A four-page letter dated July 30, 1847 from a “Camp on the Rio Grand” written by a United States soldier during the Mexican-American War, sent to a “William B. Howard” of Benton, Kentucky. The soldier writes that he is well and at camp about “10 miles” from Monterrey. He shares news of various soldiers who are either sick or recovering, and seems pleased to tell the reader that he recently saw “Old Ruff and Ready [Zachary Taylor], he is quite a fine looking old fellow.”

Of interest are his vivid descriptions of the various structures and natural features of the Mexico countryside. While somewhat unclear who exactly the writer is, it can be supposed from the details he shares that he was amongst the men Taylor led across the Rio Grande and into Monterrey, which made the General a national hero. The letter is in excellent condition; it was originally folded into its own envelope, and is consequently postmarked “Brazos, August [illegible].”





[Mexican American War, Civil War, Union, Confederate, War of 1812, Texas, Texana, Paper Ephemera, Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, Sam Houston, James K. Polk, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee]