Lyman Mishler, 5tli Infantry, and I. McBell, 2d New Mexico Yolnnteers, aslieutenants. Graydon’s Spy Company, and five hundred mounted militiaunder Colonels Pino and Robert H. Stapleton, had already been sent tothe eastern side of the river to watch the movements of the enemy.Colonel Roberts was too late to prevent the Confederates from reachingthe river: when he arrived at the ford at the foot of the Mesa de la Conte-dera he found them already there. The action was immediately begunby sending Major Duncan with his regular cavalry across the river, who
were dismounted and skirmished onfoot. The enemy were soon driven back,the batteries were established on thewestern bank, and Roberts crossed hiscommand to the eastern side. Theaction commenced at 10 o’clock a. m.,and consisted of artillery firing onboth sides, charging and counter-charging, and by 12 o’clock the Con-federates had been driven from all thepositions they had taken, and wereforced to move their heavy guns to aposition higher up the river.
During these hours the Confederateskept coming upon the field in com-panies and parts of companies, beingstrung out on their march. At 12 o’clockColonel Roberts was reenforced by Captain Dick Selden’s battalion of regularinfantry and Colonel Carson ’s regiment of New Mexico Volunteers. Thesenew troops were soon placed in position by Colonel Roberts, and every move-ment made by him up to this time was successful. Several parties of theenemy had been driven from their positions, to take up new ones farther away,and the superior service of the Union guns, under the skill and conduct ofCaptain McRae and Lieutenant Hall, silenced the Confederate batteries andseemed to assure victory to the Union forces. Thus matters stood whenColonel Canby reached the field and assumed command at 2:45 p. m. Theenemy had been driven by Colonel Roberts from all their positions, andhad retired behind a high drift of sand, where they re-formed undiscovered,and prepared to storm the two Union batteries. After a short lull in theaction, the two storming parties, armed with shot-guns, squirrel rifles,revolvers, and lances, and on foot, made a charge with great fury. The forcethat charged on Hall’s battery, on the Union right, met with such a gallantresistance from the battery’s support, consisting of Captain Brotherton’scompany, Major Duncan’s dismounted cavalry, Captain Wingate’s battalionof regular infantry, and Kit Carson ’s regiment of volunteers, that they wererepulsed with great slaughter, and fled from the field. But the result was dif-ferent on the Union left. McRae’s battery, though held with heroic deter-mination, with the loss of every horse, and more than one-half the gunners
MAJOR-GENERAL EDWARD R. S. CANBY.FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.