Daily constitutionalist. (Augusta, Ga.) 1846-1851, May 23, 1847, Image 2

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THE CONSTITUTIONALIST. JAMES GARDNER. JR. T E R >1 S . I>aily, per asnum, 8S 00 Tri-Weekly, per annum, 6 00 IT paid in advance, A 00 Weekly, f*-.r annum, 2 00 IT paid in advance, 2 50 T O V \, ÜBS. ITe call jmrlicular atlevlior. to the follouring terms of our paper ; To Clubs, .remitting Bio in advanct.. FIVI', CORIES are “►'nt. Tliis will pnl our weekly pa per in ike reach of new subscribers at TWO DOLLARS A YEAR. {kT"AU new srAiscriptions must he paid in advance. 'XT foe-tasre must be paid on all Communications and Let’ersofbusiness. ! From the Chronicle 4" Sentinel Extra, 22dins> 1 LATER FROM MEXICO AND THE ARMY ! ! I R Y RIDDLE’S EX T LESS!! 21 Hours in advance of the Mail ! ! AOV \\(E OF (• LX • SCO'I i OX aIIL CAPITAL!!! THE GUERILLA WARFARE! DISBANDING OF VOLUNTEER'S. LATEST FROM THE CITY OF MEXICO, <ic. &c. &c. [From the N. O. Della, 1 Clh in si.] Bv Ihe arrival at an early hour this morning ot ihe fine si earner i ash ion, Cupl. 1 vv, H days from Vera Cruz via Tampi co, we are in receipt of late and interest ing intelligence tiom Mexico. We have no time for comment. [Correspondence of the Daily Della.] Veka Cruz, May bill, 0 A. M 1847. Eds. Delta. — I have just come in from Jalapa, (which place I left at 1 I*. M.on the7lh)and find the Fashion with steam up ready to leave for New Orleans, so I must be brief in what 1 have to say. Yesterday morning Gen. Quitman left Jalapa with all the volunteers, excepting the Ist Pennsylvanians, tor Puebla. Gen. Scott will leave on Tuesday for the same place, and after his arrival, if not other wise ordered, he will march into Mexico. This “marching into Mexico” you may think strange language, lint one of our own men came from that place on the 2d inst., and he says “we won’t do anything else.” There are but 2000 troops in Mexico, and hut one company oi lancers in Puebla: and they are only remaining to keep the barracks clean our sol diers. Gen. Anaya is now the Acting Presi dent of Mexico. One of the followers of the Army, Gal lagher, started from Jalapa, tor this place, ahe ut seven days ago. and when ho reach ed Paso de Avaja, was surrounded by a company of lancers and taken prisoner. He was escorted to Orizaba, where Santa Anna was. Gallagher speaks Spaui.-h well, and by some means got otF. lie says that Santa Anna has about 4000 men with him, and that tiie number was daily increasing. Santa Anna says publicly that lie in tends to oppose the advance of our troops upon Puebla, hut it is well known that his object is le prey upon onr rear, lie is aware that a train will leave here to-day, taking nearly a million dollars to Jalapa, and he is determined to make an effort to capture it. For this purpose, he lias men stationed upon every height overlooking the road to give notice ot its approach.— lint he will have warm work it he gets this train. In addition lo the strong guard CM O that accompanied it down, I passed yes terday, on the road near Fncerro, the ffi 7th and 2d Infantry, with mountain how it zers, all under tlie command of Col. Pi ley. They will reach Puente Nacion&l lo night, and to-morrow night will lie at San Juan del Rio, where they will like ly meet the train. Besides this, Gen. Scott has so arranged the marching of the discharged volunteers, that one regiment will encamp at the same place with the train every night. - O Gen. Patterson will be here in the course of two hours, on his wav home, and all the 12-months volunteers will he in dnringthe next four days. An Tllinoisian was shot from the road side yesterday, and his leg broken. CHAPARRAL. Vera Cruz, May 8, 1817. Eds Delta —The citizens at Tampico are very apprehensive of an attack on that place from a roving banditti, umb r the command ot Cant, Paulino, who has ren dered himself as notorious-, from his many acts of daring and atrocity, as the great Col. Canales, However, the troops gar risoning the place appear to look very light upon his threats and demonstrations, and are really anxious he should attempt lo carry out his designs. The yare con fident he will not make a second attempt. [From Slips of the Mobile Papers ] S.alcr from General Scoff. Ry the arrival of the steamship Fashion at New Orleans we have later advices from Vera Cruz. The accounts are from Jalapa the 11th instant. 