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: 54
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54 A NIGHT IN CAMP.
of army stores, was about to return to Matamoras, when Captain
McCulloch, Mr. Kendall, and a few others, determined to go down
in her; Capt. McC. to conduct the rest of the company from
Matamoras to Reynoso, and Mr. Kendall to seek more comfortable
quarters than Reynoso afforded. The following description of
our situation in camp was written by him, the night previous to
his departure:
"( But if Reynoso was not beleaguered by armed men, and if no
villanous saltpetre was burnt, nor lead thrown, we passed any
thing but a comfortable night of it. The early part was most disagreeably
hot and sultry-enough of itself to prevent sleep, although
we were encamped out of doors, and on the hard ground; but to
add to this, every dog in the town kept up a most incessant barking,
and each separate whelp seemed engaged in an attempt to outbark
and out-howl his neighbour. How many dogs there are in
Reynoso, 1 have no means of ascertaining, there being no tax upon
the curs, nor any statistics from which correct information can be
obtained; yet, as the number of inhabitants is put down at 3000,
I should think that by multiplying them by 750-judging from the
noise they make altogether-you might get somewhere in the neighbourhood
of the number of dogs. When we have no positive data
to go upon, we are obliged to resort to guess-work. Well, these rascally
whelps barked away the hours until a rain-storm came up,
and then we had a thunder gust for an accompaniment. Pleasant
country, this! but rather hard on that portion of the American
people this side the Rio Grande. Do you know that I sometimes
think of the St. Charles, the Verandah, and of Hewlett's-their
sumptuous dinners and comfortable beds !
" Yet, with all the drawbacks above enumerated, we still made
out to nap it awhile, towards morning. I could not help laughing
at a young Ranger, whose blanket was within good hearing distance
of mine. ' Well,' said he, 'if I'd been told when I left Mississippi,
a year ago last Spring, by any one of my particular friends, that
I could ever sleep in this way-that I could ever catch a wink
with all my clothes on, belted round with two pistols and a bowie,
boots on, and spurs to boot,-out doors, on the ground, and in a
single blanket, and raining at that, I'd a told him that he lied, sure.'
It's pretty much so."
After the departure of Capt. McCulloch, the command of our
party devolved upon Lieut. McMullen, and upon a better officer
it could not have fallen. A few days after, two officers of the
Mexican army were apprehended in Reynoso, and detained as
spies, until the commands of Gen. Taylor in regard to them could
be obtained. McMullen was called upon by Col. Wilson to fur
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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/m1/58/: 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.