The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 66, July 1962 - April, 1963 Page: 437
641 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Notes and Documents
or getting game for the men for sustenance. Tears too, often come
to my eyes to think over the past sufferings of our men, the goo that
left Austin in June 1841, I do not think there are now alive over 15
men--so terrible did the sufferings and Indian surprises together
with our maltreatment in Mexico and disease from exposure while
prisoners tell on us. The party detailed to go in advance to find the
Mexican settlement by order of the General commanded by Capt.
Sutton, a brave, experienced and efficient officer.
While we tarried at Camp Resolution, for the return of the ad-
vance guard or a report of them, we placed our wagons in a square
to answer as a sort of fortification in case of an Indian attack. The
scanty rations of beef barely made two meals a day, bread, as said
before, we had not for about three months, even later, we had no
salt. Such was our deplorable situation then that our men would
even quarrel over a piece of beef hide from the slaughtered beef,
and with eager eye the commissary was watched to divide out the
scant rations of beef to each company. So hungry were we, that we
would go a long ways from camp to get the then ripe mesquite beans,
to appease the cravings of hunger, and on one occasion, not more
than a mile from Camp Resolution, three of our men hunting these
beans were surprised by the Indians, one's was killed, one19 strange
to say, begged for mercy and was not killed, but was wounded so
badly by arrows that he died a painful death some ten days after-
ward. Only one of the three made his escape.20
VII
After the killing of three men, who went to gather Mesquite
beans to appease their hunger, nothing occurred of special interest,
only one funny thing. A man who had worn out the cotton shirt
furnished him, called on the Commissary to furnish him another.
Having none on hand, he was furnished with domestic, out of it,
he being not a tailor or seamstress, cut out a shirt, novel in style,
and rough in execution. He made a bag like garment, narrowed on
top, with square holes cut out for sleeves, and again bag like ex-
tentions for sleeves. I give you enclosed a picture of the novel shirt.
I am only sorry I am not an artist, to give you a picture of the
model tailor, nor of our men washing their clothes, without soap.
It was well enough, not to have females along with us, for they
would have laughed at our ridiculous attempts at sewing and wash-
ing, with cold water and no soap, and especially at our cooking,
though slim was the fare.
After the departure of our ioo detailed men another incident
18Thomas Glass was a Kentuckian by birth.
e9A man named Mercer from New York.
2oAn unnamed German.437
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 66, July 1962 - April, 1963, periodical, 1963; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101196/m1/471/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.