USA > Texas > History of Texas : from 1685 to 1892, volume 1 > Part 15
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In the meantime the schooner dropped down and came to immediately abreast of the front, when the gallant Russell turned loose his pieces, sending forth messengers of slugs, lead, chains, scraps of iron and whatever else they had been able to pick up for the occasion.
And so the contest raged till daylight came, before which time, as previously determined in case the palisades proved non-effective, each of Austin's men had dug a pit in the sand for protection. In some cases, trenches capable of holding several men had been scooped out with hoes carried for the purpose. Thenceforward the unerring rifle- men of Austin, burrowed as they were in the ground, and those of Brown among the drift, did fearful execution. So deadly was their aim at the heads of the infantry whenever visible above the walls and of the gunners serving the artillery, that the former resorted to the expedient of raising their pieces with their hands above the walls and firing without exposing their heads; but this availed not, for the keen-eyed riflemen sent balls crashing through their hands, wrists and arms. Their next experiment was to hoist their caps on their ramrods barely in view of the assailants who, supposing them to contain heads, literally perforated them with balls.
The schooner continued to do splendid work. Its mate, though a non-combatant and non-resident, remained in the cabin, making cartridges. A cannon ball entered and drove a pillow through his body, literally tearing it in twain. A negro sailor remained on deck firing a blunderbuss on his own
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account and singing boatmen's songs as nonchalantly as if at a frolic.
Nine o'clock came. More than two-thirds of Ugartechea's men were dead or wounded within the space of nine hours - a result believed to be unparalleled, under similar conditions, in the history of warfare. Austin sounded a parley and, to prevent further slaughter, demanded the surrender of the fort. Ugartechea asked for but two conditions -that his officers should retain their side-arms and that the survivors of his command should be allowed peacefully to leave the coun- try. These concessions would have followed without stipu- lations ; but they were promptly made and the fort surren- dered. The conditions were fully and indeed humanely fulfilled and every attention given the wounded. The soldiers were kindly treated and the officers received the most generous hospitalities because of their gallantry and especially because the personal intercourse of Colonel Ugartechea with the people had at all times been gentlemanly.
The results of this first battle between the Texian colonists and the military power of Mexico were, on the part of the colonists, seven killed and twenty-seven wounded, thirty-four out of a hundred and twelve; on the part of the Mexicans forty-two lay dead in the fort and seventy were wounded, chiefly in the face, head, hands and arms, a hundred and twelve out of a hundred and fifty.
In the years 1853-4-5, I sought by many personal inter- views and correspondence with surviving participants in this struggle to get the facts as they transpired and as nearly as possible a list of the heroic men engaged. The facts as here- in given were verified by no less than twelve of the partici- pants, to wit: Robert Mills, Edwin Waller, Thomas Chaudoin, Robert H. Williams, Andrew E. Westall, Charles Covington, Valentine Bennett, Samuel Addison White, James Gibson, William H. Settle, Asa Mitchell and Dr. Charles B. Stewart. This special care was taken because of its great historical
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importance as the first actual measurement of arms in the succession of bloody dramas which led to the independence of Texas and which had been so imperfectly described, not to say partially ignored, by writers on Texian history. A deep sense of patriotic duty impelled the effort, also to secure and place in enduring form the names of those dauntless pioneer- farmer-heroes, who first punctured the arrogance of Mexican despotism and gave a foretaste of the grand achievements yet in store for the knightly chivalry destined to win Texas from barbaric misrule to peaceful civilization. The complete achievement of this desire proved unattainable, but after much perseverance the names of 99 of the one hundred and twelve heroes were obtained and are appended in the note below.1
1 THE HEROES OF VELASCO, JUNE 26, 1832.
1. Captain John Austin, commanding the first company of the expedition, died of cholera in 1833. Senior in command.
2. Captain Henry S. Brown, commanding the second company, died in Columbia July 26, 1834.
3. Captain William J. Russell, commanding the schooner Brazoria, died in San Antonio, November 5, 1882.
IN THE RANKS.
