USA > Texas > History of Texas : from 1685 to 1892, volume 2 > Part 19
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and afterwards long known as the Rector of the Episcopal Church in Austin, in jumping to escape the rushing animals sank back into a bed of prickly pears, and was terribly lacerated by the barbs, insomuch that his captain, Dr. Jerome B. Robertson spent the leisure hours of several suc- ceeding days in extracting them from his body.
Next morning an hour's search brought in most of the animals. Flaco arrived with a note from Hays, saying that he had taken two Mexican scouts ; that there were two com- panies of Mexican troops at Laredo, and that, by a rapid march, they could be captured. It must be borne in mind that there was not a tent in the command. It was a cold, rainy morning, with a severe north wind, and it was sixty miles to Laredo. Leaving a few men behind to seek the miss- ing animals, the command moved rapidly on. At nightfall a halt was made to rest the animals and take refreshments, after which, abandoning all the beef cattle, the march was resumed, Hays still in the advance with Ben McCulloch as his companero. The skies became clear and the stars shone forth in the glory of a beautiful night. The route was only a cart road, narrow and bordered by dense chaparral. An hour before day our troops had surrounded the town and awaited the dawn, when it was found that not a Mexican soldier was in the place. One of the two scouts captured by ' Hays two days before had been allowed to escape, though badly wounded. His guard (Wm. Alsbury ), overcome by fatigue, pillowing his head on the prisoner's body, fell into a sound slumber. The brave fellow, for such he evidently was, gently laid the head of his guard on a saddle and left. He reached Laredo in time to give the alarm, and the soldiers of the gar- rison crossed to the west side of the river. So when, a little after sunrise, the Texians entered the town, not a soldier was to be seen, but the streets were lined with the Dons and com- mon people of the place, doffing their hats and ejaculating - " Buenos dias cabelleros ! Nosotros son amigos de los Amer-
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icanos !" (Good morning, gentlemen! We are friends of the Americans !) Passing through the town the troops camped about a mile above on a sand-bar. Right there the trouble began. The troops had nothing to eat and many of them were destitute of blankets. It was the 8th day of December and they had been en route from San Antonio since the 22nd of November. The men expected General Somervell to levy a requisition upon the town for food and some other necessary articles. It was done, but so feebly, that all did not get enough to eat for one day. Nearly all wanted to cross the river and seek a fight. Instead thereof they were countermarched to a point three miles below and there encamped on a high bluff. Next day a few of the men, illy supplied with clothing, and mad, went into the town and helped themselves to blankets, hats, etc.,- perhaps in all not exceeding one thousand dollars in value ; but this was felt to be a stigma on the command, and the next day all the spoils were sent back into the town. A council of war was held. Most of the officers desired to cross the river, move rapidly down its western valley, inflict punishment whenever practicable, recross and return home before the enemy could concentrate a large force against them. This, General Somervell declined to do. Dissatisfaction and disgust ran high. On the afternoon of the second day, December 10th, they moved out southeast six or seven miles and encamped at a water hole in a small glade surrounded by a chaparral. This looked like a movement homeward and indignation ran high. Next morning Somervell paraded the men and said, all who desired to return home could honorably do so; but that he desired all who were willing to follow him down the river and that he would cross below and chastise the enemy who had so devastated our frontier. The result was, no one having much faith, that Col. Bennett and a few men yet following his lead with Captains Jerome B. and E. S. C. Robertson, with their companies, in all about two
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hundred men, returned home via San Patricio and Victoria. The remaining five hundred bore down the country, until they came to the mouth of the Salado river, at the Carrizo village, opposite and six miles from Guerrero.
