The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 6, July 1902 - April, 1903 Page: 142
401 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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142 Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
replied, "Very well, get your dinners and I will lead you into the
fight, and if you whip them every one of you shall be a captain".
There had been so many "split ups" and differences that Hous-
ton preferred the opinions of the men themselves, feeling that be-
fore hazarding battle he must find whether they would enter the
engagement with a will. For the men had marched so long with-
out food or rest that, perhaps, they might not be physically pre-
pared.
I never heard orders given as to Vince's bridge. I heard that
Deaf Smith had asked permission to cut it down. I never heard
that Vince's bridge was mentioned in any address to the army, or
any prominence given to the fact that it had been destroyed.
After leaving Harrisburg, I saiv no wagon transports. We
packed all there was on our backs.
After dinner the men were ready for battle. I was in Sherman's
division-left wing of attack--but under my own captain, Win.
Ware. Rusk started out with us, but turned and went with the ar-
tillery. When we ran over the ridge we lost sight of the rest. On
beginning the battle, before we got in sight of the Mexicans, they
began firing at us. They were lying down in the grass. We ex-
amined the places where many had been, and found as many as
five ends of cartridges where each Mexican lay, so supposed that
each man had fired at us as many as five times before we reached
them. Their breastworks were composed of baggage, saddle bags,
and brush, in all about four or five feet high. There was a gap
eight or ten feet wide through which they fired the cannon. I
saw Houston in the midst of the enemy's tents near the first regi-
ment to the right. A Mexican officer tried to rally his men, but
was soon dispatched by a rifle ball and fell from his horse. Our
regiment passed beyond the Mexican's breastworks before we knew
it, while our other two regiments came up in front of them, so
then we did them up in short order. I never heard any halt or-
dered. We never halted. The battle was won in fifteen or eigh-
teen minutes. The !MIexican cavalry broke in disorder, while ours
was hotly pursuing them. Houston had two horses 'killed from
under him, and was on his third one before he passed the Mexican's
works. We ran and fought fully two miles.
After the fight was ended Houston gave orders to form in line
and march back to camp, but we payed no attention to him, as we
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 6, July 1902 - April, 1903, periodical, 1903; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101028/m1/146/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.