document,

Camp near Monterey Mexico

July 20th 1847 My dear Doctor,

Your truly welcome & interesting letters of the 25th ult & I st in stant inclosing one from John with several newspapers & a number of scraps cut from others, have been received, for which I feel truly grate ful It was & always is a source of much real pleasure to hear that you were all well at the Barracks, & at Baton Rouge which I truly hope will long continue. I truly pleased to hear from John & particularly so that he had passed passed his examination with credit, & most truly do I hope his course will be marked by industry & prudence in connection with perseverance, if so & his life is spared, his cours will I have no doubt if not brilliant one, will be highly creditable to himself, his country & all deeply interested in him ; his prospects are certainly as flattering as they could be expected at this time

I also rec d a letter from Betty since her return to Baton Rouge stating that all was well, her letter was dated on the 3<D th ult. Mrs W m Taylor did not stop but continued on home ; she expects to make a visit to Virginia the present season, I suppose they have left by this time ; I was quite pleas to learn that Puss had gone up with Betty to be put to school there, & trust she will beneffit by the arrangement. I expect her mother with dumple will soon follow, & where should it prove healthy they had all better pass the latter part of the summer & the first of autumn, or until it is healthy at the Barracks & there is no danger of contageous diseases breaking out there. Mr s Taylor will not leave B. Rouge unless it becomes sickly there, in which case she will go to the watering places back of N. Orleans on the lakes ; perhaps to Pascagoula It was fortunate you did not find the scrape Bob had got into, so serious as to make it necessary to remove him to any other school as it would not have done to have sent him back to the institution he had left in Kentucky ; what to do with him, or where to send him to an institution suited to his age & temper is rather difficult to say ; but you will no doubt do what you can to promote his interest & let matters & things take their course afterwards

I am a little surprised that none of the family have heard from Dick since he went to the Arkensas Springs, as they as well as myself must feel great anxiety respecting him, but hope if he has used the waters properly, that he has received great benefit from them, if not that he has returned to B. Rouge by this, & will at once make trial of the mineral springs in Virginia ; for unless his disease is removed very soon, in all probability he will be afflicted for life. I observe Finlay has been or dered to Jalapa, he has as well remain, or perhaps better where he was in the country. Wells has been fortunate in getting to the N. Port Barracks, it would have suited you very well, but I imagine it will be rather a temporary station for an Army Surgeon ; as soon as this war is brought to a close, it will be a place for a hired physician, at least I presume that will be the case. You must be satisfied with your position at any rate for the present, you will find it pretty much as I stated it to be when you first went there but as the danger from sickness is the greatest objection to it. While this war lasts you may always calculate on having an overflowing hospital, made up from the sick going & returning to & from Mexico ; if they do not bring or leave with you some contageous disease it will be the less matter ; but you must get on the best way you can hoping for better times & things

Col Taylor was truly fortunate in getting out in pretty good health, & at the time he did, I presume he joined his family some time since. Jouett, I fear since his family has left him, will soon get the blues & I should not be surprised if he very soon applies for a sick leave if he has not already done so

I had observed a short time since from one of the newspapers which reached here an acc c of the flumery played off in devotion real or pre tended as regards the forms & ceremonies appertaining to the Catholic religion at Puebla & other places which I thought were in bad taste & expected they would be animadverted on through the press in stringent terms. While I would respect & have it done as far as it was right & proper to do so, every religious denomination, Catholic as well as Protestant, yet I have a great contempt for hypocricy & deceit of any kind, more particular in regard to religious matters ; but the parties con cerned have done much in bolstering themselves up & putting others down by the aid of deceipt, & misrepresentation. But it seem to me the country has been so mislead & mistified in regard to this Mexican war, that they hardly know how to act in relation to any transaction which may take place in relation or connection with it, no matter how absurd or outrageous it may be

On the subject of the presidency as I stated to you on a former occasion I am satisfied if the election was to come off now or during the present year, that nothing could prevent my election to that high office ; but great changes may & in all probability will take place between now & the time for holding the election ; all the influence & power of the administration will be brought to bear on me ; & the greatest efforts will be made to extol Gen Scotts achievements beyond anything that has occurred in this, or any other age or country ; as I am satisfied he gave in his adhesion to the powers that be to pull me down, or himself up before he got the authority to strip me of my command, or so large a portion of it ; I look on him as hartless & insincere an individual as exists. I believe the Union & perhaps a large portion of those filling high places at Washington, would prefer seeing Mr Clay elected or in fact almost any one else than myself to the office in question ; but it seems to that pary will advocate the pretensions of Gen Scott, who by very adroit management they may succeed in electing, as very many of the Whigs no doubt will vote for him, he having a strong party in the great state of New York ; the greatest stumbling block in his way, will be the bringing Wright forward as the democratic candidate. If I was certain that Mr Clay, Judge McLean, J. J. Crittenden, Judge Clay ton of Delaware & many others I could name could be elected I would at once between ourselves, retire retire from the contest ; but I would undergo political martyrdoMrather than see Gen Scott or Cass elected ; I would greatly prefer Wright or Vanburen to either of them I have not seen the articles referred to by you in the Baltimore paper ; I have many ardent friends in that city ; I rec d a letter from Mr Crittenden the other day, among other matter saying he had just rec d a letter from the honb le R. Johnson of Baltimore one of the senator from Maryland, stating that if the election was to take place at this time he believed I would get every state in the Union

I think it very doubtful even if the war continues I will have such a force as I ought to justify my making a forward movement, for we have on the Rio Grande, & at Saltillo & tremendious sick report, larger I apprehend in proportion than it was the last year at this time ; it seems to me where ever volunteers go & recruits to unless mixed up or incor porated with old soldiers or are embodied, there every disease will be known to the human family. Besides I understand from private letters rec d here that a battalion called out from Alabama could not be raised which was to form part of my com d nor have I heard any thing from the Jersey & Maryland Battalions which were to form a portion of my forces also ; nor do we know here what progress has or is making to fill the ranks of one of the new regt s the 13 which has been assigned to me. 1 am however making every arrangement for a forward movement, & shall advance on San Luis Potosi as soon as all the reenforcement expected reach the country, unless otherwise directed

I feel much solicitude as regards Mrs Taylors health, Betties, Anns & the children during what is called the sickly season, but if it becomes un healthy at the Barracks the girls & Ann must go to B. Rouge, if unhealthy there they must go to Pascagoula or some other healthy place on the lake

I rec d a letter from Col Davis since his arrival at home, he appears undetermined what course to pursue as regards accepting the app of Bris Gen or not; if the war continues I think he is inclined to accept ; I have written advising him to consult his interest & inclination, & to pur sue that course which he thinks will be most conductive to his future fame, prosperity & happiness. The Col speaks of Gen Scott in harsh terms ; his duplicity to ward me has been rarely equalled ; but let it all pass

From newspapers rec d here printed in the City of Mexico, there is but little doubt that some communications have taken place between Gen Scott, then at Puebla, & the Mexican authorities, on the subject of negotiations but how far the same was entered into or what will be the result is not developed ; but it is something to get the subject before the Mexican people & their rulers, & I can but hope for the best Remem ber me most affectionately to Ann & the children if any of them are with you, if not when you write to them, as well as my regards to Gen Brooke & Jouett, & wishing you & yours continued health & prosperity

I remain Truly SURG N R. C. WOOD, and Sincerely your Friend

U. S. Army Z. TAYLOR

New Orleans Barracks