o

I
*

RECOLLECTIONS OF MEXICO

tljt

aitlt

BUENA
FEB. 22

AND

of

VISTA,
23, 1847.

BY AN ENGINEER OFFICER,
ON

ITS

TWENTY-FOURTH ANNIVERSARY.

UNPUBLISHED COPY.

FROM THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE "OLD AND NEW,"

FOR JUNE AND JULY.

BOSTON
1871.

LIBRARY

RECOLLECTIONS OF MEXICO AND BUENA VISTA.

CHAPTER
[ALTHOUGH

it

has always been the in

tention of the writer to record for his

satisfaction

his

own

memories of the scenes

I.

maps made by

himself, and a glance

page of statistics from Captain
now General ) Carlton's book, the only

the

at a single
(

occurring in Mexico, at or about the time

of the battle of Buena Vista, this record

history of this battle as yet published.

It is perhaps at times more difficult in

just
might have been procrastinated,
as repentance is too often said to be,
but for a feeling of duty towards an
association of gentlemen, each of whom

this

contributes for the general information

rare to write, than to fi^ht, like the great

Roman to do both, the world's verdict

from the stores of his own professional

Even now this is offered
knowledge.
with some hesitation, because this bat
tle, which
appeared to us and to the
country as of such great importance at
the time, is mm* dwarfed into insignifi

cance by the giant struggles of these later

days, whose warriors were counted by
millions, and Tneir dead by hundreds of
which gave an emperor to re
thousands,
united Germany, and a president to the reUnited States. Yet this lesser struggle,
where our soldiers were but as many thou

profession than in any other to re

what has been seen, without appear
ing, however unconsciously, to play the
the role of " magna parsfui." It is more
late

gives but to himself.

But the subordinate position of a lieu
tenant must avert the suspicion of assump
tion here

while, as an engineer, the calls

many various portions of such a

would make it a duty to see if possi

to the
field

ble, if

not even to record, every circum

stance that occurred.]

It will be

remembered by our older

war of 1846-48 for

friends, that the

Texas was mainly a Southern war,

and our dead as many hundreds,
and principally for the benefit of a
was still the bloodiest strife that our coun
''domestic institution'/ now happily ex
had
ever
then
known. And this victory
try
likewise gave a president to our great isting no more among us
though the
North, as in duty bound, when the
country.
This narrative is offered really from per
whole country was involved, bore its
sands,

sonal recollections only, first written down

within a very few days recently, as an of
fering to the association above alluded to.

But the recollection of these events has

so crowded upon the
memory, that much
may appear to be of minor detail and
of lesser interest. Yet there
may be an
excuse for introducing

many

of these in

cidents which would

scarcely

become the
graver page of history, except, perhaps,
as its foot-notes, as it
appeared there
might be more of life and interest to the
narrative, in the writer's being able to say
'I saw,' instead of 'I have read' or

heard.'
And all of this he may say he
saw, or had from the eye-witnesses within
a very few
after.
is from the
'

days

Nothing

record of others, or even from his

letters, orders, or notes, excepting

own
only

fair, full

share in the struggle.

Yet, as showing what slight causes

actually precipitated that war, I may

mention, as of interest, a single sen

tence, that many years after I acci
dentally heard brought out at a din
from the speaker himself,

ner-table,

Mr. Benton, which, as I believe, had

more effect- than all things else to
bring on the actual conflict.
barbarous war of nine years

having been waged ineffectually by

Mexico to reduce the revolted State
of Texas, and the acts for annexa
tion to the United States having been
passed by Texas and the United
States, Mr. Calhoun, then in the Sen-

Recollections of Mexico
had advised the President, Polk,
recommend that Texas should be
held by us in armed neutrality, and
the December Message of 1845 was
ate,

to

written

actually

out

accordingly.

and Buena

Vista.

penetrate into the interior of Mexico

towards the capital, hearing that an

army was being prepared by

Gen. Scott for an attack on the shorter
land-route by Vera Cruz, with a mag
other

But Mr. Benton happening to walk nanimity that is rare, perhaps un

from church that first Sunday in De exampled, with commanding generals
cember with Mr. Polk, he remained of armies, wrote to the Department
closeted with him till two in the ( as I recollect he himself stated to
morning, and urged him against such me ), that if they could not re-enforce
a plan his closing, and as it seems him, as he had more men than were
;

unanswerable argument, being the

" Will
you, then, sit it out
question,
with that Spanish race that his sat
it out for one thousand years and
for three hundred years
conquered;
with the Visigoths, and after that for
the
with
seven
hundred years

necessary simply to hold his positions,

he could spare a portion of his troops

and he thought
for Gen. Scott's line
form
one strong
had
better
"they
column, than keep up two weak ones."
How was this proposition met by
;

'

Moors

The

"

Scott,

who had the full power to

own column ? I must

organize his

known

and the two

were organized
that winter,
one, of some two thou
sand men, under Gen. Wool, to strike
through Texas upon the upper Rio
Grande and another, under Gen.
result is

columns of attack

Taylor, to enter Mexico by Matamoras near the mouth of that river.

The

Ge-n.

latter

column, as is known,
Palo Alto and Re-

after the battles of

speak

it

plainly, for justice to both

those dead heroes requires it.

Gen.
Scott did as most other generals, it is

under like circumstances have

done and would do, with the natural

true,

human feeling that they must at least

make themselves strong, at all hazards
to others (as I could name several like
instances in the

war of the

rebellion),

Gen. Scott withdrew every regular

near Matamoras, in
May,
that of Monterey, some one
and
1846,
hundred and thirty miles to the south

bayonet, the only disciplined infantry,

from the column of Gen. Taylor, and

west, in September, found itself in

of Saltillo, some fiftypossession

sacca,

ordered every battery of artillery but

of Monterey,

two (together of eight guns only) to

These
join his army for Vera Cruz.
two batteries were Sherman's and

and over one hundred miles from

Comargo on the Rio Grande, at the

Bragg' s, of four pieces each the third

and last one ordered away by Scott,

In
of the year 1847.
or southward
front,

was Washington's of eight guns (ori

ginally of six, but it had two cap
tured Mexican guns added to it by

six

miles

south-west

commencement
Gen.

Taylor's

some twenty miles, at Agua Nueva,

and under his orders, lay the column Lieut. ( now Gen. ) Kingsbury, the
of Gen. AVool, which was resting after ordnance officer at this battle).
Santa Ana, the most able, as he
a long and circuitous march to reduce
the Mexican states of Chihuahua and was the most unscrupulous, of all the
Mexican chieftains, was apprised of
Coahuila at the north.
During the autumn of 1846, Gen. this immediately; for he knew all
Taylor, after repeated and ineffectual the movements and numbers of our
calls for more troops to enable him to troops as well as we did ourselves and
j

Recollections of Mexico

and Bitena

Vista.

tlie organiza
another, and that the largest, of the
army of trained three batteries of artillery yet left
Mexico had ever known, with Gen. Taylor. Part of that very

he at once commenced
tion of the grandest

troops that

overwhelm, to put to death, as they

would have done, the whole army of
Gen. Taylor. I say put to death for,
to

besides this

army

of six to eight times

battery so ordered, O'Brien's guns7

was captured on the field of Buena
Vista, and afterwards retaken by Gen.
Scott's army on the other line near

our numbers in our front, he had

some four thousand ranchero guerillas

Mexico.

in our rear, the well-understood orders

isolation of

among them

being, as prisoners ad

mitted to me, to put to death every

one they had power to kill. This

Santa Ana himself virtually

admitted to Col. Bliss, our adjutanteven

on his personal application

an exchange of prisoners, saying
" We have but three
prisoners the
rest are dead."
Indeed, I believe but
one life was saved of all our men
an Illinois man,
taken on that field,
afterwards the master of my engineer

Many may

recollect the

complete

Gen. Taylor's command,

and the consequent anxiety of their
friends at home for many weeks even,
after the favorable result of that bat
tle.

Marcy wrote urgent

alarm to Scott, one month
I will mention some of the

Secretary

letters of

general,

after.

for

circumstances of the journey to join

the General, to show how completely
he was invested. At Comargo, the

train.

Lieut. Sturgis

taken by

There

Minon were

and

his

dragoon

the other two.

no doubt that a defeat or

rout in that battle must have been
death to all, as had been the case in
repeated instances, with the Texans,
is

depot and then head of navigation on

the Bio Grande, there was a belief
that Gen. Urrea, with three thousand
lancers, lay in our way to Monterey,
to intercept all communication and to

There were sever

capture all trains.
al such trains, of some forty to sixty

wagons each, with six specie-wagons,

and some twenty officers or more go
I was
ing to rejoin their regiments.

by that blood-thirsty race.

These remarks may be necessary requested to take the direction of these
for a better understanding of our trains and of their encampments, &c.
position in January and the early to which I assented on condition that
;

At this time
part of February, 1847.
I became a personal witness of most
of the events that took place, having
landed at the Brazos in the latter part

of January, where I found Gen. Scott

and his staff, then organizing the
regular troops that were coming.down
the Rio Grande in force, with Worth
in command of them, and Robert E.

Lee, Scott's favorite

officer,

as cap

the

teamsters

should be armed, to

strengthen, in case of necessity, our

weak force of only one company of

infantry as our escort.

Our marches, often by the designed
delay of the train-masters, were from

twelve miles a day only and

our camps for the night were made on
three and a half sides of a rectangle,

five to

with the escort proper, at the opening.

withdrawn from The treasure trains and officers' wag

Gen. Taylor. Arid I carried up the ons were in two lines in the centre,
news, which the General could not at and the train-wagons distributed in
that time credit ( though fortunately three lines round the square, closing
the order was not received until after intervals, and having the mules with
tain of engineers, all

the

battle), of the

withdrawal

of

their defensive heels outside their re-

Recollections of Mexico
spective wagons, altogether the best

and greatly
them,
strengthening our defence. By this
arrangement, though daily warned
that we were to be attacked at night
by Urrea, we safely made the week's
position

for

and Buena

Vista.

