OCR Text |
Show :-l ~l w , l ~ <D ... , ~'1 I'; <! ,...,.. (/) ~ ,...... c/) ·~ 4: ·-· ...... Cl.. - c.. c. ~~ ~ -_... - .... :-. e :,..:..... - .:; p- ~ :r: ...... .-., ,.,.. u Li . f- ·- w 7t) ~ - ~ ,.. (/) 2) - ~-1 r.../ ] ~, , =,... ,.... '/. ....... c. :., (.... .~ ,_c ~ -- :: -- -::: :.... (.. ··-r. -).': -...... 0.. ,.--. . ·c .... :r.. = -:: ·r. .. ..., ,... -' (.. ,... ·c-... ::::... :::.. :-: ,:.l.... .,..,-: • ,_. ~ a:l ~· eD ~ ~ ,..,-;' :..'. y -~. f n ' - ~ Ex. Doc. No. 41. 119 of uncultivatccl lancl within th lt'vcl of irrigation. We now began to thin!· th •re would b more formidable and un ited n• si~tance by th' en ·my, but h fail ·d to show himself; nncl s~tch was th<' unanimity of the mPn, women a nd C'h il dr ·n, in support of the war, that not a parti ·]c of information ·o ul d be obtain ell in ref ·rene • to his fore' or po. it ion . After travelling trn milt·s we came to the Coyotes, a rancheria owned by a rich widow lady, who had jnst lll<lrri<•d a handsome young fell ow, who might well 1~a s for her son . These pc_opl • we found at home, an<l we lea rned from t hem that the enemy mt 'I'Hied to give us battle then xt day. Ind •ed, as w ap proarht'cl the ranch ' ria, s •vrra l hor men d; w off, r ·onnoitring us so clo ·ely as to make it doubtful if th 'Y were not ·om' of our own vaqueros. ] a?HW'I'Y 8.-W • pa sed over a <'Ou ntry d . ti tutc of wood and water, undulating and g ntly dipping toward· the ocean, which was in vi ew. About twoo'clo ckw · ·am ' in sightofth• anGabrielriver. Small quad ' of hor men began to. how th •m, ·lvt'S on either flank, and it became quite apparent the enemy in tc ndecl to dis1)ute the }Jassage of the river . Our progr ss wa nc essarily v ry slow, our oxen being poor, and our wagons (the ox-carts of the country) with wheels only about two feet in diameter . The enemy did not y t discover his order of battl , and we moved to the riv r in our habitual order of mar<'h, when n ·ar the en •my, viz: the 2d division in front, and the Jst ttnd third on the right and left flanks r ' p ·tivcly; th guud and a company of volunteer carbinicrs in th • rear; our ('<ltlle and the wagon train in the centre, making for them, what the st1.i lor wittily termed, a Yankee corral. The artillery were di tributecl on th ' four angl s of the r •ctangle. Thi order of march wa aclopt 1l from the ('haractcr of the enemy's for e , all of whi ch was mounted; and in a m asure from our own being men unaccu tomcd to field eYolutions, it was n 'C<'ssa.ry ~o k_e(•p thrm habitually in the order to n•si:t Ca \' alry attacks when 1n VIew of the •ncmy. We had no cavalry, and th<' ohj cl of the enemy wa to deprive us of our calli' by ~udden charges. Th • ~ivor was about 100 yards wide, knee-deep, and flowing over qtu('k·sancl. l·~i th r : ide was fringed with a thick undl'rgrowth. The approa<'h on our , ide was 1<'-vcl · that on th enemy' , wa~ favorable lo him. A bank, fifty feet hi1rh,' rangc1l parallel with the riv r, al p oint blank ·annon dislculc<·, u~)()ll \vhich he po ted his artillery. A s w c n <11' c < l t h c t h i · k c t , w c r c e e i v c d t h e .. C' a lt t' r i n g fi r c 9 f t h c en •my's :harp shooter . At the same mom nt, we saw him p lace four pice ·s of artill ry on the hill, so as to eommancl t:.' passa~e. A · q u ad _r o n o f 25 0 cava 1 r y j us t s h ow c < l tIt c i r h cad abo v • t It ' luI 1 , to the r1ght of the battery, and th' same number were sc n·to occupy a posit ion on th left. Th_e 2d battalion wa ordn~d to deploy a s] irmi._hrrs, and cross the nvcr. As the line was about th middle of the nv ·r, the '11<'rny opened his battrry, ancl made th water {ly with grape ar~d roun.1l shot. Our artillery was now ordcr<•d to ero~s-il was unlrmbcrcd, pulletl over by the men, and placed in co unter battery on the cne- |