Tuesday, March 30, 1847.—This morning we received our tents, which we have not seen since we left Lobos Island, and went to work and pitched them in line. So we are again under cover, and protected from the hot sun.
At noon Alburtus Welsh and myself got permission from our Captain to go to the city. We passed through a large gateway, and in walking through some of the principal streets we noticed that our naval battery did some heavy damage to the public and private buildings. The Mexicans informed us that the loss among the women and children was far greater than among the soldiers. There is one place where there are more than two hundred soldiers buried, all killed at the battery. According to our promise, we both soon returned to camp, where we learned, I don't know how true it is, that an expedition was to start this evening to Alvarado on the coast, a town containing about twelve hundred or thirteen hundred inhabitants. It is to consist of the South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia Volunteers and two hundred dragoons, under the command of Maj. Beale, and a section of Capt. Steptoe's battery, commanded by Lieut. Judd, and the whole under the command of Gen. John A. Quitman. The United States Navy, under Com. Tatnall, is to co-operate with Gen. Quitman's force. The object is to communicate with the town and clear our rear.
This afternoon I noticed a good many of our soldiers, as well as sailors, going out to the outskirts of Vera Cruz; in fact so many that the guards received strict orders to stop all men from going outside of the picket-line, as the chaparral is full of rancheros and ladrones. Sure enough, this evening, some of them returned, and stated that they had been several times chased, and the only thing that saved them was that they had their muskets and six-shooters with them.
They think that the rancheros or lancers have captured several of our "tars;" and if this is true, I would not give much for their lives. It seems the Mexicans are very bitter against Uncle Sam's sailors. The latter had better obey orders and stay in camp.
