The Texas Almanac for 1861 Page: 62
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TEXAS ALMANAC.
took their killed and wounded with them. The Texlans then returned to Gonzales,
where all hearts were made glad at the arrival of the Father of his Country, Col.
Stephen F. Austin, from the prisons of Mexico.
Several other companies of volunteers having arrived, so as to make a more ex-
tensive organization of the army necessary, Col. S. F. Austin by acclamation was an-
nounced the commanding General of the army, and he appointed Col. William T.
Austin his aid, and Rev. W. P. Smith Surgeon-General. While drilling and pre-
paring for the march to San Antonio, the Sabbath day arrived, on the evening of
which Rev. W. P. Smith, acting in the joint capacity of surgeon and chaplain to the
army, preached to a large and promiscuous assembly of officers, soldiers, and citizens
on these words: "If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land;
but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of the
Lord hath spoken it." (Isaiah 1 :19, 20.) This text was appropriate at the com-
mencement of a revolution. Other battles had previously been fought in defense of
the Constitution of 1824, but the attack as above narrated may justly be considered
the one which put in motion the great ball of the Texian Revolution.
A few days having been spent in preparations, the lineof march was taken up for
San Antonio. While en ro ute for that point, Gen. Austin received an appointment
from the Provisional Government as one of the financial commissioners to the U. S.,
and as war can not be successfully carried on without money, duty compelled him to
accept.
His vacancy being filled by the election of Gen. Edward Burleson, the army con-
tinued its march to San Antonio, where by a bold and patriotic effort, in which the
lamented Col. Benj. R. Milam, with other noble spirits, fell, the Texian army were
successful in gaining a signal victory over Gen. Cos and his numerous army. The
country being cleared of its enemies, the sunshine of peace again shone brightly in
all her borders during the little remainder of 1835.
AN OLD SOLDIER.
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE TEXAS CAMPAIGN OF 1836.
BY R. J. CALDER.
To THE EDITORS OF TIHE TEXAS ALMANAC:
You ask me to write out my recollections of the Texas campaign of 1836. In
complying with this request I must state, in advance, I have no extraordinary dis-
closures to make of the secret springs of action which governed my superiors, and
might be supposed to regulate the movements of our army, either in retreat or
advance. I shall state only what I saw and heard, and shall assume the responsi-
bility of making such comments as in my humble judgment arise from the necessities
of the case.
And here I will state that, although I held the rank of captain in the army, I was
never summoned to a council of war on but one occasion during the campaign-the
Commander-in-chief adopting the reverse of the old adage, (especially in war,) "In
a multitude of counsellors there is safety," which, in my opinion, was at that time
correct. This course of our Commander-in-chief in doing away with war-councils
makes the necessity of comment doubly strong on the part of those who now are
called upon to revisit the fields on which the flag of Texian liberty was planted.
The brief period spent at Gonzales in organizing our little army, was barren of
incident, save the painful intelligence which reached us on the evening of the day
we retreated, to the effect that our gallant countrymen in the Alamo had been cut
off to a man; not, however, before the last life's blood of hundreds of their foes
had cooled forever. This news reached us about sunset. That night we commenced
a retreat to the Colorado, and were joined daily by volunteers from the country
west of the Trinity, but by very few east of that stream. On arriving at the Colorado, a
detachment of some one hundred and fifty or two hundred men were left at Dewees'
ferry, and the main army encamped for several days on the east side of the Colorado,
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The Texas Almanac for 1861, book, 1860; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123767/m1/62/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.