John Jacob Oswandel

“ 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. ”

“ Where shall we place all the host of brave heroes who laid down their lives on the bloody plains of Mexico and bled so freely on the battle-fields of the rebellion?
One thing is evident: the assassination of Lincoln was required to arouse the nation to a full realization of the animus that existed in the hearts of some, and the necessity of guarding well the sacred boon of liberty, lest anarchy and tyranny usurp the government of our country. ”

“ Having viewed all the relics of, in and around the castle, we then went on the battlement walls which overlooks the broad valley of Mexico. The view from this height is one of great extent and beauty, surrounded by the historic and lofty mountains. Looking southward we could plainly see our quarters, San Angel, the battle-fields of Contreras, San Antonio, Churubusco and Cuyoacan, all surrounded by nature's beautiful pictures. Ruins are plenty and visible, all overgrown with wild flowers, bushes and creeping vines which gives a melancholy-and picturesque air to the scene. ”

“ The Mexicans must surely have force enough to make an attack on us. Probably they have a little compassion on us poor famished Yankees—wanting us to live a few days longer. When they attack us they will give us no quarter or show for our lives. Come, Santa Anna, with your eight thousand men, for we would sooner fight you than any other general in your country; for when we lick you, we will have the name and honor of licking the greatest Mexican chieftain. ”

“ Emperor Guatimozin and some of his highest officers were afterwards hung on a limb of a tree, while on their way as prisoners to Honduras. Here, like in all other towns or cities, is an inborn of flowers. In fact Mexico is the greatest flower market in the world; all the year round the gardens bring forth brilliant blossoms. All historians who speak of the Mexicans, speak of their love of flowers as one of their principal characteristics. Nor has this trait diminished in the present generation from the days before the robber and cruel conquerer Cortez. ”

“ They all die of that much feared disease, diarrhœa. There are no less than five hundred now in the hospital down with the same complaint, all belonging to the different regiments in our army. Oh! How solemn and imposing is a military funeral; many a poor soldier dies and is put under sod without anyone knowing anything about him, or even what regiment he belonged to. He is thrown into his shallow grave, with his blankets wrapped around him, without any coffin. ”

“ The city of Puebla is getting to be quite a lively place of business again. It begins to look old-fashioned; that is as it looked before the main army left for the city of Mexico. New faces are daily to be seen, and places that were almost deserted a few months ago have now become resorted to by the better class of citizens; where then, no one, neither a Mexican soldier or American dared to go, except the numerous Mexican soldiery. In places that were largely intermixed with guerillas and bad men of all descriptions, we can now see smiling and apparently contented faces. ”

“ But providence teaches us, "that in the midst of life we are in death;" and that though we may achieve all that early ambition promptly, we cannot conquer the destroying angel; that to be honored and idolized here, does not stop the march of man from the cradle to the tomb.
No man of his age, has departed from this world with better earned fame, than our much lamented and gallant Capt. Walker, and his memory will be cherished as long as the nation shall exist. ”

“ I have no doubt the people will say this was a gallant little army, and, as I stated before, and will repeat it again, that history has for more than two thousand years preserved the memory of the ten thousand Greeks who effected their retreat from Persia, without fighting a single battle; let our people not altogether forget the ten thousand American soldiers who landed at Vera Cruz, the victorious and triumphant march to the capital of Mexico, and which never retreated an inch. ”

“ When he burnished his magic lamp, the genii of the mountains threw open wide the doors of their secret vaults and disclosed to an astonished world such untold millions of wealth that the nations stood aghast and dumb with wonder.
The genii of the plains spread out a panorama of such exquisite loveliness and beauty to the gaze of down-trodden husbandmen of every clime that a perfect torrent of the rich and poor of every name and nation has been rushing to their open arms and basking in the bright gleam of their smiles for thirty years, and still they spread their arms to welcome more. ”

“ The much talked of firing in the rear of Gen. Scott's army has commenced. In fact, it has been working and brewing ever since our army left Vera Cruz. This kind of business and quarreling about who should command the army now so victoriously marching on toward the capital, has put a damper on the peace prospects. No wonder Gen. Santa Anna is determined to die sooner than treat with the government of the United States, and to restrict any power to make peace, and if made by any unauthorized person, it shall be null and void. ”

