The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956 Page: 346
587 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
All was not well with the Texas Army. It is true the command
had increased greatly, but personnel came and went almost as
it pleased. Many of the earlier members had left to take care of
their families. The spring of 1836 was the wettest season of
record. Rain fell in downpours nearly every day. The roads, if
unmarked trails could be called such, were quagmires, belly-deep
to a horse. There was not a tent in the army, and the men were
exposed to the elements twenty-four hours a day. In these days
of paved streets and roads, cement sidewalks, and carpet grass,
it is difficult to realize how quickly mud can shatter morale,
especially if one has to sleep in it.
Houston held no councils of war, nor did he consult anyone
about what action to take. This caused much resentment on the
part of the men; the Texans were highly individualistic, and
each man thought that he should have a part in planning the
campaign. The men were totally untrained in things pertaining
to the military. Not a man could be found who knew how to
beat reveille on the drum in the morning, so the commander-in-
chief did it himself. The men, however, possessed many qualities
desirable and essential in a good soldier, such as health, physical
strength, bravery, and intelligence. But a group of men, even
though the members do possess these desirable traits, must be
disciplined or their unit will look and act like a mob.
From the time the army reached the Brazos, it appeared that
Houston was almost daily threatened with being deposed and
replaced by another commander. There was much muttering,
and meetings were held, but Houston could do nothing for he
lacked supplies and the support of a strong government. His
character and will power were all that he had to support his
position.
It appears that on the Brazos Moseley Baker and Wylie Martin,
two captains in command of companies, refused to retreat any
further with their commands. Houston then made the best of a
bad situation by ordering Baker to take position opposite San
Felipe, and Martin opposite Fort Bend, to defend these two
crossings of the river.
By the time Houston's force left Beason's it had succeeded in
collecting a herd of cattle for the commissary. From Beason's the
command marched to the Brazos, then up the east bank of that346
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956, periodical, 1956; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101162/m1/372/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.