Page:History of the War between the United States and Mexico.djvu/368

318 Night put an end to the carnage. The enemy lost all their artillery, ten wagons, and large quantities of provisions; they had three hundred killed, about the same number wounded, and there were forty taken prisoners. Several national and regimental standards were also captured, and among the colors was the black flag exhibited at the Bracito. Colonel Doniphan had but one man killed, and eight wounded, some of them mortally?

The way was now opened to Chihuahua, and on the lst of March Colonel Doniphan took formal possession of it in the name of his government. This city was the residence of the Captains-general of the internal provinces, under the vice-regal government of Spain, and is pleasantly situated on a branch of the Rio Conjos, in the centre of the rich mining district in northern Mexico. It contains about thirty thousand inhabitants, and is surrounded by a fertile country, disfigured but slightly by occasional piles of scoriæ and basaltes. On entering the town the American soldiers took up their quarters in the Plaza de Toros, in front of which was the Alameda. Here, in the enjoyment of the luxuries and hospitalities which almost caused them to forget the hardships they had endured, they remained for several weeks, without the occurrence of any incident of extraordinary moment.

On the 5th of April the artillery, and one battalion of the 1st Missouri, were ordered to proceed to Parral, where Governor Trias had established his government; but, on the third day out, the detachment learned that his excellency had again fled in alarm, and they therefore returned to head-quarters. Colonel Doniphan was not desirous of remaining any longer as a wagon guard