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

DISCIPLINE OF THE REGIMENT. 227
I trust to be excused for recalling as I do, with pleasure
and satisfaction, but I believe without undue partiality, the
good discipline of the 1st regiment of Ohio volunteers.
Justice to many officers and soldiers demands that I should
bear this testimony to the industry and perseverance by
which they succeeded in elevating their corps to a condition
of efficiency, certainly not excelled by any of the new battalions. The work was the more creditable to them, in view
of the shortness of their term of service, and the many evil
temptations incident to their position. There were some
regiments that rarely left their tents for military exercises,
and others that sought only to accomplish a few showy movements. The commander of one of these appeared solely
intent upon teaching his men the " fire by battalion." In
its acquirement, he consumed thousands of cartridges, and
with his volleys terrified the peaceable people for miles around.
True, the fire of his regiment was universally admitted to be
perfect-there was but one flash and one explosion in his
line. But, czti 6otoo? He was himself an amiable man
though somewhat ambitious " to make a noise in the world,'
and his battalion, a capital one for a funeral escort.
In the intervals of duty, the soldiers found ample leisure
for amusement, and dull indeed were the events of the day
from which they could strike no sparks of fun. Their wild
pranks often caused the sedate and dignified Mexicans, who
happened to witness them, to make big eyes. Rarely, however, did they pass the bounds of decorum, and even upon
these occasions, the commanding officer, himself no graybeard, would have preferred joining in their sports, to admain