Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/37

Rh into the "calaboose," and Col. Wynkoop is going to leave them locked up for a few days for their unsoldierlike conduct.

At 4 o'clock,, we had a parade and drill for the first time, our Colonel was dressed in his full uniform with cocked hat and big feather thereon.

At 8 o'clock,, tattoo, when all the lights must be put out in camp, and no noise after 9 o'clock at night; we are now eating our homely supper all in good spirits, that is of the kind, and there is a good deal of drunkenness amongst some of our soldiers, but at the same time there is no fighting amongst them.

Saturday, January 2, 1847.—This morning, after breakfast, orders were read for each captain of their respective companies, to give each company ten passes to go to New Orleans. Louis Bymaster and myself got passes and soon afterwards started for the city. We walked it all the way, which is about five miles from our camp-ground; we, of course, first struck for the St. Charles Hotel, here we met some of our own company and some belonging to the Louisiana regiment; after we had several drinks and good lunch, we left the hotel and walked around the city, and we find it to be a beautiful and well planned city.

It is the largest, greatest commercial metropolis city in the South, and from the appearance of the rush along the levees, there is more business done here in one day than there is in Baltimore in one month, and nearly as much as there is in New York. Their regulation and rules about the wharves or levees are the best in the world.

Along its levees you can see moored to the shore hundreds of steamboats, at one section of the city arriving and departing for Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, besides hundreds of flat boats and barges. Also hundreds of sea-going ships at another section of the city, arriving and sailing for London, Liverpool, and German ports; besides, steamships to Havana, Galveston, Panama, St. Domingo, New York, Boston, bringing the merchandise of the whole world to the warehouses of the merchants of New Orleans.