'Fhc Fashion brought over Gen. Patterson, and several officers who were wounded at Ferro Gordo; also Captains Moore, Pickens, Junes and Coleman ut the Alabama volun teers. sShe also brought over many of the trophies of Cerro Gordo and Vera Cruz, such as cannons, stands of arms, standards, &c. Several Regiments of volunteers whose time ot service had expired were al Vera Cruz on their way home. We copy below from the Picayune: Gen. Worth was expected lo enter Puebla on the 17th inst. No resistance was antici pated at that place. There was some expec tation that the army would march upon :He Capital, but with diminished numbers. The losses sustained in the army by ihe return of volunteers, and ike necessary detachments lo guard (he cities of Jalapa, Porole and Pue bla would leave Gen. ocull a force amount ing to scarce six thousand to advance upon the city of Mexico. Santa Anna’s whereabout was yet veiled in mystery. The camp was full of rumors, as is always the case,of the purposes of the Mexicans and the movements of political and military parlies. • The guerillas do not give onr troops as much trouble as was anticipated. 1 hey are probably doing their office of robbery and massacre upon the Mexicans tJiemseives. We ni.tice with sincere pleasure that Gen. Shields is improving apace, and that h.s re covery is almost certain. We subjoin a letter from Mr. Kendall of the latest date: \ Editorial Correspondence of the Picajpive.] Jalapa, Mexico, May 11, i 847. Intelligent Spaniards here, men who have ample means of information, tell me that matters al lire city of Mexico are daily get ting worse and worse—ail its anarchy and confusion. It cannot well be otherwise.— Confidence is all gone, money is all gone, hope has vanished, and in their place poverty and despair reign supreme. The only chance left of opposing the Americans is to raise a frenzy or enthusiasm —call it which y«ar will —similar to that planted in the early revolu tionists by Hidalgo, and it is to he doubted whether there is even virtue enough left in the country to bring about such a consumma te u. At the celebrated battle of LasCruces, fought near the city of Mexico, it may be re collected that .Morelos and Hidalgo had an immense rabble lo contend against the few royalists under Truxillo, and that such was the frenzy of the former that in many in stances, during the hottest of the fight, th%y ran up and stuffed their hats into the very mouths of the Spanish cannon. They can not. get no Mich a feeling now. Den. Worth will probably enter the rich and populous city of Puebla on Friday next, Gen Quitman accompanying him. No one anticipates opposition, but on the contrary it is said that the larger and better portion of the inhabitants are growing more and more anxious for the entrance of the Americans for the protection they will afford them a gainst the hordes of fad rones and leperofe which have always infested that ci‘y- VVe hear nothing of the guerillas of late—they are probably confining themselves lo rubbing their own countrymen. The reports in relation to Santa Anna arc still contradictory, but all agree that he is at oi near Orizaba. He has‘certainly threaten ed an attack upon Vera Cruz, and also upon this place, and there are those who think, judging from his threats and actions, that he lias become mad since his recent reverses.— The probability is, that be keeps his force about him partly for his own protection, and partly to be ready to strike a blow should a favorable opportunity offer. Gen. Scott, will probably leave with Gene ral Tw iggs, in the course of a few' days, for Puebla. Ilis next movements will depend upon circumstances. Gen. Quitman’s appointment as Major- General meets with the full approval of the army. The wound of Gen. Shields, which was at first thought would prove mortal be yond doubt, continues to improve, and the hopes of his recovery are stronger than ever. 1 forward this by the diligencia. It, is con sidered a very unsafe conveyance, and for fear my letters may be overhauled by the Mexicans 1 cannot say halflothcnvise should. Yours, Ac. G. W. K. [From the Mobile Herald <(- Tribune .] From the < ity of Mexico. The Picayune has pa pets, (brought hv the way of'Tampico) from the city of Mexico to the 28th of April, five days later than the