the drill was over and the Company dismissed from the parade
ground, I asked the Captain why he had not given the commands "quick
time" and "double quick", instead of saying "faster" and "still faster".
He said he did not intend the step should be "quick time"--much less
"double quick". He only wanted the rate to be in "common time--90 steps
a minute"; and added: "you had not reached that rate when the drill
ended".

I insisted that he must be mistaken, and told him we were marching in
"common time" or very near it, when he first gave the order, "faster".
He persisted that he was right in regard to the rate of the step--said
"that he had carefully counted it, watch in hand"; and added: "You were,
at the last, not making more than 85 steps to the minute". I was
satisfied that he was mistaken; but he relied implicitly upon the
correctness of his count and the accuracy of his watch.

McClellan and I proceeded to the company quarters, of which I still had
charge. On the way we referred to the matter of the step, and both of us
were at a loss to account for the misapprehension we were sure the
Captain labored under in regard to it.

I asked McClellan to take out his watch and count whilst I marched in
"common time". I made 90 steps per minute--and repeated it more than
once. It presently dawned upon us that our Captain, whilst consulting
his watch, had counted only one foot in getting at the number of steps:
and that we were really making 170 steps to the minute when he counted
85. The mystery was solved, the Captain had counted "the left foot"
only.

When we next went to his house for instruction in details of the school
of the engineer soldier, I asked him how many steps we were making a
minute when he first ordered "faster". He said "about 45". I replied:
"That's it. We have found out what was the matter. You counted only the
left foot. We were marching in 'common time' when you ordered us to move
'faster'; and you pushed us to nearly twice that rate".

"The cat was out of the bag." The Captain saw it at once and laughed
heartily over the error he had fallen into in the latter part of his
"first appearance" as captain, in drilling the company as infantry. He
made no such mistake thereafter; and the men never knew of his "count",
watch in hand.

On the 26th of September, 1846, we sailed from New York, 71 rank and
file, for Brazos Santiago, under orders to report to General Taylor,
commanding the U. S. army in Mexico