Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/590

584 directly that nothing shall be done to them, the trial being merely a mockery and a sham, making the Mexicans believe that our government is carrying out the laws.

Monday, June 19, 1848.—Good-bye to Mexico! This morning, after we had our coffee, a party of us soldiers visited our old camp-ground and volunteer battery, which played such dreadful havoc during the bombardear of the city of Vera Cruz, and had it not been for the breastworks, etc., we would never have found it; for the whole place is grown over with wild bushes or, more like, chaparral. We picked up several pieces of burst shells and other curiosities.

About 10 o'clock we heard the drum beat to fall into line. We hurried back, and marched into the city of Vera Cruz, reciting, and some singing, "We are coming Home" and "Good-bye to Mexico." Oh, you cannot imagine how happy and rejoiced we all felt when we first saw the Stars and Stripes fluttering from the stern of the ship "Eudora," lying along the wharf of Vera Cruz, which is to be our floating casa (home) till we step from the gangway upon our own land, where beggars are seldom seen, where poverty and wretchedness are rare, where every man, woman and child (particularly in the North) are free and happy, and where everything speaks of prosperity, civilization and self-government.

We now got on board the steamship, but it was not quite ready to sail—-that is, they were taking on freight and military stores. This gave us an opportunity to view the sandhills and other historic points in and around Vera Cruz. We cast our eyes down the harbor, and could plainly see the Island of Sacrificios and the bend behind which we landed. Well do we all remember how anxious and pleased we were to land on the shores of Mexico, and march on to the capital of Mexico to see that ancient city, and how eager and doubly glad we now all are to return home again.

Our steamer (or, in fact, our engineer) was getting in motion for home. Several Mexicans came on board to speak to us and bid us good-bye; one was the superintendent on the