APPENDIX. 447 
disembarked under the fire of the forts and gun-boats of Santa Fé, 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 
Portefios 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 Portefios, 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 Fé, 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 Portetios waited them pie firme ; 
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 
Portefios, 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 
