The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 1, July 1897 - April, 1898 Page: 55
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John Crittenden Duval.
to send us to New Orleans on board of vessels then at Copano.
This, you may be sure, was joyful news to us, and we lost no time
in making preparations to leave our uncomfortable quarters. When
all was ready, we were formed in three divisions and marched out
under a strong guard. As we passed by some Mexican women, who
were standing near the main entrance to the fort, I heard them say,
'pobrecitos' (poor fellows), but the incident at that time made but
little impression on my mind. One of our divisions was taken
down the road leading to the lower ford of the river, one upon the
road to San Patricio, and the division to which my company was
attached along the road leading to San Antonio. A strong guard
accompanied us, marching in double files on both sides of our col-
umn. It occurred to me that this division of our men into three
squads, and marching us off in three directions, was rather a singu-
lar manoeuvre, but still I had no suspicion of the foul play intend-
ed us. When about half a mile above town, a halt was made and
the guard on the side next the river filed around to the opposite
side. Hardly had this manoeuvre been executed when I heard a
heavy firing of musketry in the directions taken by the other two
divisions. Some one near me exclaimed, 'Boys, they are going to
shoot us!' and at the same instant I heard the clicking of musket
locks all along the Mexican line. I turned to look, and as I did so
the Mexicans fired upon us, killing probably one hundred out of
the one hundred and fifty men in the division. We were in double
file, and I was in the rear rank. The man in front of me was shot
dead, and in falling he knocked me down. I did not get up for a
moment, and when I rose to my feet I found that the whole Mexi-
can line had charged over me, and were in hot pursuit of those who
had not been shot and who were fleeing towards the river about
five hundred yards distant. I followed on after them, for I knew
that escape in any other direction (all open prairie) would be im-
possible, and I had nearly reached the river before it became neces-
sary to make my way through the Mexican line ahead. As I did
so, one of the soldiers charged upon me with his bayonet (his gun,
I suppose, being empty). As he drew his musket back to make a
lunge at me, one of our men, coming from another direction, ran
between us and the bayonet was driven through his body. The
blow was given with such force, that in falling, the man probably
wrenched or twisted the bayonet in such a way as to prevent the
Mexican from withdrawing it immediately. I saw him put his
foot upon the man, and make an ineffectual attempt to extricate
the. bayonet from his body, but one look satisfied me, as I was some-
what in a hurry just then, and I hastened to the bank of the river
and plunged in. The river at that point was deep and swift, but
not wide, and being a good swimmer, I soon gained the opposite
bank, untouched by any of the bullets that were pattering in the
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 1, July 1897 - April, 1898, periodical, 1897/1898; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101009/m1/67/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.