Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/219

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 * —In my last letter to you, on the 17th of April, day before the battle of Cerro Gordo, I mentioned that if I fell at the enemy's hand that you would hear of it. I have no doubt that you have read the full report of the battle of Cerro Gordo; therefore, it is hardly worth while for me to go into any details of that memorable day, but merely tell you the facts. The report of the repulse of Gen, Pillow's volunteer division is utterly false, from the beginning to the end. The volunteer division, under the command of Brig.-Gen. Pillow, were not defeated, nor repulsed, as they have it. Nay! they held the position assigned to them firmly, and were not driven an inch from their perilous position, and stuck to it to the last. When we were first put in our line of battle, in front of the enemy's batteries, our officers had strict orders not to charge on the Mexican's batteries until the word charge came, either from Gens. Patterson or Pillow. These orders were all strictly obeyed, with the exception of Col. Haskell, of the Second Tennesseeans, and Capt. Charles Naylor, of the Second Pennsylvania, who, contrary to instructions, with about two hundred men, charged on the enemy's batteries; and, of course, were repulsed. And I, for one, protest against having this manchar (stigma) cast upon the whole volunteer division, on account of these crazy fools, who disobeyed orders.

The victory of Cerro Gordo was complete; The well-equipped and magnificently uniformed army of Gen. Santa Anna's was routed in all directions, and Col. Harney's dragoons pursued the flying enemy hotly, and cut down their scattered columns until they reached Jalapa.

The munitions of war, taken from the enemy at this battle, were destroyed, the muskets were broken upon the rocks, the iron guns spiked and pretty much all the ammunition destroyed, as we had no wagons to take them with us.