History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 76

HISTORY OP TEXAS.

feat was owing to the opposition of the party
connected with them. He notified the general
land office of the illegal proceedings had
there, and a man named Joseph Goodbread
intimated that his life was in danger if he
did not desist. Jackson shot him dead on the
speot. IHe was called to trial, the court was
thro.,nged by armed men, and the judge failed
to appear. The Louibianian then organized
his party, under the name of "Regulators."
Their operations were somewhat irregular,
'.d doll wtltss many honest men lost their
Mnds, etc, by their work. The '" Moderat.
rs" were therefore organized in opposition,
and a kind of warfare was carried on for
three years, when the two factions drew up
in actual battle array in front of each other;
but the President had General Smith, with a
force of about 500 men, put a stop to the
threatening strife. However, many a murder
was afterward committed in quarrels
growing out of the issues.
THE GREAT WAR CLOUD AGAIN.
In 1842 the Texan congress resolved on
war with Mexico, but President Houston vetoed
the bill authorizing the undertaking, as
it was then beyond their means. Violent
men were angered by the president's action.
Directly, in July, General Davis on the
Nueces was attacked by Canales with 700
men, 500 of whom were cavalry; but with
only 192 men he repulsed them. Two
months later General Woll took possession
of Antonio, after some resistance on the part
of the Anglo-Texans. After some discussion
the Texans, fifty-two in number, surrendered
on condition that they should be treated as
prisoners of war.
When it became known in Gonzales that
Bejar was again occupied by the Mexicans,

a force of about 220 men, under Colonel
Matthew Caldwell, assembled in the Salado
bottom, about six miles east of town, and
they sent Captain John C. Hayes forward to
draw out the enemy, and was successful.
Woll came up with the remainder of his
forces, and maintained a fight for an hour.
Meantime a company of fifty-three Texans,
from Fayette county, under the command of
Nicholas Dawson, hastened to the assistance
of Caldwell; but the enemy proved too
strong, putting most of the Texans to death,
only two making their escape; fifteen were
taken prisoners, and started on foot toward
the city of Mexico.
Then, S ptember 16, Houston called for
volunteers to cross the Rio Grande. About
1,200 men were soon collected in the vicinity
of Bejar, but poorly equipped and provisioned,
and there was also considerable discontent as
to choice of officers, many preferring General
Burleson to Somerville, whom Houston had
appointed. The latter indeed proved to be a
poor general, and soon returned to Bejar,
while the most of his men, about 550 in number,
determined to do something to redeem
the expedition from disgrace, choosing Colonel
William S. Fisher as their commander. But
after a fight of a day or so in the vicinity of
Mier, they had to surrender to the Mexican
General Ampudia and Colonel Canales. The
Texan prisoners, about 260 in number, succeeded
at the hacienda del Salado in making
their escape, with some loss of life, and after
seizing some ammunition, guns, etc., started
on their way home, but made the mistake of
changing their route to that through the
mountainous region, which proved disastrous,
and, weakened by hunger and exposure, they
were easily re-captured. Seventeen of theee
were massacred at Salado by order of Santa
Annal One of these, James L Shepherd by

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