USA > Texas > Henderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 4
USA > Texas > Freestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 4
USA > Texas > Leon County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 4
USA > Texas > Anderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 4
USA > Texas > Limestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 4
USA > Texas > Navarro County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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30
HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,
The first service that Houston rendered his adopted country was as a member of the convention at San Felipe, in 1833, being chairman of the committee that drew up a constitution for the State as it was to be, when separated from Coahuila. It was never adopted, owing to the despotic meas- ures of Santa Ana. Houston at first did not think it best for Texas to attempt a separation from Mexico, and as late as August, 1835, he introduced a series of resolutions at a public meeting at Nacog- doches, declaring for the Constitution of 1824. He also, as a member of the con- sultation at San Felipe, in 1835, still op- posed a declaration of independence. His abilities were so great that, notwithistand- ing these views, he was made commander of the army, as previously stated.
General Cos, with 500 soldiers, landed at Pass Cavallo, in September, and marched immediately to San Antonio, when he superseded General Ugartechea. Austin, after reaching Gonzales, and effecting a reorganization of the volunteers, started for San Antonio. He reached the Mission La Espada, nine miles below the city, on the 20th. On the 27th, after resting his men, he detached the companies of Fannin and Bowie, ninety-two men, to ascend the river and if practicable select a more suitable camping ground. Fannin spent that night in a bend of the San Antonio river, near the Conception mission. The point was well chosen, but the Mexicans looked upon it as simply a trap to secure their game from, which was all they had to do. It was a natural fortification, but General Cos thought he had a sure thing of it; so he marched out in the morning and made an
attack. The Mexicans surrounded their supposed prey, and the battle began. The Texans with their deadly rifles plucked off all the gunners from the enemy's battery, as they came within range. A charge was made, or attempted, three separate times, but they were hurled back in confusion by the Texans, who remained masters of the field. Sixteen dead bodies were found near the abandoned cannon, which had been dis- charged but five times; so true was the aim of the riflemen that the Mexican gun- ners were shot before they could fire, in most cases. This was the first battle of the Revolution, and the loss of the Texans was one man- Richard Andrews. The Mexican loss was about sixty, as every one of the patriots who fired took aim and usually brought down his man. Austin, in October, moved up about a half mile, on the Alamo ditch, near the old mill, and next day to within one mile east of the city. He had nearly 1,000 men, but they were ill provided with arms and ammuni- tion of war, and without cannon. He was poorly prepared to attack a larger force than his own in a strongly fortified city. He, however, sent to Gonzales for the can- non at that place. Then came a number of skirmishes with the enemy and the cap- ture of 300 horses by Bowie. The execu- tive or general council, in view of the lack of funds wherewith to provide the supplies, etc., so much needed at that time, Messrs. Austin, Archer and Wharton, Commis- sioners to the United States, were em- powered to negotiate a loan of $1,000,000 in bonds of $1,000 each, and the com- mander-in-chief was authorized to accept
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AND LEON COUNTIES.
the services of 5,000 volunteers and 1,200 regulars. Provision was also made for a navy.
