The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 3, July 1899 - April, 1900 Page: 209

Capture and Rescue f M.s,. Rebecca J. Fisher. 209

CAPTURE AND RESCUE OF MRS. REBECCA J. FISHER,
NEE GILLELAND.
REBECCA J. GILLELAND FISHER.
The following account of this terrible experience of mine appeared
in a newspaper published at Florence, Alabama, in the year 1887,
and in the issue for July 30th:
A Texas Adventure.
It was in the spring of 1840, we were in force on the San An-
tonio river to repel a Mexican invasion, News came to us that the
Indians were at the mission of Refugio, and at night we received
the information that the same Indians had killed a [Mr. Gilleland
and his wife] at the Mexican village, Don Carlos Ranche. After the
massacre they evidently moved up the river * * *, holding two
white children prisoners, About 9 o'clock on the morrow we were
called out on horse, General Albert Sydney Johnston commanding.
He called for a party of ten men, well mounted, to reconnoitre. I
joined the party of nine and with General Johnston went one mile
below. The party consisted principally of frontiersmen, but it soon
became evident that they were unaccustomed to the trail, so I-hav-
ing been trained * * *-took observations, of the surroundings,
and located the trail leading into the San Antonio bottoms, which I
pointed out to Gen. Johnston. Gen. Johnston here remarked that
the command under arms, and in 'the saddle, must be tired waiting
and ordered a return to camp. We then dismounted and made a cup
of coffee-the Texan's beverage-and * * * started for the east
side of the river, the few Matagordans remaining as the expedition
was breaking up.
At the head of a half a dozen men I observed an old Indian trail,
obscure to the uninitiated, where I told the men the Indians would
cross. After passing the bottom we met Capt. Price and his scouts,
who told us that he had seen the Indians and that they had run
into the timber. I told the Captain that if he would give me fifteen
men I would defend the trail which I had .discovered. He told me
to count the men and do so. As we returned we met Adjutant
Murphy, of the Regiment-Mustang Gray, hero of an after written
novel-and a Mexican, white .as Mexican could be from fright.
They told us that the Mexicans had crossed at the trail discovered