George Meade, The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade, Major-General United States Army
George Gordon Meade, Ed.

[29] was once the town of San Patricio, now entirely in ruins and deserted. This place was settled by almost three hundred Irish emigrants, under the protection of the Mexican Government; but, during the war that devastated this country, it was a prey to both parties, and now there is not one stone standing on another, and no traces of a settlement except some cultivated ground. We stayed at this place two days, and arrived three days afterwards here, at the main camp, in fine health, all of us improved by the trip, except Mr. Wood, our young Topographical Sub, who was obliged to return the second day of the expedition, from illness, but soon recovered here. You may imagine how healthy a place this is, when we have, collected here, nearly four thousand men who have come from all parts of the country, and many from the upper Lakes, nearly all passing through New Orleans, and many detained there, and yet until this time there have been only two or three deaths from disease, though there have been several from accidents, such as blowing up of steamboats, strokes of lightning, drowning, etc. Nearly all have been affected by the diarrhoea consequent upon the change of life and water, but these cases have all been mild, though many of the men are drunken, dissipated fellows who, you would suppose, would be carried off by any disease. We have here a fine breeze blowing constantly, which tempers the ardor of the sun; but at this season the sun begins to lose its powerful effect, and the middle of the day is the most agreeable part of it.

I find my position here most agreeable. Already have we performed one most important duty, which, as I have told you, was extremely pleasant; but, since our return, I have been much occupied in making drawings, which, as it has been done under the eyes of all the army, has enabled us to show them that we are not idlers and mere civilians, but that, in anticipation of war, we are the first employed, and our duties of a most important nature. We are now told to hold ourselves in readiness to leave at a moment's notice, and make a reconnoissance of the Brazos de Santiago, an arm of the sea, which juts in near the mouth of the Rio Grande, and approaches within twenty miles of the Mexican town of Matamoras, where they have troops and supplies. This, therefore, is not only an important, but an honorable duty, inasmuch as the Mexicans may endeavor to interrupt our labors. We will however go in a steamer from here,