In the spring of 1847 John W. Dodd of Marion, Indiana, enlisted for service in the Mexican War, joining Company A, Fourth Regiment of the Indiana Volunteers. He left at home his wife Eliza (b. 1822) and two small children, Kate and Willie (b. spring 1847). Mustered as a lieutenant on May 31, 1847, he traveled with his regiment from Jeffersonville, Indiana, to New Orleans between May 25 and June 3, 1847. The regiment sailed to Brazos Santiago, an island off the coast of southern Texas, in July. Dodd passed through Reynosa, Mier, Vera Cruz, and Perote, before arriving in Puebla, Mexico, in October 1847, where he remained stationed for the remainder of the war. The regiment did not see any combat, except for minor skirmishes with Mexican guerrillas. While stationed at Puebla, Dodd was promoted to adjutant to the regiment in October, assistant adjutant general of the brigade in December, and finally to captain of A Company in April 1848. In March, Dodd sustained an accidental, self-inflicted, gunshot wound in his groin. He left Puebla in June, reached New Orleans by the end of the month, and was formally discharged on July 20, 1848.
From the guide to the John W. Dodd papers, 1845-1862, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)
