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or lancers.

Thus he left the fortification at Point Isabel,

No

Our

and advanced some six miles that night and encamped. farther news had been heard of General Taylor. ships had been anxiously looked for, and needed for the defence of this point, in case of an attack. There was evidently a deep felt solicitude for General Taylor and his army, it being deemed very certain, that he would be met by the Mexican forces, with an attempt on their part to cut him off; and if successful against the main body of General Taylor's army, an attack on the fort of Isabel was a certain consequence, and the greatest disaster would thus overwhelm the American army.

Such was the feeling, at this moment of our arrival at this anchorage, a day or two sooner than was expected, as the boat dispatched for us, had not had time to reach Sacrificios, to communicate the intelligence of General Taylor's critical position. This news of the situation and fear for the army had not long been communicated on board ship, before the report of artillery was distinctly heard in the direc tion where General Taylor's army, it was presumed, at this moment, would be found. The firing continued—at times, louder and quicker-and now, the smoke rose in clouds, distinctly on the view. The land spreading from Point Isabel to Matamoras over which the march lies, is an extensive plain; and the prevailing conviction on board the ships, was, that this point, from which rose up the pillars of smoke, was the field of battle, some twelve miles distant; and that General Taylor had there been met by all the Mexican forces. The fate of the day, which could not yet be told, was now to be awaited, with anxiety and the greatest solicitude. Indeed, as the hours advanced, the reports of cannon seemed to be yet more distinct, and yet more near, and the volumes of smoke yet more dense, and receding nearer towards ourselves and Point Isabel; and if General Taylor's army

was indeed retreating, we could fancy we heard, the repeated and rapid discharges of artillery, and the successive volleys of musketry, as the rear guard covered the retreat. I have seldom seen greater sympathy and ingenuous solicitude lined on the faces of a collection of officers, than were now traced in the features of numbers, gathered on the poop-deck of the Cumberland. Every one seemed to feel that they would hasten to the rescue, and add their force to the army, in its critical circumstances. “I can land 250 men in fifteen minutes," said one of the captains of one of the smaller ships of the squadron. Other ships could send their complement; and had the order come, every heart would have leaped for the shore, and volunteers have amounted to more than the ships could spare. The order, before the sun went down, did come, to land a number of the ships' crews, with all the marine guard of the squadron, to give defence at the encampment * at Point Isabel, should it be needed. A steamer came off, and the ships' boats took the men to the steamerall being enthusiastic for the expedition. And when the number selected for the shore had all been safely embarked from the ships to the steamer, the boat put her wheels in motion and rounded by the stern of the Cumberland. The remainder of the crew, still aboard the ship, as the steamer approached us, were ordered to lay aloft, "to cheer ship."+ Nor had the order fallen from the lips of the officer of the deck, before the shrouds of the frigate were literally covered by our men, with their faces.outward.

"Stand by," cried the Lieutenant-" Cheer away!" and a volume of voices was sent over the waters, as the men swung their hats above their heads, and gave the three times hurrah to their leaving shipmates and comrades. The frigate

* At this time, the recently constructed fortification at Point Isabel had not received its name-since, called Fort Polk.

† See Frontispiece.

Raritan, at our windward, watching our motions, had also sent her men to the rattlings, and their voices joined in, with the loud echo of a thousand hurrahs, which sent a thrill home to the heart, such as hardly aught else of earth may equal, as back came the three cheers of the mass of men now crowding the decks, above and below, of the steamer, and told the enthusiasm, and the excitement, and the sublimity of the moment! Onward the steamer went, bearing these heroes, in imagination at least, and in reality, if the opportunity should present for displaying their deeds, even to a recklessness before any opposing enemy. Without accident, they were soon disembarked, at the encampment on Point Isabel.

But still came down on the air those distant reports of cannon, and the volumes of smoke rose as before; while the men in the tops, as evening drew nigh, affirmed, that the successive flashes of the field-pieces could be seen, and the smoke rolling up at each discharge on the distant field. But as the sun went down, the reports of the distant field-pieces and musketry, if the latter were heard, ceased; and the stillness of night, with its usual hush of a war-ship, held the scene, while the imagination dwelt on the field of blood, which no one doubted, during the day had been yielding up its victims to the havoc and the barbarous massacre of war. This was Friday, the eighth of May. Saturday was passed without any further information from the army; and during the day no guns were heard, unless it was an occasional report that seemed doubtfully to reach the ear. No stragglers had come into the fort at Point Isabel, from which all seemed to argue that General Taylor's army had not been defeated; and hope strengthened, as each hour advanced, that the General had succeeded in cutting his way through the Mexican forces, and had reached his camp which he had left opposite Matamoras, on the first of May.

The hour had reached near sundown; the sky had been clear, and look-outs from the mizzen-tops had reported every sign of moving beings and animals that the glasses could make out over the level country, which could be contemplated for many miles in the interior. I had myself spent a good deal of the morning in the mizzen-top, from which two companies of men had been seen, at one time, moving with baggage-wagons, evidently Mexicans, and also a drove of cattle of considerable number, ranging the field, but apparently under the care of people who were driving them to the south. But the sun still delayed the hour of his final departure, while he yet was sinking fast in the horizon of the west, when, as a few officers still occupied the poop-deck of the frigate, and with eyes that often turned towards a flagstaff on the shore, a signal was seen suddenly to open on the air; and as the glasses eagerly read it, the welcome intelligence said:

"THERE HAS BEEN AN ENGAGEMENT AND THE AMERICAN ARMY HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL !"

Every one breathed more freely, and congratulated each other on the intelligence. The look of solicitude for the fate of our land forces was succeeded by a gratified assurance of the success of our arms, and a generous eulogy on General Taylor and his army burst from every lip. But the particulars were yet unknown; and whether General Taylor had made his way through the Mexican forces to his camp or only had held his ground, we could not learn during the night. And whatever had been the success of the United States army, it was certain that great havoc must have resulted during a battle between two armies, carried on without intercession for so many hours, and with such uninterrupted succession of firing of artillery. And while we yet anxiously waited the intelligence on Sunday evening, another signal from shore declared that another battle had

been fought, and again the American arms were triumphant! A boat was dispatched to the flag-staff on shore for the particulars. They came, and they were the most gratifying in their details of complete success to our own troops, and to the entire routing of the Mexican forces.

General Taylor, it was said, having left the encampment at Point Isabel, on Thursday afternoon, marched about six miles that evening, and encamped with his army for the night. In the morning, he took up his line of march, retracing the same route by which he had marched to Point Isabel. While thus advancing towards his encampment opposite Matamoras, he had succeeded in reaching forward with his train about seven miles further; when, as he had been hourly expecting it, he was met by the Mexican forces, drawn up, with their front occupying a small entrenchment thrown up by General Taylor himself, on his march down to Point Isabel. General Taylor continued to advance, until the two armies confronted each other at a distance for the successful action of their artillery. The battle commenced and continued to rage for hours, carrying destruction into the ranks of each army. With the shades of night the fight ceased, and the veil of darkness was thrown over the field of blood-the wounded, the dying, and the dead. General Taylor encamped on the field which he had occupied. The Mexicans showed a large body of lancers in the morning; and General Taylor again offered battle to the Mexican army; but they retired, and both armies seemed willing for a moment to rest, and bury their dead. But, during the day, General Taylor again took up his line of march, now leaving his baggage-train behind, with a small guard, and advancing, it is supposed, with about 1900 men, and ere long came up with the Mexican forces at a point where they had selected their own position, and where General Taylor expected to find them advantageously posted. The battle was

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