The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 47, July 1943 - April, 1944 Page: 327
456 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Letters and Docurrerts
about a mile and a half of the city-full view. Some hundred or two of
their cavalry were out in front of the city, when we came. They fired a
few times at our advance guard, to let us see I suppose that they intended
resistance, and fled. In a few minutes they commenced upon us with
cannon, and we had to leave, or get out of the way. They kept this up
during the day as our men would show themselves. We camped about
three miles off, and did nothing until Monday the 21st., when the game
opened in style and earnest at both ends of the city. I never made so
many runs in my life as I did during Monday and other days of the battle.
This aspect was paid by all, who were not immediately in the way of the
cannon balls as they came along. I was not in a fight until the last day,
but was much exposed during the whole time sending orders from point
to point. They honored me with several shots as I crossed the plain on
Monday. None of them however did any damage, though the last came a
little nearer than I ever want another ball to come. We engaged the
enemy in the lower part of the city on the last day of the battle and
fought them from about 11 O'clock in the morning until nearly sunset.
We were then called off. We were progressing finely and every man heard
with regret and sorrow the order for retiring. We were within one square
of the grand plaza, or square and nearly the whole force of the Mexicans
had retired. If we had not been taken out the city that night, there would
have been an unconditional surrender of the place the next day, instead
of the capitulation. Very many are dissatisfied at the arrangement and
I think with reason. Elijah was with me during the most of our fight.
Neither of us were hurt.
You will see in General Henderson's report, when published I presume,
how I conducted myself. Our men are being disbanded and are going
home, not because they are tired but because they have no prospects of
anything more to do before spring if then. I shall start home in four or
five days. It will take me about 8 weeks to make the trip. My respects
to all
Your son,
Edward [Clark] 2
2Edward Clark was born in Georgia in 1815. A few years later he moved
to New Orleans where he received most of his education. When he was
seventeen years old his father died and he and his mother moved to Mont-
gomery, Alabama. While living in Montgomery he studied law. About
the year 1838 he came to Texas and settled in Marshall where he began
the practice of law.
During the Mexican war he served on the staff of General James Pinck-
ney Henderson, first with the rank of major, and was later made a colonel.
In 1846 he fought in the battle of Monterrey which he described in the
foregoing letter. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention and
helped to write the Constitution of Texas. He served as a representative
from Marshall in the first legislature, and was a senator of the second
legislature, and was Secretary of State for two terms under Governor
Pease, 1853-1857. In 1859 he was elected lieutenant-governor with Sam
Houston as governor. When Texas withdrew from the Union, Houston
refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, and Edward
Clark was made governor in 1861.
At the end of his term he joined the Confederate Army as a colonel
and organized a regiment of men from East Texas and was later promoted
to brigadier general. He was wounded in Louisiana. After the war he
resumed his law practice in Marshall, where he died in 1880.327
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 47, July 1943 - April, 1944, periodical, 1944; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146054/m1/360/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.