strength of position. But
energy resistless was III that little band
Of Americans. could one be found
| capable of arousipg it, uniting its pow
ers and hurting il Eainst an enemy
That one was among them. 1t was
General Taylor. A few had followed
him through lurid fires on the prairies
OF Texas and amid the volcanic blaze
OF Monterey. But the greater part
were now to be led by him to their
first bloody field. But they all loved
him. A nod from him would send
them like a cyclone on a hedge of
tayonets or up to the cannon's mouth.
IN the darkest hour of that awful
carnival of death at Buena Vista, when
loved campmates were piled in bleed
ing masses in every ravine, his voice
as he fearlessly moved from point to
point kept the shattered regiments to
their posts.
No doubt many there fought for
glory, for the flag, or battled in the
WIG sweep OF passion, but all fought
for General Taylor. With him in COM
mand every soldier became host and
supplied in efficiency and resolute
tenacity the lack of numbers; and
when the huge host was hurled back
end the last triumphant shout of the
American army pierced the sky 1t was
Tor General Taylor as mGch as for
victory.
Buena Vista substantially completed
General Taylor's military career in
Mexico. but it made him President of
the United States. When the already
decadent Whig party met in national
convention in 1S4S 1t found the coun-
try torn with dissensions and diverse
views on the slavery question. Accord
ingly, 1t adopted no platform or decla-
ration of principles, but simply made
the popular general its candidate, and
thus made the hero of Buena Vista,
blunt Zack Taylor, stand before the
people as leader and platform all in
one. And the Wings in doing this
built well for party success. Taylor
was triumphantly elected, although
p!tted against Lewis Cass, one of the
country's foremost statesmen and a
brilliant orator. The Democratic can
didate made many brilliant speeches
during the campaign. Taylor, like
most great soldiers, was no orator, but
he was borne into the presidential
office on wave of popular patriotic
enthusiasm that ten thousand speeches
could not overcome. Thus one field of
victory sent into the presidential chair
man who had never been actively
affiliated with any political party and
who had never even voted a ticket
during his many years of army service.
Means of travel were very different
in 1S4S from what they are to-day,
end so General Taylor was obliged to
leave his distant home In Baton Rouge,
La, for his journey to Washington
weeks in advance of the time for his
Inauguration, March 4, 1S49. AS he
journeyed fpom State to State and city
to city by a circuitous route which
took him through the great Northwest
he received everywhere an ovation
such as this land has rarely accorded
TO even her most distinguished sons
Pardon me, gentle readers, If con-
clude this number with a personal in
cident. At the time of the Baltimore
-Spangled Banner Centennial cele-
BARTON of September, 1914, the writer
of these sketches, by request, prepared
some recollections of the olden-time