twelve-pounder intended for the defence of Copanorunder pretence
that it would be of more service at Brazo de Santiago, and
gave me advice, tot officially, of this imprudence, only when it
could not at that time be remedied, because, even though he
should have received my disapproval at the river Nueces or farther
on, it is probable he would have disobeyed me; be drove
before him all the cattle he could find, and induced the inhabitants
of Goliad, Refugio and San Patricio toabandon their homes;
and if indeed he pretended to advise me from the mission of
Refugio, that he thouight I ought to await the orders of the supreme
government at the posts of Bexar, Goliad and Copano, it
was only after he had committed all that I have stated, being
sure of his own march to Matamoros., He sentbefore him cvery
thing belonging to himself, taken from Brazoria, Matagorda,
La Baca, and other places, and had constantly made it his first
object to march in the van-guard after leaving the house of Mrs.
Powel, from whence hedespatched most all of his regiment to
Guadalupe, as also various confidants of his own private affairs,
all of whom I never again beheld; for in his division he had a
sort of inquisition in which he had even forbidden the guides to
give me any information, or come into my presence, and carried
things to such a pitch as to reprimand a guide because he was
replying to my questiens respecting the roads near the rivulet of
the San Bernardr t-d4 when, in fine, he was well aware of the
impossibility when he left me, of my being able to preserve the
line as he pretended I ought to do until knowing the determination
of the government. Besides, why did he not make mention
of this supposed conviction from Refugio? And why did
he carry off with him from San Patricio to Matamoros the lieutenant
colonel of engineers, Mr. Lewis Tola, being the individual
sent to the army for the purpose of constructing the necessary
fortifications at Bexar, Goliad, Copano and other places,
where circumstances should require it? In relation to this, I beg
your Excellency to be pleased-to inform himself from document
No. 8, which I accompany; and I must add, that similar deeds
are not in accordance with the apparent conviction of Mr. Urirea,
on the importance of not leaving that line unprotected, which
assertion is more confirmed on considering that said Tola was
not required in Matamoros,as in that place there was an engineer
appointed expressly by the government.
Secondly. That the enemy, beaten on as manry occasions,
