Lynchburg Virginian

From the New Orleans Delta, June 5:

DESPATCH OF GENERAL ARISTA.

From the Boletin de la Division del Norte, published at Matamoros on the 18th of May, we translate the following official document relative to the battle of Palo Alto, on the 8th ult:

Northern Division.

General in-chief:—Constant in my purpose of preventing Gen. Taylor from effecting a junction between the forces he was taking from Point Isabel and those which he left at the fortifications opposite Matamoros, I set off today from the Rancho del Remolino, from which place I addressed to you my last despatch, and I marched towards Palo Alto as soon as my spies informed me that the enemy had left Point Isabel, determined to introduce into their fortifications a number of wagons loaded with provisions and artillery:

I arrived opposite Palo Alto about one o'clock, P. M. and saw that the enemy was in place. With all the forces, I had proceeded to form my line of battle on a large plain—a woody elevation supporting my right flank, with a quagmire on the left difficult of penetration. Scarcely had we fired our first gun, when the second commander-in-chief, General Don Pedro de Ampudia, arrived, as I had warned him to join me as soon as he had well reinforced the several points which were necessary to besiege the enemy's troops that were left in the fortifications opposite Matamoros.

The forces under my command were 3,000 and 9 pieces artillery; those of the invaders were 3,000 men or a little less and a superior force of artillery, as they numbered 20 pieces of 16 and 18 pounders.

The battle commenced with such ardor that the firing of cannon did not cease for a moment, during which the enemy endeavored to follow their course towards Matamoros, in order to suspend the siege of their troops at the fortification, and with such object they set fire to shrubbery and grass, so as to form opposite their line a thick smoke, by which they succeeded in hiding themselves from our view; but I, through necessary operation, defeated their object on two different occasions.

General Taylor maintained his attack more as a defensive than an offensive one, using chiefly the best part of his forces, the artillery, protected by one half of his infantry and all his cavalry; preserving the rest to guard the train, at a distance of about two thousand yards from the battle-field.

I was anxious to make a charge on the enemy, because the cannon-balls caused great loss on our files, and I ordered General Don Anastasio Torrejon to execute it with the greater part of the cavalry, on our left flank, in order to give the charge at the same time with the infantry and the rest of the cavalry, on the right flank.

I was waiting the moment in which General Torrejon should commence the charge, and that the enemy should begin to feel its effect, in order to give the impulse to the right, but the effort was checked by a counter-movement of a portion of the enemy's force that defended a marsh; which prevented the attack.

Some of our companies were impatient, on account of the loss we had suffered, and they commenced to get out of order, asking that I should give the command to advance at once, or retreat. At such a moment, I ordered a column of cavalry, under command of Col. Don Cayetano Montero, to charge, with the view that the parties thrown out of order should resume their position, and in all possible manner march on the enemy, who, owing to the great distance at which they stood, had time to fall back on the reserve; and night approaching fast, the battle ended, and we remained masters of the field.

After this result, every measure necessary to the circumstances was taken, and our division encamped on a more concentrated ground in the same battle-field.

The combat was a long and bloody one, which may be better explained by the calculation of the commander-in-chief of artillery, Gen. Don Tomas Requena, who assures me that the enemy fired over 3,000 cannon shot from 2 to 7 o'clock P. M., (at which hour the battle terminated,) and our artillery only fired about 650 shot.

Our arms were supported with honor to the nation, as we did not yield an inch of ground. Notwithstanding the superiority of the enemy's artillery; they suffered great loss.

Our troops had the misfortune of losing 5 men in this battle, among dead, wounded, and disappeared:—Those that lost their lives in defence of the most just and holy of causes, are worthy of a national remembrance of gratitude for their bravery and valor.

Your excellency will oblige me by giving notice, with the foregoing account, to his excellency the President, stating that I will take care to give a full and detailed despatch of this battle, and at the same time recommend the valiant conduct of all the generals, chiefs, officers, and men, that are under my charge; for they sustained the God and Liberty! General Quarters at Palo Alto opposite the enemy's camp, May 8, 1846, at 11 o'clock P.M.

(Signed) MARIANO ARISTA

To his Excellency the Minister of War and Marine.