History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 55

HISTORY OF TEXAS. 55~~~~~~~~

ican soldiers to keep their hands off the
bloodthirsty brute, and he had to be strongly
guarded to save him from the vengeance of
many a grizzled Texan. Not content with
these butcheries, Santa Anna, thinking that
the conquest of Texas was complete, gave orders
to his subordinates to shoot all prisoners,
he himself making preparations to retire
to the capital. But when he heard that a
considerable army under Houston was still
in the field, he, at the solicitation of Almonte
and Filisola, concluded to remain and complete
his work.
SAN JACINTO.

the names of Houston, Lee and Grant live on;
but where are they, who were they, who sought
to teach those great soldiers? The battle of
San Jacinto was the response of the great
Texan to his official, not to say officious
superior. And the best report of that decisive
battle is contained in the official report of the
commander, who, by that one blow to Mexico,
secured the independence of Texas, the annexation
of our great State to the greatest
nation on earth, and finally led to the acquisition
of the vast interior region stretching
from the Rio G(rande to the Pacific ocean:
" HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, I
"SAN JACINTO, April 25, 1836. )
To His Excellency, D. G. BURNETT,

General Houston had been re-elected comrn- President of the Rejpublic !f Texas:
imander-in-chief of the army, and had gone "Sir:-I regret extremely that my situato
Gonzales, with the intention of re-organiz- tion since the battle of the 21st has been such
ing the forces, in which he had great diffi- as to prevent my rendering you my official
culty, for the fate of Travis and Fannin and report of the same previous to this time.
their men caused a great panic when the "I have the honor to inform you that on
news became known. Besides, thirty-two of the evening of the 18th instant, after a forced
the citizen soldiers of Gonzales, who had en- march of fifty-five miles, which was effected
tered the Alamo the night before the battle, in two days and a half, the army arrived opwere
slain, leaving a dozen or more families posite Harrisburg. That evening a courier
of that town without a head. A number of of the enemy was taken, from whom I learned
desertions also occurred, and the alarm was, that General Santa Anna, with one division
indeed, widespread. Then came some move- of his choice troops, had marched in the diments
on the part of General Houston that rection of Lynch's Ferry, on the San Jacinto,
caused great criticism of his actions. There burning Harrisburg as he passed down. The
was not a very considerable cordiality between army was ordered to be in readiness to march
the commander and the newly inaugurated early on the next morning. The main body
president, and in an order to the former from effected a crossing over Buffalo bayou, below
the latter these words were added: "The Harrisburg, on the morning of the 19th, havenemy
are laughing you to scorn. You must ing left the baggage, the sick, and a sufficient
fight them. You must retreat no further. camp guard in the rear. We continued the
The country expects you to fight. The salva- march throughout the night, making but one
tion of the country depends on your doing halt on the prairie for a short time, and with1so."
The Confederate as well as the Federal out refreshment. At daylight we resumed
generals during the late war, had their critics the line of march, and in a short distance our
it their respective seats of government, yet scouts encountered those of the enemy, and

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HISTORY OF TEXAS.