papers previously received. We copy below 7 from it; We look first tor news from Santa Anna, and we find him engaged, with the utmost diligerc ,at O izaba,raising troops, lie shows, as the letters will say, incredi ble energy in repairing the losses lie has sustained, and ere this is no doubt at the head of an army very considerable in numbers, however inferior in discipline. He is, moreover, according to the papers, granting permits to guerilla bands. Being straitened for funds, he is said to have imposed upon Orizaba a loan of SIO,OOO. We give a translation of the first let’er we have seen of Santa Anna since his de feat at Cerro Gordo, it was written on the 22d of April from Orizaba. Below we copy a portion of this letter; “It appears that the enemy, inproving his t riumph, and the astonishment in which he finds the people, designs to march upon the capital; but I am taking measures to organize here a respectable force, in ad dition to that at present under the com mand of Gen. I). Antonio Leon, and I can assure the President Substitute, that with some aid Irom the neighboring Slates or the Supreme Government i’self, 1 shall be able to harass the rear guard of the enemy with effect until ids destruction is achieved. I have already 7 despatched orders to Gen. Canalizo that he protect with his cavalry the fortress of Perote, and to Gen. (Fiona that he places it in the best state of defence until I can relieve I dm. ‘•I cannot omit to express to your Excel lency my astonishment at the apathy and selfishness of our citizens in the present criti cal circumstance.-; and I now deem it neces sary, to save the country, that the Supreme Powers of the nation should dictate severe and effective measures lo enforce compliance on the part of every one with those duties which society oiui the laws impose upon him. If this is not done—if the nation docs not rise en masse to defend its most sacred rights, unjustly and barbarously trampled upon, in famy and scorn, w ith the Io?s of our nation ality, will bo the results. For my part I shall spare no sacrifice in behalf of the coun try; my life and my blood, my repose and my fortune are entirely consecrated to if. “For the present I have established my headquarters here, where I shall receive the orders which the Supreme Government may have occasion to transmit. Accept assur ances, &c. God and Liberty! “Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.” A “Yankee” was arrested on the 26th, having presented himself to the President to confer with him upon the propriety of peact, but in no authorized capacity. No cine is given as to who the man is. He is negotiat ing “uii his own hook.” A general and absolute decree of amnesty for all political offences is announced in the papers of the 271 h. In ToUica ike casting of cannon was im mediately to be commenced, the prelates of Bau Francisco and La Mercede having offer ed the boils necessary tor the construction ot cannon. The Mexicans speak of the conspiracy which was entered into among their country men in Tampico to obtain possession of that ‘town, as having failed principally for want of funds; but they indulge the hope that another attempt will be more successful. D. Miguel Orbe, the curate of llnancift nango, is raising a company of guerrillas and upon the following terms: #. Uuauchixago, April 23, 1847. He who subscribes this, pledges himself to the five following articles : Ist. —To die defending and avenging Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the Catholic Apos tolical Roman religion which he professes. 2d.—To defend the integrity and indepen dence of his nation. 3d.—To pursue with death the Anglo- Americans, their followers, defenders or al lies, whoever it may be. 4Ui,—To abjure and detest the personal party or whoever have destroyed their coun try. sth.