write:“thebarbarians. ”15Water and grass were scarce the soil parched. Agreater contrast to the well-watered prairies groves oftrees and fertile ink-black soil of central Illinois

“thebarbarians.”15Water and grass were scarce
the soil parched. Agreater contrast to the well-watered prairies
groves oftrees
and fertile ink-black soil of central Illinois couldhardly be imagined. And there was little to break up themonotony besides the men’s own hopes for adventure.On October 16
Hardin and his men marched twenty-four miles without locating water. It was a relief toreach the neatly laid-out mining town of Santa Rosa
which boasted an attractive central square. In this townof twenty-ve hundred
Hardin purchased trinkets forhis wife and children: a “Mexican blanket and cushion”and “a small hand bag … with a silver crop appended toit
& which was attached to a string around a Mexicansneck. It was very tasteful.” Three weeks and 150 milesafter leaving San Antonio
they nally made it toMonclova in Coahuila
another orderly town that washome to eight thousand residents. And there theywaited
again.16Hardin was desperate to see action. Convinced thatWool preferred drilling to battles
he wrote directly toGeneral Taylor
requesting a transfer to Taylor’scommand. Taylor refused his request and admitted toHardin that he himself was under orders from PresidentPolk to stay put and remain on the defensive. Thepresident had a new plan for achieving victory overMexico
and it did not include Taylor
Wool
or theIllinois regiments.Polk’s snub of Taylor was deliberate. Envious of thegeneral’s growing political prestige
and furious thatTaylor had agreed to an armistice with Mexico
thepresident stripped Old Rough and Ready of four-fths ofhis troops
including almost all the veteran forces
and