Sketches of the campaign in northern Mexico : in eighteen hundred forty-six and seven / by an officer of the First Regiment of Ohio volunteers.

AMPUDIA S PROCLAMATION. 215
beneath this portrait, thus drawn by the pencils of our enemies, the words of Henry V. to the French herald on the
field of Agincourt:
"We are but warriors for the working day;
Our gayness and our gilt are all besmirched
With rainy marching in the painfiul field;
There's not a piece of feather in our host,
(Good argument, I hope, we shall notfly,)
And time hath worn us into slovenry:
But, by the mass, our hearts are in the trim."
In connection with the subject of this chapter, the truly,
and therefore truthless, Mexican proclamation, issued by
General Ampudia, after his arrival at Saltillo, is subjoined.~
* " THh GENERAL CO0MANDING THE ARMY OF THE NORTH, TO
rIIE PEOPLE OF THE THREE DEPARTMENTS, 1TAMAULIPAS, NEW LEON, AND COAHUILA.'"Fellow-Cilizens: Occupied, before all things, in providing for the defense of the
rights and integrity of the territory of our beloved Republic against the enemy who
5as invaded her soil, the supreme government thought proper.to intrust to me the
Command of the patriotic troops destined, on the northern frontier, to this holy purpose. I accepted with enthusiasm the post assigned me, (for the zeal with which I
hive ever defended the holy cause of the people, is notorious to every one,) and in;he beginning of the month assumed the direction of such means as were within.ly power to repel the advance of the enemy. But fearing that the charge would
)rove too great for my feeble abilities, I solicited the worthy and most excellent
3enor, General Don Juan Neponuceno Almonte, to come and relieve me from the
-ommand of the army, presuming that the illustrious conqueror of Panuco would,
mn his return to Mexico, resume the reins of' our National Government.
On the 19th inst., the enemy having appeared in the vicinity of Monterey, and
ncamped in the San Domingo wood —their camp being one league in length, and
hree leagues in circumnfereace — I ordered their movements to be carefully observed,
nd hostilities to be commenced forthwith, the generals under my command being
Lll decided to risk a battle rather than retreat. The redoubts of the citadel opened,heir fires the same day upon the enemy, who were occupied, during that and the
succeeding day, in reconnoitering and preparing for the attack.
On the 21st, the assault was made by a formidable body of their troops, chiefly of'he regular army, upon our redoubts of the Teneria, the Rincon del Diabolo, and;he bridge of the Purisima, but they were gloriously repulsed by our valiant veterins, with a positive loss to our adversaries of fifteen hundred men.
On the morning of the 22d, General Taylor directed his columns of attack against:he Bishop's Hill, an elevation commanding the city; and although in their first
advance they were repulsed in a skirmish, a full brigade of regular troops returned