—To respect all legi'imate authority, whatever it may be, in every tiling not re pugnant to the preceding articles. These five articles shall be the iundamental rule of their guerrilla, and shall he denomi nated : ha Insurgents (xuadalapana. (Signed) Miguel Orbe. The owners of the mine La Luz have pre ) sented or loaned the government of Mexico S>SS,UUU for the expenses of the war. Letters had been received in the capital I from JSau Luis Putosi, announcing that the ! governor of the state had promulgated a de cree that every citizen should 'akc up arms, I and that the enthusiasm to defend themselves j was very great. There wore about four ; thousand troops of the army of the north then i in the city. Gen. Taylor, they supposed was i to move upon them from tSalullo about the l=t ! of May. [From the Jalapa A liter icon Star, of May G.j Lieut. Suiniiies, U. S. Navy, lias arrived in this city, en route to the city of Mexico, to demand the release of Midshipman Rogers. The Ticdve Months olunteers. —Four re giments of the above troops will leave here to-day lor \ era Cruz, and although we could wish the boys would stay and see the affair 1 threegh, we cannot blame them for wishing to see those dear friends at home, who for 12 long months have been estranged from them i Many of those who now leave us, have been prominent actors in every fight since May last, and they will take from here the thanks of the army for the services they have ren dered. Three Tennessee, two Illinois, -one Geor gia, one Alabama regiment, and Captain I William’s Kentucky company, are the ones to be disbanded. [From the N. O. Delta, 17 th hist.] From Texas. Bv «h'e vteamstiip Yacht, Capt. Crane, forty four hours from Galveston, we had Texas pa pers yesterday. Those troai Galveston were to the isth inst. j The Vi toria Advocate mentions that the guns for Col- Hay’s regiment ot 12 months volunteers, have passed through that town. The regiment to rendezvous at BeJ;ar. They are not to go to i Mexico, it is thought unless under a special call I from Gen. Taylor. j Speaking of guns, reminds of the following j marriage notice, which we bad in the Galveston Co iiia n of the Bth inst. Married, in Seguin, on Thursday evrntnglast, by the . .ew Mr. McCulloch, iViaj. John C. Hays, , to Mi-s Calvert, daughter ut Maj. J. S. j Calvert; of Seguin. It the brave deserve the fair, who is better en -1 tilled toa fair and arcomphshed wit' than the gal ! lant “Jack Hays.” ! Th > recent anniversary of the battL of San Ja cinto was celebrated in line spirit and taste, at i Hunts die. Gen. Houston himself was present, j and addressed the people in a very handsome and ! appropriate manner, eschvnving all political And j kindred topics, as unsuited to the occasion. Some apprehension seems to be entertained of Indian disturbances at the German Colony in | Western Texas. A xountsofthe prospects ofthc crops in Texas, 1 thus fir, are promising. Some sections have suf | sered slightly from the want of rain, but in most, this want has not been seriously felt. Accounts from the Last are not very definite, but there are as ye t no complaints. A member of the Huntsville t oiuntecr company j which was on its way to San Antonio, writes, on the Isth inst.. that the company had received some additions,aml numbered as high as G 5 men. All were -veil, and in fine spirits. The writer states that he had just learned that there were 700 Texm volunteers at San Antonio, ready for tle campaign. No doubt was entertained of their being received and mustered into service. Regular steam communication is about to be established between this city and Matagorda and Port Lavaca. AUGUSTA. GEO.. SIN HAY MORNING, MAY 23, 1847. TTOur Subscribers in the first and second Ward who do not receive their papers, will oblige ns by sending for them; the regular carrier on that mule being sick. There arc now cither at Point Isabel, or en route for Vera Cruz and Point Isabel, six ty-tun companies of the ten now regiments : of volunteers, comprising 5,315 men. A New York letter says —“If the mails were ready, the Boston steamer could return at once, for she has not a berth untaken; all arc full. But, Washington has fifty engaged--among them the Hon. Richard Rush and the Hon. W. AV. | Campbell, late member of Congress from this city.” Early in 1848 there will be sixteen steamships ! regularly plying between New York and Europe, by which means a weekly communication will he kept up with England, France, and other coun- I tries in the Old World, independently of the Bos ton line of Cunard steamers. The U. S. sloops-of-war Jamestown, Capt. Forbes, arrived at Boston on ■Saturday evening from Ireland.