A dark and stormy night now closed in upon the scene, and the soldiers in their dreary bivouac were placed in readiness for the morrow’s work. All thus far had gone on well. Worth in front of San Antonio maintained the front and rear. Smith in the village of San Geronimo held the key of the offensive movement to the enemy’s left; his rear, thanks to the pedregal and Pierce, still held in front of the intrenched camp, being safe against attack.
The general-in-chief returned at nightfall to San Augustin. Many bodies of stragglers were to be seen on the field. Even the two commanders of divisions, Pillow and Twiggs, failed in reaching the village, where their commands were in position, and within reach of an overwhelming force. As the fire of our batteries died away and they were withdrawn, cheer on cheer rose from the enemy’s extended line. Rain coming on, many bodies of stragglers not being able to find their commands, the principal force hemmed up in a little village within reach of the enemy’s heavy batteries and within striking distance of his large force, for the first time a feeling of despondency seized upon the minds of our men. Happily, General Smith, the officer in command at the village, was equal to the emergency, and extricated our force from its perilous situation.
He determined upon a night attack, and sent Captain Lee to San Augustin to confer with the general-in-chief in reference to supporting it by a diversion in front. In consequence of the lateness of the hour, the general deemed it impracticable to get any portion of Worth’s command upon the ground in season, but gave full powers to Captain Lee to collect all the stragglers in front to operate as a diversion to the main attack projected by General Smith.
In the course of this interview General Pillow and General Twiggs came in, stating that, in consequence of the darkness and having no guide, they had found it impracticable to reach the village, and were obliged to retrace their steps; Pillow adding that they fell upon one of the enemy’s pickets while thus groping their way, or came so near as plainly to hear their voices. Twiggs, a heavy man advanced in years, fell into one of the hollows of which the formation was full, and injured himself considerably.
I was present during almost the entire interview, having entered the room shortly after the arrival of Captain Lee, and everything I witnessed increased, if it were possible, my confidence in General Scott. Himself on the ground till dark came on, he had grasped the whole field of operations, and had determined to adhere to his original plan. He listened with perfect composure and complacency to Captain Lee’s statement of the field, occasionally introducing a pertinent question, and with the utmost patience weighed the various suggestions of the officers, and particularly General Smith’s plan of a night attack. Neither General Pillow nor General Twiggs made any suggestions as to what should be done. Captain Lee, having been in all parts of the field, and having full information on almost every point, was, as it were, the only person whom it was necessary to listen to.
The general listened with equal patience to what I had observed on the front attack. In the very commencement, and before the batteries had been ordered forward, I stated with much emphasis to General Twiggs that the attack should be against the enemy’s left. “Attack his left, you cut him off from his reserves and hurl him into the gorges of the mountains.” I, however, conducted the batteries forward, and with the assistance of Lieutenants McClellan and Foster, placed them in position. After reconnoitring towards the right in the attempt to find a better path for our guns and troops, and without success, I returned to the batteries, which in the mean time had been considerably advanced, and were exposed to a tremendous fire of grape. The howitzer battery was being served with great effect, and had almost cleared the ground in front of the ravine of the enemy. But very great delay occurred in bringing forward Magruder’s battery and opening its fire. Everything seemed to go wrong with him. The enemy’s grape, within point-blank range, in a measure disabled the howitzer battery, wounding many of the gunners and finally disabling Callender, who was wounded in both legs, and at this moment some little delay occurred in getting a supply of spherical case-shot. The supporting party was reduced to some eight rifles, and the enemy’s skirmishers advanced. General Smith’s brigade came up, and entered the cornfield to the left of the battery. At my request, two or three companies of the 3d infantry advanced to the front and right to protect the batteries. Soon the 9th infantry came up, with general orders to support the batteries, and were conducted by me over a cut and open cornfield, under a shower of the enemy’s grape, to the cover of a ledge, from which, passing from cover to cover, driving the enemy’s skirmishers before them, they reached the ravine, and crossing which they sheltered themselves on the opposite bluff on the edge of a cornfield. Colonel Ransom showed great gallantry and force in the management of his command, and to show the promptness of his command in following him, this anecdote is related. Only some eight or ten men were seen lagging behind, and these an officer of the regiment was cursing most lustily to urge them forward.
Just as the regiment had reached its position I met General Twiggs, and we both ascended to a little ridge, where we had a full view of the enemy’s intrenched camp. Soon a shower of grape came in our direction. General Twiggs remained in his exposed position without moving a muscle, till I suggested the propriety of his stepping down to a little depression which afforded cover.
He informed me that Riley had been moving against the enemy’s right for more than an hour. I remarked, “I will go and find him, and bring you back word of where he is,” to which General Twiggs assented, and I immediately started in search of Riley. I was, however, much exhausted by my previous exertions, and the ground was of the difficult and almost impracticable honeycomb lava rock, and I was obliged to abandon the attempt, and returned to the advanced position of the 9th infantry.
On an elevated ridge just on the edge of the ravine, and partly sheltered by a cedar-tree, I had a distinct view of the whole position. I observed the encounter of the lancers with our own troops (which I afterwards ascertained to be Riley’s command), and after an interval the enemy’s reserves advancing in great force. They continued to advance in two lines of lancers and infantry, with clouds of skirmishers in front, and halted, their right nearly opposite the village of San Geronimo.
Whilst these reserves were advancing, there was an evident slackening, and at length a total cessation, of our return fire in front to the almost continual fire of grape and escopettes of the enemy. This led me to suppose that a change had taken place in our dispositions, involving great exposure perhaps to the 9th, and I returned for information. On my return I met many bodies of stragglers, who could afford no information as to the state of the field, heard the triumphal shouts from the Mexican lines, and finally fell upon General Pillow and General Twiggs. General Pillow was in much perplexity, was intent upon finding the village of San Geronimo, and wished me to conduct the 9th to that place. Not having been to the village, and dark coming on, I confessed my inability to conduct the regiment as he desired, and after considerable hesitation he directed me to bring back the regiment to the position of Magruder’s battery. I accordingly went in the direction of the ravine, my chief guide being the discharge of the enemy’s guns from the position of the reserve; but that failing, and the night becoming quite dark, I lost my way and wandered about, until finally I heard voices approaching in my direction, which I soon discovered to be from our own troops. Calling out to them, I was answered by Lieutenant Foster, of my own corps, who informed me that he was retiring with a party of about thirty rifles and 9th infantry men, having just been driven out from a small building, higher up and on the same stream with the position of the 9th infantry, by a large force of the enemy. At this time I was so exhausted that I could walk only with great difficulty, and was obliged to abandon going in quest of the 9th, and returned with Foster, who gave me the support of his arm till we reached Sibley’s troop of dragoons, near the foot of the hill from which General Scott had overlooked the field. As we wended our way along the rain fell, small bodies of troops were to be seen from time to time, and everything had the appearance of a broken and dispirited army. It, was perhaps the only desponding moment our troops had seen since the opening of the campaign.