USA > Texas > History of Texas : from 1685 to 1892, volume 2 > Part 17
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44
14
-
210
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
of the same year, Admiral Baudin, commanding a part of the French fleet then blockading the ports of Mexico, touched at Galveston and exchanged salutations. It was regarded as a good omen. The freedom of the city accompanied by an address of welcome from the municipal authorities, was ten- dered the admiral, who responded in eulogistic terms.
In August, 1839, General James P. Henderson, with Mr. Albert T. Burnley, as a colleague, secured the acknowledg- ment of Texas independence by France, and on the 25th of September, with Marshal Soult, Duke of Dalmatia and pres- ident of the council, signed a treaty of amity, navigation and commerce, the Duke expressing his pleasure at thus becoming the European god-father of the young Republic.
General James Hamilton, having obtained the acknowledg- ment of Texian independence by Holland and Belgium suc- ceeded soon afterwards (November 16th, 1840), in forming treaties, covering all desired points, with Great Britain.
>
CHAPTER XXI.
Capture of San Antonio and the Retreat of the Invaders under Vasquez, 1842.
It must be borne in mind that at this period San Antonio, thirty-six miles west of the hamlet Seguin and seventy-six miles from Gonzales, was an outpost and eighty-four miles southwest of Austin. Beyond either place there was no set- tlement for hundreds of miles; from San Antonio to Laredo and Presidio del Rio Grande, 160 and 180 miles without a human habitation between. The inhabitants of San Antonio were made up of about nine-tenths Mexicans, the remainder being Americans, Germans, French, Indians, Scotch, Irish and English.
During the winter of 1841-42, through some friendly Mexican women, the Americans of San Antonio learned that preparations were on foot in Mexico for an invasion of Texas. Some of the Mexican residents of the town had secretly left to join the invaders under lead of a Mexican, well known to the Americans, named Antonio Perez. John C. Hays was then a rising young ranger in San Antonio, who had gained reputation as a bold and dashing Indian fighter. He occupied the same position in his district that Ben McCulloch and Matthew Caldwell occupied at Gonzales, Col. Ed Burleson on the Colorado, John T. Price at Victoria and Col. John H. Moore in Fayette. There were numerous others in the localities named who stood high as leaders: As Dawson and Rabb in Fayette, Wallace and Jesse Billingsly in Bastrop, Mark B. Lewis of Austin, James H. Callahan of Seguin, Henry E. McCulloch of Gonzales, Daniel B. Friar of Cuero, and others.
Forewarned, the Americans of San Antonio organized a
(211)
212
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
company, with John C. Hays as captain. In its ranks were several distinguished soldiers, and men of distinction, as Capt. D. C. Ogden, French Strother Gray, Henry Clay Davis, John R. Cunningham, Kendrick Arnold, Cornelius Van Ness, Dr. Smithers, John Twohig and others. Hays at once adopted energetic measures to organize and pre- vent a surprise. In response to his request, Ben Mc- Culloch and Alsey S. Miller joined him from Gonzales. His first move was to send out as scouts, towards the Rio Grande, Mike Chevallie and James Dunn. These men were ambushed and captured on the Nueces. He next sent his favorite Mexican servant, Antonio Coy, who, in like manner, was captured on the Rio Frio. Receiving no report from either, as soon as Ben McCulloch and Miller arrived from Gonzales, he sent them out under similar instructions. While these movements were in progress, Hays sent runners into the east calling for help. Five young men and boys (the author being one) left the Lavaca settlement in response to Hays' appeal. They reached the Cibolo creek on the Seguin and San Antonio road - in company with sim- ilar squads of men from elsewhere, and there organized a company, electing as their captain, James H. Callahan, of Seguin, one of the few men saved at Fannin's massacre. We reached San Antonio on the afternoon of March 5th and found Hays in chief command with Daniel B. Friar in com- mand of a small company from the Cuero settlement. Hays was recognized by all as chief in command and D. C. Ogden succeeded him as captain of the San Antonio company. A call of the roll revealed the fact that the entire force at that time was 107 men, among whom were Captain Andrew Neill and Col. Ury (a planter from Louisiana ). Hays, still keenly anxious to know the real condition of things, sent a special detail of scouts west to reconnoitre.1 Leaving at dark, in
1 This party consisted of Kendrick Arnold, Isaac N. Mitchell, Stewart
213
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
