Page:Complete history of the late Mexican war.djvu/66

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62
BATTLES OF MEXICO

during the day. It was now ten hours that the battle had been raging. The enemy did not make another attempt to force our lines, and our troops, weary, dropped upon the battle ground to seek rest to prepare them for the morrow, among the dead and dying, without any fires to warm their benumbed limbs. The wounded were removed to Saltillo and our men prepared for an attack in the morning; but the enemy retired very early to Agua Nueva, leaving many of their dead and dying. Brigadier-general Marshall made a forced march for Rinconada to reinforce our troops there; but he was too late to participate in the action.

In the battle of Buena Vista, we had two hundred and sixty-seven killed, four hundred and fifty-six wounded, and twenty-three missing. The enemy must have lost two thousand. There were five hundred of their dead left upon the field. We had twenty-eight officers killed and forty-one wounded.

What an awful responsibility rests upon somebody for ushering so many innocent persons into the presence of their judge!

The names of the officers killed and wounded are the following:

General Staff: killed. Captain George Lincoln, Assistant Adjutant General; wounded, H. W. Benham, 1st Lieutenant Engineers; F. S. Bryan, brevet 2d Lieutenant-Topographical engineers. 1st Regiment of dragoons: wounded, Captain E. Sleen. 2d regiment of dragoons: wounded; Brevet Lieutenant-colonel C. A. May. 3d Regiment Artillery: wounded. Lieutenant S. G. French, 4th Artillery: wounded, 1st Lieutenant.L P. O'Brien. Mississippi Rifles: killed, 1st Lieutenant R. L. Moore, 2d Lieut. F. M'Nulty; wounded. Colonel Davis, Captains Sharp and Stockaw, 1st Lieutenants Cowin and Posey, 1st