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TH E (UNSTiTiTI n.N ALI ST. :
JAMES GARDNER, JR.
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" [From the Washington Into a, 19/// i/ts/.J
OFFICIAL DESPATCHES.
Ooncral Taylor’s detailed report cf iJsc
ISaltlc of Bucun Vista.
Headquarters, Army of Occupation. ?
AguaNueva, March G, 1817. tj
bi* Sir: I have the honor to submit a de
tailed report of the operations of the forces 1
under my command wired resulted in I
llie engagement ot Buena Vista, ihe re-
V s pulse of the Mexican army and the re-oc
cupation of this position.
The information which reached mo of ;
the advance and concentration of a heavy
Mexican force in my front, had assumed
such a probable form, as to induce a spe
cial examination fur beyond the reach of
*our pickets to ascertain its correctness, j
A small party of Texan spies, under
Major M'CuMoch, despatched to the Ha
p cienda of Encarnacinu, 30 miles from i
this, on the route to San Luis Poto.-i, had
reported a cavalry force of unknown
P strength at that place. On the2(hh of
February a strong reconnoissance, under
Lieut. Col. May, was despatched to the
Hacienda of Heclionda, w idle Major Mo
i Culloch made another examination of
Encarnacinu. The result of these expe
ditions left no doubt that the enemy was
in large force at Kncarnacion under the
orders of General Santa Anna, and that i
lie meditated a forward movement and
attack upon our position.
As the Camp of Agua Nueva could
be turned on either flank, and ns the
enemy’s force was greatly superior to
oar own, particularly in of cav
alry, I determined, after rnulflMconsider
ation, to take up a position about CiCten
miles in rear, and there aw T ait the attack.
• The army broke up its camp and march
ed at noon on the lilst, encamping at the
new position a little in tronl of the Haci
enda of Buena Vista. With a small
force 1 proceeded to Saltillo to make some
necessary arrangements for the defence
of the town, leaving Brig. Gen. Wool in
the immediate command of the troops.
Before those arrangements were com
pleted on the morning of the 23d, I was
advised that the enemy w-as in sigh 1 , ad
vancing. Upon reaching the ground it
was found that Ids cavalry advance was
in our front, having marched from En
carnacion, as we have since learned, at
11 o’clock on the day previous, and driv
ing in a mounted force left at Agua Nueva
to cover the removal of public stores.
Our troops were m position occupying a
line of remarkable strength. The road
at this point becomes a narrow defile, the
valley on its right being rendered quite
impracticable for artiile«y by a system
.of deep and impassable gullies, while on
the left a succession of rugged ridges and
precipitous ravines extends far hack to- ,
wards the mountain which bounds the
“valley. The features ofthe ground were
such as nearly to paralyze the artillery
-and cavalry ©f the enemy, while his in
fantry could not derive all the advantage
•ofits numerical superoriity. In this pa
vilion we prepared to receive him. Capt.
Washington’s battery (4ih artillery) was
■posted to command the road, while the
Ist and 2d Illinois regiments, under Col
onels Hardin and Bissell,each eight com
panies, (to the latter of w Inch w as attach
ed Capt. Conner’s company of Texan
volunteers,) and the 2d Kentucky, under
Col. McKee, occupied the crests of the ■
ridges on the left in the rear. The Ar
ts _
Uansas and Kentucky regiments of cav.
airy, command, by Cols. Yell and 11. j
.Marshall, occupied the extreme left nea>r
Iho base of the mountain, while the
Indiana brigade, un ler Br.gader General
Lane, (composed of the 2d and 3d regi- I
,meets under Cols. Bowles and Lane.) ■
Mie Mississippi riflemen under ( ’ol. Davis,
ihe squadrons of the Ist and 2d dragoons
under'Capt. Steen and Lieut. Col. May,
and the light batteries of Capts. Sherman
and Bragg, 3d artillery, were held in j
reserve. At 11 o’clock I received from
<senenal Santa Anna a summons to sur
render at deseretion, which, with a copy
.of my reply, I have already transmitted.
The enemy still forbore his attack, evi- j
dently waiting for the arrival of his rear
-columns which could be distinctly seen
by our look outs as they approached the
Held. A drmonstration made on his left
caused mo to detach the 2d Kentucky
regiment and a section of artillery to our
right, in which position the Mexican I'ght
troops had engaged ours on the exit erne
left, (composed of parts ofthe Kentucky
.and Arkansas cavalry dismounted, and
a rifle battalion from the Indiana brigade
under Major Gorman, the whole comman
ded by Col. Marshall,) and kept up a
sharp tire, clinching the mountain side,and
apparently endeavoring to gain our flank.
'Three pieces of Capt. Washington’s bat
tery had been detached to the left, and were
supported by the 2d Indiana regiment.
