Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-01-07
Written for the Iron County Register.
The Volunteers i'm Mexico.
BY AN OLD MEXICAN VETERAN.


As soon as the news reached Tennes.
see of the battles of the 8th and 9Th oi
May, 1916, Gov. Aaron ". Braddon is.
sued bis proclamation calling for two
regiments of volunteers to join Gen.
Taylor on the Rio Grande river, in
Mexico, and so eager were the boys oi
Tennessee to go that by the Goth OF
May the first regiment was made up
and ready to march to the seat of war.
We received orders to rendezvous at
Nashville, and on the 2Sth of the
month the different companies had as
sembled at that place, and on the 4th
day of June, 1916, we were mustered
into the United States service for
twelve months or during the war.
Upon organization the First Regi-
ment elected the following field off,
GERS: VIM. B. Campbell. Colonel; -
Anderson, Lieut. Colonel; Richard Al
exander, 1st Major; - Ferguson, I'd
Major. We left Nashville on the 9th
or 7th for New Orleans, by water,
aboard of a large steamboat called the
Tennessee and on-I believe it was the
14th of June, 1916, we landed at New
Orleans, subject to the order of Gen.
Ga mes. While in New Orleans, my
company, Company &C." commanded
by Capt. l.. p. McMurray, lost our first
man: he had already seen enough of
soldier life, and came to the conclusion
that about the best thing he could do
would be to take French furlough aud
he took it. He was never seen after
wards, as he never went back to his
old home, in Smith county. His name
was VIM. G. Thompson; if he is still
living, and should happen to see these
lines, just want to say to him that we
got along very well without him.
On the 18th of June we received or
ders from Gen. Gaines to go on to Gen.
Taylor on the 25th. We left New Or
leans on the sail vessel, E. III. Chap
man, for Brazos Island, or,as the Mex
leans called it, Brazos Santiago, which
is nothing more than small sand bar
at the mouth If the Rio Grande oppo-
site Point Isabelle. Texas. 1t general
ly takes sail ship from to days to
make the trip from New Orleans to
Brazos, but we were 16 days out of
sight of land and II on shiphoard. We
were caught in a storm the third or
fourth day out and blown out of our
course. The storm continued day and
night nearly all,the tine. About the
tenth day l heard the Captain tell Col
Campbell that unless the wind chang
ed inside of twenty-four hours, he
would have to put into the West Indies
tor water. | came to the conclusion by
that that we were long way from
home, and here let me say, I never saw
before nor since, as many sick men.
Of all the heaving and throwing up, it
some cussed, but the greater portion
were too sick to do either. On the
thirteenth or fourteenth day our ship
took fire from the cook shanty and if
ever there was a scared lot OF men, that
ship contained them. And well we
might be, for the idea of being on a
burning ship when we had not seen
land for thirteen days, was anything
but pleasant, I assure you. Luckily
The flames were soon extingui-hed by
the ships crew, with no damage to the
vessel, excepting a little singeing of
the cook s shanty. Well, at last. like
all things earthly, our voyage came to
an end, and some time in July we
landed on Mexican soil, at the mouth
of the Rio Grande, or, as the Mexicans
called it, the Rio Bravo.
Gen. Taylor was in camp at Mata-
moras at that time, waiting for re-en-
forcements and stea mboats to be sent
him from New Orleans, so he could
throw his army up the river to Camar-
go, town on the Rio Grande at the
mouth of the San Juan river. We
went into camp just above the mouth
US "Low-Meter," and here our real
soldier life began. All the supplies for
the army-both man and horse-were
loaded at :his place, ard as there vas
but one company of Regulars beside
our Regiment al the place, ard twas
80 or 35 miles to Matamoras, where
Taylor's army was, we were in danger
of being attacked 10y the enemy, 1--WE
did have 20 or 25 Texas rangers with
us at the time.) In about ten days
after we landed the Mississippi Rifle
Regiment, under Col. jeff. Davis, join
ed lis, and in few days after was fol-
lowed by the Second Tennessee under
Col. Hsskill. The place at the time
was under the command of Brig g.-Gen.
Quitman, OF Mississippi. In short
time after going into camp the men be-
gan to suffer from the diseases pecu-
liar to the climate. Measles broke out
and for weeks our camp was one vast
hospital. We averaged five deaths a
day, and about all those taken with
measles died, and a good many were
sent home. And the Mississippi Regi.
ment and 2I Tennessee Jared no bet
ter.
About the first of August we left
Low Meter" to join Gen. Tay lor al
Camargo, who was concentrating his
army at that place, to move on Mon.
4 s,f1