This was on the 14th of December, a clear but cold day. A crossing was speedily effected by means of flat boats found there. General Canales, with seven hundred rancheros, ap- peared on the neighboring hills but manifested no disposition to fight. The command camped that night in the abandoned Carrizo village, faring sumptuously on kid and mutton found there in abundance. The Alcalde of Guerrero, accompanied by a Frenchman who spoke English, appeared in camp. He tendered the surrender of the town but begged that the Texians would camp outside its limits, where he would furnish food, blankets, shoes and other things for which the troops were suffering. To all this General Somervell agreed, and in the afternoon of the 15th, he moved up and encamped on a hill-side, near the town, perfectly commanded by numerous surrounding hills. During the night there sprang up a cold northwest wind with a deluge of rain and every man throughout the night was thoroughly drenched to the skin, standing at daylight a shivering mass of humanity, suffering from cold and hunger. The cold wind from the mountains came down with great force. During the day a scanty supply of flour, a few refuse old blankets and a dozen or two pairs of shoes were sent to camp. Few of the men received enough to eat, and late in the day they were countermarched and recrossed the river. The whole command was sullen, indignant and mutinous. The 17th and 18th were spent in the same position, cattle being found to furnish meat for all. On the succeeding morning, December 19th, an order was read direct- ing all to prepare at once for a return home. This was the last feather on the camel's back. Three hundred men refused to obey. The other two hundred, sorely perplexed as to duty, resolved to obey the legal commander and return home.
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Among those who thus returned were: Col. James R. Cook, Capt. Peter H. Bell; Judge Hemphill, Adjutant-General ; Lieut .- Col. Howard, Major Murphree, and Capts. McNeel, Mitchell, Owen, Bogart and Simms ; Lieut. Thomas S. Lub- bock, Lieut. John P. Borden, Memucan Hunt, Mr. Lowery, Ed. Winfield, John H. Herndon, Lieut. Moses A. Bryan, Lieut. John Henry Brown, Edward Linn, Jonathan Scott, Beverly C. Greenwood, B. J. Gillespie, Oliver H. and Walter W. Stapp, Lieut. James Evetts, Capt. James A. Sylvester (who captured Santa Anna at the battle of San Jacinto ), James H. Bell, Mordella S. Munson, John Sweeny, Guy Heard, Lewis B. Harris, Lazarus Cooke; besides Captain Flaco, the Li- pan chief, and an old deaf-mute of his tribe; the other Lipans, with the Apache, Luis, having already confiscated a. herd of Mexican horses and returned home. Flaco with a Mexican and a man named Rivas, had with them thirty or forty horses procured in like manner. After the command arrived at San Antonio, while encamped in the vicinity, Rivas and the Mexican basely murdered Flaco and the mute and fled with the horses into eastern Texas and Louisiana. The confusion of the times forbade pursuit. This base and treacherous act caused a thrill of horror throughout the coun- try and converted the friendly Lipans into implacable enemies, causing them to remove across the Rio Grande, and sub- sequently leading to many murders on the western frontier. For half a century they have lived in greater or less hostility to the people of Texas; all being the result of this foul murder.
BATTLE OF MIER.
The three hundred men who refused to return with Somer- vell, reorganized into companies on the 19th of December, 1842, under Captains Ewen Cameron, William M. Eastland, J. G. W. Pierson, Wm. N. Ryon, Claudius Buster, John R. Baker and C. K. Reese. Captain Wm. S. Fisher was
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elected colonel-commanding and Thomas A. Murray was appointed adjutant. They marched four miles down the river the same day. (While all yielded to the election of Capt. Fisher, who had been much in Mexico, many would have preferred the chivalrous Scot, Captain Ewen Cameron, the " lion-hearted," who had been their leader in many Mexican and Indian forays. )
On the 20th of December they took possession of some flat boats below Guerrero and descended the river, some passing down on the Texas bank riding or leading the horses, occupying three days in the descent. They encamped opposite the Mexican town of Mier. Col. Thomas J. Green commanded the boats. The small town of Mier lay in a ยท curve of the Alcantra, a small rapid stream, with rugged bluff-banks.
The following day, December 23d, they crossed the Rio Grande, and, meeting with no opposition, entered Mier, and separating, marched in columns through the streets into the main plaza, where they met a priest and the Alcalde, who surrendered the town unconditionally. They made formal requisitions upon the town for supplies, and taking the priest and Alcalde as hostages, they returned to the Texas side of the river, moved their camp to a place three miles from Mier, and there awaited the promised supplies. After waiting two days they learned that Ampudia was in Mier with two thousand Mexican soldiers. They resolved to cross and give him battle.
Up to this time Capt. Hays, Ben and Henry E. McCulloch, Tom Green, C. C. Cady, Ephraim M. McLean, and perhaps one or two others who had declined returning with Somer- vell, yet failed to affiliate with the organization under Fisher, voluntarily performed scouting service for him. These men were the first or among the first, to enter Mier, but were not willing to remain there several days, in face of the fact that Ampudia had had plenty of time to collect, and was known
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to be at the head of a force overwhelmingly greater than that under Fisher, the latter without supplies and with a limited supply of ammunition. Hence, when Fisher took his second position on the Rio Grande to await supplies from Mier, they returned home.
