The fleet

March 3 the company left Lobos and sailed for Anton Lizardo, nine miles below Vera Cruz, where they arrived two days after. On the 9th of March a landing was effected on the Mexican coast, at a point three miles south of Vera Cruz. had hardly swung to its cables when Gen. Worth's division, with wonderful celerity, filled the surf-boats, and, at a signal from the ship of the commander-inchief, darted for the shore amid the enthusiastic cheers of the army and of our gallant tars. By 9 o'clock of the night of that day, 12,000 men had landed without firing a gun, and were marshaled within two miles of the city. The army commenced the next morning its march through the thick chaparral and sand-hills for the investment of Vera Cruz. The day was intensely hot, and many men were stricken down by coup de soleil. To add to their sufferings, they dare not drink of the water of the springs of the country; as a report was abroad that they were poisoned by the enemy. It was the fortune of the Wyoming Artillerists to receive the first fire of the Mexicans. Passing through the chaparral by a narrow path, along the base of a gentle declivity, the enemy poured their fire upon them, when the company was halted, and delivered their own with admirable coolness. The Greasers fled to the city. The company participated actively in the investment of the place and was engaged throughout the siege. The trenches were opened on the 22d, and after a terrible storm of iron had been blown on the city for a few days and nights, it surrendered to the American army on March 29, 1847.

In April the volunteer division left the city for the interior, under the command of Maj. Gen. Patterson. Having arrived at Plan del Rio, fifty miles from Vera Cruz, they found Gen. Twiggs with his division of regulars already there. The Mexicans, under Gen. Santa Ana, were strongly posted in the pass of Cerro Gordo. On the morning of April 18, the American army attacked the Mexican lines. The volunteer brigade formed the left wing, under the command of Gen. Pillow, to which the Wyoming Artillerists were attached. The brigade took a position within 200 yards of the Mexican batteries, which opened upon them a tremendous fire of grape. The Wyoming boys suffered but slightly; but the Second Tennessee regiment, occupying more elevated grounds, suffered severely, and Gen. Pillow himself was wounded. In twenty minutes the line of attack was completed, and the brigade moved forward toward the batteries. The Mexicans now displayed the white flag from their defences, for their left wing had been completely routed by the forces under Gens. Twiggs, Shields, Worth and Quitman. The fruits of this victory were 3,000 prisoners, 5,000 stand of arms, forty-three cannon, the money chest of the Mexican army, containing $20,000, and a free passage for the army into the interior of the enemy's country. In this action David R. Morrison, of the Wyoming company, was killed, and Corporal Kitchen wounded.

After the battle the volunteer force encamped three miles west of Jalapa, where they remained about three weeks. They were then ordered to Perote, a place about thirty-five miles west of Jalapa, on the main road to the capital. Here they took up their quarters in the celebrated castle of Perote, and formed its garrison. The period of their stay here was the most melancholy of the whole campaign, for the burial of the dead was the principal feature of their soldier life.

Here those ravages of the army, diarrhoea and typhus fever, broke out and made fearful havoc in their ranks. For many weeks was heard, almost constantly, the melancholy strains of the dead march accompanying their messmates to lonely and forgotten graves. It was a joyful day when they received orders to leave the gloomy castle and dreary plains of Perote. About the 2d of July they marched for the city of Puebla. On the night of the 4th, when the soldiers had taken to their blankets, the camp was alarmed by an attack on the pickets, which were driven in. Satisfied with this, the enemy retired.

Having reached El Pinal, or the Black Pass, Gen. Pillow anticipated a fight, for the enemy were posted there, prepared to dispute the passage. The Wyoming

boys formed part of the storming party, and behaved gallantly; but when the light troops had scaled the hights commanding the gorge, the Mexicans abandoned their position and fled.

On July 7 they approached the fine old city of Puebla. Here Gen. Scott by August 1 had concentrated about 11,000 men of all arms. On the 7th of that month the army left Puebla for the City of Mexico. The Wyoming company, with five others of the First Pennsylvania regiment, remained behind, constituting, with a company of United States artillery and one of cavalry, the garrison of Puebla. There were about 600 men under the command of Col. Childs, a brave and skillful officer. To this small force was entrusted the charge of 2,000 sick men, and an immense amount of government property. The population of the city was turbulent and warlike, and evinced an uncompromising hostility toward the Americans. The place now was besieged by the Mexicans, who harassed the garrison, day and night, with alarms and attacks. This continued for forty days; but our men, occupying strong and favorable positions, maintained their ground, and the enemy failed so far as not to succeed in driving in a single sentinel.

In this siege John Priest was killed in an engagement with guerrillas, outside the city walls. Luke Floyd, a brave old soldier, who, with Priest, was a member of the Wyoming company, was severely wounded.

The arrival of Gen. Lane with 3,000 men, on October 12, put an end to the siege. In this arrival there were four companies of the First Pennsylvania regiment, which had been left in the garrison at Perote. They had participated in the fight at Huamantla, under the command of Maj. F. L. Bowman, of Wilkes-Barre, who led them up in gallant style. His conduct on this occasion was highly spoken of by all who witnessed it. Not long after the raising of the siege the regiment, now united, left Puebla, and on December 7, 1847, arrived in the City of Mexico, where they remained about two weeks. They were then quartered at San Angel, seven miles from the city, until the treaty of peace in June, 1848.

They now returned to their country at New Orleans, and passing up the Mississippi and Ohio to Pittsburg, they were honorably discharged at that place, and mustered out of service by reason of the expiration of the term of enlistment, July 24, 1848.

