The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 49, July 1945 - April, 1946 Page: 291

Notes and Documents

Fernandes & Eight or ten other persons had taken their de-
parture from Colone [Colonial 'o Bound as it was suposed to
the United States & advising that patrolls should be sent out
in different directions to intercept them. The Deponent
states that he being detained in St. Antonio in the Royal Service,
contrary to his will, went likewise in search of them, with the
intention of joining them & coming with them into the United
States, and fell in with them, and that they proceeded on by
the most secret & unfrequented Rout, & on the Sixteenth of
September crossed the Sabine at the Mandaro [Nadaco] Village,
and at night on the seventeenth were in the Bayou Pierre Set-
tlement, attacked by a party of Royal Troops from Nacogdoches.
The Deponent made his escape on horseback, and he has reason
to believe that the whole Party except himself were taken
Prisoners with their Baggage, papers, etc.
The deponent understood from Colonels Manshack [Menchaca]
& Bernard that they were Embassadors from the Republican
party in the kingdom of Mexico to the Government of the
United States, and that they had the disposition of Fifteen
Millions of Dollars, and were desirous of procuring in the United
States for use of the Republican or Revolutionary party, Arms,
Amunition, and desirous likewise of entering into some mutually
Advantageous Commercial Arrangements.
The Deponent further states that he understood from those
Gentlemen, that except the City of Mexico, Chighuagua [Chihua-
hua], Quaghuilla [Coahuila] & St. Antonio all the rest of the
Kingdoms of Mexico was in the possession of the Revolutionary
party. And that sixty thousand Revolutionary Troops were in
possession of the pass between Mexico & Vera Cruts [Cruz]'o'
and that all Communication was intercepted. Col. Bernard
had received a letter from his Brother, an Eclesiastic, written
near Mexico, stating that the Revolutionists had intercepted an
express with dispatches from Chighuahua to Mexico--and that
the Country round Mexico was alive with Troops going against
it, to the number of Five hundred thousand at least, & that
a great Majority of the People of Mexico were waiting, impa-
tiently their approach to join them & that the Royal Troops
in Mexico did not exceed Forty thousand. The deponent further
states that the Colonels Manshack & Bernard had with them
an intercepted letter written by [Nemesio] Salcedo the Ruler
of Chighuahua 12 to Col. Lepion of Quaghuilla saying that as
looThe name Colonia was sometimes used instead of Nuevo Santander
or the complete title Colonia del Nuevo Santander; the province was
created in 1746. It was called the Colony of Nuevo Santander after 1749,
when Escand6n set forth to found colonies in that province.
loAfter the arrest of Hidalgo and his party Ray6n, who had been left
in command of all revolutionists, retreated from Saltillo to Valladolid.
He had been successful in his campaign and had closed the communications
with Mexico City. Bancroft, History of Mexico, IV, 306-316, 328, 331.
1ozCommandant-General of the Interior Provinces.

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