On to the charge! Inscribed to the memory of Major Ringgold . . .

An illustrated sheet music cover for a song memorializing one of the first heroes of the Mexican War, Maj. Samuel Ringgold. Zachary Taylor's innovative gunnery commander was fatally wounded in May 1846 during the battle of Palo Alto. Ringgold's superbly drilled artillery was credited by Taylor with the victory at Palo Alto. The artist shows a grave site marked by a cross with a floral wreath, a bald eagle, a large American flag, and an olive branch. A half-buried cannon and a spade and helmet lie nearby. Also visible on the ground is a marker inscribed "May 8"--the date of the battle. In the background a battle rages. Ringgold, his thighs badly wounded, is shown being carried from the field by two soldiers. Below the image and dedication is a short paragraph that reads: "When the gallant Ringgold received the wound at the Battle of Palo Alto, which deprived the army of one of it's brightest ornaments--some of his comrades gathered round him, when he exclaimed "Leave me to my fate, there's work for every man to do."
Bufford & Co's Lith. Boston.
Entered . . . 1846 by F.D. Benteen.
Title appears as it is written on the item.
Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1846-9.