Although Now So Near, The
Rebel Artillery Did Them Very Little Harm, As Having To Point Upwards,
Most Of Their Balls Flew Too High, Whereas If The Royalists Had Advanced
Only Twenty Paces Farther, They Would Have Been Exposed To Point Blank
Shot.
The infantry indeed of the royalists suffered materially at this
time, as they were more directly exposed to the shot, insomuch that by one
ball a whole file of seventeen men was brought down.
This made a wide gap
in the battalion, which the officers took care immediately to fill up. The
serjeant-major, Francisco de Carvajal, still held back the royalist
cavalry from the charge, waiting for some relaxation in the fury of the
adverse artillery, by which the captains Pedro Alvarez Holguin and Gomez
de Tordoya were both slain, and several others were killed and wounded by
every discharge. Captain Pedro de Vergara being wounded by a musket shot,
exclaimed loudly against the conduct of the cavalry, saying that all the
infantry would be speedily destroyed if the cavalry did not charge the
enemy. The trumpets immediately sounded a charge, and the royalist
squadrons advanced, on which those of Don Diego moved forward to meet them
courageously. The shock was so violent that almost all the lances on both
sides were broken, and many horsemen of both armies were borne to the
ground, some killed and others wounded. A bloody engagement succeeded this
charge, in which they fought man to man with swords, maces and battle axes;
some even of the cavalry being armed with large woodmens axes which they
wielded in both hands, gave such heavy blows as no armour could withstand.
After continuing the battle with great fury till both sides were out of
breath, they drew off for a little.
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