“ In fact, I have got so used to these people in this city, that I sometimes forget myself, thinking that I am once more in a peaceful land. But, as a writer says, "I could not lay that flattering unction to my soul." It is too true. The reality is too plain. I am a soldier in the United States army, fighting the battles in Mexico, during this war unless sooner discharged. I often think of the times we had in our boyhood-days, and the home I left behind me, and sometimes I wish myself back among the valleys and hills where I have, spent the best part of my life ”

“ The defeat and sad misfortune to the Mexican rulers so demoralized and disheartened the Aztec nation that they never attempted to defend their country against the Spaniards, or to dislodge or drive the invaders from their soil, and were compelled to be ruled by the Spanish yoke and government until February 24, 1821, when it succeeded in declaring its first independence.
Conqueror Cortez was a bold, fearless, ardent and spirited man; thirsting for blood, fame, gold, plundering and burning towns and cities. Exercised vast cruelties upon the poor and unfortunate natives ”

“ Glance at that vast territory, with all its resources, its large and well-equipped army, familiar with every road and mountain pass, with full knowledge of where an attack could be made or an advance repulsed; with all her wall cities, her fortified passes and strongholds; and then at the small army that entered her borders to vanquish her hosts, to vindicate the honor of our country and establish her rights, entirely ignorant of their language, their character, their habits and their power of resistance ”

“ Oh, yes! look at whole Italy, once so grand and noble, once the acknowledged ruler, held sway over nearly all the known world, as she sat in royal grandeur, enthroned on her seien hills, now a miserable waste, divided into petty sovereignties, and a by-word for guilt and degradation; all its glory and wealth has forever been banished by the system of the Roman Catholic Church, the sworn foe of religious liberty. ”

“ The lessons of progress and enterprise were then taught that are bursting the long, lethargic sleep of indolence, bigotry, superstition, and arrogance that had bound it since the conquest by Cortez, and Mexico is now awaking to a new life; her powers and capabilities expanding; her government more secure than ever before; religious freedom is gaining ground; education has received a new impetus; railroads and telegraphs are being built; and she will soon take prominent position in the family of nations.
Now, let us look at the territory acquired by the United States by that war. ”

“ No wonder the poor class are so, for it is the poor ignorant class of people of this country that has to keep up these great professed religious gods, and it is so in every country where the religious gods rule. The people are kept down and their liberties crushed—kept in ignorance and slavery all the days of their lives; yet these professed religious people call us Yankees heathens and worshippers of the devil. ”

“ Rally! rally! take up arms and assist him, Gen. Rea, in his determination to strike the blow and drive the garrison of Puebla back to the Castle Perote, then he, Gen. Rea, would be able to cut up Gen. Scott's army in the rear, now before the city of Mexico; winding up by saying rally, rally Mexicans, and let us drive these Yankees who neither believe in God, Christ, devil, hell or anything else. ”

“ Firing is still brisk, and is getting brisker every hour, and a shower of bullets are constantly poured into our quarters from the street, balconies, houses, and church-tops, upon our devoted heads, wounding several of our men.
To-night, we are all again on the ramparts, expecting an attack for sure; if not, we will begin to think that Gen. Santa Anna is as big a coward and fraud as Gen. Rea; in fact, we are beginning to get tired of watching day after day and night after night for these cowardly Mexicans, who are constantly threatening to make an attack upon our quarters. ”

“ A word, as to the fifth article of war, I can truly say that, in this and other communications, I have not designed the slightest disrespect to the Commander-in-Chief of the army and navy of the United States. No doubt he, like myself, and all others, may fall into mistakes as to particular men; and I cannot, having myself been behind the curtain, admit the legal fiction that all acts of a Secretary are the acts of the President; yet, in my defensive statements, I have offered no wanton discourtesy to the head of the War Department ”