the chaparral four miles west of San Antonio, the party was fired upon from ambush, apprising them of the near approach of the Mexicans. Avoiding the road, the party moved on and soon discovered that the bluff on the west side of Leon creek was illuminated by a hundred or more camp fires. Moving on to the west of the camp they estimated the force of the enemy at 1,400, which, subsequently, proved to be correct. Returning, they reached San Antonio, about eight miles dis- tant, at daylight, and reported the facts to Col. Hays. Early in the morning of the 6th of March, the sixth anniversary of the fall of the Alamo, Col. Hays dispatched the same party with the addition of a man widely known as " Keno," whose real name was Ellison, to watch the approach of the Mexicans. This party passed entirely round the Mexicans, exchanging occasional shots. On returning back to the road a white flag appeared at this point. Arnold and Isaac Mitchell advanced to meet it. It was borne by Colonel Carrasco, who demanded a surrender of San Antonio. He was conducted blind-fold to headquarters. He announced that General Vasquez was in command of 1,400 men -infantry, cavalry and artillery ; that 1,800 would re-inforce him next day and several thousand a few days later, and demanded a peaceful surrender of the city. He was promised an answer at 2 p. m. and re-escorted to his command. A council of war was then held, Hays presiding and Captains Ogden, Friar, and Callahan, Lieuts. James P. Kincannon and Messrs. Cornelius Van Ness, John D. Mor- ris and other citizens participating. The question was, " Shall we retreat or fight?" On a parade of the men fifty-four voted to retreat, and fifty-three to stay and fight. Preparations were at once made to retreat, and at 2 p. m. General Vasquez was informed that they " refused to surrender." Three hun- dred and twenty-seven kegs of powder - the heads being knocked in - were thrown into the river, and John Towhig
Foley, Joshua Threadgill, Wm. Morrison, John Henry Brown, and perhaps one or two others.
214
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
(a merchant of San Antonio) arranged a number of slow matches to the powder in his store house which was filled with valuable goods for the Mexican trade. The retreat, with one piece of artillery, drawn by oxen, was commenced and continued in good order. As the rear guard left the plaza Twohig ignited his matches. As the Mexi- cans entered from the west, the pelados rushed to Two- hig's rich store for plunder. When about one hundred had rushed in the first keg of powder exploded -then another and another, -till a considerable number of Mexicans were dead or wounded. The retreat continued without encounter- ing the enemy, though several parties showed themselves on our right. Three American citizens of San Antonio, having no horses to ride (Dr. Launcelot Smithers and Messrs. Rhea and McDonald), declined to join in the retreat and were sub- sequently murdered by Mexican outlaws at the Cibolo Sulphur Springs. As we passed the Alamo in the retreat these men sat upon its walls. Col. Hays and Capt. Ogden besought them to join us, but they refused. We crossed the Powder- house ridge and descended the long slope towards the Salado creek on the Seguin road. To our right half a mile distant a body of Mexican cavalry appeared at the edge of the timber on the creek and waved their hats in defiance. Capt. Ogden galloped down the line and called for forty of the best mounted volunteers to attack them. The number was instantly at his side, among whom are remembered: Capt. Andrew Neill, Isaac N. Mitchel, C. C. DeWitt, Wm. Morrison, Calvin Tur- ner, Henry Clay Davis, Stewart Foley, and others. They charged - the Mexicans ran, and a beautiful sight gladdened our eyes - although retreating, our boys were whipping the foe. But little blood was shed, as the enemy had the start, but the Seguin boy, Calvin Turner, tumbled one Mexican and led his horse back in triumph. Capt. Neill and several others were severely injured in the charge by thorns piercing their legs. We encamped on the Cibolo that night - a courier
215
HISTORY OF TEXAS. '
having been sent to Austin - and next day we encamped at Flores' ranch, opposite Seguin on the Guadalupe. The whole Guadalupe valley, from Seguin - via Gonzales, to Cuero - was abandoned by the inhabitants, who retreated east as best they could in wagons, carts and on foot. The fighting citizens from the Brazos west rallied and hastened to the front. Ben McCulloch and Alsey Miller, who had been on a scout west to observe the enemy and were supposed to have been killed, brought to camp ample information as to the strength of what was believed to be the advance of an invading army. In a few days a large force of volunteer citizens assembled around San Antonio. The old veteran, Col. John H. Moore, of Fayette, with a goodly number following, was among the first to arrive. The noble soldier, Capt. Mark B. Lewis, afterwards basely murdered at Austin, was there, as was Burleson, the Vice-President, and Chief Justice Hemphill. There were upwards of 2,000 men, most of them with their respective captains. All hearts turned to Burleson as the commander, and he was elected by acclamation. The militia were called upon by President Houston to repair to San An- tonio with Brigadier-General Somervell to take command. Scouts soon brought the information that the enemy, after holding San Antonio a few days, had rapidly retreated.