The Columbia Guards, of Danville, Pa., constituting a portion of the Second regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, was composed of volunteers from Luzerne county, under Edward E. Leclerc, of Wilkes-Barre, who was elected second lieutenant of the company. Among the names of privates who united with the Guards under Lieut. Leclerc, we are able to give those of Norman B. Mack, Peter Brobst, Abram B. Carley, Randolph Ball, George Garner, Oliver Helme, Joseph H. Stratton, William Kutz and William White.

Edward, E. Leclerc was appointed regiment quartermaster, November 8, 1847, and a few days later became first lieutenant of his company.

Roster of the First Independent company, Capt. Robert Durkee, in Col. John Durkee's Connecticut regiment, at Morristown, August 8, 1777; enlisted September 17, 1776: Captain, Robert Durkee; lieutenants, James Wells, Asahel Buck; ensign, Herman Swift; sergeants, Thomas McClure, Peregrene Gardner, Thomas Baldwin, John Hutchinson; corporals, Edward Setter, Azel Hyde, Jeremiah Coleman, Benjamin Clark. Privates: Walter Baldwin, James Bagley, Eleazer Butler, Moses Brown, David Brown, Charles Bennett, William Buck, Jr., Asa Brown, James Brown, Jr., Waterman Baldwin, John Carey, Jesse Coleman, William Cornelius, Samuel Cole, William Davidson, Douglas Davison, William Dunn, Daniel Denton, Samuel Ensign, Nathaniel Evans, John Foster, Frederick Follet, Nathaniel Fry, James Frisby, Jr., Elisha Garret, James Gould, Titus Garret, Mumfred Gardner, Abraham Hamester, Israel Harding, Henry Harding, Thomas, Stephen Harding, Oliver Harding, Richard Halstead, Thomas Hill, John Halstead, Benjamin

Harvey, Solomon Johnson, Asahel Jerome, John Kelly, Stephen Munson, Seth Marvin, Martin Nelson, Stephen Pettibone, Stephen Preston, Thomas Porter, Aaron Perkins, John Perkins, Ebenezer Phillips, Ashbel Robinson, Ira Stevens, Elisha Sills, Ebenezer Shiner, Asa Smith, Robert Sharer, Isaac Smith, Robert Sharer, Luke Swetland, Shadrach Sills, Samuel Tubbs, William Terry, John Tubbs, Ephraim Tyler, Edward Walker, Obadiah Walker, James Wells, Jr., Nathaniel Williams, Thomas Wilson.

Roster of the Second Independent company, Capt. Samuel Ransom, three-yearmen; enlisted January 1, 1777: Captain, Samuel Ransom; lieutenant, Simon Spalding (captain, June 24, 1778); sergeant, Timothy Pierce (ensign, December 3, 1777, and lieutenant, January 17, 1778); lieutenant, John Jenkins; sergeants, Parker Wilson, Joseph Pasco. Privates: Caleb Atherton, Mason F. Alden, Samuel Billings, Isaac Benjamin, Oliver Bennett, Asahel Burnham, Rufus Bennett, Benjamin Clark, Gordon Church, Price Cooper, Josiah Corning, Benjamin Cole, Nathan Church, Daniel Franklin, Charles Gaylord, Ambrose Gaylord, Justin Gaylord, Benjamin Hempstead, Timothy Hopkins, William Kellog, Jesse Bezale, Jehial Billings, Lawrence Kinney, Daniel Lawrence, Nicholas Manswell, Elisha Mathewson, Constant Mathewson, William McClure, Thomas Neal, Asahel Nash, John O'Neal, Peter Osterhout, Amos Ormsburg, Thomas Packett, Ebenezer Roberts, Samuel Saucer, Asa Sawyer, Stephen Skiff, John Swift, Constant Searle, William Smith, Jr., Elisha Satterlee, Robert Spencer, John Vangordon, Thomas Williams, Caleb Warden, Richard Woodstock, Elija Walker, Zeber Williams.

The part taken in the Revolution by the people is given in the preceding account of the movements of the Connecticut settlers. They not only answered all possible demands made upon them by the colonial authorities, either in men or money, but bravely met the double troubles of the conflict with the Indians and the Pennsylvania proprietaries in the bitter struggle for the possession of the soil. In the darkest hours they resolved in town meetings most bravely. They were a band of heroes, isolated, as it were, from the world, weak in numbers, surrounded with the most appalling difficulties, and sometimes it almost seemed that not only the Indians and Pennsylvanians, but even the Connecticut authorities on one or two occasions seemed ready to pluck them much after the fashion of the others.

Civil War.-The progress of mankind in the great highway of civilization, as anomalous as it may seem, has, as Buckle says, been largely propelled forward in its course, first by the invention of gunpowder and then by the different inventions in guns to use that powder in the awful work of destroying men's lives. The glories of peace and the peaceful arts, letters and science advanced, as it seems, not by piety and prayers, but by the horrors of the bloody battle-field. Some philosophers have long held that man was a dreadfully lazy animal, given to dawdling and filth, in which, unless impelled by hunger or cold, he would sink in final rottenness; as we may figure the great oak trees would only send one straight root into the soil, if it were not for the storms that would soon come and lay it prone upon the ground. Is national life here again like that of the individual? Is it a common necessity that those terrible travails of the ages must come to our race that they may be compelled to grow strong and heroic in order to live at all? All lands and times have had their sword-storms-storm-swept with fire and sword, the people butchered, made captives and slaves; and much of the world's printed history as we get it is but the awful record of war and the unspeakable agonies of nations. Theoretically the great man is he who creates or invents something promotive of the good of his fellow-man-" he who makes two blades of grass grow where only one would grow before"--but practically it is the great captains who make the great red gaps of war, who win victories, who slay and conquer the enemy the most successfully. To destroy the enemy in wholesale and detail, this is the great and honored hero;