On the 25th of December (Christmas day ) Fisher crossed the river, leaving forty-two men as a camp-guard on the east bank, and marched with the Alcantra between them and Mier. The night was dark, and a cold drizzling rain was falling.
To create a diversion from the ford where they wished to cross the creek, the Texians fired upon a picket guard two hundred yards to the left. It was found that the ford was guarded by a strong force of Mexican cavalry. In the dark- ness they groped their way down the bluff and effected a crossing so near a picket of twenty Mexicans as to create a mutual surprise. To their challenge " Quien vive?" (Who comes ?) the Texians shouted " fire ! " and about one hundred rifles were fired upon them. There was no response. Nothing could be heard but the voice of Col. Ramirez ( Mexican) vainly urging his men to charge.
In making their way to the plaza where the cavalry was planted they gained an entrance into a street that opened upon it. From this they commenced a sudden, rapid fire which was promptly answered from the Mexican artillery, the Texians escaping the balls by retreating around the corners, forming and firing with deadly effect. They took possession of rows of houses, against which the artillery was turned, and wherever a breach was made, Texian rifles appeared. At daylight the Mexican artillery was three times manned and as often silenced. The last time sixteen of the seventeen artil- lerymen were killed. Fifty-five of a choice company of sixty were killed. The Texians lost one man killed (John E. Jones ) and two wounded. The Mexicans charged upon one of the houses held by the Texians, when Col. Fisher and
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twenty men suddenly threw themselves into the street and received their fire, returning it with such fury that the whole column turned and fled. Several Texians were wounded, Col. Fisher having the ball of his right thumb shot off.
The Mexicans took possession of the flat tile roofs of the houses and, with their muskets, poured down the most dam- aging fire of the battle ; but so sure was the aim of the Texas riflemen, that whenever a Mexican showed his head, he was shot. Blood flowed from the tiled guttering and their dead lay in piles. Captain Cameron and his gallant company occupied a yard, outside the houses, surrounded by a stone wall, from which they kept up an effectual fire, but lost three men killed and seven wounded.
On the night of the crossing in the darkness, Mr. Joseph Berry had his thigh broken by a fall, and a detail of seven men, including Dr. Sinnickson, was made to remain with him out- side of the town. They had watched the battle seventeen hours, when a troop of sixty Mexican cavalry dashed past the door. Their rifles were instantly brought to bear, killing the commander and ten men. In a short time a larger force of cavalry appeared with a cannon, when the Texians rushed from the house to make their way to the main body. Two succeeded; three, including Dr. Sinnickson, were taken prisoners, the remainder (including Berry ) were killed.
After a desertion of their cannon for six hours, the Mexi- cans, fearing to come in sight of the Texians, resorted to the lasso, dragging them off by main strength. Bugles, now sounding the charge, could be heard in various directions. About two o'clock p. m. of December 26th, Dr. Sinnickson (prisoner) came to Col. Fisher with a white flag and com- municated to him verbally proposals from Ampudia for the surrender of the Texians. This was followed by a private interview between the two officers, Ampudia and Fisher, who had formerly been on friendly terms during the Federal war in Mexico, in 1839-40. When Col. Fisher returned he
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repeated Ampudia's proposals and pledges and assured the Texians that, from his own personal knowledge of that officer, they need have no doubt that these pledges would be faithfully kept. All who would surrender and give up their arms should be " treated with the consideration which is in accordance with the magnanimous Mexican nation," that they should not be sent to Mexico, but retained on the fron- tier until they could be exchanged, but if they did not sur- render no quarter should be given." Many of the Texian officers and men regarded themselves as conquerors, having fought eighteen hours nine times their own number with the loss of but twelve killed and having killed or wounded be- tween six and seven hundred Mexicans. Col. Fisher urged the consideration of the already great disparity of numbers, which he had been informed, would immediately be greatly increased; the scarcity of ammunition ; of the impossibility of retreating with their twenty-three wounded companions, without great loss of life. He informed them that only five minutes were allowed to make their decision. If they chose to fight, however, he would remain with them, and they would sell their lives as dearly as possible. The surrender which followed was not by unanimous consent. A few (three men) at first, worn out with hunger and fatigue, stepped forward and laid down their arms; then followed a few others; a few who had been Santa Fe prisoners, and at last all stacked their faithful rifles and surrendered prisoners of war. The pledges of Ampudia, reduced to writing after the surrender, were redeemed by tying the men in pairs and marching them on foot to Matamoros where they arrived on the 9th of January, 1843, when they were marched through the streets in triumph, with music, banners and the ringing of bells, but some of the citizens, moved to pity, afterwards contributed clothing and money to supply their most pressing necessities. After starting a small party two days in advance, including Cols. Fisher, Green, and others, the prisoners left
