Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal
wholly unsatisfactory, and he provides no explanation of how he knew
where the tree Dewees climbed "must" have been.
From the tree Dewees and his companions noticed an unusual parade; there seemed to
be more music than common and more booming of cannon. On arriving at General
Houston 's tent Dewees was informed by him that a gentleman by the name of Carr had
that night arrived from Victoria, bringing information that Santa Anna had crossed the
Guadaloupe at Victoria and was hastening on to reinforce Felisola and they should have
reached Columbus that night. The arrival of Santa Anna accounted for the excitement
among the Mexicans.
Again, Zumwalt almost exactly reproduces Dewees' narrative, here from
page 191 (see Letters From an Early Settler of Texas). He again misspells
Filisola, but replaces Dewees' misspelling of Guadalupe, Guadulupe,
with his own misspelling. The original reads:
"we noticed an unusual parade at the encampment; there
seemed to be more music than common, and more booming of
cannons. .. On arriving at his tent I was informed by him that
a gentleman by the name of Carr had that night arrived from
Victoria, bringing information that Santa Anna with his army had
crossed the Guadulupe at Victoria and was hastening on to
reinforce Felisola, and they had about time to arrive there that
night. This then accounted for the unusual excitement we had
perceived among the Mexicans, Santa Anna having, without
doubt arrived."
General Houston then paraded his army and addressed them, substantially, as follows:
"Fellow Soldiers: The only army in Texas is now present. Travis has fallen with his men
at the Alamo. Fannin's troops have been massacred at La Bahia. There are none who
will come to my aid. The citizens of the east dare not or will not come to aid us. There
is here but a small force, yet it is the only army Texas can offer. We might cross the
river and attack the enemy; perhaps we might be victorious but, again, we might be
overcome. If we are overpowered by Felisola 's army which has, without doubt, been
largely reinforced during the past night by the army under General Santa Anna, we have
no other army to retreat back upon. We can not expect reinforcements. I have called
for volunteers but almost in vain. There are but a few of us and if we are beaten, the
fate of Texas is sealed. The salvation of the country depends upon the first battle had
with the enemy. For this reason, I intend to retreat and I shall continue to retreat until
I find I can beat the Mexicans in battle, if I am obliged to go even to the banks of the
Sabine. "
Zumwalt's reproduction of the speech contains 22 deviations from the
original. The speech, as it is printed on pages 191-192 in Letters From
an Early Settler of Texas, reads:
18
