The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, July 1954 - April, 1955 Page: 61

Trahern: Texan Cowboy Soldier from Mier to Buena Vista 61
What were your surroundings; that is, were they pleasant while
you were in Texas with your brother-in-law? Oh, very, yes, sir;
very pleasant. Lived happily together. At that time, you know,
about those times, Texas was in war with Mexico; that was before
she was annexed to the United States, and we were all "minute
men"; every man kept his gun and horse-man and boy and every-
thing that could carry a gun. We had to fight Mexicans and
Indians; any minute might be called out, and would all rendez-
vous at a certain place and start out and fight Indians or Mex-
icans or whatever it was.
Always ready for orders? Yes, always. We had to protect our-
selves. Texas had two regular ranging companies, but every man
in the country was a soldier then, you know. They had to protect
the people, the women and children, and whenever there was an
incursion by either Indians or Mexicans, runners were sent all
over the country to rendezvous at such a point, and every man
just saddled his horse and started to that point, and from there
we would go out.
This was just prior to the Mexican war? Yes, sir. Texas was
annexed in 1845, I believe, and this was previous to that time.
This was between 1839 and 1845.
Then, when the Mexican war broke out, did you take any part
in that? Oh, yesl and there were several large Mexican forces
came in there into Texas previous to that time this General Wolll
-and we collected and fought him right at San Antonio, there-
I forget the name of the creek now,2 but just this side of San
Antonio-and whipped Woll. In the meantime the Court was in
session at San Antonio, and they took the whole Court, lawyers,
doctors, judges and everybody else prisoners; and they then called
for troops, under General [Alexander] Somervell, and started to
Mexico to recapture a portion of the principal men in Mexico
and the frontier, and make an exchange for our people that they
had; that was called the May expedition, under General Somer-
vell. I belonged to Captain Owens' company.
Did you succeed? No, sir. When we got to Laredo, on the Rio
iGeneral Adrian Woll was a French officer who had gone to Mexico with Fran-
cisco Xavier Mina's expedition in 1817. Woll was the head of a Mexican force that
invaded Texas and seized San Antonio in September, 1842. H. H. Bancroft, History
of Mexico (6 vols.; San Francisco, 1883-1888), V, 246-247.
2Salado Creek. W. P. Stapp, Prisoners of Perote (Philadelphia, 1845), 18-19.