While these events were passing on the upper or San Anto- nio route the lower or Goliad route had its full share in the events of the day. The coastwise people, on notice of the danger, rallied at Goliad. Victoria, Jackson, Matagorda and glorious old Brazoria were well represented by vol- unteers meeting by neighborhoods under their respective captains. Clark L. Owen was elected commander and they remained in camp about two weeks. They sent out scouts and soon found that no considerable force of the enemy was on that line. In that command were: Major James Kerr, John S. Menefee, Major George Sutherland and Frank M. White of Jackson; Ira R. Lewis, Albert C. Horton, J.
1
216
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
W. E. Wallace, George M. Collinsworth, Hardeman, Stewart, McCamly, Sam Fisher, Thomas M. Duke, Matthew Talbott, Harvey Kendrick and others from Matagorda; Capt. John T. Price, John J. Linn, Alfred S. Thurmand, David Murphree, Wm. Rupley, George Wright and others from Victoria; Wm. L. Hunter and others from Goliad; Wm. H. Jack, Branch T. Archer, Powhattan Archer, Edwin Waller, John Sweeney, the McNeels, Isaac T. Tinsley, Andrew Westall, Mordella S. Munson, M. Austin Bryan, James H. Bell, Orlando and Virgil Phelps, the Pattons, Reuben R. Brown, W. D. C. Hall, and others from Brazoria.
The State militia (a small remnant of a former organiza- tion), were ordered to San Antonio, and Brigadier-General Alexander Somervell was ordered to take command of the militia and other unorganized men. These having declared their choice of commander to be Vice-President Edward Bur- leson, General Somervell retired. Burleson was elected to command, by acclamation, but on the 31st of March, he proposed to resign the command to General Somervell who declined on the ground that the men had asserted their right to elect their own commander. It was ascertained by the scouts that the invaders had retreated across the Rio Grande, but Burleson was without orders which would admit of pursuit (as was almost the unanimous wish of the men), consequently on the 2d of April he disbanded the volun- teers.
Capt. Hays remained in the country to the west of San Antonio and Capt. Cameron with his command in the country from Victoria to the Nueces in the southwest. They were called cowboys, as they subsisted on such wild cattle, deer and other game as they could kill. Cameron was a fine specimen of the old Highland chiefs of Scotland. He stood six feet two, weighed about two hundred and ten pounds, and was a model of form and symmetry. He was a prudent, sagacious man of few words, careful of the lives of his men, who idol-
217
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
ized him, and never hesitated to follow where he led the way.1 Capt. John T. Price, in command of a small company of irregular troops, made several scouting expeditions into the Nueces country.
President Houston in consequence of these incursions of the enemy and the condition of Austin on the exposed frontier, in the exercise of a constitutional power, moved the seat of gov- ernment to Houston. This removal aroused no little indigna- tion among the citizens in the city and the country contiguous. The government archives were not, however, immediately removed. He issued urgent solicitations for contributions of men and money from the United States through agents who were instructed to require that volunteer immigrants should come armed, equipped and provisioned, and that they should proceed immediately to the rendezvous at Corpus Cristi, there to wait further orders. On the 5th of May, General James Davis was sent to take command of the volunteers, organize, drill and hold them until such time as an invasion of Mexico could be undertaken with a prospect of success. The require- ments of the President that volunteers (" immigrants ") should come " armed, equipped and provisioned " had not been complied with, consequently their condition was trying in the extreme, as there was little but beef in that part of the country even for the settlers and their families. The meeting of the extra session of Congress which, it was confidently ex- pected, would inaugurate plans and make necessary appropri- ations for the war into Mexico, was anxiously anticipated by the citizens who were eager to join the expedition. Congress
1 Among others in Cameron's company were: John R. Baker, first-lieu- tenant, Alfred Allee, second lieutenant; A. S. Thurmand, Gideon K. Lewis, " Legs," Henry D. Weeks, Mr. Bray, Robert W. Turner, Wm. Rupley. In Hays' company were: Chief Justice John Hemphill, Mike Chevallie, James Dunn, Ellison, John Henry Brown, Achilles Stapp, Beverly C. Greenwood, John H. Livergood, Wm. Smothers, C. Rufus Perry, Kit Acklin, Antonio Coy, John R. Cunningham, Sam Norvell, Guy Stokes, and forty or fifty others.
