Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/29

Rh to-day is fair, and the scenery is most delightful and very interesting, it not being so hilly or mountainous.

To-day we passed numerous little towns. Their names I failed to get. They are mostly all situated along the river shore, and some are well laid out and promise to tell well in the future. Many of the citizens along the river had the American flag flying over their house-tops and on poles in honor of us soldiers, and at many places we perceived the ladies waving their lily white hands and handkerchiefs from the doors, windows and house-tops of their humble cottages on shore, and no doubt from some of the fair damsels who has or had a near and dear friend in the American army.

The soldiers, I am glad to say, are all passing their time first-rate. There seems to be no quarreling or any ill feeling between them, in fact, they act more like so many brothers in place of strangers, for it will be remembered that Co. B, is from Pottsville, and our Co. C, from Philadelphia.

To-night I notice that most of our soldiers are passing their time in playing cards and singing.

Thursday, December 24, 1846.—This morning after breakfast our company made up a penny purse for the purpose of getting up a supper; each man paid in fifty cents. A committee was appointed to wait on the captain of the steamboat, who, by-the-by, is a good hearted old fellow, to ask permission for the use of the cabin room for a Christmas eve ball to-night; the permission was granted with pleasure. To-day we passed the towns of Rome, Manchester, Ohio; and Maysville, Dover, Kentucky; Mechanicsburg, Palestine, Ohio; all seemed to be flourishing villages. This evening after supper was over, everything was got in readiness for the grand eve ball, which I must confess was a fine affair and well conducted, our Little York friends enjoyed themselves first-rate. The captain of the steamboat "Messenger" and all the other officers mingled themselves with the soldiers, and you can rest assured that we had some of the tallest kind of sport that I ever saw, and we did not stop until the clock struck twelve,