An occasional Shell was thrown by the ,
enemy into lids point of our line, but
without effect. 'The skirmishing ofthe
light troops was kept up with trifling loss
on our part until dark, when 1 became
convinced that no serious attack would
be made before morning, and returned j
with ibe Mississippi regiment and squad-
KRi of 2d dragoons to Saltillo. The
troops o: vuuacked wit Lout fires, and laid |
upon vne.r arms. A h !v of cavalry
some l,o(;0 stiong, had been visible all
day jn rear of the town, having entered
the valley through a narrow past oast
°‘ iho cry. I ins cavalry, commanded
by Gen. Minon, had evidently been
infown in our fear to break up and har
m's our retreat, and perhaps make some
attempt against the town if practicable.
Lhe city was occupied by four excellf.nl
companies of Illinois volunteers, under
Maj -r Warren of the Ist regiment. A
field-work, which commanded most of the
approaches, was garrisoned by Capt.
Webslei’s company, Ist artillery, and
Armed with two 21 pound howitzers,
while the train nnd headquarter camp
w as guarded by two companies Mississip
pi riflemen under Capt. Rogers, and a
field-piece com nan led bv Capt. Shover
3d artillery. Having made these dispo- ;
sit ions for the protection of the rear, I
proceeded on the morning of the 23d to I
Buena \ista, ordeiing forward all the :
oilier avh.i able tmips. The action had
commenced bes >re my arrival oh the field, j
During the evening and night of the |
2 2d, the enemy had thrown a body of light
troops on the mountain side, with the pur
-1 pose of outflanking our left; nnd it was
here that the action of the 23d commenc
ed at an early hour. Our riflemen un
der Colonel .Marshall, who had been re
inforced by three companies un ler Maj >r
j Trail, 2d Illinois volunteers, maintained
i their ground handsomely against a great- I
iv superior force, holding themselves un- j
i der cover, and using their weapons with i
| deadly cHi-ct. About 8 o’clock a strong |
: demonstration was made against the cen j
| tre of our position, a heavy column mov
j ing along the road. This force was soon I
Tispfrsud by a few rapid and well di ,
reeled shots from Captain Washington’-;
buttery. In the meantime the enemy '
was concent rating a large force of in fan- I
try and cavalry under cover of the ridges,
wiih the obvious intention of forcing our
, left, which Was posted on an extensive j
plateau, The 2d In liana and 2d Illinois
regiments formed this pait of our line,
tlie former covering three pieces of light
artillery, under the orders of Captain :
O’Brien —Brigadier General Lane being
in the immediate command. In order to
bring ids men within effective range,
General Lane ordered the artillery and
2d Indiana regiment forward. The ar- i
’ tillery advanced w ithin musket range of
a heavy body of Mexican in'antry, and
was served against it with great effect,
but without being able to check its ad
vance. The infantry ordered to its sup
port had fallen hack in disorder, being
exposed, as well as the battery, not only
to a severe fi o of small arms from the
front, but also to a murderous cross fire
of gra; e and canister from a Mexican
battery on tlie left. Captain O’Brien ;
found it impossible to retain bis position
without support, but was only able to
**r • *
withdraw two ct his pieces, all the ho s
and cannoneers of the third piece being
killed or disabled. The 2 ! Indiana reg
iment, which had fallen back as staled,
could not be rallied, and took no further
part in the action, except a handful of
men, «bo under its gallant Colonel,
Bowles, joined the Mississippi regiment,
and did good service, and those fugitives
who, at a later period in too day, assist
ed m defending the train an ! depot at
Buena Vista. 'This portion of our line
having given way, and the enemy appear- |
ing in overwhelming force again-t our
left flank, the light troops which had ren
dered such good service on the rnoun
tain, were compelled to withdraw, which j
they did, forlhe most part, in good order,
Manv, however, werenot rallied util 1 (Ivy
reached the depot at Buena Vista, to the
defence of which they afterwards contri
buted.
Colonel’s Bisson’s regiment, (2d Illinois.)