To return now to the army under Gen- eral Burleson, encamped before San An- tonio: Many of the men had gone home, although others were arriving daily; still, only about half the original force re- mained. There had been about 1,400 men in the camps at one time; 600 was the number on the 1st of December, while Cos had a much larger force in the city and was expecting 500 more. These ad- ditional troops arrived in time to take part in the defense of the city. The defenses had been put in order and the old fortress of the Alamo on the east side of the river had been repaired and fortified with can- non. The main plaza had been fortified and the streets barricaded, while the adobe houses in the narrow streets afforded shel- ter for the Mexican soldiers. Many of Burleson's officers, in consideration of these facts, were in favor of abandoning the siege. On the 2d of December it was de- cided to make the attack. The force was paraded and a strong address was made by Colonel William H. Jack. A call was then made for volunteers, and 450 men, in- cluding the New Orleans Grays, responded, the latter under the command of Major R. C. Norris. It was decided to make the attack next morning, although many con- sidered the project as a hopeless one. But three citizens arrived in camp from the city and gave such encouraging news that the next morning Colonel Milam suggested to Burleson to make the attempt while the enthusiasm was at its height. He agreed, and Milam stepped in front of Burleson's
tent and gave a loud and ringing huzzah, which, together with his magnetism, aroused the whole camp. He said he was going into San Antonio, and wanted volunteers to follow him. A ready response was made, and the little band, forming into two sections and accompanied by two field pieces, entered the town by different direc- tions. A description of this famous battle has so often been given that its details are ahnost like household words to all Texans. The result was sufficient almost to place it in the category of one of the "decisive bat- tles of the world," for the result of a battle is what makes it great. Hundreds of bat- tles have been fought where thousands on each side have been slain, and yet the re- sult has been nil. This siege and capture of the strongly protected city of San An- tonio de Bexar was all important to Texas. It gave the Mexicans to understand that not in numbers alone consists the strength of an army. Here was a force of undis- ciplined frontiersmen, poorly armed and equipped, only a few hundred in number, attacking a well organized army of regular soldiers, advancing into their very midst and forcing them to surrender. The dif- ference in apparent strength of the two forces and the result would appear ridicu- lous were it not so serious a matter. The spectacle of a general such as Cos seemed to be, surrendering to a few Texans, was a scene to be remembered by those who took part in the siege. But it is the old story of the Anglo-Saxon against the field. He is rarely ever the under dog in the fight at the finish.
But, during the time the fighting men were doing such splendid work, the poli-
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,
ticians were quarreling; nor are we lack- ing in a more "modern instance" or two, on both sides of Mason and Dixon's line. Governor Smith vetoed some matters that the council had voted, and the council promptly deposed him and placed Lieuten- ant-Governor Robinson in the executive chair. Smith held the archives and claimed to be governor still, and there were conse- . quently two governors at once; but that state of affairs is not uncommon in these days. Much other legislative matter of some interest at the time was transacted, but it is not now of supreme importance. The main historic facts is what the com- piler wishes to emphasize in these pages. Several declarations of independence were adopted in different sections of the embryo State, but an election was held for dele- gates to a convention which met on the 1st of March, 1836, and on the second day a committee was appointed to draft a decla- ration of independence, which was done, and it was unanimously passed, Sam Hous- ton offering the resolution that the report of the committee be adopted. Richard Ellis, for whom Ellis county was named, was president of the convention. A con- stitution was also framed which was adopted March 17, and a government ad interim inaugurated: David G. Burnett, Presi- dent; Lorenzo de Zavala, Vice-President, and Sam Houston, Commander-in-Chief of the army in the field.
Zacatecas, and the district over which Governor Garcia still had nominal sway, the remaining portion of old Mexico where- in the Republicans held out the longest, at last fell, Santa Ana having gained a com- plete victory over the forces of the gov-
ernor. This swept away the last vestige of the Republican party in Mexico. Yet Texas was not only holding her own, but gaining strength with every day; so Santa Ana determined to subjugate this State. He proposed to send two columns into the province, General Urrea being ordered to Matamoras, to take one division along the coast to Goliad and Victoria, while the president himself with the main division would take the province by way of Pre- sidio, thence to San Antonio and San Fe- lipe. In January, 1836, Santa Ana reaclied Saltillo, and Guerrero by the 15th of Feb- ruary. From the latter place he wrote to Señor Tornel, Minister of War, giving that official an outline of his plans in refer- ence to Texas, which were "to drive from the province all who had taken part in the Revolution, together with all the foreign- ers who lived near the sea coast, or the borders of the United States; to remove far into the interior those who had not taken part in the Revolution; to vacate all lands and grants of lands owned by non- residents; to remove from Texas all who had come to the province and were not entered as colonists under Mexican rules; to divide among the officers and soldiers of the army the best lands, provided they would occupy them; to permit no Anglo- American to settle in Texas; to sell the remaining vacant lands at $1 per acre, allowing those speaking the French lan- guage to purchase 5,000,000 acres, those speaking English the same, and those speaking Spanish without limit; to satisfy the claims of civilized Indians; to make the Texans pay the expense of the war; and to liberate and to declare free the
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LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.
negroes introduced into the colony." And further, to cut off from Texas the hope of aid from the United States, the Minister of War, Tornel, issued a general order to all commanders to treat all foreigners (volun- teers from the United States) as outlaws, to show no quarter, and slay them when taken as prisoners,-in short, to take no prisoners alive.