I may add here, that no other

train passed this route till many days
after the battle,

with the

full

when the down-train,

despatches, even

after

was es
corted by a battalion of infantry and
journey to Monterey, being the last two pieces of artillery. The previous
train or body of Americans of any knowledge of our success was given
size that passed over that route for by slips of paper only, carried by
one month or more.
bribed Mexicans, of whom five in all,
Our train-masters were, some of as reported, were started from Mon
them, the most accomplished of the terey and of these but two reached
victory, as

was necessary

still,

Comargo, the first, leaving with the

paper tied under the heavy mane of
the chief wagon-master being his almost wild horse, which he said
field,
afterwards, as I heard, the head of a no one could catch but himself.
When pursued by the guerillas, he
gang of robbers on that very route
and the teamsters, with arms in their feigned to fall from this horse, which
hands for their own defence, not being bore away the tell-tale despatch while
villains that are

always found among

the camp-followers of an army in the

by these train-masters (as a thorough search of his clothing re

vealed nothing.
His ready excuse
they could not be by the small volun
teer escort), committed such outrages of a visit to a sick son at Comargo
upon the inhabitants along the route, being accepted, he was released and
restrained

two days spent in recovering the

animal, at length he made the journey
an affair usually of one day for a
control of the train for the last day
in five days, and brought
The teamsters of the next horseman
or two.
train up from Comargo, some ten days the first news of our success that
after, having been refused those arms, reached the United States.
The usual penalty of these Mexi
were destroyed by the very forces that
especially near the half-way village,
Cerralvo, that I declined to retain

after

had threatened our own route. The

animosity of the Mexicans had been

cans detected as our spies or couriers,

was hanging alive by the heels to the
few weeks
trees by the road-side.

aroused to such a degree, that, as I

it, not a single teamster out

of the eighty men escaped.

cers riding rapidly down

The

lan

after this, the withered remains of one

of these couriers (sent up by Col. Mor

the

line

gan of Ohio from Comargo) were

recollect

on his
speared every man,
mule or wagon-box and then break
up the wagons, after plundering them,
they piled up the bodies with the
debris, and emptying the tar-pots on
the heads of the victims, they fired
and consumed them in one common
one of the most frightful
mass,
as he sat

dis

covered, so suspended, with the ap

pearance of death in great agony, the

despatches having been detected in

their place of deposit, sewed up be
tween the inner and outer sole of the
shoe.

Within a day or two

though perhaps mainly justifiable from

after our ar
with
the
Monterey,
large train
as described, as we found no troops
or escort en route to Saltillo, and we
were anxious to reach the advanced

being waged against such a savage race.

forces as early as possible before the

of
episodes of that barbarous war,
aggression I must say, on our part,

rival at

Recollections of Mexico

and Buena

Vista.

W. Sherman eral to one of his lieutenants, cannot

(now Gen. Sherman, who lost his leg be forgotten.
This Agua Nueva was a small vil
,t Port
Hudson) with myself, decided
We had lage or collection of huts of adobes,
to start without escort.
with us one other person, Dr. Gregg, 1 the large unburnt bricks of the coun
as a companion, and he but for a few try.
It was about twenty miles in
miles only.
We had trusted greatly advance, or south, of Saltillo and the
to his twenty- two revolver charges
road passed through a narrow valley,
but he soon left us, to visit a Mexican in which was the hacienda farm and
expected battle, Capt. T.

friend 'near the route.

We

along the fifty miles,

through the robber pass of the Einconada, with scarcely a suspicion of
rode

pass of Buena Vista,

miles from Saltillo.

The camp

at

four to

five

Agua Nueva was

in

the broad eastern end of a narrow

especial danger, though constantly valley, extending to the west, and

meeting parties of five to ten or fif where the Jiast running water was to
teen
Mexicans, mostly herdsmen be found in the journey from Saltillo
(while some, as we had reason to south for one hundred and thirty to
know afterwards, were robbers), who one hundred and fifty miles beyond,
had been warned by their people, and and towards the large and rich city
were removing their flocks and cattle of San Luis Potosi, which had been
from the vicinity of the expected con the objective point of attack by Gen.
The withdrawing of these Taylor. This ranch was the central
test.
herds, as we found on reaching camp, position of a dark and bloody ground,
was the first of the assured signs of on the main mountain-gorge pass
the approach of the attacking force, from Central to Northern Mexico, in
of which the rumors, in most doubt
which, within a half-day's ride north
ful shape, had been rife in those or south, this century has witnessed

camps

for

many

weeks.

I reached the

Agua Nueva

at

some

head-quarter camp
in the first week of

February, and joined the staff as the as

sistant to the other military engineer,
Bvt.-Major, the late Gen. Mansfield
I may
(since killed at Antietam).
here mention, on reporting to Gen.
Taylor, a mark of that kindness of
his
all,

which endeared him

so

much

the invitation to his mess

to

my

till

own arrangements

could be made,
a courtesy of which the value can be

or

five

six

bloody battles, or

massacres, besides those of Monterey

At eight
at its debouch at the north.
miles south of Agua Nueva, in 1810,

the Mexicans under Hidalgo defeated

In
the Spaniards under Cordero.

1811, about sixteen miles south-east,

the Mexican Gen. Royon defeated the

Spaniards under Melgara. In 1841,

two miles south af Saltillo, the Mexi
cans and Indians had a battle and
;

in 1842, four or five miles south-west,

Col.

Jordan of Texas

fought

the

has Mexicans
while in January, 1847,
fully known only by one who
reached an army in the field with Majors Gains and Borland, of our
:

only his clothing and blankets, and

which, offered by a commanding genThis Dr. Gregg, the author of an interesting
"
"
work, The Commerce of the Prairies, was a
daring explorer and prominent Mexican trader but,
after many years of exposure among the Mexicans
and savages, he was killed, a few years later, by
the Indians of California.
1

forces,

were captured at Ericarnacion

as it proved,
battle of
this
1847,
February,
Buena Vista, the crowning contest
of them all, was fought five miles
^

by the Mexicans; 'and,

in

south of

Saltillo.

Recollections of Mexico

The Hacienda

of

Encarnacion,

thirty miles south of Agua Nueva,

was an " estancia," or stock -ranch,
supplied with a bitterish but drink

able water from two very deep wells,

worked by mules. These wells sup
plied
flocks

the

many

thousands

of

the

and herds that grazed upon the

adjacent mountains, and resorted
hither once or twice a week only, dur
ing the dry season of six or eight
months each year without rain. The
slight

dews upon the grass enabled

the animals to subsist for many days

without water. And this necessary
of life was obtained only from these
or the " tanks " formed

by

wells,

dams

and Buena

Vista.

removed towards Saltillo, our careless

one of them
picket was surprised
barely escaped with his life by mouncing his horse, and forcing him to
:

break his halter by the application of

a weapon
the cruel Mexican spur,
whose sound alone is so arranged as
to urge the animal on all ordinary oc
casions.

This ranch of Agua Nueva was

one of the large number of farms into

which the country

with

is

divided

many thousands

of cattle

some
and

horses and of sheep and goats at

tached to and dependent upon them
for care and protection
while others
were villages of hundreds of peons,
the peasantry of the country, who
j

mountain gorges, that

and retained the water of are virtually slaves for life to the
the rainy season for months, and ricos, or rich men.
The owner of Agua Nueva, and of
sometimes till the rains of the suc
in the

collected

ceeding year.
This Encarnacion was an isolated
farm- fortress in fact
for its high
;

corral

walls, as

well

as

a masonry

the larger portion of these ranches

and

villages for

some two hundred

miles or more to the north-w est, was

r

one

Don Jacobo

(or Jacob) Sanchez,

parapet at the roof, were loop-holed

for defences against the raids of the

a gentleman of education and breed

ing, though nearly a black Indian in

whose custom was to

sweep down rapidly in parties of tens
or hundreds, mounted upon the fleet
est horses to be found
and, if the
villages were unprotected, they would
seize the plunder most desired, in a
stay of a few minutes only, murder
the men and old women, and carry
off the young women and girls, and

appearance.

Cornanches,

He was the son, by an

Indian woman, of a shrewd and un
Spanish-Mexican lawyer,
acquired, often unjustly it was
thought, these immense properties in
scrupulous

who

the troublous times of the

from Spain.

first revolts

Don Jacobo we some

times saw in

Saltillo, where he had

town mansion; though he gen
the boys of ten or twelve, for. slavery, erally resided at his hacienda, some
or adoption
into
their respective thirty miles south-west, where he

tribes.

The

terror th at these Indians

his

lived

in

princely

style,

with

his

private band of musicians for his own

amusement. The hacienda is a laro-e
t)
on account of these cruelties, more and extensive plantation, with the
than three hundred Americans, though mansion of the owner generally;
while the ranch is the small farm, or
fifty Americans would attack and de
feat hundreds of the savages.
The peasant village. About one hundred
rapidity of their attack may be well miles west of Agua ISTueva was the

inspired in the Mexicans was inde

scribable.
They feared fifty Indians,

judged of, when, in one of their raids

on Agua Nueva, after our army had

This
vineyard hacienda of Parras.
Parras was owned by a noble-spirited

and Buena

Recollections of Mexico
gentleman, Don Manuel Ibarro, the
master of two thousand peons. He
had been at school in the United
States, at Bardstovvn Ky., with the
son

of

Clay, a

Henry

lieut. -colonel

Indian largely predominating. The

next and lowest class were the peons,
of the same blood and origin with the
rancheros, being the household and
c.,
personal servants, the herdsmen,

of Gen. Wool's forces at the time that

the actual

command passed through

and

tillers

of the soil for others,

The

Parras, en
true and cor

virtually, though not nominally,

slaves, as completely as our own blacks

Spanish-Mexican

embrace was

at the South have been.

route to
dial

Vista.

Saltillo..

given to the colonel by Don Manuel,

and a hearty welcome to our troops
and our officers could hardly restrain
;

Their masters
always furnished them their few pur
chasable necessaries " on account,"
for which they were almost'always too

him from turning the whole army ready

to incur the indebtedness.

