The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker. Page: 30
251 p. : ill. ; 20 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
30 LIEUTENANT McMULLEN'S NARRATIVE.
all put ashore to lighten the boat, but it did not seem to aid her.
At 4, P. i., the " Brownsville" hove in sight, coming down, and
by her assistance we were hauled off, and went over on the other
side of the river, to lie up for the night. The soldiers remained on
the opposite shore, under charge of two officers, and had encamped
till morning. Within fifty yards of this place, there is an ugly
bar making out, with quite a fall in the river, which is here very
shoal, and the current very rapid.
Ache next morning we spent in ineffectual attempts to get over
the bar. The weather was intensely hot, and there was but a slight
chance of success. In the mean time, the soldiers were brought
over in the yawl. We were sitting out on the boiler deck, after
dinner, when Capt. C--, who had heard that Lieut. McMullen
was at the battle of Mier, and had been made a prisoner, drew out
of him the following story. As the battle is a matter of history, we
will omit that part of his narrative, although it was most graphically
described at the time, and proceed from where the Texians surrendered.
," We had fought from house to house," said young McMullen,
for he is hardly twenty-five, ," making holes through the roofs,
so that we could get on their tops, and had completely driven the
Mexicans from the plaza, when a flag of truce was sent in from
Ampudia, by an officer, t.o know if we would surrender, with
instructions that, if we would not, to tell us that they would
capitulate! But this we did not know till afterwards. It was put
to vote, and as our men were badly cut up, it was thought most
prudent to do so, on conditions that we should be honourably treated
as prisoners of war. On coming out into the streets, however, we
saw the terrible havoc that our rifles had made. The. tops of their
houses were covered with the dead, an& the gutters on the roofs
streamed with their blood. Had we but held out, the day would
have been our own.
" The next day we were ordered to prepare to march to the city
of Mexico; when about fifty leagues from which, we arrived at
the town of San Miguel Grande. Here we were imprisoned for
some time. Previous to being locked up, Col. Ortice, who was
more kind to us than any other officer, marched us around and
showed us the town and the plaza. We were evidently the
greatest curiosity that the inhabitants had ever seen, for they
flocked in numbers to see us. Our garments were soiled and tattered,
and our condition most wretched. As we passed the doors
of the houses, the women pitied us very much, and after we were
locked up, the Mexican girls came and threw cakes and other eatables
over the walls to us, though it was strictly forbidden at the
time. On our arrival at Tacubaya, near the city of Mexico
Madame Tobias, and other French ladies, determined to give us a
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Reid, Samuel C., Jr. The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker., book, 1859; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38096/m1/33/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.