The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 66, July 1962 - April, 1963 Page: 448

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

therefore we had to trust to treaty and Mexican honor, to be treated
if not as commercial traders, at least as prisoners of war, according
to civilized usage. Our men were so exhausted that we could not have
mustered 8o effective able-bodied men. With Capt. Sutton were the
ablest bodied and chosen men, with the best horses we had left, and
his fate was unknown to us. We had only some 60o poor horses left.
Desperate and sad indeed was our condition, full of evil forbodings.
After midnight of October 4th, 1841, our men, overcome by nature's
demand for rest, wrapped themselves up each in his single blanket
and went to rest on their bed, the sandy soil. Next morning we learned
that officers had decided to give up our arms. Our general found that
the Mexicans who were in numerous force had chosen a position to
impede our advance as well as to cut off our retreat. About nine
o'clock A.M. on the 4th of October the Mexicans appeared in front
of us. Our commander ordered us out in single file in front of them,
and gave orders to lay down arms. The order was reluctantly fol-
lowed, for a Texan volunteer and veteran does not give up his arms
without resistance. But the former old regulars of the former army
of the Republic of Texas, understood the order, being better drilled
in tactics; the old Texans slowly followed their example, we then
received the order to retreat twenty paces, then the Mexican soldiery
picked up our arms, and we were defenceless.
XIV
After the surrender of our arms, we sadly returned to our camp.
The next morning we were marched out, and ordered by the Mexicans
to go double file, the Mexican guard being on both sides of us. We
reached the first day a little stream called by the Mexicans the Pajarito.
(Small Bird). At this camp we were well fed on beef and mutton,
but bread we were furnished none; we either had to buy it for money,
or barter for it for such things as we had to trade off.
We were treated kindly and liberally for some three days, when we
received an order from the Mexican commander, that after night we
no longer could approach our wagons to get articles belonging to us
to barter off for bread; the excuse was that the Mexican volunteers
had to furnish their own provisions, and that they might suffer for
want of it.
Our wagons thereafter were guarded and on striking camps we no
longer had access to them.
Next came an order to search our pockets for knives; while the
soldiers did that they also robbed us of money and such valuables as
we had then in our possession.
While this order was in force, I, after night, partly from loneliness,
strayed out of our prescribed limits, and it being pretty dark, I acci-

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