—She left Cork on the22d ot April, and thus made the passage in twenty-three days. Resignation of a Judge. Judge Williams, who has long presided as Chief Justice upon the Bench of the Supreme Court of Errors, Connecticut, has resigned. Defalcation. The Boston Traveller of Friday, says that there are various rumors abroad in that city in respect to the defalcation of a late President ofone of the banks. The amount is stated at GO,OOO, and it is also stated that the guilty party is not at present in this country. Sudden Ifcatb. E. J. Roberts, Esq .. Clerk of the IT. S, District Court at Pittsburgh, fell down recently in a fit and died in about two hum a. Wheat Crops at the North. The accounts vary materially as to tfie injury to the Wheat crops throughout the North. The Philadelphia U. S. Gazette ot Monday says;— “A recent ride through several ‘wheat raising counties in Pi nnsylvania has satisfied us that one great staple of our State is nearly destroyed for the present year. Certainly, the fields which we saw will nut produce more than a third, or half the usual crop on such an amount of land. The winter has been very severe upon autumn sown grain, and we learn from gentlemen who have been through most of the counties, that the indications therein are not more favorable than ftiihosc through which we travelled. In several counties in Maryland the yield of Wheat will, it is said, be above an average.— Plentiful showers have greatly improved the ap- I pearance of the fields. Wheat Crops at the West. The Cincinnati Gazette of the 13th inst. says : —“Some ot our cotemporaries have already ex pressed the opinion that so large a portion of j wheat in the ground has been winter killed, that 1 there is danger of a short crop in Ohio. We have lately passed through the State from this to Cleveland, and theneeto Beaver, Penn., and al though we noticed many fields where a large por tion had been winter killed, we arc confident, taking into consideration the quantity in the round, that the present promise is ot a a yield above an average crop. This statement is confirmed by the Cleveland Herald, a paper said to be well informed. “So far as we have seen ~-’te can hear truly, there "is re reason to sujipose the coming crop will be any less than the appearance lastycar at this tune promised. We do not know the fact, but we think that we hazard .Tile in saying that that there is now probably one-eighth more acres of land in wheat than there was last year, and except in very low wet places, it is not materially injured.” 'Flic CassviJle Pioneer of the 21st instant, says—“We have but a very poor stand of wheat, immediately in this vicinity, but in other parts of the county, and in Floyd and Chattooga, vve learn the wheat looks verv . ' ! well. From the other counties, we have j hoard no complaint. Corn and Oats look ; quite promising, and it is supposed that the : oat crop will far exceed that of last year,— j the corn crop will probably not be so good, j as the weather is immoderately cool for the season, which ruins corn. Cotton, it is thought, will lake the 'sore-shin, ’ if it is not already afibeted with that disease. The cut worms seem to Ire very troublesome, and we learn are playing sad havoc with the vegeta ble creation. Upon lire whole, and from every report we have heard, vve set the cron down for this, about one-third less than that of last year. “The weather for the past week has been extremely cool.and nothing but fires through out the day, will render us comfortable.— Spring in tins section, lias been nearly if not quite as cool as the past winter. We are fearful that I lie coolness of the spring, is materially to injure the crops.” [From the Washington Union, I Qth inst.] O FFICTAI.. We lay before our readers the des patches which were received by last evening’s mail, by the War Department. Headquarters of the Army, Jalapa, April 23, 1847. Sir: In forwarding tlie reports of com manders which detail the operations of their several corps against ihe Mexican lines at Cerro Gordo, I shall present, in continuation of my former report, but an outline of the affair; and while adopting kea rtil v their commendations of the ardor and efficiency of individuals, I shall men tion by name only those who figure promi nently, or, from position, could nut be in cluded in those sub reports. The field sketch herewith, indicates the positions of the two armies. The tierra calicntc., of low level, terminates at 77 an del Rio, the site of the Ameiican camp, from which the road ascends immediately in a long