For
sums of some twenty dollars to
dollars only, which they scarcely

into his wine-cellars in his excess of

these

He, with many

hospitable feeling
of the best Mexicans, had an intense

forty

hatred of the tyranny of Santa Ana,

and held himself ready for resistance

their service,

to him.

As instances
mand of these

com

ever expected or attempted to

pay,

and even their personal

was compromised.
If at
were
made
to
evade
tempts
payment

liberty,

ricos in that country,

mention, that we were told of

to a distance, the alcades,

or other officers, had the right and the
duty to arrest and return them, with

one gentleman, who, when Santa

Ana's army started from San Luis to

the power even of corporal punish

ment. At Monterey and other places,

would

of the wealth at

by escaping

I was told that our officers, by the

payment of such small sums, freed
general to transport water for the many excellent working men and
and of another, who had women. In many cases, most excel
troops
mounted a whole regiment of lancers lent household servants, female cooks,
on horses of one color, and that no &c., had been held for such amount
common color for that animal,
nan to the thraldom from which they had
had no hope of escaping during
as
a
to
his
keen,
country.
present

cross the arid desert to attack us, had

presented five thousand mules to that

It

may

be proper to mention that

the haciendas of these ricos, especially

those not their usual homes, when

they had such, were generally under

the charge of an " administrador,"
of the
class
gentleman, with a
"
a
sort of upper but
mayor-domo,"

their lives.

In

broader valley of

the

Nueva, well

Agua

supplied with- running

sometimes wanting for thirty

mountain ranges,
the
of
Gen. Taylor,
camp
lay
with about twelve hundred to fifteen
water,

to fifty miles in these

under him, to direct all the lesser hundred men and quite near, in a
and lower servants.
And separate camp, were the troops that
such mayor-domos were generally in Gen. Wool had brought from Mon-

ler,

details

charge
"

of

the

smaller

haciendas,

estancias," or larger ranches.

clova

at

The double

class, the rancheros,or small farm

generally the smallest kind of
farmers, were of the mixed white and

north-east, of nearly
of Gen. Taylor's
all
were under his
though

next

forces

ers,

command.

Indian blood of

all

shades, with the

the

the
;

number

Besides this, a force of

about six hundred to seven hundred
was at the depot at Saltillo. All wa3

Recollections of Mexico
wild rumor in these camps as to the
designs, position, and numbers of the

enemy, with absolutely nothing of

certainty known.
^Tet even if Santa Ana was really
in front (and he was actually at that
time with his lare force approaching,
if not really at, Eucarnacion, within
less than thirty miles, or half a day's
ride of us), it was believed that we

could meet and resist

him

successfully

two supposed passes of

these mountains south, within three
or four miles, of Agua Nueva.
in the one or

and Buena

Vista.

enemy was really seen. This was in

most marked contrast to our own sit
uation, where every movement, and
the details of each

command we

had,

were well known to the Mexicans.

It

was

stated,

and

as I believe cor

that the very Friday, three

the battle, there were
before
days
within and around our camps intelli

rectly,

gent Mexican officers, disguised as

peons or rancheros, offering for sale
the sugars and fruits of the country.

They had actually ascertained the

numbers of regiments of each arm,
The reconnoissances of the engi whether of cavalry or infantry,
neers now made daily of their own whether of regulars or volunteers, and
the exact numbers of men in each,
motion, and without Gen. Taylor's or
der, though instantly reported to him, to within some two or three per cent,
soon developed the fact that these
mountains were passable in every di

and that the camps in

rection,

this

valley were in a most dangerous posi

as well as the actual

number

of the

Gen. Taylor,
pieces of our artillery.
with his avowed belief in the impos
sibility -of

keeping such matters con

reason to believe

cealed in an enemy's country, could

never be prevailed upon to take the

was being organized in our front,

could pour down upon us and over
whelm us, coming from different di

usual precautions of chains of senti

nels or pickets around our camps, or
even at our market-places, where the

where a largely superior

tion,

such as we had

full

force,

many moun

rections through these

tain passes.

Those reports that we made soon

gave an earnest anxiety to our usually
and during
imperturbable general
the week immediately before the bat
;

reconnoitring parties,

tle,

some of

them

in large force, were kept con

stantly out, to obtain information, al
though with but little success till the

peasants of the country were encour

In the
aged to furnish supplies.

uncertainty of our situation, however,

still further reconnoissances were made,

and scouts sent

out, especially a small

"

spy company," organized for the

purpose under Ben. McCullough,
since killed in Missouri as a rebel

Much confidence was felt

and his men, as old Texas
very last moment. One large party rangers; and our final certain infor
of two hundred and fifty to three mation of the actual near presence of
hundred cavalry and artillery, under the enemy came by some of his men
Capt. (afterwards Col.) May, came on the night of the 20th of Februarj".
in

after

thirty-six

with wild
driven

in,

incorrect

sent out
Sturgis,
lost,

picket-officer

Gen. Taylor broke up his

on
the
next morning, having
camp
evidently changed what I believe to
have been his previous intention of

(now Gen.)

awaiting the assault of the enemy at

hours'

absence,

rumors of having been

which were without doubt
for

though a

by him,
and one

Lieut,

general.
in him

or two men, were

they were not attacked, and no

Upon

this

But though tents were

and wagons were loaded and

that point.
struck,

and Buena

Recollections of Mexico
in

line,

and

some cases the hacienda of Buena Vista, about

nine, A.M., we met a dragoon on a gal

in

officers

Vista.

mounted, Gen. Taylor, with the de

termination not to be driven from his
camp by one of the thousand false
rumors, would not start, as he stated,

lop with despatches in his hand, who

called out to us, " The enemy are in

" until
McCullough himself returned."

ward by the

He came
reported

back about two, P.M., and

that he had been within

Santa Ana's guard-fires,

left,

We

sprung our horses for

Wool's camp on our
then aroused and in great alarm

sight."

side of

we saw Capt. Washington's battery

near Encar- moving to the front,
to the narrow

nacion,

and that the broad plain

around that hacienda was covered
for miles with the troops, artillery, and

road pass of some forty feet only be

tween the steep spurs of the hills on
our left, and the precipitous gullies on

mule-trains of this immense army.

at once moved rapidly to our

the right, and over half a mile beyond

the houses of Buena Vista and we

We

rear,

towards

some

fifteen

Buena

Vista,

Saltillo, for

miles, to the gorge of

which no one could

pass,

with any

military eye, without selecting

an admirable defensive point.
troops of Gen.
for

Wool were here

encampment

smaller special
to

near

Saltillo,

it

as

The

halted

us.

while Gen. Taylor's

force

proceeded

where

it

on

went into

bivouac that night.

On the morning
of the 22d of February, Gen. Taylor

arranged for a garrison of some six

hundred men to guard the city, and
restrain the people, and also manned
a small redoubt near his

were brought up at about eight hun

dred yards farther by finding some
eighteen hundred of the Mexican
cavalry already up, and forming a line
to their right, within a half mile of

camp on

the

I would say now, that we were per

fectly astonished that such a body of

troops could have approached so near

without our men being in a position

meet them ; and we were surprised

that the news should have been de

to

spatched to Gen. Taylor, as we per

sonally witnessed, only some fifteen

minutes previously.

From what we afterwards learned,

high plateau immediately south of
the town, and commanding it, which it appears that Santa Ana had taken
he placed under the command of Major up his line of march almost immedi
Webster. He desired the engineers ately after McCullough left his camp,
to go both together (remarking," two and without McCullough's
suspecting
heads were better than one " ) to it. And he was pushing on to attack
Wool'a camp, and call for Rucker's us in our camp that very night for
;

squadron of dragoons

(as

May had

his

advance had made the journey of

reported his horses as too tired), and

that they should then proceed to re
connoitre the passes south of our late

twenty-five miles to the mouth of the

pass into the Agua Nueva valley,

That
camp, towards Encarnacion.
will
as
be
seen
we
were
saved,
journey
for starting from camp from half-past
seven to eight, A.M., Major Mansfield
and myself rode leisurely along, recon

the site of our

and
were

five

it came upon
camp where our trains

miles farther

still
loading
eleven o'clock, P.M.

up with

grain, at

The wheat-stacks

were burned, and by their glaring

light the mule-teams started, and
noitring, taking the bearings, &c., and came in on a hard run, fifteen miles
sketching the obstacles, cross-gullies, to Buena Vista, arriving between
and hills on our route, till, on n earing three to five in the morning. As this

Recollections of Mexico

10
certainly

must have been communi

cated to Gen. Wool,

why

a scout or re

connoitring party was not sent to the

front at once, to learn the situation,

and why even

this information

was

and Buena

cross valleys

Vista.

formed by the rains

arid

floods of ages, of fifty to one hundred

feet depression; while on our right

was a lower steppe, or valley of bottom

land,

with recent

deep

gullies,

or

"

not sent to G-en. Taylor immediately,

cannot be conceived. It was such a

canons," with precipitous sides, from

ten to twenty or thirty feet deep.

blunder, that we were all saved from

actual destruction only by an equal
blunder of the Mexican commander

battle-field,

or

by the

"providence of God."
For if that very cavalry we saw, in
stead of halting, and slowly forming
a cross-line towards the mountain on
their right, at a distance, as we saw
within one mile of where Gen.

This Buena Vista, or rather the

was about half a mile

south of the ranch, at the pass of

"
Angostura," as that field was called
by the Mexicans though the original
;

name was "la Chupadera,"

or

the

"sucking-place," as cattle were able

at times to obtain there a little water

that oozed from the spurs of the hills

Wool's army lay, had but pressed near the road.
A model plan of the actual field of
rapidly forward at the first, into our
then disordered camp of volunteers conflict can be best conceived by pla
of less than double their own number, cing both hands flat upon a table,
but few would have been left to tell while facing- to the westward, with
the tale and our force, of one half the fore-arms raised to some forty-five
those numbers, at Saltillo would of degrees.
The fore-arms would indi
cate the mountain-range; the
course have shared the same fate.
right
The ground on which we found hand, with the fingers slightly sepa
ourselves
this field of Buena Vista, rated, and having the thumb near the
was, as it then appeared to me, fore-finger, will very nearly represent
one of the most broken and difficult our own original ground.
And the
positions on which any battle had left, with the thumb touching the right
ever been fought.
It was situated in wrist, and the fingers inclined towards
the right fore-finger, will show the
the valley, about one-third the dis
tance from Saltillo, twelve miles, to ground or ridges occupied
by the
the ranch of La Encantada (" the en
Mexicans our own main field of
chanted," from its mountain echoes), fight having some three hundred
a valley of perhaps two miles in width yards breadth at the wrist, or base of
at each extremity, narrowed at Buena the mountains, and five hundred at the
Vista to near half that distance.
The heads of the valleys, being thus near
east side on our left, at about one ly a third of a mile
These
square.
thousand yards, was bounded by the valley heads were about five hundred
Sierra or mountain range, thirty-five yards from the mountains, and near
it,

hundred

feet or more in height; and

the right, at six hundred yards, by
"
lomitas," or hills, of some two hun

dred to four hundred

feet, just

bej^ond

which were the higher mountains.

