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: 51
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:
THE MAIL ROBBERY. 51
could well make an excuse, which was hanging on his lips, he
was immediately interrupted by a shout of "the mail rider !" the
bag which he carried having betrayed him. It proved to be the
Mexican mail from Monterey to Matamoras. The poor fellow
thought his time had come. Our captain overhauling the mail,
the letters were opened and examined, and such of them as were
of a public nature were reserved for General Taylor's inspection;
the rest were returned to the bag, when the man was allowed to
proceed quietly on his route. His disappointment was so great in
not being shot, that he made light of losing his letters, and mounting
his pony, with a bland smile, bade us good-day. This was
the first and only mail robbery in which we ever were engaged,
and we had no idea before how easy the recollection of the evil
deed would rest upon a man's conscience.
We were unable to gain any farther information about Canales,
only that he had been on this road about a week ago; but of his present
whereabouts we could not gain the slightest clew. So finding
it useless to follow a cold trail, Captain McCulloch, in pursuance
of his orders, turned his course towards Reynoso. As we drew
near the town, which was yet in the distance, we could plainly
hear the beating of the drums marshaling the garrison to arms.
The flat-house tops were covered with men and officers; the latter
were spying with their glasses and endeavouring to make out our
character and number. To see a body of armed men approaching
from the very quarter in which they expected the enemy, was
enough to excite apprehensions of an attack. And as we rode
into town as if direct from Monterey, the garrison very naturally
mistook us for the advance guard of a Mexican force. We enjoyed
their mistake very much, and as we dismounted in the
plaza, the officers came out to greet us, saying that having at first
mistrusted us, they were preparing to give us a warm welcome,
instead of a hearty greeting.
A few days after this, we learned that Canales had, at one time,
been within a few miles of us, with a force of several hundred
men. *That he was aware," says Mr. Kendall, in one of his
letters, , of Capt. McCulloch being in his neighbourhood, there is
but little doubt; but whether he was unable to catch up with the
hurried and'complicated movements of the Texians, or fearful of
giving them battle, is more than this deponent can say. I say hurried
and complicated movements of the Texians, because, from the
time of our leaving Matamoras, to our reaching this place, the
men never took off their coats, boots, or spurs; not an extra or
second shirt was carried by one of them; and although the weather
was rainy much of the time, and two heavy northers visited
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/m1/55/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.