The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ahead of the Army, by W. O. Stoddard

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Title: Ahead of the Army

Author: W. O. Stoddard

Illustrator: C. Chase Emerson

Release Date: December 5, 2007 [EBook #23744]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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AHEAD OF THE ARMY

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[Illustration: IT WAS SEVERE WORK, BUT IT WAS DONE WITH EAGER ENTHUSIASM
(See page 277)]

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AHEAD OF THE ARMY

by W. O. STODDARD

AUTHOR OF "THE ERRAND BOY OF ANDREW JACKSON," "JACK MORGAN,"
"THE NOANK'S LOG," ETC.

ILLUSTRATED BY
C. CHASE EMERSON

BOSTON
LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY

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COPYRIGHT, 1903, by LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Published June, 1903

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PREFACE

Lest any one should suspect exaggeration in the pictures of Mexican
affairs in the old time, which are presented by Senor Carfora, it may be
well to offer a few facts by way of explanation. During sixty-three
years of the national life of the Republic of Mexico, from the
establishment of its independence in 1821 to the year 1884, nearly all
of its successive changes of government were accompanied by more or less
violence and bloodshed. There have been fifty-five Mexican Presidents;
at one revolutionary period, four within three months, and to this list
must be added two emperors and one regency. Both of the emperors were
shot, so were several of the Presidents, and nearly all of the others
incurred the penalty of banishment. How this came to be so will possibly
be better understood by the young Americans who will kindly travel with
Senor Carfora and his generals and his two armies, commanded for him by
General Scott and General Santa Anna. It is the wish of the author that
all his young friends may cultivate a deeper and kinder interest in the