Sketches of the campaign in northern Mexico : in eighteen hundred forty-six and seven / by an officer of the First Regiment of Ohio volunteers.

rTIE SPCENERY ON THE ROUTE. 135
even the dangers and the duties of the service had a romance
in them that was particularly fascinating. Owing to the
absence of sufficient means of conveyance, or the negligence
of the rear-guard, many tents and much private btaggagemine included —had been left by the muleteers at Cerralvo;
and it was not until many days after the battle of Monterey that we recovered them. lMy friends made themselves
merry over my misfortune, especially as they knew that the
mule which I had purchased at Camargo had been claimed
for the public service, and probably had aided in the transportation of their own baggage. But I had remaining a
good saddle-blanket, and as the ground was dry and the
weather clear, suffered no great hardship.
The scenery, which daily became more interesting and
charming, was an ever-present source of pleasure to some of
us. Before reaching Marin, the road, deflecting to the west,
had brought us almost imperceptibly into a broad valley
which was inclosed on the one side by the gigantic Sierra
Madre, and on the other by the Cerralvo range. The mountains, first seen from Mier, floating like clouds in the distance, now reared their bold and rugged peaks far into the
sky, showing
"How earth may pierce to heaven, yet leave vain man below.'
These massive palaces of nature increased in hight and
grandeur as we advanced; the gorge or pass through the
Sierra Madre, at the mouth of which Monterey is situated,
expanding as we approachedl, daily, almost hourly, disclosed
new beauties to the eye.
"Thus, from afar, each dim-discovered scene,
More pleasing seems, than all the past hath been."