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Show 416 THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL. be the criterion of merit, these soldiers were worthless ind d ee . Yet when their exploits have rung through all America, it would be absurd to deny that they were excellent irregular troops. Their victories were gained in the teeth of every es. tablished precedent of warfare ; th ey were owing to a singt!lar combination of military qualities in the men themselves. ' Without discipline or a spirit of subordina6on, they knew how to keep their ranks and act as one ma.n. Doniphan's regiment marched through New Mexico more like a band of free companions than like the paid soldiers of a modern government. When Genera] Taylor complimented Doniphan on his success at Sacramento and elsewhere, the Colonel's reply very well illustrates the relations which subsisted between the officers and men of his command : 'I don't know any thing of the manceuvres. The boys kept coming to me, to let them charo-e · and when I saw a b ' good opportunity, I told them they might go. They were off like a shot, and that's aJl I know about it.' The backwoods lawyer was better fitted to conciliate the good-will than to command the obedience of his men. There were many serving under him, who both from character and education could better have held command than he. At the battle of Sacramento his frontiersmen fought under every possible disadvantage. The Mexicans had chosen their own position; they were drawn up across the valley that led to their native city of Chihuahua; their whole front was covered by intrenchments and defended by batteries of heavy cannon; they outnumbered the invaders five to one. An eagle flew over the Americans, and a deep murmur rose along their lines. The enemy's batteries opened ; long they remained DOWN THE ARKANSAS. 417 under fire, but when at length the word was given, they shouted and ran forward. In one of the divisions, when midway to the enemy a drunken officer ordered a halt; the exasperated men hesitated to obey. 'Forward, boys !' cried a private from the ranks; and the Americans, rushing like tigen~ upon the enemy, bounded over the breastwork. Four hundred l\1exicans were slain upon the spot, and the rest fled, scattering over the plain like sheep. The standards, cannon and baggage were taken, and among the rest a wagon laden wilh cords, which the :Mexicans, in the fulness" of their confidence, had made ready for tying the American prisoners. Doniphan's volunteers, who gained this victory, passed up with the main army ; but Price's soldiers whom we now met, were men from the same neighborhood, precisely similur in character, manners and appearance. One forenoon, as we were descending upon a very wide meadow, where we meant to rest for an hour or two, we saw a dark body of horsemen approaching at a distance. In order to find water, we were obliged to turn aside to the river bank, a full half mile from the trail. Here we put up a kind of awning, and spreading buffalo-robes on the ground, Shaw and I sat down to smoke beneath it. 'We are going to catch it now,' said Shaw; 'look at those fellows; there'll be no peace for us here.' And in good truth about half the volunteers had straggled away from the line of march, an d were n' d m· g over the mea-dow toward us. 'How are you?' sai.d the fi rst w ho came up ' alioa hting from h. . . f h und The rest fol- IS horse and throwing hlmsel upon t e gro · |