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Matamoros on foot, January 14th, under a guard of one hundred cavalry, under command of Col. Savriego, for Mon- terey. Six men and two boys remained in Matamoros. (One of these boys, whose father and brothers were also prisoners, was but thirteen years old. His name was John C. C. Hill. His fearless daring in action had attracted the attention of General Ampudia, who temporarily took him to his own headquarters and wrote Santa Anna of his chivalrous conduct in the action. Santa Anna summoned him to the city of Mexico. Arriving there and with his consent, on condition of the release of his father and brother, Santa Anna placed him as a student into La Minera (the college of Mines), where he continued some years as a member of the family of Gen. Tornel, finally graduating with distin- guished honors as a mining engineer, in which pursuit he has continued chiefly through the intervening years.
Averaging eighteen or twenty miles a day, corraled at night in the open air, they reached Monterey on the 29th of January. Here they were made more comfortable and rested until the 2nd of February. Arriving at Saltillo they were joined by five of the prisoners taken from San Antonio by Gen. Woll in the previous September. Under command of Col. Barragan they left for San Luis Potosi, taking the haciendo of Salado on their way, which they reached Febru- ary 10th, 1843.
On the morning of the 11th of February, at a preconcerted signal, led by Capt. Cameron, the prisoners rushed upon their guard, then eating breakfast, disarmed them and made their way into the courtyard, where they overcame one hun- dred and fifty infantry. Here they armed themselves and dashed for the gate, overcame the guard stationed there and scattered the cavalry on the outside, capturing their horses. They had four men killed, three of whom were to have been their guides through the mountains on their homeward march. They secured one hundred and seventy stand of arms and one
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hundred horses. At ten o'clock a. m. they left. They traveled sixty-four miles the first twenty-four hours, on the Saltillo road. They next abandoned the road and sought escape through the mountains. On the night of the 13th in the darkness they became separated; and, during the five succeeding days, suffering from hunger, thirst and the cold air of the mountains, they wandered about searching for water. Their tongues were swollen and several became de- ranged. They killed some of their horses and ate the flesh. About noon on the 18th they discovered a smoke, the signal to be given if any of the stragglers found water. In eager expectation of quenching their thirst they went to the place and discovered the camp fires of a body of Mexican cavalry under command of General Mexia. Most of them, through exhaustion, had thrown away their arms and were in no con-, dition for resistance. They again surrendered and during the day, other stragglers came to the camp or were found and brought in by the soldiers. On the 19th Capt. Cameron came in with quite a number and surrendered. General Mexia treated them with great consideration, giving them food and water in such quantities as they could take in safety. Not- withstanding these precautions several drank too freely and died. On the 22nd of February they began their return march, on foot, to Salado, tied in pairs and closely guarded, picking up their companions in a perishing condition on the way. Some of the sick were allowed to ride on donkeys. They arrived at Saltillo on the first of March and on the 22nd left for the haciendo of Salado, one hundred and ten miles dis- tant, which they reached on Saturday the 25th about one p. m. Soon after their arrival they were informed of a decree from Santa Anna, ordering them all to be shot; but that, yielding to remonstrances from Gen. Mexia and some of his officers, the sentence had been commuted to " diezmo " ( one in ten). Gen. Mexia tendered his resignation, refusing to officiate at so " cruel and unmartial " a ceremony. The villainous act was
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performed under command of Colonel Juan de Dios Ortiz. The Texians were drawn up in line and an interpreter, Alfred. S. Thurmand, himself a prisoner, read the sentence. A subal- tern brought forward a jar containing one hundred and seventy beans, seventeen of which were black, the remainder white. The roll was called and each man, blindfolded, answered to his name by stepping forward and thrusting his hand into the jar held above his head. If he drew out a black bean it meant death. The doomed seventeen resolved to " die like soldiers." Many tender messages were intrusted to those more fortunate ; fervent prayers and expressions of loyalty to Texas filled the half hour that closed the gloomy day. Their companions were separated from them, in an adjoining inclosure, from which they heard the order to " fire " and the cries and groans of the dying.