“ Who is to command the Mexican army in the next battle we do not know, nor do we care, but surely Gen. Santa Anna cannot face us without a blush of shame. I have seen the elephant, but if there is any more to be seen of him and work done, we will put our shoulders to the wheel and push until the work is thoroughly completed. Although many of our soldiers have left dependent and anxious wives and children and friends far behind, and if there is another battle to be fought we will go man to man, breast to breast, rather than yield one inch of ground. ”

“ What good was it to fire through the body of a dead man, or even wounded, if found alive? It would have been looked upon as murder to shoot a man after he was laying on the ground in agony.
After 5 o'clock, p.m., we buried him back of our Quartel San Jose, among the poplar trees. We could not bury him any sooner as the firing from the enemy's breastworks (now vacant) , was so great and severe, that the moment a soldier got outside of his quarters he was fired upon and shot down. ”

“ Just as we were about to start for our position, four or five wounded soldiers, riflemen, belonging to Gen. Twiggs' division, accompanied by their comrades in arms, came walking slowly down the new road, and as they passed us, remarked, "Oh, fellows! The Mexicans are on the hill strongly fortified, and are awaiting for you; look out!" Never shall I forget the looks of these gallant men. Some had their arms shot off, others shattered by shot and bullets, hung powerless, while a stream of their precious blood poured from their severed arteries, flooding their sides. ”

“ BOMBARDMENT OF VERA CRUZ, MARCH 21, 1847
he is sending; those nasty balls into the city is not slow. The thundering-and roaring of the heavy cannons now tells us that the war has fairly commenced.
The Mexicans have now opened three batteries from the city on Gen. Worth's breastworks. The Castle is assisting the city efforts besides, and does everything in her power to protect the city from being destroyed by the Yankee. Oh! I tell you the bomb-shells and round shot are flying like hail-stones into the city of the True Cross. ”

“ The gallant lancers would be riding up the Tivola Garden behind the large white pillars, and there, in bold defiance, brandish their swords; and we couldn't help but laugh at their foolish movements. They kept at it for some time, and sometimes fired off their guns; and seeing that we were taking no notice of them in returning the fire, they left in disgust; but no doubt the enemy thought it was mucho valentios.
This evening a poorly-clad Mexican woman, who used to, before the siege commenced, bring us leche to our quarters, has volunteered to be our spy. ”

“ Thursday, March 4, 1847.—This morning the wind changed in our favor, which caused a smiling and a pleasing countenance in almost every soldier's face. The noble ship "Statesman" is now gliding along like a thing of life. The fleet is nearly all out of sight. The weather is pleasant and fair and most all the soldiers are on deck and in the rigging talking about the gala day of yesterday, and are also straining their eyes to get an early view of the city of Vera Cruz, the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa, &c. Quiet to-night. ”

“ In the evening the Mexicans had a torch-light procession and a band of music to arouse the citizens to arms, but the good citizens could not see it in that light, as they have been humbugged enough. From the movements of Gov. Childs I think he expects an attack shortly. Let them come. We are fully prepared for any emergency. We require no such wild excitement to arouse and to inspire our men on to fight. Let lurid glare of the cannon and the piercing musketry flash. We are always ready to meet the enemy, and can face ten to one. ”

“ We dashed along the Susquehanna River until the warning whistle blew, the engine slowly gliding along until we passed Middletown, then steadily increasing the speed until we are running at the rate of thirty to thirty-five miles per hour; dashed over a high bridge over the Conewago Creek, past trees and fences, farm-houses and splendid large barns, through deep cuts of rock—people standing and, no doubt, wondering what kind of men are these in the cars, all flitting by us like a fair vision gazing from the car-windows? ”

“ By the time our boat touched the wharf the people had gathered in immense numbers on board of the steamboats, flatboats, and on shore. The firemen with their engines came dashing along, bursting forth wild and continued cheering, clapping of hands, and firing off cannons, small-arms, etc. Such wild and enthusiastic cheering and roaring of artillery I have not heard since the treaty of peace was declared at the capital of Mexico. We begin to feel ourselves, "who wouldn't be a soldier of the Mexican war." ”