circuit among lofty hills, whose commanding points had all been fortified and garrisoned by I lie enemy. His right, entrenched, rested on a precipice over hanging an impassable ravine that forms the bed of the stream; and his entrench ments extended continuously to the road, on which was placed a formidable battery. On the other side, the lofty and difficult height of Cerro Gordo commanded the ap proaches in all directions. The main bodv of the Mexican army was encamp ed on the level ground, with a battery of five pieces, half a mile in rear of that height towards Jalapa. Resolving if possible, to turn (lie ene my’s left, and attack in roar, while rnena cing or engaging his front, I caused daily iTconnoissances to be pushed, \vi h the view of finding a route for a force to de bouch on the Jalapa road and cut off re treat. The reconnoissance begun by Lieut. Beauregard, was confirmed by Cant. Lee, engineers, and a road made along difficult slopes and over chasms—out of the ene my’s view, though reached by his fire when discovered —until, arriving at the Mexican lines, further reconnoissance be came impossible without an action. The desired point ol debouchure, the Jalapa road, was not therefore reached, though believed to he within easy distance; and to gain that point, it now became neces sary to carry the height of Cerro Gordo. Tire dispositions in my plan of battle— general orders No. 11l heretofore cnclos- C* ed. were accordingly made. Twiggs’s division, reinforced by Shield’s brigade of volunteers, was thrown into position on the 17lh, and was of necessity, drawn into action in taking up the ground for its bivouac and the opposing height for our heavy battery. It will be seen that manv of our officers and men were killed or wounded in ibis sharp combat—hand somely commenced by a company of lire Till infantry, under Brevet First Lieut. Gardner, who is highly praised by all Ids commanders for signal services. Col. Harney corning up with the rifle regiment and first artillei v (also parts ot his brig ade) brushed auly the enemy and occu pied the height—on which, in the night, was placed a battery of one 24 pounder and two 24 pound howitzers, under the | superintendence of Capt. Lee, engineers, j and Lieut, Ilagner, ordnance. These guns opened next morning, and were set' • ed with eff'Ct hv Capt. Sieptoe and Lieut. Brown, 3d artillery,Lieut. Ilagner, (ord nance.) and Lieut. Seymour, Ist. artil lery. The same night, with Soil and difficult}', under the superintendence of Lieut, i ow. er, engineers, and Lieut. Laidlcy, ord nance, an 8 inch howitzer was put in po sition across the river and opposite to the enemy’s right battery. A detachment of four companies, under Major Burnham, New York volunteers, performed this creditable service, which enabled Lieut. Ripley, 2d artillery, in charge of the piece, to open a timely fire in that quarter. Early on the 18th, the columns moved to the general attack, and our sucqess was speedy and decisive. Pillow’s brig ade, assaulting the right of the entrench incuts, although compelled to retiie, had , the effect 1 have heretofore slated.— Twiggs’s division, storming tlie strong and vital point of Ccrro Gordo, pierced the centre, gained command of all the entrenchments, and cut them ofl from sup port. As our infantry (Colonel Riley's brigafe) pitted on against the main body of the enemy, the guns of their own fort were rapidly turned to play on that force, (under tire immediate command of Gen eral Santa Anna,) who fled in confusion. Shields’s brigade, bravely assaulting the left, carried the battery (five gun*) on lire J.rlapa road, and aided materially in com pleting the rout of the enemy. The part taken by the remainder of our forces, held in reserve to support and pur sue, has already been noticed. The moment the fate of the day was de cided, the cavalry, and Taylor’s, and Wall’s field batteries were pushed on to wards Jalapa in advance of the pursuing columns of infantry —Twiggs’s division and the brigade of Shields’ (now under Colonel Baker) —and .Major General Pat terson, was sent to lake command of them. In the hot pursuit many Mexicans were | captured or slain before our men and j horses were exhausted by the heat and distance. The rout proves to have been complete— the retreating army, except a small body ! ol cavalry, being dispersed