alking down the hill. Stumbling into a quarry hole,
I found myself sprawling on a dead Mexican soldier--his glazed eyes wide
open, within a few inches of mine. For a moment I felt that horror of a
corpse which many persons have, at times, experienced. The probability
that, in a short time after daylight--in storming the strong position
of the enemy--I might be as dead as the man upon whom I was lying,
forced itself upon me.

Before I could regain my feet streams of men were rushing past me in the
darkness; and I heard and recognised, the voice of Lieutenant Peter V.
Hagner, of the Ordnance, calling in no measured tone or language, upon
these stampeded men to stop. Whilst promptly aiding Hagner to bring the
fugitives to a halt, I forgot the dead Mexican, and the whole train of
thought connected with the corpse.

When something like order was restored on the hillside I learned from
Lieutenant Hagner that he had been detailed to take one of our heavy
guns up the hill to the battery. A regiment of Volunteers had been
placed at his disposal to man the drag-ropes. Their arms had been left
at the foot of the hill. On finding his way blocked by trees, Hagner had
sent to procure axes from the engineer train; and in the meantime the
regiment at the drag-ropes had been permitted to lie down. Of course
they went to sleep. Suddenly awakened by a false alarm that the Mexicans
were upon them, they rushed down the hill to get their arms. Hagner soon
procured the required axes and the gun was delivered at the battery in
good time.

At daylight I was again at the battery. A slight epaulment had been
finished for three pieces of artillery, the platforms were laid, and the
guns in position. I was then instructed by Captain Lee, to send ten men
to report to him for special service; to order Lieutenant Foster with
eight additional men, to report to him (Lee) for the purpose of opening
a road for the light artillery around the foot of the heights; and I was
ordered, with the rest of the company, to report to Colonel Harney, who
was then in command of Persifor Smith's brigade, of Twiggs' division.

I was instructed to accompany that brigade when it moved forward to
attack the enemy in position on a hill immediately in front of, and
higher than that on which our battery had been constructed. The Mexicans
were in strong force on the higher hill.

From our lower position we could not clearly see their lines nor
determine how they were fortif