Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/337

Rh In the evening one of the dragoons (a young man too) died. Previous to his death he looked as pure as an orange flower that clasped his forehead. He was stricken down as he stood at his post, and from the din and rattling of musketry and rounds of artillery, he was borne to the grave, the garden of the slumberers, never to rise more.

Thursday, October 7, 1847.—This morning while my friend Alburtus Welsh was on picket-guard, he heard several shots which sounded about two squares from our quarters, up the street, he watched for he was anxious to know the cause, or to find out who was firing from that section of the city, before he gave the alarm, when to his surprise, he saw five or six of the hospital rangers sitting in the street, shooting at some tame pigeons on the house-tops, as unconcerned as if there weren't any enemy about. Comrade Welsh called to them several times, and told them not to fire as they might draw the fire of the enemy that way, but like all the diarrhœa rangers, would pay no attention to what he said. So the sentinel was compelled to call the Sergeant of the guard, and the Sergeant the Officer of the Day; who sent word to the sentinel, to shoot the first soldier who disobeyed his orders, but by this time the diarrhœa blues had left the street for their hospital, thus sparing Mr. Welsh, the unpleasantness of shooting at one of his own comrades.

At noon one of our riflemen, who has been sick and in the hospital, slipped the hospital guard and went too far down the street. A party of Mexicans, who happened to be concealed in a house close by, fired a volley of musketry through the unfortunate victim's body, mangling him in the most horrid manner. This poor soldier had to lie where he fell in the street, for none of our men dared to go down to get possession of his body; same to the Mexicans, for death would be certain to any one who would attempt to cross on either side.

The firing to-day has been very severe, especially from those who are on large buildings, behind the brick or lattice works. Below Post No. 6 the Mexicans have the range of the steeple