Terrebonne County Louisiana Archives News.....Fifty Years Ago No. 43 April 10, 1897 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Savanna King savanna18king@gmail.com August 11, 2023, 1:47 am The Thibodaux Sentinel April 10, 1897 In January 1847 James K. Polk, democrat, of Tennessee was President of the United States, George M. Dallas, democrat, of Pennsylvania, was Vice-president. Isaac Johnson, democrat, was Governor of Louisiana, Trasimond Landry, democrat, of Ascension was lieutenant Governor, Bannon G. Thibodaux, of Terrebonne, whig, was Representative to the Congress of the United from the Congressional district in which the Lafourche parishes were situated, Robert C. Martin, of Assumption, whig, and Michel Thibodaux, of Terrebonne, whig, were state senators representing the Senatorial district composed of Assumption, Lafourche and Terrebonne, Louis Bush was Mayor of the town of Thibodaux. 1847 entered into existence with the military fervor of the people of the United States aroused into a fever of high excitement. War was being pushed into the domains of Mexico. General Winfield Scott was at the head of the armies of the United States and was organizing a force with which he attacked Veracruz and forced its surrender on March 27, 1847. General Taylor who had won the brilliant victories of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma in the previous summer, driven the Mexicans across the Rio Grande river, pursued them to Monterey, where after a heroic siege of three days he raised the United States flag over the conquered city on September 27, 1846. There was considerable feeling aroused among the friends of General Taylor by the act of Gen. Scott withdrawing much of the disciplined strength of his little command and sending it to his own army then in preparation to besiege Veracruz, the seaport for the city of Mexico. The brave old soldier did not falter however neglected he or his friends thought that he might be, and moved forwards to Saltillo. Early in February it was known that General Santa Ana, then famous as a warrior, was advancing to drive the American forces out of his dominion. The Mexican forces, led by their experienced leader, numbering twice or thrice that of the little heroic army that they were attaching were full of enthusiasm, firmly convinced that they would easily crush it to pieces. Taylor drew up his army on the plains of Buena Vista prepared to receive the onslaught. Santa Ana halted long enough, however, to send some officers to ask him to surrender. Bluff old Taylor contented himself with replying to the demand that “General Taylor never surrenders.” The battle was opened on the morning of February 23, 1847. It was a battlefield hotly contested all the day long. Several times it was thought the Mexicans had won the fight, but their victorious hordes would be repulsed only to renew their furious attacks. How often the day was saved for the American army is unknown but there were two remarkable instances in which the day was saved. One was by the Mississippi regiment commanded by Col. Jefferson Davis, subsequently the President of the Southern Confederacy whose memory is so precious to the veterans of the Confederate army. He had advanced his regiment to meet an anticipated charge of Mexican Lancers mounted. It is said that he had formed his command in the shape of an inverted V but the fact probably was that in the ravine in which he was advancing he was compelled for want of space to make his wings move ahead of the center. SOldiers who saw the charge of the Lancers as they rushed in full gallop upon the devoted Mississippians have represented it to me as one of the most magnificent sights that the eye of a soldier could look upon. In those days rifles were not effective more than 300 yards. Davis’s riflement were enlisted from the interior of Mississippi and were all skilled marksmen. Davis waited until they had arrived at a proper distance when the order to fire was given. Every Mississippian fired to kill and consequently the whole front men and horse went down in one terrific slaughter. The survivors hastened back as fast as they came, and thus the day was saved. Later on a force of Mexicans again advanced but this time they were received by such a shower of grape and shell from a battery commanded by Capt. Braxton Bragg, subsequently a citizen of this vicinity and a General in the Confederate Army that could not exist under it and fled, again turning the tide of victory toward the American forces. It was during this cannonade that General Taylor rode up and slapped the commander of the battery upon the shoulder with the command, “A little more grape Capt. Bragg”. The next morning the Mexicans were in full retreat towards the city of Mexico. There was no prisoners taken in this bloody battle. The Mexican soldier’s delight was to lance a wounded soldier to death. That was, always has been, and is still a Spaniard’s evidence of his mercy, still cropping in full view today in the war in Cuba. Colonel Yell of Arkansas was wounded and slaughtered by the merciless lancer. Colonel McGee of Kentucky was slain in the same manner. Lieutenant Colonel Henry Clay, son of the great statesman of Kentucky, was wounded in the knee, four of his men tried to carry him off the field, but the young hero, seeing that it was impossible, ordered his men to leave him and save themselves. He was pierced to death by the inhuman lancer. 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