On

our left, as the road ran nearly

through the middle of the valley,
there was a sort of elevated plain, with

same distance from the road at

the middle of the valley; the
spurs
near the road being some
eighty to
ninety feet above it, and rising gen
tly eastward towards the plain, which
ly the

sloped up to the mountain to perhaps

that height.
These slopes

double

were passable in

all

directions,

and Buena

Recollections of Mexico
though with difficulty in the steepest
by both men, and the small
Mexican horses, as were these moun
tain spurs also, for the most part.
parts,

At

commencement of the main

on the 23d, we occupied the

the

action

whole of the position I have referred

to,

as represented

by the right hand

O'Brien's pieces being in position to

enfilade the advanced spur, or thumb,
the Second Indiana Regiment,

witli

under

Bowles, to protect them.

a small
station, with
picket, was at the extremity of the
next ridge, or fore-finger and at the
foot of the second spur back from

wholly changed or destroyed all pre

conceived notions of distances from
the gradations of light and shade.

In standing on any one

that were five guns

of Capt.

Wash

ington's battery, guarding the narrow

pass .of the road, which was protected

by a small breastwork, hastily

thrown up on the spur itself, and
manned by Illinois troops under Lieut. Col. Wetherford.
Our usual route to
the main battle-field, and the only
route for artillery, was by the small

these

dred or three hundred yards, the eye

would detect nothing from which lo
suspect

that

the

surface was

than a continuous plane, the

other

air

was

so clear.

But
to

position

we had

that

from this description

to return

the

for

reconnoissance

chosen, the lookout point

above mentioned.

Major Mansfield

me his

directions to remain there,

and report to the general in the rear
the numbers and kinds of troops of

gave

the enemy, as they came up and

formed in front adding personal re
quests, in case he fell, even showing me
;

the peculiarities of his teeth to recognize

him even in decay, as he stated, for

he seemed to have anticipated the
death upon the battle-field which fell
lot some fifteen years later.
then mounted and rode to the

rear spur, represented

little

to his

finger.

these

He

by the
At sunset on the 23d,

of

ridges, of which several might lie be

fore us in succession at every two hun

Col.

Our outlook

11

Vista.

two last-named spurs were all that rear to assist in organizing and ar
was left to us and the Mexicans had ranging the troops to meet the attack,
a large battery, protected by a heavy which was hourly expected during the
regiment drawn up in position at the whole of that day. I remained at
wrist, or mountain foot, to enfilade the that position till night-fall, with a
whole of the main field of the contest, small infantry picket, and counted the
if they had charged down, as we at
regiments as they came up as far as
the time expected.
possible, and the pieces of artillery,
It is proper to mention here one or &c., and sent the news in by dragoons
two peculiarities of this high region, from a mounted squad under cover of
which greatly affected, if they were the spur in my rear.
Some forty
not the main cause of, our greatest dis
pieces of artillery were reported, with
some eighteen to twenty bodies of in
the massacre of near
aster that day,
men
at
the
close
of
hundred
the
two
fantry, mostly regiments, and sixteen
ly
;

contest.

The

rarified

atmosphere

here, at six thousand feet elevation,

was such, that to us, whose constitu
tions

were not accustomed

slight

exertions

to- it,

but

regiments
cavalry,

of

brilliantly uniformed
in two lines on

drawn up

I recol
dress-parade that afternoon.
now the music of their

lect distinctly

and short marches bugles ringing sweetly through all

our camp from this parade.
These
of
some
four
hundred
men
regiments,

caused great fatigue and weariness;

and the clearness of the air almost

and Buena

Recollections of Mexico

12

Vista.

we afterwards learned, gave with a picket of Texans to guard him,

them a body of cavalry of some six he looked, as he said, "directly into
"
thousand to seven thousand and they, the muzzles of three guns
pointed
only, as

at him, and ordered his party to keep

and their infantry and ar down, or leave him, that they might
draw this fire. As they did not
tillery troops, though we judged them not
to be
more at that time, made heed him in their anxiety to see what
up a total force of some twenty-five w as going on, he found a little hollow
thousand altogether.
To withstand he could drop into, and continued his
them, we had of our army all told on observations, until his party at length
the field, both of Gen. Taylor's and brought upon them the fire of each

were their
veterans

best

and

best-officered

Wool's command, three batteries, of of these three guns in succession the

sixteen six-pounder pieces in all, and major dropping under cover each time
two hundred and sixty men of regular and immediately rising. After this,
he
artillery, two squadrons of regular he was left unmolested, while
dragoons of some two hundred men, found his guard more obedient. Pre
;

and fifteen companies (some eight cisely the same thing occurred at
hundred men) of poorty disciplined this lookout on the afternoon of the
volunteer cavalry from Kentucky and 22d. For an hour or more the muz
Arkansas, to a great extent mounted zles of three guns bore upon us from
on mules, as they had sold their an opposite ridge some four hundred
horses to the artillery in the expecta
yards distant and the men were cau
tion of an early muster-out, and re
tioned to keep down, and to watch
turn home.
We had also some six and take cover, to which they paid no
;

regiments of volunteer infantry of

some thirty-four hundred men, good,

bad, or

indifferent,

as

to

discipline.

In all, with the sixteen guns, we had

some forty-six hundred men of whom
;

about

two-thirds

only stood

their

attention, in their eagerness to see

the forming of the infantry for an at
tack over the mountain spurs on our
left.
When they were cautioned
"
at the smoke of the
first

down,"

gun, most carefully aimed, they es

caped with a few slight injuries from

ground to resist the assaults of these

heavy Mexican forces, organized the stones thrown up; and, as the sec
from the most experienced veteran ond and third guns had no more
regiments of Mexico, and with heavy effect, we were left in quiet, and this
siege-artillery even, of far superior guard became as obedient as children.

power

An

own light guns.

incident of the afternoon's re-

to our

As
lor,

to our troops in rear, Gen. Tay

having made his arrangements

connoissance shows the difficulty of for the security of Saltillo, and learned
controlling new troops till fairly un
by the courier we had seen of the
der fire as it also illustrates the lit
near approach of the enemy, had ar
;

danger from the fire of artillery,

if you watch the pieces and have
cover; an incident precisely such as
occurred to Major Mansfield at the
battle of Monterey, which he had
told but a day or two before.
While
there with his glass, reconnoitring
the "Black Fort" near that city,
tle

rived on the field not far from noon,

of that day, and had the distribution
of the forces completed, which had

been in part provided

by his second

in

for previously

command, Gen. Wool.

O'Brien's section of artillery covered

our front and right and the Illinois
;

troops,

under Bissel and Harden, pro-

Recollections of Mexico
tected our

left,

at the foot of the near

est spur. of the

mountain-range.

arrangements were
being made, about two, P.M., on the

While these

afternoon of this day,

of the

enemy had

when

the troops

and formed
in our front, a flag was
arrived,

in large force
sent in by the

President-General

Santa Ana, to Gen. Taylor, demand

ing the surrender of himself and all
his troops
to which the simple reply
sent back was, "I have the honor re
;

spectfully to decline your proposition.

Z. TAYLOR."

Towards the

latter

part

of

the

afternoon, a force of a full division

of Mexicans was started up the steep

and Buena

more such

trials

down

"

hill

Vista.

in learning to fire
accurate firing being

down a mountain
known to hunters and

almost impossible
side, as is well

marksmen.

With

the closing in of night, the

enemy on the heights were withdrawn,

that

mountain

skirmish being the

at fighting for the day.

only attempt
At the earliest dark, our pickets were
thrown out well in advance even of
the lookout position of the day ; for
a small knoll was seized within some

two hundred yards of the advance

battery of the Mexicans, which in
sured an ample warning in case of

any night attack. Within a few min

mountain spur on the east, a thousand utes after, the Mexicans attempted to
feet and more above us, with the hope secure the same knoll
but their lead
of pouring down upon and over- ing man was captured, whose sword,
the first trophy on that field, I was
wjielming our left and, as those col
;

umns

formed, we heard the loud

pheers of our men, as that day and
its
memories, the 22d February,
was called out to them. This contest

able to secure, with the prisoner.

The night of the 22d was passed
quietly, in the thoughts and prepara
tions for the morrow, with both ar

continued for some two hours, with no

result whatever, other than the loss

made by an
who knew the ground,
through Gen. Wool to Gen. Taylor,

of some four hundred to five hundred

for a night attack,

men

along the
" after
road,
midnight and the setting
" but he
of the moon ;
declined, from

of musketry, almost

among

the clouds,

and wounded, as acknowl

edged by the Mexicans, and but five
Gen.
slightly wounded on our part.
Taylor remarking, as I was told, that
" He
hoped they would have a few
killed

mies.

engineer

guide

it

proposition was

officer

from our

with the

offer to

front,

the fear of the confusion incident to

such assaults in the darkness.

and Buena

Recollections of Mexico

14

CHAPTER
EARLY

in the morning of the 23d,

small parapet was thrown up in
front of Washington's battery, the

Vista.

