Texas Almanac, 1859 Page: 43
[224] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
TEXAS . REVOLUTION. 4;
could relieve those attacks, and then had to travel in the night, till I could overtake
the company. Yet not a single death occurred in our company.
During one week while we were encamped on the Colorado, our army increased
by the daily arrivals, from-about 600 to 1600 men. In this I know I am correct, as'
we paraded every day, which gave me an opportunity of making a record of the
numbers on the ground, and I made the entry in my journal.
NEWS OF FANNIN'S DEFEAT.
During this time it was understood that orders had been sent to Fannin to re-
treat, and join us without delay, as the artillery he had was absolutely necessary.
to us. Meantime, while a new camp-ground was being laid off, the bushes cleared
away, etc., three or four tents being already pitched, the painful news of Fannin's
defeat was brought into camp by one Peter Carr, whom Houston treated as a spy,
putting him under guard. We all, however, believed his report to be true, and it
was corroborated by others the next day, after which the numbers in our camp be .
gan to diminish rapidly.
EXPEDITION UNDER CARNES.
Meantime Gen. Sezma had pitched his camp on the opposite or west bank, and
about one mile from the river, and Capt. Carnes was authorized to raise a mounted
volunteer company to cross over, and reconnoitre the position of the enemy. My-
self and some twelve others of the Liberty company accepted the invitation, and the
company, numbering sixty-four, having received two days' rations, crossed the river.
Having again mounted, we were told we had to attack Sezma's camp of 600 men,
and that Capt Bird was to follow us, taking his position in the edge of the timber
to cover our retreat. I was placed second in the lead, and we had an orderly at
the head of our party, who knew his duty well, having seen years of service in the.
U. S. army; but Capt. Carnes, though brave, had not the experience necessary in
a commander. We proceeded in good order, till we emerged from the timber on
the other side, where we observed the enemy's camp in great confusion, caused,
no doubt, by our unexpected appearance. We were about to wheel to the right,
expecting to make a dash in full gallop to take the enemy's cannon, but at this mc-
ment Carnes rides up to the orderly, and gives the order: "Wheel to the left, to
the left l" Just as he spoke, the whistle of a ball from the cannon, passing over
our heads, was heard, and the report .had scarcely subsided, before another, and
then another followed, causing our line to break in three or four places, as our
horses became almost unmanageable. The balls struck the ground at some dis-
tance beyond us, throwing up clouds of dust. Upon looking back, I found myself
at the head of only four men, the company having fallen back fully 600 yards to the
rear, whom we then joined, as the order to retreat was given. At this time our
attention was attracted by two young men, who rushed past us on two white
horses, with guns in their hands, and their heads tied with handkerchiefs. They
dashed forward towards some Mexican cavalry, (apparently a scouting party,) who
hastily retreated before them, but the two pursued on till I lost sight of them.
Order having been restored among us, blessings were pretty liberally bestowed
on our commander for our failure. A moment after, we saw the cattle running as if
frightened, and we knew some body must be approaching, but the rising ground be-
fore us obstructed our view, till after a few minutes, while we were waiting prepared
for a charge, the same two men on white horses were seen driving before them some
Mexican horses and mules they had taken from the enemy's guard. About the
same time we also observed, in another direction, the enemy mounted, and coming
towards us in good order. Capt. Bird's men hid themselves behind trees and.
stumps, some throwing themselves down in the grass for the purpose of getting a.
close shot at them. We immediately stripped our horses, throwing our saddles,
blankets, etc., into the ferry-boat, and then having driven our horses in, and made
them swim to the other side of the river, we all took our station in two files just
under the second bank, where wewaited in silence for the enemy to approach suf-
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Texas Almanac, 1859, book, 1859~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123765/m1/44/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.