despatched by the enemy, who pierced him with their bayonets, as he lay on the ground. Lieutenant-Colonel Clay was shot through the thigh, and being unable to walk, was taken up and carried some distance, by some of his men, but owing to the steepness of the hill, the men finding it very difficult to carry him, and the enemy in great numbers pressing upon them, the gallant lieutenant-colonel begged them to leave him and take care of themselves. Forced to leave him on the field, the last that was seen of this noble young officer, he was lying on his back, fighting with his sword, the enemy, who were stabbing him with their bayonets.* The veteran, Captain William S. Willis, of the same regiment, at the head of his company, with three stalwart sons, who fought at his side, was badly wounded, but still continued the fight, until he was overcome with the loss of blood.

In the mean time the Indiana brigade diplaying some hesitation, Assistant Adjutant-General Lincoln rushed to their front, and whilst upbraiding them for their cowardice, was shot, several balls passing through his body.

The intrepid Colonel Hardin, like Colonels McKee and Clay, was killed by the enemy-not, however, before he had killed one of them with a pistol, which he fired whilst lying on the ground.

Colonel Yell led a charge of his mounted volunteers, against a

* Lieutenant-Colonel HENRY CLAY was the second, and not the eldest son of the Hon. Henry Clay, as the papers represent. Mr. Clay's eldest son is Thomas H. Clay, Esq., who resides on a farm near Lexington, Kentucky. Lieutenant-Colonel Clay was a graduate of West Point, where he took the first honors. He afterwards left the army, travelled in Europe, married, settled on a farm, and was several times elected to the Kentucky legislature, in which he always occupied an honorable station. Some years ago he lost his beautiful and accomplished wife, which caused great grief to her distinguished father-in-law, who was at that time a senator in congress. When he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Kentucky rifles, he was engaged in the practice of the law in Louisville. He was a gentleman of fine intellect, accomplished manners, chivalrous character, and entirely worthy of his noble sire.

Lieutenant EDWARD M. VAUGHAN, adjutant of the Kentucky cavalry, who fell at Buena Vista, was a native of Fayette county, in that state, and, as he once informed us, the son of the first female born in the state. He was a talented member of the legal profession, and was engaged in practice at Lexington at the time he was elected adjutant of the Kentucky cavalry. He was a man of noble character, elevated principles, daring courage, and blameless life.

large body of lancers, and was killed by a lance, which entered his mouth and tore off one side of his face."

These instances of the gallantry of our officers, in sacrificing their lives, are but a very small part of the whole. As a general rule they were foremost in the charge; and in many instances officers were killed thirty and even sixty yards in advance of their respective columns. With such commanders to lead them, it is not surprising that the men should have exhibited a degree of firmness hardly ever evinced before by militia in their first battle. If we recur to the history of the American revolution and the war of 1812, we shall find that militia men almost invariably recoiled at the first fire, and frequently battles were lost by their want of firmness; but in this battle the volunteers faltered in only a few instances, and that in the presence of an overwhelming force of the enemy, and

* The New Orleans Delta, of March 24th, makes the following remarks on this subject:

The list of killed and wounded on the American side, in the bloody fight at Buena Vista, is a mournful proof of the ferocity and violence which characterized this severe conflict, and a sad testimonial of the chivalry and fearlessness of American soldiery. Sixty-five commissioned officers killed and wounded in so small an army, exhibits a proportion and result unparalleled in the history of war. Estimating General Taylor's force at five thousand rank and file, and allowing one commissioned officer to twenty men, the startling conclusion is arrived at, that our loss in this sanguinary engagement, of commissioned officers, amounted to one-fourth of the whole number in the field. If the loss of the rank and file were in like proportion to that of officers, it would exceed twelve hundred. In view of such terrible results as these, Santa Anna approached as near the truth, melancholy as it is, as he ever did, when he said that both armies were cut up. The loss of the Mexicans can scarcely be exaggerated when it is put down at four thousand. Santa Anna must have had with him at least seventeen thousand men. When we last heard from him previous to the battle, he was at San Fernando, waiting for all the various detachments of his army to assemble preparatory to his attack. This was on the 17th, and the attack was fixed for the 21st. Now, as Santa Anna knew exactly Taylor's situation and force, he would certainly not attack him until he had collected all his available troops, and these we know, allowing for desertion and for a corps de reserve, could not have fallen short of seventeen thousand, as he left San Luis with twenty-three thousand. If, then, with such a force as this, after a two days' hard fight, and after inflicting upon General Taylor so heavy a loss, he is compelled to withdraw twenty miles to the rear, the conclusion is inevitable that he has sustained a prodigious loss, and is irretrievably beaten. The army of General Taylor may be considered as reduced at least one-third by casualties and by details to take care of the wounded. This would leave but about three thousand men to hold his position, and we know he did hold it for several days after the action undisturbed by the enemy.

after sustaining many vollies of musketry and grape shot. This result is due to the previous faithful discipline of General Wool and the other veterans who had been for some months engaged in preparing the volunteers for service on the battle field. The severe discipline of General Wool was extremely unpalatable to the volunteers before this battle took place; but after the battle they were sensible that it was to this alone they owed their success; and they formally thanked him for the discipline of which they had previously complained.