which had been joined by a section of Cap
tain Sherman’s battery, bad become complete
ly outflanked, ai J was compelled to (all back,
being entirely unsupported. The enemy was
now pouring masses of infantry and cavalry
along the b«se of the mountain on our left,
and was gaining our rear in great force. At :
this moment, I arrived upon the field. The
M'ssis i, pi regiment had been directed to the
left before reaching the position, and imtne
d atciv came into action against the Mexican
infantry which had turned our flunk. The 2d
Kentucky regiment and a section of arti i *ry
tinder Capt. Bragg, had previously been or- j
dered from the right to reinforce our left, and ,
arrived at a most opportune moment. That
regiment, and a portion of the Ist Illinois, i
under Col. I Drdin, gallantly drove the ene
my, and recovered a portion of the ground we j
had lost. The batteries of Captains Slier- i
man and Bragg were in position on the pla
teau, ami did much execution, not only in i
front, but particularly upon the masses which *
had gained onr rear. Discovering that the j
enemy was heavily pressing upon the Missis
sippi regiment, the third Indiana regiment,
under (Ml. Lane, was despatched to strength
en that, part of our line, which formed rfi
crotchet perpendicular to the fiist line of bat
tle. At the same time Lieut. Ki.burn, with
a piece of Capt. Bragg’s battery, was directed t
to support the infantry there engaged. r i he \
action was for a long time warmly sustained
at that point—tlie enemy making several ef
forts both with infantry and cavalry against
our line, and being always repulsed with
heavy loss. I had placed all the regular cav- j
airy and Capt. Pike's squadron of Arkansas
horse under the orders of Brevet Lieut. C 01.
May, with direct ions to hold in check the ene
my’s column, still advancing to the. rear along
the base of the mountain, which was done in j
conjunction with the Kentucky and Arkansas j
cavalrv under Cols. Marshall and Veil. In
the meantime our left, which was still strong- j
iv threatened byasnpetior force,was further
strengthened by the detachment of (.’apt. i
Bragg’s, and a portion of Capt. Sherman’s
batteries, to that quarter. The concentration
of altillery lire upon the masses of the enemy
along the base of the mountain, and the de
termined resistance offered by the two regi
ments opposed to them, had created contu
sion in their ranks, and some ot the corps at
tempted to effect a retreat upon their main
line of battle. The squadron ofthe Ist dra
goons, under Lieut. Rucker, was now order-
WBfc. «' to.-**r.«jafr**rrr.- ~v>» ••
ed uplhe deop ravine which these retreating
corps were endeavoring to cross, in order to
charge and disperse them. The squadron
proceeded to lire point indicated, but could not
accomplish the object, being exposed to a ,
heavy tire from the battery established to
cover the retreat of those corps- While the
squadron was detached on this service, a ;
large body of the enemy was observed to con
centrate on our extreme left, apparently with
the view of making a descent upon the ha
cienda of IVtena Vista, wliere oar train at;d
baggage were deposited. Ltent. Col. May
I was ordered to the support of that point,wi ll ;
; two pieces of Capt. Sherman’s battery under !
i Lieut. Reynolds. In the meantime the scatter
; e ! forces near the hacienda, composed in part
> of Majors Trail and Gorman s commands,
| bad been to.some extent organized under (lie I
! advice of Major Monroe, chief of artillery,
j with the a•‘•dstance of Major Morrison, vol
| unleer staff, and were posted to defend fife |
position. Before our cavalry had reached
, the hacienda, that of the enemy lead made j
| its atttack, having been handsomely met by '
the Kentucky and Arkansas cavalry under
Cols. Marshall and Yell. The Mexican co
: lumn immediately divided, one portion sweep
! ing by the depot, wliere it received a destruc- ;
i live tire from the force which had collected j
i there, and then gaining the mountain nppo- |
j site, under a fire from Lieut. Reynolds’s sec- I
! fieri, the remaining portion redlining the base
j of the mountain on our left. In the charge |
at Buena Visla, Col. Yell fell gallantly at. the j
head of liis regiment; we also lost Adjutant
Vaughan, of the Kentucky cavalry—a young
officer of much promise. Lieut. Col. May,
who had been rejoined by tite squadron ol the
Ist dragoons and by portions of the Arkansas
and Indiana troops under Lieut. Col. Roane
and Maj Gorman, now approached the base
of the mountain, holding in check the right
Hank of the enemy, upon whose masses,
crowded in the narrow gorges and ravines.
I our artillery was doing fearful execution.
‘ The position of that portion of the Mexi
j c m army which had gained our rear was j
nnv very critical, and it seemed doubtful
j whether it could regain the main body. At
this moment I received from Gen. Santa An
na a message hy a stall officer, desiring to
knew what. I wanted? I immediately des
-1 patched Brig. Gen. Wool to the Mexican
general-in-chief, and sent orders to cease
firing. Upon reaching the Mexican lines,
j Gen. Wool could not cause the enemy to {
cease their fire, and accordingly returned
without having an interview'. The’extreme
right of the enemy con! in tied its retreat along
j the base of the mountain, and finally, in
i spite of all our efforts’, effected a junction
| with the remainder of the army.
I) iringthe day. the cavalry of Gen. Minor)
had ascended the elevated plain above Eai‘tl
■
j 10, and occupied the road from the citv to the
| field of battle, where they intercepted several
of our men. Approaching the town, they
! were fired upon bv Capt. Webster from the
I redoubt occupied by his company, and then
moved off towards the eastern side of tire
i vallev, and obliquely towards Buena Vista.
