RIDE WITH THE EAGLE

Gathering her information largely from firsthand sources, Julia Davis reconstructs the important expeditions of the Mexican War. Under the leadership of General Kearny, a motley crew of undisciplined volunteers and a hardened army of Regulars were forged into a cohesive unit by the hardships and struggles that men endure in unknown territories surrounded by potentially hostile people and armed with primitive equipment. How these men managed to win the confidence and respect of the inhabitants of New Mexico and a large percentage of Indians, how they neutralized Central Mexico and took two cities which were later to fall under the aegis of the United States are facts which many regard as miracles. From Fort Leavenworth to the wildlands of Albuquerque, El Paso and Chihuahua, Colonel Doniphan guided his company of First Missourians who in the end would reap the intangible benefits of victory and comradeship. The author has attempted to retrace the 4000 miles they covered in a precise account though one which blends, in unaccented tones, into a long jornado.