Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas Page: 30 of 372
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26
BIOGRAPHICAL
to Texas, arriving at San Antonio in 1835. In the
fall of -that year Messrs. Maverick, John W. Smith
and P."B: Coocke were arrested by Colonel Ugartchia,
commanding the Mexican troops who occupied the
city. During their incarceration they contrived to
'keep up intelligence with General Burieson, comm
anding the Texan arminy then investing the" town.
On one occasion" these three gentlemen were sentencedon
i suspicion" to be shot, and" were actually
marched to the place of execuhtion, when "Mrs.
Smith, now thle wife of Mr, Jamies B. Lee, living on
'the Medina, appeared on'the ground, fell upon the
earthi, embracing the feet of the Mexican commander,
begging hinm piteously for a further investigation
of thieir case. The investigation was finally
granted, and resulted in thie cl6aring of the prisoners,
who wete, however, kept under a close guard. Tihey
made" their escape, nevertheless, and joined the
Texan army.' Early on the morning of the 5th of
'December, 1835, Colonel Ben MIilani attacked the
city; S. A. Marverick as guide, with Milam at the
head of the right division, moving down 'Soledad
street to the La'Garza House--Johnson commanding
tie left, imnrching down 'Acequia street to the same
'point, withi John W. Smith for guide. The cannon
posted at the corner of the Main Plaza swept these
streets. To procure water our troops took the Veramendi
House "by digging a trench" of five feet in
depth across the street during the night ofthe 5th,
and so" going' back and forth with heads bent to
avoid the grape shot.' "Of the seven hundred volunteers"
under'General Burleson at tihe Old Mill above
town; only two hundred and fifty were under Milam
-others joined them two days later, but the greater
number 'had gone home to Goliad, where a force.
was then gathering to move against Matamoras. On
'the 8th, Milam was killed in the yard of thIe Veramendi
House, being shot through the head; and
by his side stood Mr. Maverick. On the 10th, the
Mexicans ran up thle white flag of surrender. The
Texan troops had'fought incessantly night and day,
and had taken all' the square block of buildings
"fronting on the north' side of the' Main Plaza, by
.digging through the walls of the houses from one to
"another. - Where the Plaza House now stands there
lived the priest, Padre Garza; from this house the
Texans made a charge and took and spiked the guns,
the fire of which had been concentrated on that
building and was fast crumbling it down. In this
charge Colonel Ward lost a leg, and the young
Carolinian, Bonham, an eye. The Mexican gunners
fled or were cut to pieces. This was on the
morning of the 10th,l and was followed by thle capitulation
of General Cos, who was permitted toretire with his troops across the Rio (Trande.
Mr. Maverick's absence on March 6th, 1836, the
day of the massacre of the Almno, was due to "his
being sent a delegate to the Convention of the
people of Texas, in which capacity he, on the 2d
of March, signed the l)eclaration of Indepehndence;
the Hon. Jose Antonio Navarro bemin the 'other
delegate from the municipality of Bexar, also present
and signing.
After the battle of San Jacinto, the result of
which secured the safety of Texas, fo,r ta time at
least, Mr. Maverick returned to Alabama, where
hlie married, in August of the samnte year, arnd in
1838, returned to San Antonio with his family.
In March, 1842, (General Vasquez invaded western
Texas, entering San Antonio with iine. ltaitdred
men. On thiis occasion, Mr. 'I'wolti blew tlip
his store to prevent the ammunition it coIntainel
from falling into tlhe hands of the enemy. Time
few American families then living in San Antonio
hliad made good their esciape in time; rettiring to
the Brazos river. Tihe family of Mr. Matverick did
not return to San Antonio until 1847.
On the 12th of September, of the sauie y,a,i
the District Court being in sessiom, a Mexican citizen,
now dead, was visited ivy some of his countrymen,
known to be in tlhe Mexican s:ervice; fronm
them he ascertained that General Wotll was cho,
at hlaind withi a force of f ourteen hunmired noll.
This intelligence hlie coinmnmicated t,o Pom Antonio
Manichaca7 who lost no time in making it knownl
Judge HIutchliison. Tlihe few troops .stautine,td in
San Antonio im mediately witlidrew, iunt tlhe Ame.rican
citizens, with the intti benrs of the iar, the
presidinig judige at their head, decided on defending
the place; Mr. Maver'ick, wt,o was urgent in
favor of this course, declaring that thety ,ouhit to
set the examiple of resistence, and whateve,r might
be their fate, they would at least check tle advanice
of the enemy, and give tite ftor succorm to
arrive from tihe few scattetred settlements which
existed at that early day in western Te(xas, They
accoidingly, on the nigltt of Saturday, the 12th,
took up their position on tlhe lat r,of of the* building
known as Maverick 's, foming the coriner of
Commerce and Soledad streets, and conmm(uamittg
all the entrances to the Main ll Pluaz. Tlis little
band numbered fifty-three Amiericans and tine exlean,
Mr. Manchaca, whto hlid served timrough the
War of Independence, from Bexar to San Jacinto,
and was especially marked for vengeancme by Santa
Anna. Soon after daylight, in a thick fog, the
Mexican troops entered the Main Plaza, music in
front, little expecting the reception that awaited
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Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas, book, 1880; New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth5827/m1/30/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.