At this time, Capt. Shover moved rapidly
forward with bis piece, supported by a mis
cellaneous command of mounted volunteers,
and fired several shots at the cavalry with
great effect. They were driven into the ra
; vines which lea l to the lower valley, closely
pursued hv ('apt. Shover, who was further
supported by a piece of Capt. Webster’s bat
terv, under Lieut. Donaldson, which had ad
! vmeed from tlie redoubt, supported hy Cant.
Wheeler’s company Illinois volunteers. The
en-onv made one or two efforts to charge ttie
artillery, but was finally driven back in a
confused mass,and d.d nut again appear upon
Urn plain.
In the meantime, tiie firing had partially
ceased upon the principal field. The enemy
soenmd to confine i.i-s efforts to I lie protec
tion of his artilh ry, and 1 had lef> the pla- f
lean for a moment, when-I was recalled thith
er bv a very heavy musketry fire. On re- •
gaining that position, I discovered that our
I infantry (Illinois and 2d Kentucky) had en
g tged a greatly superior force of the enemy
j evidently his reserves—and that they had
| been overwhelmed by numbers. The mo
ment was most critical, (.’apt. O Brien, with
two pieces, had sustained this heavy charge
j to the last, an I was finally obliged to leave
his guns on the field-—his infantry support
bring entirely routed. Captain Bragg, wiio
had ju>t arrived from the left, was ordered at
once into battery. Without any infantry to
support him, and at the immi tent risk of los
ing bis guns, tins officer came rapidly into
action, the Mexican line being but a few
yards from the muzzle of his pieces. 'The
first discharge ol canister caused the enemy
to hesitate, the second and third drove ban
back in disorder, and saved the day. The
2d Kentucky regimen!, which had advanced [
hevond supporting distance in this affair, was j
driven back and closely pres-ed hy the ene
my’s c valry. 'Taking a ravine which led in
the direction of Captain Washington’s batte
ry, their pursuers became exposed lo his fire,
which soon checked and drove (hern back -
with loss. In the mean time the rest of our
artillery had taken position on the plateau,
covered by the Mississippi and 3d Indiana
regiments, the former of which had reached
; the ground in time to pour a lire into the j
right flank of the enemy, and thus contribute 1
to his repulse. In this last conflict we had j
the misfortune to sustain a very heavy loss.
Colonel Hardin, Ist Illinois, and Colonel j
McKee, and Lieutenant Colonel Clay, 2d
Kentucky regiments, fell at tins lime while j
gallantly heading their commands.
No further attempt was made by the ene
my to force our position, and the approach of j
night gave an opportunity to pay proper at- :
tention to the wounded, and also to refresh j
; the soldiers, who had been exhausted by in- i
f cessant watchfulness and combat. Though !
! the night was severely cold, the troop? were
j compelled lor the most to bivouack without
tires, expecting that morning would re
new the conflict. During the night the
; wounded were removed to Saltillo,and every
preparation made to receive the enemy |
: should he again attack our position. Seven j
fresh com pen ies were drawn from the town, j
and Brigadier General Marshal;, \\ ho had ,
made a forced march from the Rinconada ;
with a reinforcement of Kentucky cavalry i
and four heavy guns under Captain Prentiss, |
Ist artillery, was near at hand, when it was \
discovered that the enemy had abandoned his i
position during the night. Our scouts soon :
ascertained that he had fallen back upon j
Agua Nueva. The great disparity of nuin- !
bers, and the exhaustion of our troops, ren
dered it inexpedient and hazardous lo attempt
pursuit. A staff - officer was despatched to
General Santa Anna to negotiate an ex
change of prisoners, which was satisfactori
ly completed on the follow ing day. Our own
dead were collected and buried,and the .Mex
ican wounded of which a large number had
been left upon the field, were removed toSai
lillo, and rendered as comfortable as circum- j
stances would permit.
On the evening of the 2Gth, a close recon
noissance was made of the enemy’s position,
which was found to be occupied only bv a
small body of cavalry, the infantry and artil
lery having reheated in the direction of San
Luis Potpsi. On the 27*h, our troops resum
ed their former camp at Agua Nueva, the en
emy’s rear guard evacuating the place as we
approached, leaving a considerable number
ol wounded. It was rny purpose to beat up
his quarters at Encarnacion early the next I
morning, but m m examination, the weak
condition of the cavalry horses rendered it!
unadvisable to attempt so long a march wi h- j
out water. A command was tina'lv des- |
patched to Encarnacion, on the Ist of March 1
under Colonel lieiknap. Some two hundred
wounded, and about sixty Mexican soldiers
were found there, the army having passed on
in the direction of Matehoma, with greatly
reduced numbers, and suffering much from
Ifunger. The dead and dying were strewed
upon the road and crowded the buildings of
the hacienda.
