ed
and fired upon. I had cautioned the men to be as careful as possible;
but, in spite of their best efforts, we were seen, and a heavy fire of
artillery was opened upon us. The order to move at double-quick was
immediately given. The company was conducted about three hundred yards,
to a cut in a low sand ridge, that had been formed by a road crossing
that ridge. All got safely into the cut. The Mexican artillery fire,
aimed at us, was continued for about twenty minutes. We had then before
us an open level plain for five hundred yards. Soon after the fire upon
us had ceased, I ordered the men to scatter and run rapidly across the
plain until they reached a designated place of shelter behind high sand
hills. Beauregard and I brought up the rear in this movement. The
Mexicans re-opened their guns upon us whilst we were crossing the plain
and continued to fire for some time after we reached the shelter above
referred to.

When I reported the result of that day's work to the Chief Engineer, I
urged him to permit a further examination to be made, for a location of
the army gun battery, before attempting to construct the one we had just
laid out.

He consented, and we made further reconnaissance the next day. In the
meantime the pickets of Worth's division had been considerably advanced.
On returning from an examination at the extreme front that day I came
across a detachment of the Fifth Infantry not far from the Cemetery.
Whilst explaining the object of my search to a group of four or five
young officers, a person whom I took to be a veteran sergeant, said to
me that he knew a good position for a battery, only a few hundred yards
from where we then were. I asked him to describe it to me.

From the description he gave I thought the ground referred to would be a
favourable site; and asked him to tell me definitely how to reach it. He
offered to guide me to the place. On getting to the position I found
that the conformation of the ground constituted almost a natural parapet
for a six gun battery--requiring but little work to complete it for use.
It afforded immediate shelter for men and guns.

It was not on the prolongation of the main street of the city, and it
was farther from the enemy's works than the site where a battery had
already been laid out. But the communications with the proposed new
location were shorter, and could easily be made much safer--in every way
better than was possible in the former case. I thanked