. We landed at Brazos on the 12th of
October, remained at that point for several days, proceeded thence to
the mouth of the Rio Grande and arrived at Carmargo on the 2nd of
November. There the company was delayed for several weeks because
transportation for the engineer train to the headquarters of the Army at
Monterey, was not then available.

The Company left Carmargo for Brazos, on the 29th of November, under
orders to proceed to Tampico by sea, but was ordered to return to
Matamoros with a portion of its tools, and march, via Victoria, to
Tampico--the bulk of its train to be transported to the latter place by
water.

Whilst detained at Carmargo instruction in the school of the engineer
soldier was kept up, and infantry drills were constantly practiced.
During that time several thousand troops were in camp near Carmargo, and
the men of the engineer company learned that they were, by the line of
the army, styled: "the pick and shovel brigade". Their officers advised
them not to care for this epithet but, "take it easy, continue to
endeavor to become _model_ infantry, and engraft on that a fair
knowledge of the duties of the engineer soldier". They were assured that
"for heavy work", details would have to be made from the line of the
army; and these details would, for the time, constitute the real "pick
and shovel brigade" under the control of engineer officers, assisted by
trained engineer soldiers. When the time came for close fighting the
engineer company would be at the front.

The troops stationed on the Rio Grande during the fall of 1846, suffered
greatly from Mexican diarrhoea, fevers and other diseases. Several men
of the engineer company died, and Captain Swift and twenty of the men
were left in hospital at Matamoros, when the company finally left the
latter place.

Before giving an account of our first march in the enemy's country, it
may be well to state here, that with two exceptions, the enlisted men of
the engineer company were native born, and all but four of them were raw
recruits. Each of those four had served, with credit, during one or more
terms of enlistment in the regular army. Three of them were promptly
made sergeants, and the fourth was a musician (bugler).

All of the recruits but one, were very carefully selected material, out
of which to form, as soon as practicable, skilled engineer soldiers. The
one exception was a short, fat, dumpy, Long Island Dutchman--a good
cook, specially enlis