The American force engaged in the action
of Buena Vista is shown, by the accompa
nying field report, to have been 334 officers,
and 4,4*25 men, exclusive of the small com
mand left in and near Saltillo. Os this num
ber, two squadrons of cavalry, and three bat
teries of light artillery, making not more 1
than 453 men, composed the only force of j
regular troops. 'The strength of the Mexi- |
can army is stated by Gen. Santa Anna, in ,
his summons, to be 20,000; and that estimate i
is confirmed by all the information since ob- i
tained. Our loss is 207 killed, 450 wound- j
ed, and 23 missing. Os the numerous wound
ed, many did not require removal lo the hos
pital, and it is hoped that a comparatively
small number will be permanently disabled.
The Mexican loss in hilled and wounded
may be fairly estimated at 1,600, and will,
probably reach 2,000. At least 500 of their :
killed were left upon the field of battle. We j
have no means of ascertaining the number
of -deserters and dispersed met) from their
ranks, hut it is known to be very great.
Our loss has been especially severe in officers
twenty-eight having been killed upon the field.
We have lo lament the death of Capt. George
Lincoln, as.-Ltant adjutant general, serving
on the staff of Gen. Woo!—a young officer
of high bearing and approved gallantry, who
fell early in the action. No loss falls more j
heavily upon the annv in the field than that
of Cols. Hardin and McKee, and Lieut. Col.
Clav. Possessing in a. rernai kable degree
th-> confidence of their commands, and the
last two having enjoyed the advantage of a
military education, 1 had looked particularly
to them for support mease we met theenernv.
I need not sav that their zeal in engaging the
enemy, and the cool and steadfast courage
with which they maintained their positions
daring the day, foby realized rny hopes, and
caused me to feel yet mure sensibly their
untimely loss.
1 perform a grateful duty in bringing
lo the notice of the government the general
good conduct of the troops. Exposed for
successive night? without fires to the severi
ty of the weather, they wereever prompt and
cheerful in the discharge of every duty, and
finally displayed conspicuous steadiness and
gallantry in repulsing at great odds, a discip
lined foe. While the brilliant success achiev
ed hy their arms releases me from the painful
necessity of specifying many cases of bad
conduct before the enemy, I feel an increased
obligation to mention particular corns and
officers, whose skill, coolness, and gallantry
in trying situations and under a continued
and heavy fire, seem to meant particular
notice.
To Brigadier General Wool mv obligations
are especially due. The high state ol discip
line and in-trnefinn of several of the volun
teer regiments ha? attained under his com
mand, and to Ids vigilance and. arduous ser
vices before the action, and his gallantry and
activity on the field, a large share of our suc
cess mav justly be attributed. During most
of the engagement be was in immediate com
mand of the troops thrown back on our left
flank. I beg leave to recommend him to the
favorable notice of the govet nment. Brigadier
General Lane (slightly wounded) was active
and zealous throughout the day, and display
ed great coolness and gallantry before the
enemy.
Tiie services of the light artillery, always
conspicuous, were more than usually distin
guished. Moving rapidly over (he roughest
ground, it. was always in action at the right
place and the right time, and it? well-direct
ed fire dealt destruction in the masses of the
enemy. While I recommend to particular
favor the gallant conduct and valuable ser
vice? of Major M unroe, chief of artillery, and
Captain’s Washington, 4th artillery, and
Sherman and Bragg, 3d artillery, command
ing batteries, I deem it no more than just to
mention all the subaltern officers. They
were nearly ail detached at different times,
and in every situation exhibited conspicuous
skill and gallantry. Captain O’Brien, Lieu
tenants Brent, W being, and (’ouch, 4: It ar
tillery, and Bryan topographical engineers,
(slightly wounded.) were attached to Cap
tain Washington’s battery. Lieutenant?
Thomas, Reynolds, and Trench, 3d artillery,
(severely wounded,) to that of Captain Sher
man; and Captain Shover ami Lieut. Kil
burn. 3d artillery, to that of Captain Bragg-.
Captain Shover, in conjunction with Lieut.
Donaldson, Ist artillery, rendered gallant and
important service in repulsing the cavalry of
General Minon. The regular cavalry, un
der Lieut. Col. May, with which was asso
ciated Capt. Bike’s squadron of Arkansas
horse, rendered useful service in holding the
enemy in check and in covering the batteries
at several points. Captain Steen, Ist dra
goons, was severely wounded early in the
day, while gallantly endeavoring, with my
authority, to rally the troops vv Inch were fall
ing to the rear.