and utterly dis- 1 organized. The immediate consequences have been our possession of this import ant city, the abandonment of the woiks and artillery at La Moya, the next formid able pass between Vera Ceuz and the ! cipital, and the prompt occupation by Worth’s division ol the fortress of Perote, ; (second only to San Juan de Llloap) with ; its extensive armament of sixty-six guns and mortars, and its large supplies of met- Uriel. To Gen. Worth’s report, annex- , ; ed, I refer lor details. I have heretofore endeavored todo jus i tice to the skill and courage with which i the attack on the height of Ceno Gordo j was directed and executed, naming the j regiments most distinguished, and their I commanders, under the lead of Colonel , Harney. Lieutenant O. W. Smith led 1 the engineer company as part of the I storming force, and is noticed with dis j tinction. The report of this assault make favor i able mention of many in which 1 c an well Concur, having witnessed the daring ad | vance and perfect steadiness of the w hole. : Beside those already named, Lieut. ! Brooks, 3d infantry. Lieut, Macdonald, ! 2d dragoons, Lieut. Vandorn, TlSs infantry ; —all acting staff officers-Capt. Magrnder, ■ Ist artillery, and Lieut. Gardner, 7th in -1 fantrv, seem to have won especial praise. : Colonel Riley’s brigade and 'Falcon’s locket and howitzer battery, were en i gaged on and about the heights, and bore , an active part. ! The brigade so gallantly led by Gen. Shields, and, after his fall, by Colonel | Baker, deserves high commendation for its fine behavior and success. Colonels Foreman and Burnett, and Major Harris, commanded the regiments; Lieut. Ham ond, 3d artillery,and Lieut. Davis, Illinois volunteers, constituted the brigade staff. These operations, hid from my view by intervening hills, were not fully known when my first report was hastily whiten. Brigadier General Tw iggs, who was in the immediate command of all the advanc -1 ed forces, ha#earned high credit by his judgment, spirit, and energy. The conduct of Colonels Campbell, Haskell, and Wynkcop, commanding the regiments of Pillow’s brigade, is reported in terms of strong approbation by Ma jor General Patterson. 1 recommend for a i commission, Quartermaster Sergeant Henry, of the Till infantry, (alieady | known to the army for intrepidity on for- I rner occasions,) who hauled down the i national standaid of the Mexican fort. In expressing my indebtedness for able I assistance to Lieuj. Col. Hitchcock, acting inspector general, to Majors Smith and | Turnbull, the respective chiefs of engi- I neers and topographical engineers—to j their assistants, Lieutenants Mason, i Beauregard, Stevens, Tower, G. W, i Smith, McClellan, engineers, and Lieut enants Derby and Hardcastle, topographi i cal engineers—to Capt. Allen, chief | quartermaster, and Lieut. Blair, chief commissary—and to Lieutenants Ilagner I and Laidlcy, ordnance—all actively ern | ployed—l am impelled to make special mention of ihe services of Capt. R. E.Lce, engineers. T ins officer, greatly distin guished at the siege of Veia Cruz, was again indefatigable, during these opera lion.--, in rtconnoissances as daiin:: as O laborious, and of the utmost value. Not was he loss conspicuous in planting bat teries, and in conducting columns to their stations under the havy fire of the enemy. Mv personal stats, Lieutenants Scott, Williams, and Lay, and Major \an Buren, who volunteered for tiie occasion, gave me zealous and efficient assistance. Our whole force present, in action and in reserve, was 8,500; the enemy is cs timated at 12 000 or more. About 3,000 prisoners, 4 or 5,000 stands of arms, and 43 pieces of artillery were taken. By the accompanying return, I regret to find our loss more seveie than at first supposed, amounting in ’he two days to 33 officers and 303 men —in all 431, of whom 63 were killed. The enemy’s loss is compu ted to be from 1,000 to 1,200. I am happy in communicating strong hopes for the recovery of the gallant (ien. Shields, who is so much improved as to have been brought to this place. Appended to this report are the follow', ing papers: A. —General return by name of killed and wounded. B. —Copies of report of Lieut. Col. Hitchcock, acting inspector general (of prisoners taken) and accompaning papers. (j.—Report ot Brig. Gen. Twiggs, and sub-reports. D.