Texas Almanac, 1859 Page: 136
[224] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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TEXAS ALMANAC,
lance, but Grant told me to mount Maj. Morris' horse, as Morris had just been
killed. I did so, but without seeing any object to be accomplished by it. Just
at that moment the horses took a stampede, and broke the lines of dragoons,
and Grant and myself finding ourselves then the only survivors of our party,
followed in the wake of the horses, the dragoons shooting after us, and wound-
ing our horses in several places, but not badly. As we were flying a dragoon
rushed upon me- with his lance set, but I knocked it one side and shot him,
holding my pistol almost against his breast; and scarcely stopping, I fled with
Grant, the Mexicans following, and some of them occasionally coming up with
us, and crying out to us to surrender and our lives would be saved. But we knew
b-tter, and continued to fly, but the number of those overtaking us became
larger and larger, and after we had run six or seven miles, they surrounded us,
when, seeing no further chance of escape, we dismounted, determined to make
them pay dearly for our lives. As I reached the ground a Mexican lanced me
in the arm, but Grant immediately shot him dead, when I seized his lance to
defend myself; Just as he shot the Mexican, I saw Grant fall, pierced with
several lances, and a moment after I found myself fast in a lasso that had been
thrown over me, and by which I was dragged to the ground. I could do no more,
: nd only regretted that I had' not shared the fate of all the rest of my party.
After Grant fell I saw some ten or a dozen officers go up and run their swords
through his body. He was well known to them, having lived a long time in
Mexico. They had a bitter grudge against him.
I was then lashed upon a horse and taken to the ground where the fight first
commenced, where I saw most of our men lying dead. Among others whom I
recognized, was one poor fellow named Carpenter, from Tennessee, who was
fatally wounded, but not quite dead. When it was discovered that he was alive,
one of the dragoons was ordered to finish him. He dismounted, and, while poor
Carpenter was asking to have his life spared, he struck him on the head with
his escopette, and thus ended his existence. I was then taken to San Patricia,
and there confined in a small hut for seven or eight days, during which time I
knew nothing of the fate of Col. Johnson's command. On the second day of
my confinement. I was approached by Gen. Urrea's interpreter, who proposed to
mie that I should be released on condition that I would go with a flag of truce
.0o Col. Fannin, and propose to him that, if he would surrender, he and his men
should be sent safely back to the United States. The reason for making me this
proposition was doubtless the fact of their having found letters about me from
Col. Fanuin, with whom I had been on intimate terms, we both having come
from the same section of the State of Georgia. I refused to accede to this
proposition, assigning as my reason, that he required me to state what was not
-une, that the Mexican forces under him were very large, and such as would
overpower him; but I certainly would not have been the bearer of any proposi-
,ion that would have been dishonorable to our army, or have prejudiced our
-ause. Urrea then said that I would have to be executed according to Santa
Anna's orders. It was probably my indifference and recklessness of life, under
the circumstances, that saved my life. I was then taken out to be shot, but was
spared through the interposition of a priest and a 3Mexican lady, named Alvarez.
After having been kept in San Patricio some seven or eight days, I was taken
out of my place of confinement to be sent to Matamoros, when I was surprised
to see some fire or six of the men belonging to Col. Johnson's command, brought
..ut, at the same time, for the same purpose. They had been confined in another
place entirely unknown to me, and, as I then learned, were the only men of
Johnson's command that had not been killed, except Johnson himself, John H.
Love, James M. Miller and Daniel J. Toler, who made their escape by a fortu-
nate circumstance. An understrnding had been had between the Mexicans and
the fed- inhabitants of the town, that on the night when the attack upon the
town was to be made, the citizens should have lights burning in their houses,
by which means they would be known and saved, while all the balance were
to be slaughtered. It happened that on that night Johnson and Toler were en-
gaged in writing to a very late hour, and thei": light therefore saved them and
the other two who were with them, till they had notice of the attack, and were
thus enabled to make their escape.
I was then marched, with the other prisoners, to Matamoros, being five or six
days on the road; and on our arrival we were imprisoned and kept several days
without food or drink. Soon after our arrival, we were informed that orders
had been received from Santa Anna for our execution; but Gen. Fernandez,
commanding at Matamoros, to whom these orders had been sent, delayed the
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Texas Almanac, 1859, book, 1859~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123765/m1/137/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.