'The Mississippi riflemen,under Col. Davis,
were highly conspicuous for their gallantry
and steadiness, and sustained throughout the |
engagement the reputation of veteran troops, j
Brought into action against an immensely ;
superior force, they maintained themselves
for a long time unsupported and with heavy
loss, and held an important part of the field
until reinforced. Col. Davis, though severe- 1
iy wounded, remained in the saddle until the
close of the action. His distinguished cool
ness and gallantry at the head of his' regi
ment on this day,entitle him to the particular
notice of the government. The 3d Indiana
regiment under Colonel Lane, and a frag
ment of the 2d under Colonel Bowles, were
associated witli the Mississippi regiment
during the greater portion ol the day, and
acquitted themselves creditably in repulsing
the attempts of the enemy to break that por
tion of our line. The Kentucky cavalry,
under Colonel M irshall, rendered good ser
ver dismounted, acting as light troops on
onr left and afterwards with a portion of the
Arkansas regiment, in meeting and disper
ing the column of cavalry at Buena \ ista.—
The Maud 2d Illinois, and the 3d Kentucky
•*•** '*■ racw 2-- —3 mz: .TJgarT ■*■■ f »art tttw.»h
regiments, served immediately under my
eye, and { bear a willing testimony to their
excellent conduct throughout the dav. The
spirit and gaffanfry with which the Ist Illi
nois and 2d Kentucky engaged the enemv in
the inorning.rcst >red confidence to ti> a. r part of '
the field,while the list of casual ies will show
: how much these three regiments suffered in
1 sustaining the heavy charge of the enemv in
in t'ie afternoon. Captain Conner’s company
| o; Texas volunteers, attached to the 2d lili
: no is regiment, fought bravelv, its captain be- '
ing wounded and subalterns two killed. Col. 1
i iiis.se. l the only surviving colonel of these re
■ gtmenis, merits notice for his coolness and
1 bravery on this occasion. After the fall of j
the field office rs of the Ist Illinois and 2d
Kentucky regiments, the command of the
former devolved upon Lieutenant Colonel
\\ eatherford, that ol the latter upon Major
Fry.
Regimental command ..rs and others who have
rendered reports, speak in general terms of the
good conduct of their officers and men, and have ■
specified many names, but the limits of this re
port forbid a recapitulation of them here. J may, 1
however, mention Lieutenants Rucker and 1
Campbell, of the dragoons, and Captain Biko,
Arkansas cavalrv, commanding squadrons; Lieu
tenant Colonel Field, Kentucky cavalry, Lieu
tenant Colonel Roane, Arkansas casalry upon
I whom the command devolved alter the full ot Co
j lonel 5 ell; Major Hradtord; Captain Sharpe,
I (severely wounded,) and Adjutant Griffith, Mis
! sissippi regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Hadden.
1 2d Indiana regiment, and Lieutenant Robinson.
1 A. D. C. to General Lane; Lieutenant Colonel
: Weatherford, hit Illinois regiment; Lieutenant
I Colonel Morrison. Major Trail, and Adjutant
Whiteside, (severely wounded.) 2d Jilin .is regi- I
merit; and Major Fry, 2J Kentucky regiment, as I
being favorably noticed fur gallantry and good |
conduct. Major McCulloch, quartermaster in
the volunteer service, rendered important ser- i
vices before the engagement, in the. command of |
a spy company, and during tire affair, was asso- ;
dated with the regular cavalry. To Major War- |
i ren. Ist Illinois volunteers, I feel much indebted !
| tor his firm and judicious course while cxerc.sing !
; command in the city of Saltillo.
The medical staff, under the able direction of |
Assistant Surgeon Hitchcock, were assiduous in j
attention to the wounded upon the field, and in ",
their careful removal to the rear. Both in these :
j respects ami in the subsequent organization and !
service of the hospitals, the administration of ;
I this department Was everything that could be
I wished.
Brigadier General Who! Sneaks in high terms
of the officers oi ids staff, and 1 take pleasure in i
i mentioning them here, having witnessed they :
| activity and zeal upon the fit Id. Lieutenant and i
I A. I*. C. McDowell, Colonel Churchldll, in- :
; specter general, Captain Chapman, assislan 1 :
, quartermaster, Lieutenant Sit greaves, topograph- |
ica! engineers, and Captains Howard and Davis, i
I volunteer service, are conspicuously noticed by i
t' c genera! for their gall intry and good conduct, i
Messrs. March, Adiiiek*, Potts, Harrison Bur
gess, and Dusenberg, attached in various capa
cities to Gen. Wools headquarters, are likewise -
: mentioned for their intellig* nt alacrity in con- |
; veying orders to all parts of lim field.
lu conclusion, I beg leave to speak of mV own
stall, to whose exertions in rallying troops and |
i communicating orders 1 feel greatly indebted.—-
j Major Bliss, assistant adjutant general, Capt. J.
