The treachery in Texas, the secession of Texas, and the arrest of the United States officers and soldiers serving in Texas. Read before the New-York Historical Society, June 25, 1861. By Major J. T. Sprague, U. S. A. Page: 7 of 36
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DOCUMENTS.
113
D
in Convention assembled, to demand, and receive,
and receipt for all military, medical, commissary
and ordnance stores under his control, within the
limits of the State of Texas, exercising all due
discretion for the securing and safe keeping of the
same. To be held by you without diminution
or injury, subject to the order of the Committee
of Public Safety, and in obedience to the provisions
of such rules or ordinances as the Convention
may prescribe.
Given under my hand, and by order of the
Committee of Public Safety, at the city of Austin,
February fifth, 1861. J. C. ROBERTSON,
Chairman Committee of Public Safety.
[Attest] THOMAs J. LUBBOCK,
J. A. GREEN.
But lest Gen. David E. Twiggs should decline
to surrender the Government property to the
Commissioners, and delay might prove fatal to the
enterprise, the Committee thought it prudent to
elect Col. Ben. McCulloch to the military rank of
colonel of cavalry, and commission him accordingly,
which they did. The following is a copy
of his commission:
AUsTIN, TEXAS, February 3,1861.
The Committee do hereby appoint you, Ben.
McCulloch. military officer, and order you to hold
yourself in readiness to raise men and munitions
of war, whenever called on by the Commissioners
to San Antonio, and to be governed as directed
by the secret instructions, given said Commissioners
concerning said command, and you will station
yourself at the residence of Henry McCulloch,
and await the communications of said Commissioners,
or the Committee of Public Safety.
J. C. ROBERTSON,
Chairman Committee of Public Safety.
The Civil Commissioners to San Antonio, T. J.
Devine and others, were also furnished with secret
instructions, to be followed by them should
Gen. David E. Twiggs refuse to turn over to them
the Government property. The following is a
copy of said secret instructions:
COMMITTEE-ROOM, AUSTIN, February 6,1861.
The Committee met at nine o'clock A.M. Roll
called; quorum present.
The following instructions were presented to
the Committee, and adopted:
To Messrs. Samuel A. Maverick, Thomas J. Devine,
Philip N Luckett, and James H. Rogers:
GENTLEMEN: The resolution of the Committee
of Public Safety, by which you were appointed,
gives the outline of your authority and duty.
You are sensible that the trust reposed is of the
highest responsibility, and involves the most delicate
and important duties. In the discharge of
that trust you will be governed by the following
instructions:
I. You will repair immediately to San Antonio,
the headquarters of Gen. Twiggs, in command of
this department. You will ascertain front him
his sentiments in regard to the existing state of
affairs, and the position he intends to occupy inreference to the withdrawal of Texas from the
Federal Union. If he informs you that he intends
to remain in the service of the Federal Goverment,
and execute its orders against Texas, no
further friendly conference with him will be desirable,
and you will be governed in your conduct
as hereinafter instructed; but if, on the
other hand, he should express a determination
not to remain in the service of the Federal Government
after the fourth of March next, then
II. You will learn from him the terms and
conditions upon which he will render up to the
people of Texas the arms and public property
under his control in Texas, or if he should suggest
to you a plan for the peaceable accomplishment
of that object, you are directed to adopt and
observe such suggestions, if deemed by you practicable,
and act in accordance with it. If, however,
he should decline suggesting any plan of action,
you will then,
III. Demand of him in the name and by the
authority of the sovereign people of the State of
Texas, a surrender of all the arms of every description,
including quartermaster, commllissaries,
ordnance and medical stores, and military stores
of every description, and money and everything
else under his control belonging to the Federal
Government.
IV. Should a display of force become necessary
in order to make the demand, you will direct
Col. Ben. McCulloch to call out and take the command
of such force of the volunteer and minute
men of the State as will be necessary for that purpose,
and then repeat the demand; and, then, if
the demand should be complied with, you will
take charge of everything turned over to you,
taking a complete inventory, and executing all
necessary receipts. You will do everything in
your power to avoid any collision with the Federal
troops, and to effect the peaceable accomplishment
of your mission, and for this purpose he
shall obey your instructions.
V. If Gen. Twiggs should indicate a desire not
to turn over to you such military stores, arms,
and other public property, until after the second
of March next, but a readiness to do so then, you
will then enter into an agreement to the eflect
that everything under his command shall remain
in "statu quo" until that period-that no movement,
change of position or concentration of the
troops under his command will be allowed, that
none of the arms, ordnance, commissary or military
stores or other property shall be removed
or disposed of. If he refuses to make such arrangements,
you will see that no such movement,
change, concentration or removal, shall take place,
and you are authorized to use every means to
prevent the same.
VI. If, after conferring with Gen. Twiggs, you
should be of opinion that military force is necessary,
you will immediately proceed to assemble
the same and communicate by express to this
Committee. Should the property be turned over
to you, you will employ all the necessary clerks
and other persons to take charge of the same.
You will also raise a military force of volunteers
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Sprague, John Titcomb. The treachery in Texas, the secession of Texas, and the arrest of the United States officers and soldiers serving in Texas. Read before the New-York Historical Society, June 25, 1861. By Major J. T. Sprague, U. S. A., book, 1862; New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6102/m1/7/?rotate=270: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.