Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/598

592 Monday, July 3, 1848.—This morning one of Company I, First Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, was missing. It is supposed that he fell overboard, as one of the colored deck hands had seen something fall overboard, and supposed it was only a blanket. We started back and tried to find him, but it was no good; he is gone, and met a watery grave.

To-day, as usual, we stopped at several towns to leave off and take on passengers, and arrived at Cairo about 8 o'clock this evening. Here we stopped for one hour; left off passengers and mails; and then left the town in the midst of cheers and roaring of the artillery on shore.

Tuesday, July 4, 1848.—This morning is the glorious Fourth of July, and our officers ordered the bartender to let all the soldiers have two drinks apiece; but some took five or six drinks, and got pretty well corned. To-day being the Fourth we received a great many honors on both sides of the river shore; in fact, some places on the banks were strewed with people, and seemed much rejoiced at our arrival; also saluted from cannons, small firearms and cheers. As a fellow said, the citizens gathered en masse to welcome us to our sweet home. We answered all these salutes by firing off a small cannon.

Wednesday, July 5, 1848.—This morning we stopped at Troy, Ind., to take on coal and leave off passengers. We left, and in the evening we were visited by a shower of rain, which cooled the air.

Thursday, July 6, 1848.—This morning we stopped at Louisville, Ky., to go through the canal. Here we all got off the steamboat and went into the city of Louisville and laid in a fair stock of provisions—not government rations. Our boat had hard work to get through the canal. They had to chop away part of the boat's bow, and in the operation a plank flew up and struck a negro on the head, knocked him overboard and drowned him.

Friday, July 7, 1848.—This morning we arrived and stopped at Madison, Indiana. Here the people gathered in large