Page:History of the War between the United States and Mexico.djvu/398

348 6th of August Major Lally, of the 9th infantry, left Vera Cruz with about 1,000 men, consisting of nine companies of infantry, belonging to different regiments, two companies of voltigeurs, one company of Georgia mounted volunteers under Captain Loyall, and a battery of two six-pounders, commanded by Lieutenant Sears, of the 2nd artillery. The command escorted a train of sixty-four wagons, which, it was erroneously reported, contained one million of dollars in specie. The opportunity of reaping this golden harvest was not lost by the guerilleros. The intelligence was conveyed with great rapidity through the country, and General Soto, governor of the state of Vera Cruz, in connection with the guerilla leaders, Padre Jarauta, Señor Aburto, and others, succeeded in collecting together between twelve and fifteen hundred men, with several pieces of artillery.

Anticipating an encounter with the banditti upon the road, Major Lally placed the left wing of his detachment, under Captain Winans, of the 15th infantry, in front of the train, and the right wing, under Captain Hutter, of the 6th infantry, in the rear. The centre guard, of two companies, was commanded by Lieutenant Lear, of the 5th infantry, and mounted flankers were thrown out on either side. The enemy were first discovered, on the 10th of August, at Paso de Ovejas, where they attempted to harass the American troops, by firing at long distances, for the purpose of drawing them into the Chaparral in a fruitless search. Their object was soon understood, and the command continued steadily on their route. About two o'clock in the afternoon, the principal attack was made from behind the ruins of a stone house, upon a hill on the right of the road in front. Lieutenant Sears opened an