During the war following the annexation of Texas in 1846, Major, afterwards General Walter P. Lane of Texas, while on a scouting expedition towards San Luis Potosi, and from Mat- ehuala, made a detour across the mountains to the Haciendo of Salado, surprised and arrested the Mayor Domo, of whom he' made demand for the bones of the seventeen murdered men of Mier. Without delay they were exhumed (all having been thrown into one excavation), the bones placed in sacks and on mules which the startled chief gladly furnished; they were carried to General John E. Woll at Saltillo, then escorted by Captain Quisenbury, a Texian, with an escort to La Grange, Texas, and in the presence of thousands gathered on the rare and solemn occasion, were buried with the honors of war, on Monument Hill. Their names were as follows:
James D. Cocke, Robert H. Dunham, James M. Ogden, William M. Eastland, Thomas L. Jones, J. M. Thompson, Henry Whaling, J. L. Cash, W. N. Cowan, C. Roberts, Ed- ward Esty, James Turnbull, R. H. Harris, Martin Carroll Wing, P. Mahoney, James Torrey.
It must be borne in mind that on the morning of the day
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the prisoners escaped from their guard, Col. Fisher, T. J. 'Green, and a few others had been sent forward and took no part in that movement. The morning after the massacre, March 26th, tied in pairs, the prisoners started early on their march to the city of Mexico, passing the dead bodies of their comrades lying as they fell. Their commander, Juan Orteaga, a full-blooded Indian, showed them all the kindness in his power, when untrammeled by the presence of other officers. They were occasionally halted for a day to rest and the sick taken to hospitals. On the 23rd of April an additional guard met them from the City of Mexico. They brought an order from Santa Anna for the immediate execution of Captain Ewen Cameron. On the morning of the 25th he was untied from his companion ( Alfred S. Thurmond), taken from his cell and received fifteen shots in his breast, which he bared, and died instantly. Captain Cameron was a native of Scot- land. He had been the loved and trusted leader of his band of rangers, for several years, they never fearing to follow where he led. He was the embodiment of the youthful idea of the old Scottish chiefs.
The prisoners arrived in the city of Mexico on the 25th of April, four months from the day of their capture. Here they were furnished suits of clothing made of striped-blanketing and made to transport sand to the grounds of Santa Anna's palace in Tacubaya. They remained in the city of Mexico until March 12th, 1844, when they were taken to Perote, about one hundred and fifty miles distant on the route to Vera Cruz, where was the strongly built and fortified castle of San Carlos, beyond which on the same route, and under the mountains, was Mango Del Clavo, the princely estate of Santa Anna.
The prisoners captured in and near San Antonio by General Woll in September, 1842, who had been confined in Mexi- can prisons with the Mier prisoners, numbered one hundred and twenty at this time in Perote. On the 16th of Septem-
2
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ber, 1844, their number having been diminished by an occa- sional release or escape and fourteen deaths, the remaining one hundred and four were released by order of Santa Anna. It was said and generally credited that the death of Santa Anna's gentle and lovely wife, who had shown so much con- cern for the condition of the prisoners and had asked their release as a dying request, so softened his heart that he con- sented.
FATE OF THE PRISONERS.
Of the forty-two left on guard at the river forty-one escaped to reach home - 41.
Major George W. Bonnell was captured and murdered.
Escaped at the time of the surrender at Mier: Whitfield Chalk and Caleb St. Clair -2.
Left wounded at Mier and escaped : Robert Beale, John Videler, Lewis Hays, George W. Piland, Nathan Mollen, Wm. Rupley, Henry D. Weeks - 8.
Escaped at the haciendo of Salado and reached Texas: John R. Alexander, John Blackburn, Rev. Thomas W. Cox and Wm. Oldham - 4.
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