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urjj■ m'- ir yM,| * r i lari tor. or i mTriwi 1 — ' 3 « ;nrr TH E (UNSTiTiTI n.N ALI ST. : JAMES GARDNER, JR. T E it Jft S . Daily, per annum, - 1 ' *•’ Tri-Weekly, per annum, *’ * u If paid in advance, 0,1 Weekly, per annum, *'b If paid in advance, T O CL.U US . \Ye cull particular attention to the /Mowing terms of our paper ; To flubs, remitting $lO in advance. FIVE COI’IES are sent. This will put our weekly pa per in the reach of new subscribers at TWO DOLLARS A YEAR. j£T All new subscriptions must he paid in advance. •jCT" postage must ue paid on ail a :iJ Let'ersofbusiness. " [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*