I H. Eaton, and Lieut. It. S. Garnett, aides-de- >
camp, served near my person, and were prompt
j and zealous in the discharge of every duly. Ma- I
jor .Monroe, besides rendering valuableservice as i
I chief of artillery, was active and instrumental, a's j
were also Cols. Churchill, end Belknap, inspec- |
! tors genera!, in rallying troops and disposing theth ;
i for the defence of the train and baggage. Col. ;
: Whiting, quartermaster general, and Capt. Ea-
J ton, chief of ttie subsistence department, vverccn
! gaged with the duties of their departments and
aHo served in my immediate staff' on the field
Capt. Sibley, assistant quark rmastcr, was necos
sariiv left with the headquarter camp near town, i
where his services were highly useful. Major
Mansfield and Li< ut. Bonham, engineers, and :
Capt. Linnanl and Limits. Pope and Franklin, i
topographical engineers, were depleted before
and during the engagement in making reconn is- I
s-i races. and on the field were active in bringing j
information a ml in con veving my orders todmt ant
point -. Liouis. Kings'iur, in addition to ids pro
per duti* sasoidnanceoniccr,Capt. Chilton,assis
tant quartermaster, and .Majors Dix and Coffee, :
served also ust xtra aids-de camp,[and were active
ly employed in the transmission of orders*. Mr.
Thomas L. CnUenden, <>t Kentucky, though not
hi service, volunteered as my aids-de-camp on liiis
occasion, and served with credit in that capacity. ;
Major Craig, chief or ordnance, and Surgeon ,
Craig, medical director, hail been detached on i
dulv from headquarters, and did not reach the
ground until the morning of the2lt!i— -too late to 1
participate in the action, but in time to render
useful services in their respective departments off
the staff’.
I respectfully enclose returns of the troops ei
gaged, and of causuliiies incident to the battle.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient ser
vant, ' 7a TAYLOK,
Major General U. S. A. Comm’g.
The Adjitamt Genkoau of tub Army. Wash
ington. D. C.
According to official re'urns, tiiero wore
engaged in tlie bailie 331 officers and 4,425
non commissioned officers, privates, vcc. Os
these there were
Killed * —3 Colonels. 1 Lienfrnftnt Colonel,
I Adjutant, 8 Captains, 15 Subalterns, 239
non-commissioned officers, privates. &,c. 28
commissioned officers, Total killed 267.
Wounded —l Brigadier General, 1 Colonel,
1 Major, 11 Captains, 27 Subalterns, 415
non-commissioned officers, privates, &c. 41
commissioned officers. Total wounded 456.
Missing- —23.
Total killed, wounded ami missing. 746.
United States District Court.—A
young lad, not more than fifteen years of
age, who has been for some time past
engaged incaarying a horse mail from
Augusta to Caruesville, was yesterday
i tried before the Circuit Conn in this ciiy,
■ for embezzling a cheek from a letter
i placed in the mail bag under his charge,
i He was found guilty, and sentenced to
hard labor in the Penitentiary for ten
( years. S-Cohen, ivq., Acting District
Attorney, conducted the prosecution, and
i A. J. Miller, Usq., of Augusta, defended
the prisoner.
Justice Wayne, in pronouncing sen
tence, took occasion to remind the pris
oner that he might turn his punishment to
good account. — lie was young, would
learn an useful trade, and might hereafter
find reason to thank the rigor of the law
for making him an useful and honest
member of society. —Savannah Repub
lican. 2 2d inst.
The ZScmain* of i.leiit. Co!. Clay;
Ar, a large meeting of the citizens of Lou
isville, a largo committee composed of the
most respectable cilizans, was appointed to
make arrangements to have the remains of
Col. Clay brought to that city, from Buena
Vista, and buried with fitting solemnities.
Another committee was appointed to super
intend iljc erection of a suitable monument to j
his memory. Col. Clay was a citizen of
i
Louisville when he joined the army. We
need not say that he was beloved and esteem
ed by the people of that place. His virtues
won the regard as his manliness commanded
the respect of men.
AFCL STA.
SATURDAY .MORNING, APRIL 24, 1817.
W 'f We occupy a large portion of our col
umns with General Taylor’s Official Report
of the Battle of Buena Vista, it is full of
interesting details. Coming to us as the au
thentic history ol that brilliant day, il will be
read with avidity by all.
The Union, in laying this despatch and
that of Col. Price, before (lie public, makes
the following gralulatory comments ;
Dr*putcl>cs from our .% ins It-*.