218
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
met on the 27th of June, and the President in his message regarding the question of war with Mexico as tacitly deter- mined upon in view of the pompous threats of Santa Anna of retaking the country, and the annoyances of the petty invasions which interrupted the peace and prosperity of the country, presented for their consideration and immediate action, the demands which such an expedition would make upon the re- sources of the government, the time which would be required for such preparations as the magnitude of the undertaking would require. If the former session of Congress was entitled to be called the " Reform Session " this was emphatically the " War Session." It was well known that President Houston had uniformly opposed an invasion of Mexican territory, for reasons which were fully sustained by time. He had in his order to General James Davis in May, required that officer to allow no forward movement towards the Rio Grande and repeated what the country knew only too well, that the great- est disasters which had befallen Texas had resulted from schemes to invade that country without authority and the necessary preparations.
As was to be expected the volunteers at Lipantitlan on the west bank of the Nueces became restless. Some repaired to San Antonio, and by the 7th of June their number had become so reduced as to invite an attack from Mexicans under Can- ales. Gen. Davis, his command reduced to one hundred and ninety-two men, apprised of Canales' intention, moved his quarters from their brush tents on the night of the 6th, so that on the morning of the 7th when Canales, with about 700 men and one piece of artillery, made the attack upon the tents, there was no response. However, discovering Davis' position in a ravine, they advanced and fired but were checked on their near approach by the fire of the Texians. About fifty soon returned to renew the attack, when their leader -, was killed. Canales and his command then withdrew. The force under General Davis was soon after disbanded.
219
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
There had been little improvement in the currency of the Republic. Appropriations had not been made by the recent Congress for necessary expenses ; the mail service had been suspended for want of means for its continuance. The Pres- ident in his message, referred to this state of things, to the want of provisions for the volunteers then being fed by pri- vate contributions, and to the condition of the navy, useless for want of means to put it in proper condition. He added that the Mexicans would, in all probability, continue to harass the Texian borders until some retaliatory check was put upon them and urged the necessity of an early settlement of the question of an invasion of their country.
A war of invasion was declared. Legislation progressed rapidly. Bills were passed which placed the President at the head of the invading army and clothed him with every power necessary for its equipment, and the successful conduct of the campaign. To defray the necessary expenses an appro- priation of 10,000,000 acres of land was made. Expectation and anxiety were at a high pitch when the time for the return of the bill drew near, and great was the surprise throughout the country when the war bill was returned with the Pres- ident's veto.
The people, in after years, came to realize the suicidal absurdity of an invasion of Mexico without the means of sus- taining an adequate force. The President found ample reasons for his veto in the facts, that no provisions were made for the payment of agents to sell the 10,000,000 acres of lands, even were the sales probable in view of the cheapness of land script then on the markets in the United States, and that lands could be procured for the mere settlement of a family upon them. No adequate amount had been contributed in the United States.
A bill was passed authorizing the President to order out the militia by draft of one-third the whole population capable
220
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
of bearing arms, to form a part of the army of invasion. This bill was vetoed as exercising a power not found dele- gated to Congress in the constitution, that of requiring the citizens to join an army of invasion into a foreign country, and a precedent which on some future plea of necessity might prove of great damage. Another objection was that the loan of $1,000,000.00, which Mr. Dangerfield had gone to New Orleans to negotiate, had not been effected. It is possible that the more cogent reason in the President's mind was a corre- spondence then being conducted by Daniel Webster, Secretary of State of the United States, with the American minister, Waddy Thompson, to Mexico, urging a cessation of hostili- ties, detrimental alike to the interests of all countries, which had recognized the independence of Texas, and affecting the friendly feelings of those countries for Mexico; and offering the friendly mediation of his government to bring about so desirable an end.
THE SANTA FE PRISONERS.