—Report of Major Gen. Patterson, and reports of brigade commanders. iv— Copy of report by Brig.*Gen Worth, announcing the occuplaion by hisdivision of the castle and town ol Perote, with an inventory of ordnance there found. I have honor to remain, sir, with high resnec-, your most obedient servant, WINFIELD SCOTT. Hon. Wji. L. Makcv, Secretary of War. Headquarters 2d Division of K’eouearsQ April lU, 1«47. } Sin : I have the honor to report, for ihe information of the general in-chief, the - operations of my division of regulars against the enemy on the 17th instant. Prefacing this report, I will state that I arrived at Plan del Rio on the 11th in stant. The advanced guard of drago ms, under Col. Harney, having driven from the place a body of the enemy’s lancers, 1 then encamped my division for the night, intending the following day (12th) to cov. cr a thorough reconnoissance of his po - tion, and, if practicable, to make an es. fective attack on all his works. Deem, irijr it impracticable to advance, With ad vantage. beyond the position which I had •rained during the reconnoissance on tiie 12th (being some three and a half mil£3 from water) I withdrew my main force to my old camp, keeping up a strong picket to retain the ground 1 had passed over, intending on the following morning, (the 13ih) at 4 o’clock, io make the attack with effect. Two brigades of voldnfebf.*, under tho command of Brig’r Gen’s Pillow and Shields, respectively arrived ot my camp on the 12ih instant; Major General Pat terson, United States volunteers, having repot ted sick, 1 assumed command of md whole. The volunteers wfs’Ti'rg W licipate in the fight, and bemg so much broken down from the recent march from Vera Ciuz, 1 thought proper,’at the sug gestion of Genl’s Pillow and Shields, to defer the attack one day. Having don** and having matured my plan of at tack, and assigned to each division its duty, I was overtaken by an order of Ma jor Gen. Patterson, after night on the 14th, to suspend all further offensive ope rations until the arrival of the general in chief, or until ordered by himself, (Gen. Patterson.) Agreeably to this arrange ment i received, on the evening of tho I6th, verba! orders from the general in chief to proceed on rny line of operations on the right of the national toad. At 11 o’clock, a. in., 1 got in position, the right of my column being about 70!) yards fn in the enemy’s main woik. Lieut. Gard iner’s company, 7th infantry, was thru detached to observe Ihe enemy from the first commanding height on my left. In a short time a strong reconnoitet ing or i skirmishing party was observed a;- | preaching towards him, having in reserve a large force, in all nnAibeiing about ! two thousand. Lieut. Gardner held his position under a heavy fire until relieved hv Col. Harney with the rifle regiment and Ist artillery. With this force Col. Harney cleared the two hills in fionl ot the enemy’s main work, and held secure i the position intended for our heavy bat | tery, which was established during the night under the direction of Captain Lee, ! of the engineer corps. During tin’s cv - ning, Brig. Gen. Shields joined me with his brigade of volunteers, composed of two Illinois regiments, under Col’s Baker and Foreman, and one New Yoik regi men), commanded by Cob Burnett. On the morning of the ISth, when our c* * heavy guns opened, Col. Harney, having been reinforced by the 3d and 7th infan try, pushed forward his skirmishing par ties. Overcoming all obstacles presented I by the nature of the ground, and under a ’ most galling and destructive fire, this ! command advanced with steadiness and regularity, and finally succeeded in driv ing from the strong position of the enemy all his farces, and in putting them in com plete rout. In speaking of tho individual efforts of | the officers in command of regiments and ! companies, 1 am unable to do ample jus tice. Each and every one seemed to he endeavoring to excel in ail that is required of gallant officers. They all responded to tiie encouraging voice of their gallant leader, and conducted their men to victo ry and glory. The 2d brigade, under Col. ad vanced under a heavy fire to gain a posi tion on the Jalapa road in rear of the ene my, with a view of cutting ofl his retreat. After crossing the valley at the foot ol tiie Ccno Got do,"the lite of the enemy be-