Into Mexico with General Scott / When attached to the Fourth United States Infantry, Division of Major-General William J. Worth, Corps of the famous Major-General Winfield Scott, known as Old Fuss and Feathers, campaign of 1847, lad Jerry Cameron marched and fought beside Second Lieutenant U. S. Grant all the way from Cera Cruz to the City of Mexico, where six thousand American soldiers planted the Stars and Stripes in the midst of one hundred and fifty thousand amazed people

by Edwin L. Sabin

“Return—rammer!”

“Shoulder—arms!”

Or perhaps—

“Ready!”

“Aim!”

And while one held one’s breath, expecting a volley—

“Recover—arms!”

This left them at a “ready,” again.

“That load in twelve times is only for discipline,” Hannibal scoffed. “To teach ’em to work together. Load in four times is the Regulars’ way, by count—one, two, three, four. But mostly it’s ‘Load at will—load!’ I’d hate to be a Volunteer. They can fight, though. Yes, siree; they can fight. They’re not much on discipline, and they yell and sing and straggle while marching; but when they see the enemy—my eye!”

These Volunteers were indeed a lively and good-natured if rather rough set. When drill was over they raced for their messes and proceeded to loll about and cook and eat and sing, as if they had no thought in the world except to picnic. The rust on their guns and the length of their beards never bothered them at all.