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: 72
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:
72 MEXICANS AND INDIANS.
great was our relief to have once more an unimpeded path to
travel. Continuing our way along the bank, we soon arrived at
a small rancho, which bore evident marks of the Indian's depredation.
They had killed the cattle, driven off all the horses, and
carried off with them some Mexican children, and a young girl,
who was said to have been celebrated for her great beauty. The
Mexicans generally, we speak of the character of the mass of'the
people, are certainly base cowards. Whenever the Indians approach
the ranchos, the men run off, and hide themselves, leaving
the women totally unprotected. As soon as they think all danger
is over-they then return, and braggadocio-like, swear vengeance,
threatening to exterminate the tribe; and mounting their caballos,
pretend to give chase, but taking good care not to come up with
their foe. The Indians, well knowing their character, frequently
lie in wait, on the occasion of these exhibitions of bravery, and
reward them for their cowardice by cutting their throats. The
Comanches are far superior to the class of piones or serfs in
Mexico, in every particular. Upon one occasion, an Indian was surrounded
by a large party, having his squaw and child with himhe
was told to surrender-but replied, that " the Comanches
never surrendered in the defence of a woman"-giving them
battle, he drove them back with his single arm, until the woman
and child could escape; dealing destruction on every side with
his knife, until he was shot dawn, weltering in the blood of his
enemies !
We found several of their arrows lying about, but could discover
no clue to inform us of their immediate whereabouts. As it was
growing late, McCulloch concluded to pitch his camp about two
miles beyond this place, and we reached the spot just as the sun
was sinking in the west. The place selected was directly on the
river bank, and a Mexican corn-field furnished a convenient pen
for our horses, during the night. The corn had been removed
from the field, but there was plenty of good grass left, and our
tired animals were turned in to graze at will upon the excellent
pasture. A steep bank, about thirty feet high, formed one side of
the enclosure, and the river the other-the two ends being enclosed
by fences running from the bank to the water-side. Our place of
encampment was on the table-land, on the bank above, where we
could overlook the whole enclosure. Four sentinels were placed
over the horses, while the camp itself was left entirely unguarded.
Indeed, as we ourselves practised somewhat the Indian mode of
campaigning, we never feared a surprise or night attack; for, s
we always slept with our arms by our sides, we were always prepared
to spring to our feet and be ready on the instant to repulse
the foe, or rush forward to the attack. Our horses gave us our
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/m1/76/: 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.