Ephraim Anderson; D. W. Anthony, editor, died of cholera in 1833; Silvester Bowen, master of a schooner, shot in the thigh; Wm. S. Brown, afterwards in the Texian navy; Thomas Bell, known as Tecumseh; J. Brit Bailey; Aylett C. Ruckner, killed; Mandies Berry; Benjamin Brigham, a boy, wounded - killed at San Jacinto, where stands the Brigham monument. Smith Bailey; Gaines Bailey ; Valentine Bennett ; Lewis Boatright; Thomas Chaudoin, wounded, in Brown's company; George M. Collinsworth; James P. Caldwell, wounded in Austin's company ; Charles Covington, in Brown's company; John W. Cloud, a preacher; Thomas P. Crosby; Hinton Curtis; Emory H. Darst; N. Darst; - Drinkard; Joseph Dupong; John Foster James Foster; James Fessenden; James Gibson, of Gonzales, in Brown's company; Roswell W. Gillett; Samuel S. Gillett; John Hodge, in Brown's company; Milton Hicks, his leg broken, in Brown's company (he, with an entire party of fifteen, known as the Webster party, was killed by Indians on Brushy Creek, Williamson County, in January, 1839) ; Edmond St. John Hawkins, in Brown's company; Geron Hinds, in Brown's company; Mathew
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Crowned with victory at Velasco, these citizen soldiers ex- pected to march to the aid of their friends under Johnson, Kuykendall, Williamson and Splane at Anahuac, but before reaching there the necessity passed and they proceeded no further, but dispersed to their homes. As has been stated, the arrival of Colonel Piedras at Anahuac, after a day or two of negotiations, resulted in the arrest of Bradburn, and his
T. Hinds, killed, in Brown's company ; Elsey Harrison; - Hughes; Thomas Jamison, in Brown's company ; John Kaller; Allen Larrison; Isaac Maiden, in Brown's company; Pinkney McNeal; John G. McNeal, Sterling McNeal, in Brown's company; Robert Mills; Andrew G. Mills - these two brothers in Brown's company; Benjamin Mims; George B. Mckinstry; David H. Wilburn; a Mexican, name forgotten, killed, in Brown's company; Mate of the schooner Brazoria, name forgotten, killed, in Russell's company; Asa Mitchell; Samuel May; Henry W. Munson; E. Maxey; William Menefee, then of the Navidad; S. Owens; Samuel Pharr, Ray Philips; Sidney Philips, Dr. T. F. L. Parrott; John G. Robison (a member of the first Texas Congress in 1836, and killed with his brother by Indians in Fayette County in the spring of 1837) ; Joel W. (son of John G. Robison), who was in the storming of Bexar in 1835, at Concepcion and in the Grass fight, at San Jacinto in 1836, often in the legislature, and died in Fayette County in 1888; Joseph Reese; John Rawls; James Ramage, a captain in the U. S. navy and a non-combatant; Andrew Roberts; Arthur Robertson; his brother, Edward Robertson, killed in Brown's company ; Andrew Scott, of the Navidad; Henry Smith, wounded in the head in Austin's company (afterwards the first American Governor of Texas, died in Los Angelos County, California, in a camp far from human habitation, March 4, 1851) ; William H. Settle, in Brown's company; Andrew Strother; Abram Smeltzer, in Austin's company; Dr. Charles B. Stewart, in Brown's company ; William S. Smith, a school teacher, killed in Brown's company ; Hiram M. Thompson, in Austin's company; James Thompson, in Austin's company; Robert H. Williams, of Caney (lost an eye in Brown's company) ; James M. Westall, in Austin's company; Andrew E. Westall, in Austin's company; William H. Wharton, in Austin's company; Edwin Waller, in Brown's company; Samuel Addison White, of the Navidad, on the schooner in Russell's company ; James W. Woodson, in Austin's com- pany ; Bird B. Waller; Job Williams, of the Navidad, in Brown's company ; Agabus Winters; John Woodruff; Jesse Williams; Pendleton Rector ; Jona than Burleson; George Brooks; John D. Newell; Robert J. Calder and Benjamin Highsnuth; leaving 13 of the 112 names unknown, despite every effort to obtain them many years ago. In so far as could be ascertained the names have been assigned to the companies to which they belonged; but that is a matter of no consequence.
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removal from the country, the release of the seventeen American prisoners and the return of the armed citizens to their homes. Piedras, leaving Lieutenant Juan Cortinez in command as successor of Bradburn, returned with his troops to his headquarters at Nacogdoches. This was about the last of June, about four days after the victory at Velasco, news of which had been received a day or two before. Thus for the moment, matters stood. Colonel Souverin, a professed Republican, arrived and took command at Anahuac, pro- nounced for Santa Anna and soon sailed with the Mexican troops for Vera Cruz.
