The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker. Page: 19
251 p. : ill. ; 20 cm.View a full description of this book.
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DEATH OF A VOLUNTEER. 19
diers taken off, with the camp women of the regiment. The gale
increasing, the sea made a complete breach over her, and it was
feared that she would soon become a wreck. The main body of
the regiment, however, crossed the river, and moved on towards
their place of destination, a detachment having been left with an
officer, to secure the baggage, should the boat last till morning.
The detachment took up their quarters for the night, on board the
steamer ", Sea," which was lying in the river, about a hundred
yards from the mouth, and which was to convey them to Burita.
As night set in, the rain fell in torrents. About 9, P. M., one of
the sick volunteers, who had received the attention of our surgeon,
expired. The scene which now presented itself in the cabin was
one of strange novelty. The corpse had been laid out on one side
of the cabin, and many were standing around to look at the features
of the dead man, and as their gaze became satisfied, would
walk moodily off, filled with the awe of death. A general gloom
prevailed among the passengers, and many seemed wrapped in the
thought how soon their time might come. To add to these melancholy
reflections, the rain was pattering down on the hurricane
roof; and as the winds howled without, the moans of the surf
joined in the lament, as if bewailing the loss of the spirit that had
fled. A man soon after entered the cabin, and surveying the scene
around, took a seat on the dining-table, and after commencing a
conversation with a person who sat near, he gave a yawn, and
throwing himself back until he rested on his elbow, said: 6 You
will all d-n soon get used to such scenes, after you've been a little
longer in the service. Why," said he, "after the battle of the
9th, we had been hard at work burying the dead, when coming
across a fellow that had on a better pair of boots than I had, we
exchanged; and, after drinking the contents of his canteen, I made
a pillow of the corpse, and never slept sounder in my life." This,
with other equally refined and feeling remarks, embellished with
coarse oaths, grated harshly on the ear of the sensitive, in presence
of the dead.
The storm had now somewhat abated, and the signal lights of
the A" Frontier" could still plainly be seen, while many thought she
was sending up rockets as a sign of distress, the captain and
crew being still on board. It was left for morning to tell the tale
of her wreck, for at daylight she went to pieces, and every thing
that would float was washed ashore with the surf. She had drifted
in during the night, and now lay within fifty yards of the beach.
The men waded out to her, and succeeded in saving nearly every
thing from the wreck, which was placed on board the steamer
" Sea." In the mean time, preparations had been made to bury
the deceased volunteer. There were no boards to make a coffin,
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Reid, Samuel C., Jr. The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker., book, 1859; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38096/m1/21/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.