II.

hairbrained

daring,

reconnoissance

was made by a single Mexican offi

cer up to within sixty yards of the

roadway being closed by wagons filled

with stones and at the earliest light
I resumed my position in the advance
with the mounted orderlies to watch
and report the movement at their
left, near which appeared to be their

battery when our advance sentinel

was about to lay a hand on his bridle,

By 7, A.M.,
head-quarter position.
or a little later, a large and brilliant
group of officers, who, as we afterwards

of the afternoon.

learned, were Santa Ana and his staff,

came out on their advanced spur near

the road, some four hundred yards

I noticed their horses,
from me.

he turned his horse, and

infantry

fire fronl

the

fled

hill.

under our
He was

successful in riding back to his lines,

but was killed later, in the last charge

forbade the

fire

Major Washington

of his guns on " so

brave a fellow."

On

getting up to the plain, at our

and front, I found that Gen. Tay
while all was
lor had not yet arrived

left

anxiety at the sight of the immense

masses of Mexican infantry, their

bright arms glittering in the early
morning sun, that were seen approach
brief observation of our lines, they re
ing, under the fire of their heavy
columns
and
their
guns, from the ridge just across the
tired,
infantry
were rapidly formed for attack and, narrow valley. I turned to our rear
after another ineffectual salute to our to seek the staff, and met my friend
position, of three guns in succession, Capt. Lincoln, Wool's adjutant-gen
the column moved forward upon our eral, on a gallop to the front.
My
centre.
Having sent in full notice greeting of 'Buena Vista!' with
of these movements to our right, and the right arm pointing to the rear,
being then unable to return by the was responded to with his right arm
" Buena Vista " which
road, I passed up that advanced spur forward, and
to our left (against which a second was probably the last exclamation of
column was forming), to join and re his life except his closing cheer.
This column
As I passed onward, I first met
port to Gen. Taylor.
at the road moved forward against Col. Belknap, moving quietly along
but the fire under a perfect hail of musketry, and
Washington's battery
iVom his pieces repulsed them at a next found Gen. Taylor and his staff,

with their showy trappings, and sev

eral large and beautiful greyhounds
After a
gambolling round them.

distance of

some

between the

first

hundred yards,
and second ridges

five

came upon the plain from

where the anxiety of the
rear of our General had carried him during the

in advance, or just in
The horse of
lookout spur.

Ana was

killed

Santa
under him in this

charge, the only one attempted here

during the day. Near noon, a most

as they
Saltillo,

night to assure himself again of the

proper disposition of the troops there.
had scarcely moved a hundred

We

yards upon the plain,

when

Capt.

and Buena

Recollections of Mexico
Bragg rode up with the exclamation,

"

General, they are too strong for me,

"
they are six pieces to my two
Up
on this Gen. Taylor authorized him

still

her

to

withdraw

to a safer place.

As he

among
fame

the brightest on

The arrangement of our troops for

battle which had then commenced

turned to join his battery he saw me,

" I
and, grasping my hand, cried out,
I shed a tear for you
give you joy.
I thought I saw you
just now.

glitter
rolls of

15

Vista.

the.

very

was,

briefly,

as

follows

the

plain referred to was held by us in

force, to receive the main assaults of

the

enemy

was

for our right

felt to

dead."

I followed him, and saw at

the feet of the horses of one of his

be secured by' Washington's battery

and the steep interlaced gullies be
yond it and our left was protected

pieces all that was left of the gal

lant Lincoln, so recently in full and
first impulse was to
joyous life.

by the high Sierra range, if we could

hold the plain at the mountain foot
for which three pieces under O'Brien

save his sword, as of priceless value

to those who loved him
and I

(a part of Washington's battery)

held our right centre, with Bowles's

with his pistol to our fieldhospital under the edge of the plain,

My

carried

for

it

safety.

Upon

returning

some

Second Indiana Infantry as guard.

part of Bragg's battery was in

rear of our right centre

a part of

short time after, and finding his body

still left where he fell, I had that also

Sherman's battery under Thomas,

with Bissell's Illinois regiment, and

taken off the field. He had pressed

forward as I passed him, to the front
of Bissell's regiment, then forming
to support a section of artillery under
'Thomas, and to meet the charge of
the
columns.
advancing
Kiding
along their front, he turned back to
their left and rear to cheer them on,
with the words, " Come on, my brave

McKee's Kentucky regiment, was

Illinoisians,

and save

tJiis

battery."
In the storm of musketry that then
rained down upon them, one ball

struck

him

in the waist,

another en

and droop
he
was
ing slowly forward,
caught by
a captain of the charging regiment,
who passed him into the arms of his
orderly; and he was laid upon the
ground, without a groan or a word.
After waiting several weeks, I sent a
tered the back of his head

long letter to his friends, giving them

every detail, and with it flowers

which had blossomed on the spot

where he fell. Long may such flow
ers bloom overthi* gallant son of a
noble

race

names

of whose heroes

of

Massachusetts, the
and statesmen

at

the heads of the gullies, with Lane's

Indiana and Harden's First Illinois.

The bulk

of the remaining infantry

were at

first under cover

and at the edge of the
plateau; and in the wide ravines in
the rear were Humphrey Marshall's

regiments

rear of

in

five

companies

of

Kentucky volun

teer cavalry, Jeff Davis's Mississippi

regiment, Gen. Taylor's escort, and

eight of Yell's regiment of Arkan
as a kind of

sas cavalry, being held

reserve, with

the two squadrons of

regular cavalry.
The storm of

fire under
which
had fallen came upon us
from the main and partly successful
column of attack against our centre
on the plain, pushed forward by the
Mexicans immediately after their

Lincoln

on our right, at the road its

approach being by the way of our
short advanced spur (the thumb of
the model of position suggested).
failure

It

was

pieces,

at first repelled

by O'Brien's

which enfiladed the upper part

Recollections of Mexico

16

of this ridge.
Having cleared the
on
his
space
front, O'Brien ordered

the advance of his guns, when the

heading of the horses to the rear,
" to limber
up," appears to have

and Buena

Vista.

This was tried a short time after

wards, with some fifty or sixty strag
with the
glers at our field hospital,
"
we want

Up

call,

up

you

your

you." Seeing that no

the inquiry was made,

State wants

caused an alarm to Col. Bowles, and

given him the idea that they were

one

preparing to retreat and in his igno

rance and ill-judgment, rather than

lazy-looking rascal, after coolly look

ing all round upon the others, an
swered " Well, sir, we are from various

cowardice, he ordered his regiment to

the rear, when in fact they had lost

The regiment moved

but five men.

at

first

only after repeated orders,

even, till once

and by companies
fairly in
ilight to

retreat,

when

became a

it

them, although fortunately

to them only for though rallied in
;

part

By

several officers of the

staff,

Maj. Dix, Capt. Linnard, and myself,

they never again acted that day as

moved,

"What

State

are

you from?"

States, if you must know." The Gen

eral acknowledged himself beaten.

The flight of this regiment at once

opened our centre to the enemy, for
this retreat was the signal for renewing
their assault and O'Brien left alone,
;

at the very

moment

of his intended

advance, could only hope to save his

pieces, in which for that time he suc

ceeded.
The enemy in heavy force
an organization. The bitter shame then gained the plain, and the whole
and burning disgrace of this unneces front, as also that left half of the battle
sary rout, caused by the blunder of field, near the mountain, which they
this ignorant colonel, was deeply felt held through
the
whole contest.
for months and years.
Among their They soon afterwards brought up a
blackest, saddest days maybe counted heavy battery, whose fire covered and
that of their departure for home when commanded nearly the whole of this
relieved by the hew troops,
a day to plateau. For two hours after this the
all the other regiments there so
gay fire on either side raged with unabated
and joyous. For, as all the other violence. During this time a large
regiments filed by in succession, the body of Mexican cavalry, some three
thousand or more, succeeded in pass
battalions of the new columns, con
of
some
six
thousand
sisting
men, ing over this plain at our left, along
turned out on parade, with presented the mountain foot, apparently with the
arms, 'and saluted as it passed with design of attacking our camps and the
martial music and loud cheers. But the trains in the rear.
Davis's regiment,
Second Indiana Regiment marched with Sherman and one piece of artil
by in the sadness and silence of their lery, and May's squadron, were sent
own grieved hearts, while the men to watch the movements of the enemy,
of all these battalions remained in and guard our trains while Marshall
This is perhaps among with his volunteer cavalry was 01their tents.
the most sorrowful memories of the dered to move in this ravine, a short
;

distance to his right, to guard

war.

When

I reported the difficulty of

rallying these men to Gen. Taylor,
he said, "Call upon their State pride,
call

upon their State pride

not resist that."

they will

our

But this man continued his

movement to the Hacienda and the
centre.

plain beyond, a mile from the battle

field, where he remained for the rest
of the day, simply as a spectator of

Recollections of Mexico
the contest, in a good position to re
we were routed and neither

tire if

the repeated messages of Gen. Taylor,

nor his own
personal solicitation

made

and Buena

ported

and joined them

this,

ley

was shortly

after this

Mexican

was of the hottest, the plain be

ing completely covered with smoke,
that occurred one of those incidents,
those blunders,
that at times even
decide the fate of battles. In this case
sides

we

felt

that

it

cost us at least the loss

of these three

thousand

cavalry as

For as the fire slackened

and the smoke cleared for a
few moments, a cry rose of a " mes
"
and
sage from Gen. Santa Ana;
two Mexican officers were led for
ward to Gen. Taylor, who, with
his staff grouped around him, was
prisoners.

little,

just in rear of the centre of the pla

I noticed that they had no

teau.

white

flag,

and was

still

more sur

prised at the message they gave in

" Gen. Santa Ana de
French, that
sired

to

wanted."

know what Gen.

Taylor
Honest Gen. Taylor, with

or any wile in
an}'' punctilio
himself, and without suspicion of this
in others, at once replied " His sur
" which was called out
to them
render,
by others in French. While Gen.

out

continued to

field again.

