Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/407

CHAPTER VIII.

COMPELLED TO STAY IN PUEBLA—THE CATHOLIC RELIGION—WHAT IT USED TO COST TO SUSTAIN IT—ARRIVAL OF GEN. WM. O. BUTLER'S TRAIN FROM VERA CRUZ—LEFT PUEBLA—ARRIVED AT RIO FRIO—THE DEEP CUT TO DRAIN THE CITY OF MEXICO—EL PENON PASS—ARRIVED IN THE CITY—SAW ENOUGH OF GREASERS TO DRIVE OUR ARMY OUT OF THE COUNTRY—CAMPED AT SAN ANGEL—A CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY—SCANDALOUS ACTION OF THE SECULAR CLERGY IN MEXICO—MEXICO CITY, THE METROPOLIC CAPITAL OF MEXICO.

Saturday, December 4, 1847.—The train did not get off until noon; it is composed of the First Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Massachusetts and Ohio regiments. Col. John Coffee Hays, with five companies of mounted Rangers, and Maj. Lally, with fifteen hundred regular recruits, assigned to different regiments at the capital. There were four of our company left back on account of sore and blistered feet and colds, which we contracted on our last march. Your humble servant is one of the four. After the division had left the city of Puebla, we were puzzled to know what we had to do and where to go. We did not want to attach ourselves to any company here, fearing that we could not get off so easy when the next train comes up, which we intend to follow to the capital and again join our companies.

So four of us made up a mess, hunted and rented a room, promising to pay seventy-five cents per week for the same, and laid in some rations, but how long we will be able to stay here without being found out by the officers, time will tell; but I hope they will let us rest a few days anyhow.

In the evening, I went to the hospital to see how our friend John B. Herron, who was wounded during the siege of Puebla, was getting along, and to my surprise I was informed that he died of his wounds on the 25th of November last. Mr. Herron

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