had gone to our right considerably
farther from the battery than we then were. We all concurred in opinion
that the rifles were engaged with a vastly superior force. There was at
this time no firing of artillery. I ordered Lieutenant McClellan to
report the result of his observations to General Twiggs. He did so, and
on the recommendation of Lieutenants Stevens and McClellan, in which I
concurred, the First Regiment of Artillery was ordered to support the
rifles. The firing on the right increased; it was evident that several
thousands of the enemy were pouring a heavy musketry fire into our
troops on the right. The tops of the convent and the surrounding walls
were lined with troops; the roof was literally covered. Lieutenant
Stevens was of opinion that a few rounds of grape would disperse these
masses and relieve our troops already engaged [on the right] from a
destructive plunging fire. He went back to the general, leaving myself
the senior engineer then in front of the [convent] battery. The fire had
now become very brisk upon my [reconnoitring] party; having placed the
company under the best shelter at hand, with Lieutenant Foster I
proceeded to examine the works to determine the number, character and
position of the pieces of artillery. Nothing heavier than a 4 or
6-pounder had yet been fired." (Ex. Doc. No. 1, Appendix, p. 69.)

In my official report it is further stated that: "The troops had become
engaged in our front within ten minutes after a reconnaissance had been
ordered by General Twiggs, and before the officer whom I was escorting
had been able to make a single observation".

In my official copy of that report, I find the following sentence, which
is not in the printed report:

"Deeply do I regret that the attack, in advance of the reconnoitring
party, precipitated the attack on our side, and involved us in action
against we knew not what".

The force which became engaged, far to our right--before the
reconnaissance, supported by the engineer company, fairly commenced,
was the advance of Worth's division pursuing the Mexicans who had
abandoned their strong works at San Antonio.

Captain James L. Mason, engineer of Worth's division, says, in his
official report, that the works attacked by that division, and "so
gallantly stormed, had not been reconnoitred".

The engineers in front of the convent, being informed that the rifles
with Captain Lee had gone to our right considerably farther from the
batt