Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/26

20 Mexico; and he urged every soldier who voted for him to rally and to stick to the officers elected. (Great applause.)

The night was mostly spent in drinking, fighting, and walking and yelling around the streets of Pittsburgh, in fact, there was no use for anyone to go to sleep.

Saturday, December 19, 1846.—This morning I noticed several of our company and others having black eyes and cut heads, all from the election yesterday.

After we had our breakfast a party of us soldiers devoted our time to visiting several steamboats to ascertain which ones are chartered to take the soldiers to New Orleans, but failed to find anything out. So we left and visited the Pittsburgh Penitentiary and several other public buildings, such as the Western University, Court House, and the Western Theological Seminary in Allegheny City; from here is some of the most picturesque scenery in and around the immediate country.

At noon we returned to our quarters, and at 2 o'clock,, we received orders to march to the American House to be paid off. Each soldier received twenty-one dollars, with a deduction of five dollars and fifty cents from each man for expenses incurred on our way to Pittsburgh, while ten cents would have paid for all that we got, for everything along the canal was given to the soldiers gratis by the citizens.

This caused a considerable fuss, as there seemed to be no account given of the appropriation made by the State of Pennsylvania for this express purpose. In the evening our company received an invitation to attend divine services to-morrow at 10 o'clock,, which was accepted.

Late this evening I noticed several boxes of musketry in our quarters, and it was not long before they were opened and each soldier picked out and helped himself to a musket. They are all old flint muskets, marked Harper's Ferry, U. S.

Later, every soldier who had helped himself to a musket was ordered to put the musket back into the boxes, as they are not to be opened or used until we arrive at New Orleans;