APPENDIX. 447 



disembarked under the fire of the forts and gun-boats of Santa Fe, and took 

 the batteries and plaza by assault. Ramirez having landed at the Barrancas 

 near Corronda, sent out 100 men towards Rosario to collect horses; who, 

 when returning, were pursued by 700 men of the division of La Madrid. 

 Perez, the officer who commanded this small party of Ramirez, drove all his 

 horses in the van, and fought in retreat against the sevenfold force of the 

 Porteiios from Rosario to San Lorenzo, a distance of five leagues, without 

 losing any of the horses which he had taken. In San Lorenzo Perez was 

 reinforced by 100 men more ; he then charged the Porteiios, and drove them 

 back to Rosario. La Madrid put his whole division in march, in order to 

 form a junction with Lopez, governor of Santa Fe, that their united forces 

 might oppose Ramirez, who still remained encamped in the Barrancas waiting 

 the arrival of his troops. La Madrid had marched all night ; and early in 

 the morning coming to the Barrancas, where he expected Lopez to meet 

 him, he found the weather so extremely hazy, that an object could not 

 be discerned at thirty yards' distance. He therefore fired a piece of artillery, 

 as a signal to Lopez to repair to the place appointed for their union. 



Ramirez, who was but a few hundred yards distant, conceived that the 

 enemy was at hand, and with great silence prepared for action. Some officers 

 of the enemy, who were riding in front of their column with the guides, 

 perceived Ramirez's line at a few yards' distance, and returning immediately 

 to La Madrid, reported the same ; and Ramirez found himself in a few mi- 

 nutes surrounded completely. Ramirez's force consisted of 700 men ; they 

 were formed on the bank of the river, with a small interval between each 

 troop. The force of La Madrid was about 2840 men ; his line formed a 

 crescent, the extremities of which were placed on the bank of the river. Ra- 

 mirez, though a brave soldier, had little eloquence to harangue his men on 

 this occasion : he merely pointed to the river in their rear ; and then showing 

 them their flanks and front covered by the enemy, he exclaimed, " Muchachos, 

 " de aqui no hay retirada !" The charge was sounded, and the orientals 

 obeyed it with their usual promptitude. The Porteiios waited them piejirme; 

 and when but a few yards distant made a general discharge of artillery and 

 small arms, by which upwards of ninety of Ramirez's men fell ; however, the 

 remainder intermingled with the enemy, and soon put them in disorder. The 

 Porteiios, long accustomed to be conquered by these troops, were again 

 obliged to yield, and were pursued with great slaughter, the whole division 

 being entirely dispersed or destroyed. The soldiers of Ramirez were well 