It

Gen. Taylor, that, as he

approached the enemy, those officers

advanced towards their own troops

after the lull of battle, soon af

ter mid-day, could bring him to the

cavalry had passed beyond our line,

while the fire of the artillery on both

to

17

Vista.

still

Mexicans
upon him after

but, as the
fire

he gave up the attempt at a par

and returned. Though few of us,

any, suspected the good faith of this

message at the monisnt, I
have little doubt Athat these officers,
if

strange

being well in advance, found themby the lifting of the smoke,

surrounded by our men, and with

selves,

ready wit at once feigned this mes

" as their
" a ver
phrase
sepoya,
sage,
"
" to see if it would
and it
is,
pay
did
most fortunately for them,
pay
for, as they neared their. own lines,
'

they deserted Gen. Wool, and es

caped and not only this, but unwit
tingly on their part, by our order to
stop the fire, their large body of cav
;

was also saved.

Of the two detachments referred to,
one body of some three or four hun
alry

dred men, apparently advancing on

our train, was met by Jeff Davis with
his small regiment, with Sherman and
a piece of artillery.
After a near ap
proach, but not an actual charge, the
rifles of Davis and the canister of

Sherman were too much for them,

aud they turned and fled to their col
umn, escaping

to their

own

lines.

counted seven dead Mexicans the next

day at the scene of this contest. This

Wool returned with these men towards gave his first military prestige to Davis,
the line for a parley, Gen. Taylor who was offered a general's position in
at once stopped the firing in our front, our army soon after. He was wounded
and sent similar orders to our left and
rear, where otir reserves were engaged
with that verj cavalry; and thus, on

battle his regiment lost one

men out of three hundred

the cessation of our

enty.

fire,

those three

thousand men, except one or two

small detachments, quietly passed
back to their own lines unmolested un
der our very eyes.
Gen. Wool soon returned, and re

in the foot at this affair

and in the
hundred
and sev

The other detachment, of about two

hundred and fifty only, bore down to
wards our depot at the Hacienda of
Buena Vista. Here were drawn up
in line Marshall (senior colonel) with

Recollections of Mexico

IS

his five, and Yell with his eight com

panies of volunteer cavalry. The Mex
icans in "column of fours, " advanced

moderately, halting from time to

time and Marshall, though repeated
ly urged by others, could not be pre
;

and Buena

Vista.

sumed the pursuit; but the critical

moment had passed, not to return.
While this last skirmish was occur
ring, the battle recommenced with in
creased fury on the plain.
It had
been observed by the two Mexicans

upon to order an advance or that Gen. Taylor rode a white horse,

But Yell, a brave man, but the only white horse, I believe, ridden
without discipline, felt the humilia by any officer that day except Lin
tion of the moment and with passion
coln.
During the lull of our fire, a
ate appeals to his men, and with most heavy battery of artillery was placed
vailed

charge.

bitter, biting

sarcasm upon those who

succeeded in getting

held back, he

some sixty to join him in the charge

which Marshall would not order.
With these only, he advanced to meet
the Mexican lancers, who now came
upon him, and overwhelmed him at
the charging pace, when Yell with
several of his officers and men went

in position to cover every part of the

and the white horse, with the

grouped around it, was a most
I recollect at one
conspicuous mark.

plain

staff

time, as

we

crossed the rear ridge, in

an attempt to take cover, three

balls,

in true line-shots, came over us in

succession, as we moved from one side
to the

other.

The

firing

down

hill

down, and the lines of Marshall in his

rear turned at once, without waiting
the shock, and rushed pell-mell be
tween and around the buildings of
the ranch, followed by the Mexicans.

without doubt saved Gen. Taylor.

learned afterwards that this was

(afterwards the lieu

of his regiment) said

moras, and who had been promised a

lieutenant-colonelcy if he succeeded
in killing or disabling Gen. Taylor.

Yell's adjutant

tenant-colonel

afterwards of this charge, that is

boasted of for our cavalry, "I was
at full speed, with Mexicans on the
right, left,

and rear of me."

This

col

umn

of lancers then passed rapidly

across the valley at our right and rear,
rejoining their line, by passing around

the gullies on our right, and being fired

by their own artillery as they ap

at

proached them in our

suffered

somewhat

as

front.

They

they passed,

from the stragglers, and the small

guard of infantry on the roofs of the
adobe houses and they barely escaped
destruction from a charge under May,
who was approaching by the road on
;

their flank at

the

moment

We

commanded by Capt. Eiley,

formerly a sergeant of our infantry,
who had deserted our army at Mata-

a battery

Kiley was subsequently captured on

Scott's line
and though unusual ef
forts, even petitions of large numbers
;

of the ladies of Mexico, were

made

to

save him, he was tried and sentenced.

Under the immediate direction of

(who subsequently beca'nie

a far greater traitor to his country)
he was severely branded as a deserter,
while some seventy other such deser

Twiggs

were hung, at the first wave of

our flag over Chapultepec. Eiley's
life was saved, on the
plea that he de
ters

serted just before the actual date of

the declaration of war.

was during the severe enfilading

that the gallant Harden, who
had a regiment in admirable disci
the dust pline, came up to Gen. Taylor to beg
of their

charge, when his command was halted,

as one of his officers, Lieut. Givens, af

terwards told me, " to let

clear away."
May soon after

re

It

fire,

that he might be allowed to charge,

Recollections of Mexico
and capture that battery and, grasp
ing his hand warmly with the excla
" I
" You are our
mation,
regulars
;

and Buena

19

Vista.

over a wide space in our rear;

and

this celerity of our artillery in moving

to different points had so astonished

But the enemy as to give them the im

was scarcely pression of our having a vastly supe
safe to assault them; and he remarked rior force in this respect.
But Kilto me, as Harden turned away, "I burn's horses were now entirely ex
know Harden would go but I do not hausted, and unable to move the
know what his men would do they pieces upon seeing which, I told
have never been under fire. If I only him I would get him other animals.
had one regiment of regulars, I would Calling his sergeant, I rode off to
order this charge." Nor is it perhaps Major Washington, and appealed to
too much to say, that if he had had him for fresh teams for these guns,
the troops, to order such a charge, it which were at once given by this no
would probably have been, like all our ble old soldier; so that this section
for a second time joined in this morn
other daring charges on the Mexi
successful
the
total
rout
and
The
cans,
ing's fight on the plateau.
of all that army, with the loss of all fresh horses played a still more im
its war-material and
camp-equipage, portant part in the afternoon for
must have been the result. With their battery and its commander.
such a result, these troops and this
Soon after this, or about mid-day,
material, instead of being safely and and after some three hours of almost
quietly withdrawn in the nigbt, as continuous fire, the rage of war on
was the case, would never have formed the earth was silenced for the time
the nucleus of the force that met by a greater conflict of the elements
Gen. Scott at Cerro Gordo; even from the heavens above for a most
more, there would have been no Cerro violent storm of rain and even hail
Gordo. Had there been one regi
poured down upon us in torrents for
ment of regulars at Buena Vista, some fifteen or twenty minutes, com
Gen. Scott could have marched al pletely silencing the strife of the con
most unopposed into the valley, if not tending armies. Some three to four
joined in urging

the General

his

that

felt

request.

it

even into the city of Mexico; and,

though the military fame of that
chieftain would not have been as
great, the bloodshed and slaughter on

hours later in the afternoon, after a

second long-continued firing of the
artillery on both sides
fatal charge, a second

during the last

such shower of

him his success rain poured down upon us, and closed
Mi^n^f^f
the contest while a slighter shower
would have beenA lw less.
Towards noon, and during the rage had fallen on the night of the twentyof the battle upon the plain, when second, just after the lesser battle
in the mountain.
orders were sent to the rear for as
Now, as not a drop
sistance from the reserves, I met of rain had fallen there for many
Lieut, (now Gen.) Kilburn, as he was months previously, and none fell

that line that gave

<t5'C 4

attempting to ascend the plateau

with a section of Bragg's battery;
which had been sent to our rear at
These
the time of danger there.

again,
least

as I personally know, for at

to three months after this

two

battle, I

think we

instances to be

guns had moved rapidly to the right that the

and left, to meet the expected attacks rain even

may

consider these

conclusive

evidence

firing of cannon
in dry seasons.

produces

Recollections of Mexico

20

Just previous to this shower, and

while the fire was raging at the hot
test, Gen. Wool, a man personally as
brave as Gen. Taylor himself (though
other impressions had been given me

before the battle), in an excess of cau

tion, and in fear of a defeat, had urged

and Buena

message even of

Vista.

false hope, as I

feel sure it was.

must

I mention this fact

by which the
might have been

as one of the accidents

results of the battle

changed.
After the

having

storm, the Mexicans

some time appeared to rest
the generals and their staffs

for

on Gen. Taylor to send, or let him quietly,

send, an order to Capt. Washington indulged themselves in a little rest
While troops were
to have his battery got ready for and refreshment.
a retreat
and Gen. Taylor very changed in position,
brought up to
at
the heads of
and
his
near
the
sent
Wool
plateau,
doubtfully yielding,
McDowell, the ravines, to be ready for any new
aid, Lieut, (now Gen.)
from whom I had the facts, down assault, and the batteries, in part at
to Washington to give the order. least, descended to the centre position,
The horses were at once attached to near the pass, to forage their horses,
the pieces and one gun, by the mis
Gen. Taylor, whom no personal ur
;

take

of

had

sergeant,

towards the

started

rear.

actually ging had before prevailed upon

But they dismount from his white horse

to
for

back by brave old safety, exchanged that animal for an

a favorite " clay-bank pacer."
who
vowed he would other,
Washington,
He at once visited the ranch and
not move till he had the positive or
were

ders

ordered

Bliss (Taylor's

trains, to inspect their condition, and

also went to
see to their safety.

down, and
up, to be pre

the cavalry under Marshall, then near

the ranch, and commanded, urged,

of Gen. Taylor.

minutes

Major
adjutant-general) came
ordered them " to limber
after,

very few

"
and when
pared to go to the front
"I
thought we
Washington said,
were defeated, from the order just
;

now received,"

Bliss replied, "

On

the

contrary, Gen. Taylor thinks they are

pretty badly whipped and he wants
you to be ready to pursue them."
I understood that this order was
afterwards forgotten or denied by
Gen. Wool; but it was an order,
;

known

He

and implored him

to

come up

close to

the plain, to be ready to assist us,

begging him in the homely farmer's
phrase, though with inverted mean
" stand
up to his fodder, rack
ing, to
But all his efforts were
or no rack."

hours

in vain; for I recollect

after,

during the last conflict, the General

told me to look with my glass, and tell

him what men those were

in our rear,

beyond the ranch. I could only an

" I see
once
have
caused
would
at
swer,
they are our cavalry, as
troops,
"
when his
their retreat, and of course their utter they are not in uniform
"I
I can
rout under the circumstances.
earnest, feeling exclamation was,
not doubt that Gen. Taylor yielded wish in God's name they would only
for the moment only to the urgings come up and show themselves. I would
It was also
of this old veteran officer, his second not ask them to fight."
in command, from the kindness of his about this time, or near the middle of
nature but immediately after, to pre
the day, that Gen. Minon, with a large
vent the danger which he foresaw cavalry-force which had been sent
with his raw troops, he sent down round by a mule-path beyond the
Bliss with a counter-order and a high mountains on our left, to threatif

which,

to

the volunteer

and Buena

Recollections of Mexico

21

Vista.

had

en our train and depot at Saltillo,

succeeded in crossing those
mountains by a most wild and dan

day.
(I will not say how, in this re
I could not
gion of the Maine law.)
but think sadly of the occurrence thir

gerous path, and approached our rear,

as if to cut off our communication

teen years after, when the winner of

that bet lay before me at Corrick's

with the town.

