First edition, with an excellent map of the route taken by Doniphan's expedition, which marched from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe in 57 days. Henry Wagner believed that Edwards's account was among the most interesting published about the expedition.
Edwards volunteered in St. Louis, becoming to assigned to Doniphan's First Regiment of Missouri Volunteers. During his one-year enlistment Edwards saw action at Bracito, Sacramento, and El Paso. Includes many interesting descriptions of incidents in the West: rendezvous of the army near Bent's Fort, Indian houses, an account of daily life of the soldiers, Bent's murder, Chihuahua orders from Taylor and Wool, and the like. The appendix includes reports on the Battles of Bracito and Sacramento, as well as a Mexican government "Extra" document identifying the American force, as well as a table of distances.
Carl Wheat highlighted the importance and value of the map, which identifies Indian towns, as well as ranches, forts and villages.
[The map] covers the entire route of the Colonel and his command from Independence and Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe, thence south down the Rio Grande to Paso del Norte (the present Juarez, Mexico), west of the Rio Grande to Chihuahua, and finally to the coast at Brazos Santiago, near the mouth of the Rio Grande. The map is an excellent representation of the region covered - Wheat.
Edwards describes an incident which reflects the cruelty of the Texas Rangers: the execution of an innocent Mexican man at Ceralvo:
Taking a stroll through the town of Ceralvo, I found, sitting under a tree, dealing monte, a genuine specimen of the Texian ranger. His name, he said, was John Smith - a name which I thought I had heard before... dressed in a mongrel attire, his coat being of American manufacture, his pantaloons Mexican, and his belt Indian. A fine white shirt, open some distance down, tied with a black silk handkerchief, studiedly knotted, and a Mexican sombrero, completed his dress... While we rested at Ceralvo, I witnessed the execution of a Mexican supposed to be one of Urrea's lawless band. The Texians pretended to consider him as such; but there was no doubt that this was only used as a cloak to cover their insatiable desire to destroy those they so bitterly hate... the Rangers tried him by court-martial; and adjudged him to be shot that very day. As the hour struck, he was led into the public plaza; and five rangers took their post a few feet off, as executioners. The condemned cooly pulled out his flint and steel, and little paper-cigarito; and, striking a light, commenced smoking as calmly as can possibly be imagined, and - in two minutes - fell a corpse, with the still smoking cigarito yet between his lips.
An important item of Western Americana, with content relating to west Texas, New Mexico and the Santa Fe Trail, as well as Native Americans and the abovementioned details of the military campaign itself.