Colonel Travis, with 145 men, who was in the vicinity of San Antonio, on the ap- proach of the invading army, retired to the fortress of the Alamo, on the east side of the river. And just here a description of this famous fortress, the Alamo, and its armament will be in place; and although it lias often been described, yet the memo- ries surrounding it, glorious though sad, cannot be kept too fresh in the minds of all who love supreme heroism,-the Spar- tan heroism as shown by Travis and his little band. "The main chapel is 75 x 62 feet, walls of solid masonry, four feet thick and twenty-two and a half feet high, roof- less at the time of the siege. It fronts to the west toward the city, one-half mile dis- tant. From the northiwest corner a wall extended fifty feet to the convent building. The convent was a two-story building, with a flat roof, 186 x 18 feet. From the northeast corner of the chapel a wall ex- tended 186 feet north, thence 102 feet west to the convent, inclosing the convent yard. From the southwest corner of the chapel a strongly built stockade extended 75 feet to a building called the prison. The prison was one-story, 115 x 17 feet, and joined a part of the south wall of the main Alamo plaza, of which the convent formed a part of the east wall; and some
low buildings, used as a barracks, formed a part of the west wall. The main plaza, inclosed with walls, was 154 x 54 yards. The different enclosures occupied between two and three acres,-ample accommoda- tions for 1,000 men. The outer walls were two and a half feet thick and eight feet high, though, as they were planned against the Indians, the fortress was desti- tute of salient and dominant points in case of a bombardment. A ditch, used for irri- gation, passed immediately in the rear of the church; another touched the north- west angle of the main square. The arma- inent was as follows: three heavy guns, planted upon the walls of the church,- one pointing north, toward the old mill; one west, toward the city; and one south, toward the village of Lavalleta. Two guns protected the stockade between the church and the prison; two protected the prison, and an eighteen-pounder was planted at the sonthwest angle of the main square; a twelve-ponnd cannonade protected the cen- ter of the west wall, and an eight-pounder was planted on the northwest angle; two guns were planted on the north wall of the plaza,-in all, fourteen in position. Over the church floated the flag of the pro- visional government of Texas, the Mexican tri-color, with the numerals 1824, in place of the eagle in the white stripe."
The siege began on the 23d of Febru- ary, and so stubbornly did Travis and his men resist the furious onslaughts of the Mexicans that not until Sunday, March 6, did the fall of the Alamo occur, an account of which, briefly told, will here be given: "The Mexicans advanced to the attack at about four o'clock in the morning, but the
34
HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDESSON,
Texans were ready, and poured upon the advancing columns a shower of grape and musket and rifle balls. Santa Ana was watching the operations from behind a building about 500 yards south of the church. Twice the assailants reeled and fell back in dismay. Rallied again by the brave Costrellon (who fell at San Jacinto), according to Filisola, 'the columns of the western and eastern attacks meeting with some difficulty in reaching the tops of the small houses forming the wall of the fort, did, by a simultaneous movement to the right and to the left, swing northward until the three columns formed one dense mass, which under the guidance of their officers finally succeeded in effecting an entrance into the enclosed yard. About the same time the column on the south made a breach in the wall and captured one of the guns.' This gun, the eighteen- pounder, was immediately turned upon the convent, to which some of the Mexicans had retreated. The cannonade on the cen- ter of the west wall was still manned by the Texans, and did fearful execution upon the Mexicans who had ventured into the yard. But the feeble garrison could not long hold out against such overwhelming numbers. Travis fell early in the action, shot with a rifle ball in the head. After being shot he had sufficient strength to kill a Mexican who attempted to spear him. The bodies of most of the Texans were found in the buildings, where hand- to-hand fights took place. The body of Crockett, however, was in the yard, with a number of dead Mexicans lying near him. Bowie was slain in his bed, and it is said that he killed three Mexicans with his pis-
tols before they reached him after breaking in the door. The church was the last place entered by the foe. It had been agreed that when resistance seemed useless, and suspecting their fate, any surviving Texan should blow up the magazine. Major Evans, it is said, was performing this sad duty when he was killed in time to pre- vent the explosion. Several Texans ap- pealed to their inhuman captors for quar- ters, but they were cut down without mercy. The butchery was complete: not a Texan soldier was spared! Two ladies and a negro servant were the only occu- pants who remained to tell the tale of the Alamo. Lieutenant Dickinson attempted to escape with a child on his back, but their bodies fell, riddled with bullets. One hundred and eighty bodies of the Texans were collected together and partially buried. The Mexicans lost twice that number."