In June or July, 1842, at the instance of General Waddy Thompson, of South Carolina, American minister to Mexico, with the hearty concurrence of President Tyler and Daniel Webster, Secretary of State of the United States, the Mexican government released the Santa Fe prisoners, and they arrived at home a few weeks before the invasion conducted by Woll. Besides Col. Caldwell, a few others of their number par- ticipated in the operations against Woll. A few of them at the intercession of General Jackson, had been previously released. They had suffered much during their march from Sante Fe and their prison life in Mexico. General Houston, though without financial resources, had sought through various means to accomplish their liberation, notwithing the allega- tions subsequently made to the contrary. Although, as he
-
221
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
claimed, the Sante Fe expedition was undertaken without the authority of law, he yet maintained that their honorable surrender as prisoners of war demanded of the Mexican gov- ernment, their humane treatment as such. He fully realized that the expedition was chiefly made up of the best citizen- ship of the country.
CHAPTER XXII.
Woll's Capture of San Antonio -- Battle of the Salado - The Dawson Massacre - Retreat of Woll.
At daylight on Sunday morning, September 11th, 1842, the people of San Antonio were awakened by the roar of cannon, and a few moments revealed the fact that the town was in possession of a body of Mexicans, 1,400 strong, consisting of infantry, cavalry and artillery, commanded by General Adrian Woll.1 District court was in session and Judge Anderson Hutchinson, district attorney, George Blow with all the lawyers and most of the American citizens and officers, were speedily captured. Attorneys Wm. E. Jones, Andrew Neill, James W. Robinson and John R. Cunningham, and Citizens Isaac Allen, Samuel A. Maverick, John M. Bradley, John Twohig, James L. Trueheart, George Brown, - Elley and - Young were also captured. The whole affair occupied but a few moments. Some few escaped and hastened to
1 General Adrian Woll was a Frenchman by birth, educated for the army .- He came to Baltimore in 1816 with letters to General Winfield Scott, who became his friend and aided him to reach Mexico the same year, in the cele- brated Mina expedition, to aid in her war for independence against Spain. After the final triumph in 1821, in reward for his services, he received a commission in the regular army of Mexico. As a general he came with Santa Anna's army into Texas, but, being in Filisola's division, was not at San Jacinto. After that battle, however, he entered General Houston's lines, by an oversight, without displaying his flag of truce, and was detained for some time as a prisoner; but was finally escorted to Goliad and allowed to go home. These facts the author received from him in person in 1855, when as a friend of Santa Anna, on the latter's final downfall, Woll was es- caping from Matamoros to New Orleans. He died at his native place in France while Maximilian was in Mexico. His son, by his Mexican wife, bearing the name " Gual," (pronounced Woll,) was keeping a hotel in the city of Mexico when the author was in that city in the years 1869-70.
(222)
223
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
Seguin and Gonzales to give the alarm. From Gonzales couriers were sent to the Lavaca, the Colorado and the Brazos. They rode day and night, spreading the news and the fighting men, as always, rallied in squads, until companies were formed, and by Saturday following September 17th, two hundred and two men rendezvoused on the Cibolo, above the Seguin and the San Antonio road. A general organiza- tion took place. Capt. John C. Hays was placed at the head of a scouting company of forty-two of the best mounted men. Henry E. McCulloch was the first lieutenant of this company.
The old frontier captain, Matthew Caldwell (just returned from confinement in Mexico as a Santa Fe prisoner), was enthusiastically chosen commander. Canah C. Colley was made adjutant and Dr. Caleb S. Brown, of Gonzales, surgeon. The companies were commanded respectively by Captains Daniel B. Friar, of Cuero, thirty-five men; sixty from Gonzales and Seguin by Capt. James Bird of Gonzales, with James H. Callahan of Seguin as first lieutenant ; twenty-five from the Lavaca by Adam Zumwalt; forty cow-boys and Victorians by Capt. Ewen Cameron, with his lieutenants, John R. Baker and Alfred Allee, in all 202 men.
At sunset they marched for the Salado over the country, without any road, and, about midnight took position on the east bank of that creek a little below the present New Braun- fel's crossing and about six miles northeast of San Antonio. Sentinels being stationed, the men slept until daylight Sunday morning, September the 18th, just one week after General Woll had taken San Antonio. Woll's force consisted of 400 cavalry, 1,050 infantry and two pieces of artillery. About sun- rise, Col. Caldwell, having examined the ground, dispatched Hays and his company of scouts, with instructions, by taunts and defiances, to challenge the Mexicans to attack our position, thinking that two hundred and two Texians in such a position could whip fourteen hundred and fifty Mexicans. Hays and his men appeared on the ridge, three to four hundred yards
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.