Ford, his last fight over, with a rebel

Upon

of Major Webster,

redoubt

this,

an

officer

who commanded

overlooking

the

Lieut,

Saltillo,

(now Gen.) Donaldson, moved

out

with one piece of artillery. Lieut.

from
Shover, with another piece
our train-guard, joined him
and
;

they both gallantly approached and

shelled

this

large

of these two pieces

the whole
brigade of Mirion turned back, and
retraced their steps over the mountainfire

And

thus closed

all

thousand guerillas were

still

all stragglers,

along the road, Gen. Taylor directed

to ascend a knoll, just in the rear

me

of our centre, to reconnoitre.

When,
after a few minutes, I reported to him
to be retir
he
at once
ing
large numbers,
mounted, with his staff, and moved
round to ascend the plain. I contin
ued at the hill, and a short time after
observed that they appeared to be
in

at

the hill-foot

soon

after,

seeing

them return on the road towards us

beyond in considerable
in case and remounted

force, I left the hill,

to join and report this

at once to the general. t3

(0rw * f .'-\ft

To return to our main position.

About this time, between one and two,
two generals, Taylor and
with
most of the staff-officers,
Wool,
had collected near our central posi
P.M., the

tion, in rear of

his shoulder.

wavering or halting in their retreat,

of which I sent notice immediately up
battle in our to the general, by a horseman resting

rear; although we had good reason

afterwards to feel assured that several

them, to cut off

of our defeat.

upon

As we soon saw much movement in

the troops of the enemy on our front,

body of cavalry that the enemy appeared

without a single bayonet or sabre

other than those of their artillerists
to protect them.
To their own as'tonishment
in fact, to escape the

path.

star

Upon reaching the plateau, I found

the contest raging with all the force
of the early morning strife.
From
the facts, as gathered then and im
mediately after, I should judge that

reporting and gathering information ;

while some jests were passed round

the enemy, though holding in force

the left and front of our original posi
tion on the plateau, and commanding

in spite of the anxieties of the hour.

this plain,

Among others,
me by Garnet,

Washington's battery,

a bet was fastened on

Taylor's aid, for look

ing with eyes too large upon a shell

filled with musket-balls that an hour

two before had passed uncomfort

ably near me, while I was sitting
quietly in the saddle, carelessly ex

or

posed, with a full side-view offered to

the enemy.
The bet was on the di

ameter of
lost it

this seven-inch shell

by a quarter

wager -was

of

an inch.

faithfully paid

and

were

still

uncertain or un

decided about another attack upon us,

while we held this plain by the heads
of the valleys on our right,

ravine in rear of our centre

and the
;

though

they held, with a great force of in

fantry, the first valley on our front

(between the thumb and forefinger of

the suggested model), they still had
actually commenced a withdrawal of
a portion of their troops.
Soon after
the plain, an

The Gen. Taylor came upon

the next

attack

on our

side,

probably in the

22

Recollections of Mexico

and Buena

Vista.

belief of this withdrawal, was ordered he took to that for safety, at the same
and made by the three regiments that time calling to McKee and Clay, re
held the heads of the two main val
treating on the hillside to his right,
to
take that cover also. Bissell kept
Harden's
and
Bissell's
Illinois,
leys.

and McKee's Kentucky regiments, this shelter till near the road, when a
some fifteen hundred men in all, run of one hundred yards brought
which were supported in rear by three him under the cover of Washington's
guns under Lieut. O'Brien, one of the guns. Col. McKee continued on the
most noble, gallant men on that field. exposed hillside, and was killed. Lieut.These men moved forward in an Col. Clay, at first wounded, was car
echelon line towards the next valley, ried off by three of his men, whom he
just above referred to the existence begged would leave him and save
;

of which, from the clearness of the at

themselves

mosphere, they could not suspect even,

the whole succession of ridges in front

were slaughtered
on,
in cold blood.
Col. Harden had all
but escaped, when he was seen at the
very top and end of the next spur, in
front of his own men, then under

appearing as but a simple plain. But

as they neared this ravine, within

bore

him

but the noble fellows

still

till all

some fifty to eighty yards only, an

immense force of some five thousand Richardson, in conflict with a lancer
to seven thousand men suddenly rose and when they went out to bring in
as it were from the open earth upon his body a few minutes after, they
them, "six to seven lines deep," as found the dead lancer and his horse
one officer stated to me, and outflank beside him, and the lance half cut off
ing them in both directions. There by Harden's sword that sword was
was nothing then for them, but gone, but the scabbard still remained
"
" Sauve
qui pent; and our men fled belted to the waist, as they had not
to the rear as best they could, a large time to take it.
Within half an hour
part taking refuge and escaping down after, I saw the body of that gallant
the first valley to their right, just in officer, with the lance and scabbard,
rear of our former lookout spur, and laid upon the ground in the tent where
down this valley also, on either side, Jeff Davis was lying with his wounded
passed the Mexicans in full pursuit. foot. One man, and one man only,
It seems they sent word to their was saved here that they had
power
cavalry to meet our men at the mouth to kill he was afterwards my train
of the valley, near the road, and thus master, after his discharge from Bis
sell's regiment.
He told me he had
holding the broken regiments com
"
pletely caught in a cul-de-sac ; and the taken cover, and thought,
they had
work of massacre began, and finished just got in good shooting distance,"
only when no more were left for when he saw that no one of his regi
ment was near him. Turning to run,
Survivors who escaped re
slaughter.
lated to me that they saw parties of he was met by two Mexicans with
our men giving up their arms and unloaded guns, one of whom struck at
;

low, even kneeling in Mexi

can fashion, to surrender to the cav
alry, who, while retaining their arms,
called to their infantry to shoot them.

him with the bayonet, the other with

the breech of his piece, when an offi

me, that, finding a

narrow gulley of six or eight feet deep,

He

bowing

Col. Bissell told

cer approached, and, knocking up their

" dollar " to him.
muskets, called out
at once

handed him a belt with

it
and this officer then

sixty dollars in

Recollections of Mexico
and afterwards saved his life. The
rnen had been paid but a few days
before the fight; and many of them

and Buena

23

Vista.

impetuous charge of the en

5
emy/and thereby saved the day ,' an
achievement unjustly attributed to
this last

had hundreds of dollars even on their Bragg alone in the official report. I
persons, which made it impossible for say unjustly but it is the only injus
the wounded to escape, as is often tice that I am aware of that the good
;

done, feigning death for the search

plunder was too vigilant to be
;

for this

deceived.

Gen. Taylor has ever even appeared to

be responsible for. It was unjust to
wards Sherman for he had previously
;

portion of our men that were

forced directly to the rear on the plain

The

been kept by a positive and very un

just order from the command of his own
without being near enough to take company (then under Bragg, his act
cover in the ravine, were followed ual lieutenant), at Monterey.
Again,
as Bragg first rose the plain with his
closely by another party of this over
whelming force, up to tae very muz pieces, probably he alone was then seen

of O'Brien's pieces, all three of by Bliss

and his favoring ** held
which they captured, after that gal Bragg only in viewv in the making up
lant officer had abandoned them, limp
of the reports to the general.
It was at this time that the remark
ing off, himself wounded, with but a
single artillerist remaining with him. was made which was changed to be
Lieut. Franklin (now Gen.) saw a come so famous, " A little more grape,
Mexican officer deliberately ride up Capt. Bragg," so apt and useful after
to the head horse of one of the guns, wards for orations, and for dinners to
zles

him by the bridle, turn this officer. As the captain reached

him round, and thus capture the piece. the plain, seeing no infantry near, he
But this hitherto resistless return rode to Gen. Taylor, saying, " I have
charge was now met by another fire no support they will take my pieces."
that And the General replied, " They will
still more resistless as it proved,
"
of the guns of Bragg and Sherman, take them anyhow, fire away
add
which reached the plain at the most ing, as Bragg told mo, unluckily for
" Give 'em
opportune moment. These batteries, the poetry of the story,
How well this injunc
as previously stated, had been resting hell, Bragg."
and recruiting in the ravine below, tion was obeyed, the shattered ranks
when, as those regiments moved for of the assailants bore ample witness.
ward to the charge, Capt. (now Gen.) The whole force was suddenly driven
back with great slaughter. I counted
I. H. Eaton, Gen. Taylor's aid, came
down to order them forward to the nine dead the next morning in one
" The
and scores
gen
group,
heap, I may say,
plain, urging them witn,
and, taking

eral

wants you

too late

"

up, up, or you will be

batteries sprang for

Both

ward, and the fresh horses of Bragg

and, in the narrow prac
roadway, the senior officer,

took the lead

ticable

Sherman had

to follow in rear

but he

rose the plain close upon Bragg, throw

ing his line forward at an angle with

him, when both poured a cross-fire

over the same ground, which repelled

of others lying near, under the cross

fire of this
artillery.
I may here mention that serious
doubts existed afterwards as to au
thority of the order for that last fatal
it being stated that Gen.
Taylor had denied that he gave such

charge;

and much feeling arose among

the officers of the regiments that suf
fered against the person who bore U. *

orders,

and Buena

Recollections of Mexico

24

Vista.

of those reporting as tired,

order, Capt. Cliilton (since the rebel

the

adjutant-general of Lee)."

sick, or wounded, I at length succeed

ed in getting them out of their slight

whatever peculiarities
might have, was a
man of undoubted gallantry and truth
and he sacredly vouched to Major
This

officer,

of character he

Mansfield, who told me within a day

or two, that Gen. Taylor did most as

list

breastwork, and partly up the ridge,

be nearer at least, and in time to

to

aid in case of need, should this force

(which I was closely watching with

my glass) move down to the attack,

which
this
for
the
order
him
fortunately they did not at
suredly give
our shattered lines.
cautioned
The
careful
tempt,
upon
major
charge.
Here, again, the Providence above,
him, as a young captain, not to insist
upon this against the General's denial. or our good fortune, saved us from the
I cannot doubt that the good old Gen
eral did really issue this order while

an order
effects of another blunder,
given by our other old general, Wool.

