Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/209

Rh us have thought of some of the Fourths of July we have spent at home, and how we are spending it now.

To-night everything is quiet, don't even hear the mules squeal.

Monday, July 5, 1847.—This morning about 4 o'clock we took up our line of march. This early movement was on account of us going into camp so early yesterday afternoon. Our men who had to lay out in the rain last night were, of course, wet, but the sun rose clear and warm, which soon dried their clothes and blankets.

The road for the first hour's march was wet and muddy. We marched on until we arrived at a lively town called Napaluco, here we halted for over half an hour, and filled our canteens with elegant aqua, our haversack with fresh pan, and any quantity of fruit, such as bananas, which grow very abundant in this section of tierres calientes. After having secured all our necessary wants we left, and continued in passing over the table-lands, and if only some of our Lancaster County, Pa., farmers could see those large fields of corn, wheat, beans, barley, &c., all without any fences around them, it would astonish them. The fields are from four to eight miles long and from ten to twenty miles wide. Nothing to guard those large fields except a shepherd and his faithful dogs. In fact I saw no fences around any of the farms on our whole march. All watched and guarded by the shepherds and their dogs. We went into camp about 1 o'clock,, at a small village or hacienda, and quartered under a large shed.

Tuesday, July 6, 1847.—This morning we were aroused from our good night's sleep by the sound of Mr. William Byrely's bugle.

After breakfast we left camp, and had not gone far before we met a lepero, who said that Col. Childs, with his brigade, was just a little ahead of us, and that he expects to be attacked at the El Pinal Pass. We are now ordered to march a little faster, so as to catch-up to them before they arrive at the pass. We soon overtook them, and encamped at hacienda, San Bartols, near a small lake at the edge of Pinal Pass.