Santa Ana, in the meantime, had or- dered Urrea to proceed along the Texan coast, and that general reached San Patri- cio on the 28th of February, entirely un- known to the Texans. Some narrow escapes were made by Colonel F. W. Johnson and others, but a party under Major Morris and Dr. Grant were captured and they fell vic- tims to the Mexican murderers,-for they were nothing less. Colonel Fannin had been ordered to prepare for a descent on Matamoras, but hearing of the advance of Urrea, he re-entered Goliad, where he had been in command some time. Having been requested to send some reinforce- ments to Captain King, his force was thereby depleted by 112 men. King and his men, after a skirmish or two, by some means got separated from another portion
35
1437098
AND LEON COUNTIES.
LIMESTONE, FREESTONE
of his force, and were captured and killed. Fannin, in Goliad, on the 16th of March, was reinforced by the Twenty-eighth Cav- alry. He then prepared for a retreat; but just at nightfall a large force of the enemy was discovered in the neighborhood, when he remounted his cannon and prepared for defense. The following account of the dis- astrons battle of Colita, which followed, is copied from an able historian of Texas: "The morning of the 17th was foggy, and as no enemy appeared to be in sight, Fan- nin concluded to make good his retreat. After reaching a point about eight miles away from Goliad, they halted to permit the oxen to graze. They then resumed their march, and were within two miles of Colita creek when a company of Mexican cavalry was discovered in front of them, issuing from a point of timber. Urrea had taken advantage of the fog to get around and in front of Fannin's force. Horton's cavalry had gone in advance to make arrangements for crossing the stream, and could not get back to their companions. Two charges of Urrea's cavalry were gal- lantly repulsed by Fannin's artillery, which did great damage to the Mexicans. The fight was kept up till nightfall, when the enemy retired out of range and the Texans prepared for a renewal of the fight in the morning. Their condition was indeed critical. Fourteen of their number had been killed, and sixty others, including Fannin, were wounded. Urrea received. during the night heavy reinforcements. With no adequate protection, in an open prairie, without water, surrounded by an enemy five times their number, what could they do but surrender as prisoners of war?
A white flag was raised and the following terms of surrender agreed upon: That the Texans should be treated as prisoners of war according to the usages of civilized nations; that private property should be respected and restored, but side arms of the officers should be given up; the men should be sent to Copano, and thence in eight days to the United States, or as soon as vessel could be procured to take them; the officers should be paroled and returned to the United States in like manner."
After surrendering in good faith and re- lying upon the honor, in this case at least, of the Mexican general, the prisoners were looking forward to a speedy release, and on Palm Sunday, the 27th, they were expect- ing to be forwarded to their homes. But alas! vain hope! the treacherous scoundrel to whom they surrendered had broken liis military word and was about to place his name in the same category as the Caligulas and Neros and other fiends in human shape. Without warning and under the pretence of starting them homeward, the privates were marched ont in four companies, strongly guarded, from the old mission at Goliad, where they had been sent. and where the men of Ward's force were also confined, and who, too, met the same fate as Fannin's men. They were taken in different directions, and within sound of the officers, whose fate had also been de- cided upon, they were brutally slaughtered. A few, by feigning death and lying still till dark, escaped. The officers and the wounded who were still in the fort were then taken out, and all of them met the same fate as the privates, Fannin being the last to suffer death. That Santa Ana,
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,
at the close of the victorions . revolution, should have been permitted to escape the fate of those brave patriots, has been a hard pill for most Texans to swallow. Ten years later, when he was in command of the Mexican army opposing General Scott, and when he was again captured, it was difficult for the American soldiers to keep their hands off the bloodthirsty brute, and he had to be strongly guarded to save him from the vengeance of many a grizzled Texan. Not content with these butcheries, Santa Ana, thinking that the conquest of Texas was complete, gave orders to his subordinates to shoot all prisoners, he himself making preparations to retire to the capital. But when he heard that a considerable army under Houston was still in the field, he, at the solicitation of Al- monte and Filisola, concluded to remain and complete his work.
