Traveling along the El Paso Road north of Chihuahua, the American force discovered that Mexicans under Brig. Gen. José A. Heredia had erected strong fortifications on a plateau in front of the Sacramento River crossing. On the morning of February 28, 1847, Col. Alexander Doniphan formed wagons into four columns with the remainder of his Missouri Volunteers in between, except for 200 cavalry. Before reaching the Mexican fortifications, the columns made a sharp right turn off the road and crossed a deep, dry creek bed. They reached the high ground of the plateau on the Mexican left as Mexican Brig. Gen. Pedro Garcia Condé's Mexican lancers maneuvered to oppose them. After Condé fell back to his fortified positions, Doniphan's Missouri cavalry rushed the Mexican guns directly in front of them, seen at the left. Even after the American cavalry took the fort, the Mexican battery across the river continued to bombard the Americans until Capt. Richard B. Weightman took his guns across the river and more cavalry flanked that position. The Mexicans then abandoned the field and Doniphan's men occupied Chihuahua.

In the legend of this print, it states that it is drawn from a sketch taken on the battleground by E. B. Thomas, U. S. Volunteers.  Artists' interpretations of the same battle sometimes varied widely. See another page about this battle for a differing account.