CHAPTER XX.
Bustamente's Decree - Turtle Bayou resolutions-Battle of Nacogdoches- Surrender of the Mexican garrison.
To connect events and make them intelligible, let it be remembered that in Vera Cruz, on the 2d of January, 1832, Santa Anna had pronounced against Bustamente, the violent usurper of the Presidency, and in favor of the violated con- stitution of 1824. He was at the head of a large force, while his adherent, General Montezuma, was at the head of a con- siderable force farther north, opposing General Mier y Teran, a supporter of Bustamente, a centralist at heart and a bigoted hater of everything American. Bustamente's adherents were in arms in strong force and in possession of many important places, including Matamoros, while the commanders in Texas, as has been said, were devoted to his cause.
The Texian colonists writhed under the decree of Busta- mente of the 6th of April, 1830, forbidding the farther immi- gration of their friends, relatives and countrymen into Texas, in effect perpetually dividing asunder families, portions of whom had come already in good faith, while others, as their business could be arranged, were to follow. Under this stab at the most holy affections animating the human breast, and the tyrannous conduct of Bradburn, in giving effect to the design, with Piedras at Nacogdoches, Ugartechea at Velasco and Bean at Fort Teran, all under the same directing head, the colonists hailed with a joy commensurate with the hope inspired by it, the news of the glorious attitude assumed by Santa Anna, then looked upon as one of the purest of patriots. The news of the true condition of affairs in Mexico - in the absence of any regular means of communication - did not reach the Texians until after they had taken up arms to resist
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the outrages of Bradburn. But when it did arrive such clear-headed men as Robert M. Williamson, and others among those assembled in front of Anahuac, saw, as if by inspira- tion, a hand pointing out the road to relief and the course they should follow. Hence the Turtle Bayou resolutions of the 13th of June, drawn by Captain Williamson.
These resolutions, with a true exposition of the noble stand taken by the patriot Santa Anna against the usurping tyrant Bustamente, were sent by messengers and scattered broadcast into every cabin in east Texas. The effect, as ever among intelligent freemen, was electrical. Outside of cringing Tory circles, one voice animated the country. That voice pro- claimed that Colonel Jose de las Piedras, for whom personally the people entertained feelings of kindness and respect, must either declare for Santa Anna and the constitution of 1824, or must leave the country.
In July an understanding was reached between the Ameri- cans in Nacogdoches, on the Teneha, Ayish Bayou, in the Bevil settlement and elsewhere in that portion of east Texas, to enforce these views. By agreement, an assemblage of armed men took place near Nacogdoches on the 31st day of July. They were organized in companies, and John W. Bul- lock was chosen as commander of the whole. A conference was held between these sons of liberty and the civil function- aries of the municipality, in which Isaac W. Burton, Philip A. Sublett and Henry W. Augustin were deputed to visit Colonel Piedras, make known to him the views and intentions of their constituents, and ask his co-operation in sustaining Santa Anna and free Republican government, with an intima- tion, unmistakable in tone, that, if he did not, he must evacuate his position and retire to the interior of Mexico. Piedras possessed virtues. He was a gallant man and a gen- tleman. He was a centralist or semi-monarchist at heart and had been sent into Texas as a supporter of Bustamente, by the superior general of northern Mexico, Mier y Teran,
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because of his known principles and constancy. Hence, to the requests of the committee, he delivered a gentlemanly but emphatic " No." Their report left but one of two courses open to the armed citizens.
On the night of August 1st, these earnest men, about three hundred in number, camped a little east of Nacogdoches. During the night, in anticipation of bloody work on the morrow, the families evacuated the town. On the next day the forces entered the suburbs, challenging attack ; but, none being made, moved into the center of the town, whereupon they were charged by about a hundred Mexican cavalry, who were repulsed with some loss. Don Encarnacion Chirino, Alcalde, fell by the fire of his own countrymen. The Texians took position in houses and behind fences, and a random fire was kept up till night, in which time they lost three killed and five wounded, while the Mexican loss was stated at forty-one killed and about as many wounded.
During the night Piedras retreated on the road to San Antonio. Colonel James Bowie, who seems to have arrived during the night, headed a party to out travel and get in front of Piedras, while the main body pursued in the rear. By taking the lower road Bowie succeeded and appeared in Piedras' front a little west of the Angelina, in crossing which, the Mexican sergeant, Marcos, was killed by Bowie's men. Seeing his inevitable defeat, and resolved not to abandon the cause of his chief, Piedras surrendered the command to the next in rank, Don Francisco Medina, who at once declared for Santa Anna and the Republican constitution, and submitted himself to the colonists-nominally yielding himself and command as prisoners.
