The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 66, July 1962 - April, 1963 Page: 438

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

happened one afternoon. One21 of our picket guard stationed on a
hill-side probably a half mile from camp, but still in sight of it, was
surprised by an Indian, who ran him towards our Camp. Our man
being elderly, not a good rider, in the haste of his retreat from the
Indian, dropped his musket, and in sight of us, the Indian shot our
man in the leg-only a flesh wound. The daring Indian after the
act, swung the musket, and in Spanish hallowed, our Captain is a
fool (meaning our commanding General) for chief or captain is the
expression of the Indian for the person in command.
I will also state, that just twenty-four hours previously, I was
sentinel at that very post, but there was a cluster of mesquite trees
and it was necessary to use great watchfulness not to be surprised
by Indians, for though fearful to attack us, they were always hover-
ing around us to cut off our men to kill and scalp them whenever
a small squad started out.
Lonesome and dreary was our situation at Camp Resolution, only
mixed with some military drills, not fashionable nor agreeable to
our men's taste.
After we had tarried some twelve days at our forlorn camp, our
picket guard espied three men approaching our Camp. At first he
thought they were Indians, but showing a white flag, probably a
piece of domestic, they were admitted to approach the sentinel who
conducted them to camp.
The party proved to be a Mexican22 who was one of the cooks of
our officers, and two resident Mexicans of the frontier of New Mexico.
We hailed them with joy, for we thought our delivery from despair
desperation and hunger were near by for they reported our detach-
ment detailed and commanded by Capt. Sutton reached the Mexican
settlements in safety, that these Mexicans dispatched to us as guides
over the Staked Plains would within a week's time bring us to camps
of shepherds who would supply our half starving men with ample
meat.
Would to God these Mexican guides could not have found us-our
retreat to Texas, desperate as it might have been, could not have
been as sad, nor caused as much of loss of our men as our imprison-
ment and suffering in our march through from Santa Fe to the city
of Mexico.
But it proved later, that all was caused by the treachery of our
Capt. of Artillery-Capt. Lewis, an Englishman, a man who was a
Mason, who plighted his masonic honors to such officers of our com-
mand as belonged to the order stating for us to proceed, that all
proper arrangements for our relief and intercourse of commerce had
been arranged.
"2Edward Griffith, a Welshman, was originally from Missouri.
2"Matias was a servant of Major G. T. Howard.

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