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

FALSE REPORTS-COL. CURTIS REACHES CERRALVO. 323
pany with a volunteer; whom he shaved, painted and disguised as a Mexican with a skill that proved him an adept
in such matters. The second attempt was successful, and
we afterward found our march greatly facilitated by the satisfactory arrangements that Major Crossman had promptly
made for supplying the train on the road.
We were detained at Cerralvo four days, at the end of
which time Colonel Curtis arrived with a column of more
than twelve hundred men; comprising his own, the 3d Ohio,
regiment, four companies of the new Virginia regiment under
Lieutenant-Colonel Randolph, —a squadron of regular dragoons under Lieutenant-Colonel Fauntleroy,-four pieces of
artillery; and a corps of Texan Horse, lately called into service. Some of the fugitives from our train had met him at
Mier, with the usual report in such cases, that our detachment
was cut to pieces. On receiving this intelligence, LieutenantColonel MIcCook of the 3cl Ohio regiment, had proposed a
rapid advance to Cerralvo with the cavalry alone. But his
wishes were not acceded to, and the whole force in hourly
expectation of an attack continued to advance by slow
marches. The same misrepresentations of our fate reached
General Taylor,-then at Monterey;-who, in the absence of
any official report of the circumstances, though fresh from his
glorious victory over Santa Anna, immediately started on a
bush-whacking hunt after such small game as Urrea. That
wily gentleman however, hastened to burrow in the Tula
pass, from which he did not again emerge during the campaign.
After obtaining from Curtis' command some needful sup