By agreement, Bowie escorted the Mexicans to San An- tonio. Asa M. Edwards conducted Piedras to Velasco, whence he returned to Mexico. Among the volunteers at Nacogdoches, besides Bullock and Bowie, were Asa M. Edwards, Haden H. Edwards, Alexander Horton, Almanzon
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Huston, Isaac W. Burton, Philip A. Sublett, Henry W. Augustin, M. B. Lewis, Theophilus Thomas, Isaac D. Thomas, Thomas S. McFarland, Asa Jarman, and William Y. Lacy.1
1 I have fortunately come into possession of Colonel Bullock's original report of this engagement, never before in print, and here give it:
NACOGDOCHES, August 9th, 1832. To the Alcalde of San Felipe de Austin:
DEAR SIR - I have the pleasure to announce to you that this post sur- rendered to the Santa Anna flag on the 5th inst. We attacked on the 2d about one p. m. The fight continued without intermission till dark. Dur- ing the night we were making preparation to storm their strong position, which we could easily have accomplished next day. But Colonel Piedras, with his troops, decamped in the night, leaving behind him all his killed, wounded, public stores, clothing, etc. The fixed-cartridges, powder and lead were thrown in the wells. His intentions appear to have been to make a hasty retreat, but we gave him a warm fire as he was crossing the Angelina about twenty miles from this place, which caused him to call a halt. He there surrendered, and is now a prisoner of war at this place. Allowing him time to arrange his private affairs, he will be sent under a suitable guard to Anahuac on Sunday next. The troops will be sent to the same point, under the superintendence of Colonel James Bowie, who has politely offered his service. (This plan was changed. Colonel Piedras was sent to Velasco escorted by Asa M. Edwards, and the troops to San Antonio, under Colonel Bowie.)
At the time we made the attack about sixty Cherokee Indians, with Bowles at their head, well armed and mounted, were within gun-shot. I sent for them and after much explanation, they appeared to understand the object for which we were fighting, stating that they had been deceived by Colonel Piedras, who had told them many lies, etc.
We, however, doubted their sincerity, and no doubt they would have as- sisted him had we not so completely succeeded.
Colonel Piedras, from the best information I can get, has forty-seven killed and as many wounded. Our loss comparatively small. (Don Encar- nacion Chirino, the Alcalde, fell at the hands of his own countrymen.) S. P. Hopkins and W. Hathaway were killed and five wounded; the latter now on the way to recovery. The Ayuntaimento will write by this convey- ance. You will please communicate the result to the citizens of your district and others who were enlisted in our common cause; and let those who had assembled to our assistance return to their homes with the thanks of this command.
Your friend and fellow-citizen,
JOHN W. BULLOCK, Col. Commanding.
.
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Between the events at Anahuac and Velasco, closing with June, and those at Nacogdoches, in the first four days of August, another incident transpired of what, at the time, was deemed of serious import.
Having heard of the actions of Bradburn in May and of the excitement of the colonists, Santa Anna, or General Montezuma for him, dispatched a fleet of veseels, with four hundred men, under General Jose Antonio Mexia with orders to proceed first to Matamoros and secure that place, either by diplomacy or arms, in the interest of the constitutional party ; and then to sail up the coast to Texas and investigate the reported facts.
Mexia induced the commander and troops in Matamoros to declare against Bustamente and in favor of Santa Anna and his Republican principles. Thus relieved of that embarrass- ment, Mexia sailed up the coast. At that time Stephen F. Austin, en route home from the legislature at Saltillo, hap- pened to be in Matamoros, and came home with Mexia. He had been absent and had taken no part in these events. The fleet arrived at the mouth of the Brazos on the 20th of July. Intercourse was at once opened by correspondence between the Mexican General and Captain John Austin, late com- mander of the Texians at Velasco, backed by verbal and written statements from other prominent citizens. Austin was second Alcalde of the jurisdiction of San Felipe, which still (till near the close of 1832) extended to the coast, in- cluding Brazoria, west to the Lavaca and east to the San Jacinto, though in November Brazoria and Matagorda were organized as distinct municipalities, and Brazoria, under the former municipal organization, was known as the precinct of Victoria.
