N.
Y., on the 22nd of June; reported to the superintendent of the Military
Academy, and was immediately ordered to report to Captain George W.
Cullum, of the engineer corps, as its new commander. I remained about a
week in Vera Cruz after the company sailed; arrived at West Point in
July; and was ordered to report to Captain Cullum.

A short time thereafter, I asked to be relieved from duty with the
company; and applied for six months leave of absence. The leave was
granted, and it was understood that, on its expiration, I would be
ordered to other engineer service.

Before the expiration of my leave, the war men of the company procured
the passage of an act by Congress, authorizing their discharge from the
service. Under that act nearly all the men of the company, who had
served in Mexico, immediately obtained their discharge from the army.
This virtually reduced the company to the detachment of recruits which
had been collected and retained at West Point.

At the expiration of my leave of absence I was formally relieved from
further direct service with the engineer company; and at the request of
the Chief Engineer, consented to undertake the enlistment of new
recruits to fill the places in the company vacated by the war men, who
had been discharged. That business was finished within a few months. I
was then ordered on other engineer duty and, thus, my connection with
the engineer company ended.

FOOTNOTE:

[5] Frederick W. Gerber, was enlisted in Co. "A." June 29, 1846, after
previous service in the 4th Infantry, which he joined in 1839, and under
the Act of March 3, 1849, was discharged April 6, 1849. He was
reenlisted the same day and continued in the service until his death at
the Post of Willets Point, N. Y., November 10, 1875. He was appointed
Artificer, April 18, 1847, Corporal, August 1, 1848, Sergeant, February
1, 1849, and was Sergeant Major of the Battalion of Engineers from
February 21, 1867, to the date of his death.

APPENDIX A.

BRIEF EXTRACTS, FROM WILCOX'S HISTORY OF THE MEXICAN WAR, 1892.

"General Patterson was ordered to march [December, 1846,] from Matamoros
to Victoria with three regiments of volunteers, two pieces of artillery,
and the engineer company under Lieut. G. W. Smith". (p. 187.)

VERA CRUZ. "This line of investment, through the chaparral and
over the sand hills, was located by Lieut. G. W. Smith, of the
engineers, assisted by Lieut. G. B. McClellan, and a roadway alo