General Houston liad been re-elected commander-in-chief of the army, and had gone to Gonzales, with the intention of reorganizing the forces, in which he had great difficulty, for the fate of Travis and Fannin and their men caused a great panic when the news became known. Besides, thirty-two of the citizen soldiers of Gon- zales, who had entered the Alamo the night before the battle, were slain, leaving a dozen or more families of that town with- out a head. A number of desertions also occurred, and the alarm was, indeed, wide- spread. Then came some movements on the part of General Houston that caused great criticism of his actions. There was not a very considerable cordiality between the commander and the newly inaugurated president, and in an order to the former
from the latter these words were added: "The enemy are laughing you to scorn. You must fight them. You must retreat no further. The country expects you to fight. The salvation of the country de- pends on your doing so." The Confeder- ate as well as the Federal generals, during the late war, had their critics at their re- spective seats of government, yet the names of Houston, Lee and Grant live on; but where are they, who were they, who sought to teach those great soldiers? The battle of San Jacinto was the response of the great Texan to his official, not to say officions superior. And the best report of that decisive battle is contained in the official report of the commander, who, by that one blow to Mexico, secured the inde- pendence of Texas, the annexation of our great State to the greatest nation on earth, and finally led to the acquisition of the vast interior region stretching from the Rio Grande to the Pacific ocean:
" HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, 1 "SAN JACINTO, April 25, 1836. 5
"To His Excellency, D. G. BURNETT, President of the Republic of Texas:
"Sir :- I regret extremely that my situa- tion since the battle of the 21st has been such as to prevent my rendering you my official report of the same previous to this time.
" I have the honor to inform you that on the evening of the 18th instant, after a forced march of fifty-five miles, which was effected in two days and a half, the army arrived opposite Harrisburg. That evening a courier of the enemy was taken, from whom I learned that General Santa Ana, with one division of his choice troops, liad
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LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.
marched in the direction of Lyncli's Ferry, on the San Jacinto, burning Harrisburg as he passed down. The army was ordered to be in readiness to march early on the next morning. The main body effected a crossing over Buffalo bayou, below Harris- burg, on the morning of the 19tli, having left the baggage, the sick, and a sufficient camp guard in the rear. We continued the march throughout the night, making but one halt on the prairie for a short time, and without refreshment. At day- light we resumed the line of march, and in a short distance our scouts encountered those of the enemy, and we received in- formation that General Santa Ana was at New Washington, and would that day take up the line of march for Anahuac, cross- ing at Lynch's Ferry. The Texan army halted within a half mile of the ferry, in some timber, and were engaged in slaughtering beeves, when the army of Santa Ana was discovered to be in battle array, having been encamped at Clopper's Point, eight miles below.
" Disposition was immediately made of our forces, and preparations for his recep- tion. He took a position with his infan- try and artillery in the center, occupying an island of timber, his cavalry covering the left flank. The artillery, consisting of one double-fortified medium brass twelve- pounder, then opened on our encampment. The infantry in column advanced with the design of charging our lines, but were re- pulsed with a discharge of grape and can- nister from our artillery, consisting of two six-pounders. The enemy had occupied a piece of timber within rifle shot of the left wing of our army, from which an occasional
interchange.of small arms took place be- tween the troops, until the enemy with- drew to a position on the bank of the San Jacinto, about three-quarters of a mile from our encampment, and commenced fortifi- cation. A short time before sunset our mounted men, abont eighty-five in num- ber, under the special command of Colonel Sherman, marched out for the purpose of reconnoitering the enemy. Whilst ad- vancing they received a volley from the left of the enemy's infantry, and after a short renconter with their cavalry, in which ours acted extremely well, and performed some feats of daring chivalry, they retired in good order, having had two men severely wounded and several horses killed. In the meantime the infantry, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Millard, and Colonel Burleson's regiment, with the artillery, had marched out for the purpose of covering the retreat of the cavalry, if necessary.
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