General Mexia was fully informed of all the facts, the irritations arising from Bustamente's decree, inhibiting American immigration, the persistent outrages of Bradburn, the uprising of the people, the successes achieved, the Turtle
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Bayou resolutions in favor of Santa Anna and assured that the Americans in Texas regarded Santa Anna as a patriot, and hoped to find in him a savior of the country. Mexia received these evidences of loyalty with manifest pleasure. General joy was the result and an interchange of civilities and courte- sies followed, including a ball to the general and his officers.
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CHAPTER XXI.
First Convention ever held in Texas and its Work - Murmurings of Mexican officials in consequence - Patriotic avowals of Stephen F. Austin.
Matters having thus reached so satisfactory a solution, at the end of two or three weeks, General Mexia and the fleet sailed down the coast to resume operations in behalf of Santa Anna, who, soon afterwards, came to a truce with Bustamente, by which it was agreed that the exiled President, Pedraza, should be recalled and serve out the remainder of the term - to end in April, 1833, and that they would unite in upholding the constitution of 1824. Pedraza assumed the office on the 16th of December, 1832.
From a superficial point of view, which a majority of men seem inclined too often to take, the affairs of Texas now seemed bright. They were bright in the simple local facts that Bradburn had been sent off in disgrace, Ugartechea victor- iously overcome and Piedras honorably allowed to return to his chief and report the pugnacious character of Los Texanos Americanos; and in the further light that Mexia had gone back to Santa Anna with abundant evidences that the Texi- ans were his ardent friends, supporters and defenders, because they regarded him as the South Americans regarded Simon Bolivar. But there were wise men among the Texians, men capable of looking beyond the surface, men versed in history and well aware of the uncertainty of human action when men are tempted by the allurements of place, power and those gilded attractions, which nothing short of inborn and inbred republican simplicity can resist. They realized in the fullness of absolute conviction that the law of the 6th of April, 1830, still confronted them as the law of the Mexican nation ; that
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Bustamente still held the reins of government; that all Texas had only two representatives in the Legislature of the com- bined sections organized as Coahuila and Texas, and hence was powerless to influence legislation. They realized, also, that there was such a difference in the customs, training, expe- rience and aspirations of the two peoples, as to render their political union impracticable ; and hence that the political salva- tion of the people of Texes depended upon the erection of Texas into a distinct State, whereby their political action and local affairs could be relegated to their own intelligence, and their loyalty to the Mexican nation could be maintained as an intelli- gent unit ; subjection to Mexican fickleness, selfishness, extrava- gance and turmoil these leaders saw could not be permanently ·endured. There was, however, no desire per se to wrest the territory from Mexico and its erection either into an independ- ent State or its possible addition to the United States. In full- est sincerity, they preferred the pacification, under republican auspices, and the prosperity of Mexico, of which they desired to be a part as a self-governing State.
THE FIRST CONVENTION EVER HELD IN TEXAS, IN 1832.
In obedience to this all-pervading sentiment, soon after the departure of General Mexia and Colonel Piedras from the country, the first and second Alcaldes of the jurisdiction of Austin (Horatio Chriesman, of San Felipe, and John Austin, of Brazoria ) united in a call on the 14th of September upon the people of all Texas in their respective districts, to elect delegates to a convention to assemble at San Felipe de Austin, on Monday, the first day of October, 1832.
This brings us face to face, with the most important and momentous step yet taken by the colonists of Texas - in one sense the most important ever taken, because it was to be the first assemblage of the people in an elective deliberative council. It vividly recalls to mind the incipient actions of
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our ante-revolutionary forefathers in the days preceding 1776 and reminds us of their genuine devotion to enlightened lib- erty and appreciation of the practical means of securing and preserving it.
It seems remarkably strange that all former historians of Texas have either omitted all reference to this truly historic body, or have merely alluded to the fact that some such body assembled in 1832, without stating anything as to its compo- sition or its acts. Doubtless this grave omission sprang from the fact that none of them ever had access to the journals of its proceedings or to the Mexican records bearing upon them and showing the commotion this assemblage created in Mexi- can circles. The author is more fortunate, having, to a large extent, possession of both sources of information, the official documents. The information he is enabled to furnish is, therefore, at first hands, not gathered from hearsay.
No more concise and satisfactory account of the meeting of that first convention on the soil of Texas can be given than by quoting from its official journal, viz .:
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