The Texas Almanac for 1873, and Emigrant's Guide to Texas Page: 77
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EARLY HISTORY OF ANAIUAC. 46
bringing his only mounted field piece, marching and firing through the town.
As I have before remarked, there were fifty-one Americans, twenty-nine
of whom were tories and had already joined Bradburn's command, leaving,
only twenty-two who were opposed to him. We gathered our arms, threw
ourselves between the approaching enemy and the women and children, who
were running for a point of timber above town, with the agreement that the
first man that left the ground until the little ones were safe would forfeit his
life. The officers who had started up to camp, hearing the heavy firing,
wheeled and galloped back to learn the cause. Warren D. C. Hall, being on
the best horse, reached us first; and, seeing the situation, sung out " Gentle-
men, retreat, retreat-you'll be cut to pieces," but it was shouted by many
voices, "No man quit the line." Mr. Hall then said, "Gentlemen, it is eight
miles to camp and you cannot possibly be reinforced, but if you are determined
to make a stand, fall back to that timber up yonder." That was agreed to,
and a break was made for the timber. But coming up with the women and
children, and they being weary and faint, for the weather was extremely hot,
the men gathered the little children under their arms and made a hasty retreat
to the timber-all having left Anahuac with their houses open and only what
clothes they had on. It was late in the evening when we reached the camp,
and supposing that the enemy would continue the pursuit, the first thing was
to place a guard around the camp. A guard was at once detailed and marched,
out to be stationed. As they passed by the root of a large pine, a Mr.
Blakemore was sitting, eating a mouthful of meat which he had in his shot
pouch, and who belonged to the guard. A man in the line, as he came up to
him, asked him for some of his meat. Blakemore said, holding out his hand,
" Here, take this, it is all I have," and, at the same time rising, stepped into
the line just ahead of the man to w-hom he had given the meat. They had
gone but a short distance when he heard this man behind him, whose name
was Haden, snap his gun. He turned around and remonstrated against such
conduct, but Haden said his gun was not loaded. They went on and when
they had gone only a few paces further Haden shot him dead and escaped
into the bushes. This Haden was one of the twenty-nine tories, of whom I
have previously spoken. This, added to the perplexing scenes of the morn-
ing, made a very unpleasant night, particularly with the women, who
had neither beds nor blankets to lie upon, and all they had exposed to the
rapacity of the Mexicans. During the night Haden was prowling around the
camp to get an opportunity to shoot somebody else, and guns were repeatedly
fired at the noise he made in the brush. Morning came and we buried Blake-
more, after which the men were paraded and a consultation held.
Now this was the situation: About one hundred and ten men of us had
taken up arms without a legal pretext against eight millions of people. Now,
what was the best course for us to pursue ? Various propositions were made.
I remarked " that there was a revolution going on in the interior between
Santa Anna and Bustamente. Why not make a declaration in favor of one of
the parties, and we have a pretext ? " This being done, the next question was
where should we have our rendezvous. Just above where Liberty now stands
was agreed upon and we now took up our line of march and made our en-
campment at the proposed point. The next order was to send out runners to
the different settlements to try to get reinforcements. But one small company,
however, came on from the upper settlemehts on the Brazos, commanded by
Capt. Kuykendall, which increased our little force to something like two
hundred men.
This force made a sort of raid below, but no general attack. As the fort at
Anahuac stood immediately on the verge of and protected by the bay, and only
approachable on the other side through an open prairie and defended by some
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The Texas Almanac for 1873, and Emigrant's Guide to Texas, book, 1873~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123778/m1/79/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.