Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas ... Containing a history of this important section of the great state of Texas, from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its future prospects; with full-page portraits of the presidents of the United States, and also full-page portraits of some of the most eminent men of the county, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers, and also of prominent citizens of to-day ... Page: 35
This book is part of the collection entitled: Texas History Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Dallas Public Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
HISTORY aOF ELLIS COUNTY. 8
to the right and to the left, swing northward
until the three columns formed one dense
mass, which, under the guidance of their
officers, finally succeeded in effecting an entrance
into the enclosed yard. About the
same time the column on the south made a
breach in the wall and captured one of the
guns.' This gun, the eighteen-pounder, was
immediately turned upon the convent, to
which some of the Texans had retreated.
The cannonade on the center of the west wall
was still manned by the Texans and did fearful
execution upon the Mexicans, who had
ventured into the yard. But the feeble garrison
could not long hold out against such
overwhelming numbers. Travis fell early in
the action, shot with a rifle bail in the head.
After being shot he had sufficient strength
to kill a Mexican who attempted to spear him.
The bodies of most of the Texans were found
in the buildings, where hand-to-hand fights
took place. The body of Crockett, however,
was in the yard, with a number of dead Mexicans
lying near him. Bowie was slain in his
bed, and it is said that he killed three Mexicans
with his pistols before they reached him
after breaking in the door. The church was
the last place entered by the foe. It had
been agreed that when resistance seemed useless,
and suspecting their fate, any surviving
Texan should blow up the magazine. Major
Evans, it is said, was performing this sad
duty when he was killed in time to prevent
the explosion. Several Texans appealed to
their inhuman captors for quarters, but they
were cut down without mercy. The butchery
was complete: not a Texan soldier was spared ITwo ladies and a negro servant were the only
occupants who remained to tell the tale of
the Alamo. Lieutenant Dickinson attempted
to escape with a child on his back, but their
bodies fell, riddled with bullets. One hundred
and eighty bodies of the Texans were
collected together and partially buried. The
Mexicans lost twice that number.
Santa Ana, in the meantime, had ordered
Urrea to proceed along the Texan coast, and
that General reached San Patricio on the 28th
of February, entirely unknown to the Texans.
Some narrow escapes were made by Colonel
F. W. Johnson and others, but a party under
Major Morris and Dr. Grant were captured
and they fell victims to the Mexican murderers,-for
they were nothing less. Colonel
Fannin had been ordered to prepare for a
descent on Matamoras, but hearing of the
advance of Urrea he re-entered Goliad, where
he had been in command some time. Having
been requested to send some reinforcements
to Captain King his force was thereby depleted
by 112 men. King and his men, after
a skirmish or two, by some means got separated
from another portion of his force and
were captured and killed. Fannin, in Goliad,
on the 16th of March, was reinforced by
twenty.eight cavalry. He then prepared for
a retreat, but just at nightfall a large force of
the enemy was discovered in the neighborhood,
when he remounted his cannon and
prepared for defense. The following account
of the disastrous battle of Colita which followed
is copied from an able historian of
Texas: "The morning of the 17th was foggy,
and as no enemy appeared to be in sightHISOR OFELIS OUTY
35
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas ... Containing a history of this important section of the great state of Texas, from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its future prospects; with full-page portraits of the presidents of the United States, and also full-page portraits of some of the most eminent men of the county, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers, and also of prominent citizens of to-day ..., book, 1892; Chicago. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018/m1/37/?rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library.