We lav before our readers the following
letters, w liich have just been received at
the War Office, from General Taylor,
and from Col. Price at Santa *Fc. The
letters of Gen. Taylor is crowded with
interesting details of the battle of Buena
Vista—accompanied by a statement of
the force w Inch w on the victory, and a list
of the-killed and wounded. This is the
longest letter which has emanated during
the campaign from its author. It is full
of the most stirring and hrillant details.
No man can read il without feeling proml
| of the glory which has been reflected *
upon our arms, and w ithout anticipating
the deep moral impression w hich il w ill
make upon the eas‘ern world. It com
| rnemorates an achievement which is des
| lined to live long on the page of history.
'The letter from Col. Price sheds much
j light upon the transactions in New Mexi-
I co, which five weeks ago produced such
j groat anxiety and intense curiosity in the
. public mind. It is the first authentic
official account which has been received
for several weeks from that distant region.
r
Instead of anxiety for the fate of our
officers and troops in New- Mexico, a deep
feeling of j >v, pride, am! congratulation
has succeed ’d. C«i. Price, of .Missouri,
w ho resigned his seat in Congress to serve
under the cag es of his country, has ad
ded a new leaf to her laurels. Ills ad
mirable letter tells the story ’of the rebel
lion and its suppression. Our arms aro
stronger in New Mexico than ever. As
an intelligent officer wiites, “since this
: insurrection lias been so promptly sup
-1 pressed, it is believed the country is in a
safer conditon than it has been since taken
1 possession of.” The whole series ofevenfa
has, indeed, been most brilliant and glori
ous to our arms. There lias been no
achievement in this whole war snpenrr
: in its chivalry ai.d daring to the attack
1 and capture of the church at Pueblo. The
I victory lias cost us some precious* lives,
among w hom is Captain Burgwin, ot’the
; regular army. An officer who knew him
| intimately, wiites that “the army did not
' furnish a better specimen of the combina
tion of fiio genllman with llic officer.” In
all these affairs the enemy lost more than
four to our one.
No official despa'ches have vet been
' received from liie di-tatjhmcm of the same
I; army under Colonel Doniphan. But the
! Mexican officers attest his gallantry in the
capture ofChihuahua and the defeat of
j its defenders.
j In fuel, the fide of victory pours in upon
ns from all quarters. At all points we
are triumphant. The fact is ,the character
and habits of our free institutions arc
i calculated to cherish the best spirits and
i the most .successful soldiers in the world.
S “What constitutes a stale? Man—high-
I minded man.” And those men are created
by the genial influence of liberty. Our
troops, like our sailors, are the finest
possible materials for \var. Place them
under any command, and be they regu
lars or volunteers, tiu-v will prove in-
J vincible. They succeed in California
under Fremont and Kearny. They lii
urnph in New .Mexico under Kearny —in
New Leon under Taylor—in Vera Cruz
under Scott—in Santa Fe and Chihuahua
under Pii# and Doniphan, What can
the Mexicans rxp. ct from any contest with
such soldiers?
'3' he ,Cff s» liihrin.
The N. V. Journal of Commerce of the
20;it iust. P. M. says.—The Cambria had not
arrived at Boston when this edition was sent
to press. She has been out sixteen days if she
sailed on the 4th.
Jt is thought probable, that, owing to the
injury sustained from tire ice on her home
ward trip,ilie Cambria is detained for repairs,
and that the Caledonia, a much slower slearn
j er, was sent out in her place.
The Sarah Sands was advertised in the
Liverpool papers to sail April 6th, a much
j later day than lias been supposed. She may
not be expected therefore for a week to come.
A friend has furnished the editors of the
i Charleston Courier with the following table,
shewing the dates otTbc reception in that city, of
the letters of the iffi April steamers-since the es
tablishment of the line, appended, to which,is a
remark shewing the complexion, of the newts
brought, as far as the Cotton market
ed. From this it will be seen that adyipes have
never been received in Charleston previous to
tlie 23d hist.
ISH. April 25, per Columbia, shewing a decline.
1312. “ 21, “ Britannia, ** ditto,
j 1313. “ 23, “ ditto “ an advance.
1311. “ 26, “ Acadia, “ a decline.
1315. “ 2ff, “ Caledonia, “ ditto,
1816. “ 25, ditto upward tendency.
1317. “ Cambria.
Capt, ScoltN Company.
The Macon Telegraph of the 20th hist, says
—This company of Volunteers for Mexico,
is, we arc glad to announce, filling up rapidly.
—lt now numbers thirty %ix and the full com
pliment will doubtless be secured in a. few
days. The recruits are mostly steady, manly
| looking men, chiefly from the country and
! from rural pursuits, and we doubt not, will
j make as good soldiers as any in the service*