Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/55

Rh About 10 o'clock, ,a United States Government steamboat came alongside of our ship and wanted our report to be handed to Gen. Winfield Scott, whose headquarters are now at Brazos, awaiting the arrival of all his troops to operate against Vera Cruz. The captain of the steamboat informed us that the ships "Oxnard" and "Russell Glover," containing the balance of our regiment, had left the day before for the Island Lobos, and the soldiers were all well with exception of a few being sea-sick. The captain of the steamboat then asked our men whether we wanted any beef or provisions. This question was no sooner out of his mouth, when nearly all the men cried in a loud voice, "We want beef, we want beef! For we have had none since we left Pittsburgh, Pa." [Laughter.] The answer was that we shall all have beef. [Laughter.]

Friday, January 29, 1847.—This morning our doctor, Dr. Bunting, and commissary stepped into a small boat and rowed toward the Brazos to see if there was any mail for our regiment, also to get some medicine for the sick soldiers.

So, during the absence of our distinguished commissary, one of Company D, took the advantage of him, and rolled a barrel of ham away and hid it under a tent, with blankets thrown over it carelessly, but in a couple of hours afterward some of the officers discovered that a barrel of ham was stolen, and were determined to find out who took the barrel of ham. They placed a guard over the fire-place to keep a watch and see who had the hams. But they fooled the soft, green guard, as well as the officers on a former occasion, by doing as they done before, cutting the ham in two or three pieces, and then put it into the camp kettles of water with a heavy layer of sourkrout on the top of it, and that was the way they cooked it unknown to either the guard or officers.

To-night neither Dr. Bunting nor our commissary have arrived on our ship. I guess they are having a nice time on shore.