Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/435

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 * —I have no doubt that you will be surprised to receive a letter from me, and particularly from this section of the country. You will see by this letter that I am in the United States army fighting in the battles which have been raging here in Mexico, but at present we are at peace; that is, there is no fighting going on now; but, at the same time, I can see the gleaming bayonets and sabres flash, and men looking through glaring eyes upon his brother man, thirsting for his blood. I can hear the boom of the cannons, the rattling of musketry, the whizzing of bullets and the groans of the dying men. You may think this is horrible to speak of, but it is the truth. You will see by the date of this letter that we have at last arrived in the city of Mexico, where a great many scenes and curiosities are to be seen. We have become pretty well settled down here, and all its novelty has worn off, and the city seems as any other city does when one has grown familiar with it. There are few cities more pleasant than Mexico. The streets look like the streets in Lancaster.

Christmas has come and gone, and I had the pleasure of spending it in the halls of Montezumas with the Mexican part of the population. It was celebrated according to their time honored customs, and in accordance with the spirit and usages of the Catholic religion. I spent my Christmas in as much relishment and pleasure as any I ever spent at home, and I must confess that some of my comrades and my self, towards' the close of the day, seemed to care little about the cares and perplexities of life, and cared little whether we enlisted during the war with Mexico, or for life, or whether corn was worth five cents or five dollars per bushel; and, taking it altogether, I shall never forget the Christmas I passed in the city of the Aztecs.

The city of Mexico is both ancient and at present the metropolis and capital of all Mexico. It is the seat of all the