Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/270

264 to me and others not to venture out in so small bodies. But, mark you, retribution and vengeance will yet come upon those thieving guerillas.

I am pleased to see that my friend Alburtus Welsh made good his escape. He was hotly pursued by two guerillas, but their horses gave out, by this time Mr. Welsh ran his horse into a well-stalked, green corn-field, and there hid himself from the view of these guerillas until dark last evening, when he came to our quarters much exhausted. He said it was the narrowest escape from death that he had ever experienced in all his life. He says that he knows nothing of Morris Stemler and John Longstaff, as when they were attacked by the unseen forces everyone looked out for himself; but he thinks that when they saw that it was all up with them they threw down their arms and surrendered themselves as prisoners, but what their fate will be God only knows, because the guerillas seldom take any prisoners; but there is one thing, they were captured in Uncle Sam's uniform, which they are bound to respect. So we hope and trust that the blood-thirsty and angry portion of these guerillas may have cooled down and spared the lives of the prisoners, and exchange them as prisoners.

In the evening Lieut. Sperry, of the Second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers (who was with the party yesterday), was brought in dead, and stripped of everything. His body was badly mutilated, and was stabbed five times in the breast and one big stab in the back. Lieut. Sperry's regiment is with the main army, now battling in the Valley of Mexico, The time his regiment left he (Lieut. Sperry) was left here in the hospital with the complaint of diarrhea, and had so far recovered that he could do duty, and joined the mule party as a volunteer officer, and led the charge, and, unfortunately, lost his life.

The few who returned speak in the highest terms of him, as one of the bravest and most daring officers in the army. I saw him frequently before he was killed, and I must say that I