The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 4, July 1900 - April, 1901 Page: 270
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270 lexas Historical Association Quarterly.
army at San Louis Potosi and Saltillo. I was highly displeased
with this act of disobedience, and considered the new reinforcement
as trifling, whereas I had before its arrival entertained well-
founded hopes of gaining some decisive advantage with the new
succor, which was to have given me the superiority of numbers.
I disposed myself, however, to take advantage of the favorable dis-
position which I perceived in our soldiers on the arrival of General
Cos; but the latter represented to me that having made a forced
march in order to reach my camp early, his troops had neither eaten
nor slept during twenty-four hours, and that while the baggage was
coming up, which it would do within two more hours, it was indis-
pensable to grant some refreshment to the soldiers. I consented to
it, but in order to keep a watch over the enemy and protect the said
baggage, I posted my escort in a favorable place, reinforcing it with
thirty-two infantry, mounted on officer's horses. Hardly one hour
had elapsed since that operation, when General Cos begged me, in
the name of Don Miguel Aguirre, the commander of the escort,
that I would permit his soldiers to water their horses, which had
not drunk for twenty-four hours, and let the men take some
refreshment. Being moved by the pitiable tone in which this
request was made, I consented, commanding at the time that
Aguirre and his men should return to occupy their position as soon
as they should have satisfied their necessities; and his disobedience
to this order concurred to favor the surprise which the enemy
effected.
Feeling myself exceedingly fatigued from having spent the whole
morning on horseback, and the preceding night without sleep, I
lay down under the shade of some trees, while the soldiers were pre-
paring their meal. Calling General Castrillon, who acted as
major-general, I recommended him to be watchful and to give me
notice of the least movement of the enemy, and also to inform me
when the repast of the soldiers would be over, because it was urgent
to act in a decisive manner.
I was in a deep sleep when I was awakened by the firing and
noise; I immediately perceived we were attacked, and had
fallen into frightful disorder. The enemy had surprised our
advance posts. One of their wings had driven away the three com-
panies (de preferencia) posted in the wood on our right, and from
among the trees were now doing much execution with their rifles.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 4, July 1900 - April, 1901, periodical, 1901; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101018/m1/302/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.