While we were in this suspense, and

awaiting what we feared was the final
sibly
it 'was an order, that, but for the op
grand attack, Gen. Wool sent an or
portune arrival of our artillery, would der to May, with his dragoons and
have insured our destruction. I was the spy company, some two hundred
and thirty in all, to attack that heavy
told by those who witnessed the in
in the excitement of the
it

moment

pos

mind

did not rest upon his

terview, that the brave but impulsive

Harden was, at about that time,

most

earnestly

Bissell

to join

making such a charge

at

length,

still

Cols.

upon

urging

McKee

and

him

in

these officers

doubtful,

assenting,

though I was assured the order

also

reached them before their own pro

posed movement could be carried out.

This

last

bloody

strife,

again stilled

by another

when Mansfield rushed up to

and
him,
urged him to revoke the or
" if he would not
der,
destroy us, as
we had no support for such a charge,
force,

if

they were driven back."

then countermanded

eral

the major told

or

day

two

me

at our

The gen
it.

This
a

own mess

There were dis

also, and publi

after.

putes about this order

cations

by Col. May denying its re

But there can be no doubt it
was given and countermanded. The

violent shower, closed the

But an hour or
contest for the day.

ceipt.

two

after, or

set,

we saw

bearer of the order, the interpreter,

Addicks, a former Texan officer, told

a short time before sun

their

heavy battery at

the upper part of the plain limbered

up as if for a movement, supported by

me

he carried

state

to

it

and I heard Wool

Jeff Davis, who was lying

in the hospital, that he sent

some three thousand to four thousand

which we feared were ar

wounded

infantry,

it.

ranging for a final overwhelming

charge upon us. Gen. Taylor sent
me over to the spur on our right, near
the road, to get the battalion of Rich
ardson to move up the ridge to be
ready to assist the broken remnants
of their own, Harden's, and the other

soon after, receiving a caution as to the

impolicy of truth-telling^'y^lnd a for

regiments, to resist the expected as

saults.

after

With great difficulty, and only

directing their officers to take

I told the actual facts to Davis

mer Texan surgeon,

Irvine, in the spy

company, told me that he heard it de
livered, and that, turning to his com
panions, he said, "Good-by, boys,"
with the feeling that tnis was to be
the last of all of them.
I mention these circumstances to
show some of the confusions and mis-

'

Recollections of Mexico
takes ever incident to these contests
have ever since then charac

so that I

terized battles as but a series of blun

when he who happened

ders,

to blun

der the least must win the victory.

at least,

They show,
what

how often, and on

chances, our salvation

during those two days of bitter
slight

hung
strife.

No

further

movement was now

made by
and

either side, until the sun set

the night closed in, when, 'after

and Buena

Vista.

parapet of earth, well satisfied that

now we could make no such forward
charge.

While these preparations for a final

defence were being made, at the ear
liest daylight, there came a faint and
uncertain rumor that no

enemy

could

be seen on the plain abov.

Then
these reports grew more confirmed,
till at
length, fifteen or twenty min
utes after, men came rushing in with
the welcome intelligence that they

had been a long distance in advance,

and that no enemy was to be seen,
that
the whole army of Santa Ana
to
food
and
water
having
brought
them, for the most part lay in bivouac had retired during the night.
in their positions at the heads of the
By this time, our old officers were
all
of
the
and
the
near
up, and out of the two or three tents
ravines,
plain.
edge
the placing of our pickets, the differ
ent groups of our shattered regiments,

Gen. Taylor, from the exhaustion of

order a night
attack upon the enemy, although it
was again suggested.
After visiting the outposts near
his troops, .declined to

down

midnight, I lay

in the bitter

cold, just outside the tent where were

Davis and other wounded officers, with

pitched near Washington's

arms,

with

the

(father of the present Secretary of

War) then embraced

with four heavy guns and his lieuten

(now generals) Kickets and
Doubleday, had by a forced march

older

ants

them from
the

field.

Saltillo to re-enforce

The

satisfaction

tense with which

us on

was

in

we found we had

our lost guns replaced, even in greater

foce.

As daylight approached,

Col.

Whiting,

the quartermaster-general; and this

amusement soon became general, our
generally joining in
hearty congratulations much
more than the junior.
officers

these

In a few minutes, Gen. Taylor

since the previous night passed over

r
nearly sixty miles from Montere} to
at
ordered
once
us.
Gen.
Taylor
join

"My

exclamation,

God, sir, you are the greatest man in

the country you will be President of
the United States!"
Col. Belknap

could scarcely rest, till

roused up about three o'clock by the
cheering news that Capt. Prentiss,

Harden.

battery;

and Gen. Wool rushed up to Gen.

Taylor, embracing him with both

rected

me

to order the batteries

to refresh the

men and

horses,

di

down

and be

prepared to make pursuit. I then

moved forward with McCullough to
reconnoitre the route.
The cavalry
near us were pushed on for some six
or eight

miles, to

Encantada, when

was found that the withdrawal of

began
the enemy, which must have com
strengthen the breastwork at the cen
menced with the earliest darkness,
tre, near Washington's battery, taking
the wagons from the roadway, where was complete, with the bulk of all his
they had been left to be ready for a war material and trains, then already
rapid charge forward,

if

to

we should passed beyond the valley of

Xueva even, leaving only

wish to make it and I now attempt

ed to cover the whole front by a new
;

it

and wounded, and a few

the

Agua

the dead

stragglers,

Recollections of Mexico

26

with the debris of his camp-equipage,

as our spoils of the victory.
Their dead were some three hun
dred to four hundred and their se
verely wounded left behind amounted
to perhaps double that number, with
;

two hundred

to three

hundred strag

found here also the evi

Ty"e

glers.

dences of their cruelty in the bodies

of our

men

shot through the head, af

and Buena

Vista.

country, and some crackers, which she

took, then for the first time looking

"We could not

gratefully.
but suppose that she had feared we
would poison her for it was by such
ideas that the ignorant Mexicans were
induced so readily to murder us all.
Such a barbarity might well be ex
pected from these savages, who, as I

up most

learned, after capturing

wagons loaded

ter apparent struggles to retreat with

lesser wounds, from mile to mile on

with our wounded about the time of

this route.

ment, had deliberately thrown these

poor sufferers out of the wagons, and

The

hatred,

horror

with

even,

their attack

upon the Mississippi

regi

which these people had been taught murdered them in cold blood.
to think of us, was well shown by a
The cavalry squadrons under Capt.
in this scout.
little incident
As Albert Pike (since too well known to
McCullough and myself were working our country), with the companies of
our way through the chapparal (or regular dragoons under Lieuts. R/uckscrub-oak brush) some five or six er and Carleton,(the latter subsequent
miles in advance to our left of Encan- ly on the staff of Gen. Wool, and the
found
historian of this
tada, we came across a poor, exhaust
battlejjas they
ed Mexican woman, lost in the retreat no prospect of reaching the enemy by
She was sitting under a successful pursuit, soon returned
of their army.
and our
a bush, by her pony, whose saddle from their reconnoissai ce
she had removed from its severely main efforts were at once directed to
I have her in my mind's the care of the wounded, and the gath
galled back.
eye now, a most beautiful woman, of ering in of our heroic dead. Of less
some twenty-five years, with large, than three thousand noble men who
liquid hazel eyes, and full round stood their ground, over one-fourth,
cheeks, with but the faintest tint of or seven hundred and fifty, had fallen
the Indian shade. She was neatly and of these, over one-third, or more
and modestly dressed, wearing kid than two hundred and seventy, were
;

gloves with the tips of the fingers cut

She would scarcely speak

off.

to us

but at length, to our questions,

admitted she had lost her way, that
her marido was killed in battle the
day before, and that she was famish
ing for food and water. I offered her
food, but she refused it; coffee from
at first;

and
it

to

still

my

it

she seized

filled just before,

was

it,

'cafe,'

only

at a

a slaughter unexampled in the

Lundy's Lane, where, with nearly the

same force, the dead were over one
hundred less.
But the enemy was repelled, fcis
army shattered and hurled back to

tell

their

own

'cafe,'

held,

and the

and

capital,
field

and gorged the whole of of mostly veteran troopsf^tren. Tay

lor, unambitious but to do right, an

I then gave her

draught.
the
sugar-cakes of the
pUoncitto,
it

our position was

of Buena Vista
she refused it, until I raised 'won by this gallant band of volun
lips and drank a little, when teers against ten times their numbers

my canteen,
ing her

dead

history of battle-fields, and far beyond

that of our former bloodiest contest,

honest, reliable, well-judging soldier,

SecolLctions of Mexico and Buena Vista.

holding these qualities in common
with Grant and with Thomas, more

than any three prominent

officers of

27

army I have ever known, be

came the next president of the United

the

States.

tithomounf
Binder
Gaylord Bros
Makers
Stockton, Calif.
WN 21. 1908