Telegraph and Texas Register (Columbia, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 28, Ed. 1, Tuesday, September 6, 1836 Page: 1 of 4
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TOIi. I.
WE GO FOR OUR COUNTRY-
NO. 28.
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PUBLISHED WEEKLY,
BY. G. & T. H. BORDEN.
CO&UMBIA, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1836.
TERMS, $5 PER ANN., IN ADVANCE.
ADVERTISING, USUAL PRICES.
For the Telegraph.
TO THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS.
No. 1.
-As.a general rule, it may be considered objectionable for the Chief
Magistrate of a Government to appear before his Constituents, in vin-
dication of his public conduct, while he is still exercising the functions
of office.
ButjreaeraLrules admitof exceptions : and in the present mstance,
lexceotion is founded in so many extraordinary circumstances, that
I trust even the most fastidious advocate for political etiquette, will ad-
mit the propriety of it. I will not offer a minute detail of those circum-
stances, one alone is sufficient. The fact that we have heretofore been
deprived of the benefits of a Press, the great vehicle of truth and of
error, is a prominent feature among the many difficulties and embar-
rassments -that have compassed our path from the beginning, and I am
persuaded it has contributed much to the censures that have been so
liberally bestowed on the present Executive Government.
In truth the whole condition of Texas is, and has been extraordi-
nary. It was extraordinary that a people icomprising about fifty thou-
sand souls, should undertake to achieve an absolute independence of a
country lying in a juxta position and containing a population of eight
millions of souls. And it is still more extraordinary that tliey should
have succeeded, as far as is already done, in an enterprize of so high
import against such apparently fearful odds.
-It has always been the desire of the Government to communicate
freely with the people on all public matters, and to keep nothing from
them, unless some important state interest should require concealment.
But many tilings have conspired to render such communications imprac-
ticable. The want of a press was sufficient ; the entire interruption
of the mails, was itself adequate ; and other causes could be enumer-
ated, Having a similar influence upon the operations of the Govern-
ment. A Press- is now "happily established, and it is meet that we
should avail ourselves of an early opportunity to render to our Constit-
uents some account of our Stewardship. This meetness is exempli-
fied and almost resolved into absolute necessity, by the fact, that Cabi-
net objections'aud protestations, have gone out from us and are calculat-
ed to perpetuate what we believe to be the general misapprehensions in
regard to a certain very prominent act of the administration.
The .late treaty negociated with our distinguished prisoner, the
President Santa Anna has, we are sensible, received an almost univer-
sal disapprobation from the people of Texas. Some have con-
demned it and its authors, in terms as unmeasured as their own ima-
ginations, and as unqualified, as their own malignity could suggest.
To such, we have no exposition to make, no reasons to offer. To those
who belieye it was an unwise and an impolitic measure, but who have
.honesty enough themselves to believe it proceeded from honest motives,
- n-woulorcherfulty render the best explanation the subject admits of.
But it is very certain, that the folly or the wisdom ofthat treaty, can-
not now be determinately ascertained, for the reason that the operation
of the treaty was forcibly arrested and the experiment can never again
be fairly made, under the same circumstances or with similar probabili-
ties of success. In order to explain the whole character of -that treaty,
a succinct narrative of events, still fresh in the recollection of many,
is expedient.
Soon after the retreat of the Army from the Colorado, and its en-
campment in the dense forests of the Brazos, by which movement the
. best improved, the wealthiest and the most populous portion of Texas,
was laid open to the depredations of the enemy, the Government, then
located at Harrisburg, directed the Secretary of War, now General
-Thomas J. Rusk, to repair to the Army, for the purpose of conferring
with the Commander-in-Chief on the propriety of fighting the enemy
and checking his triumphant and destructive advances into the country.
That officer remained with the army, until after the battle of 21st April,
and participated in the glory of a victory that will forever perpetuate
the remembrance of that day in the annals of Texas. But his presence
in the army produced no apparent change in the policy of General
Houston, and I believe it can be proved by indisputable evidence, that
a retreat to the river Trinity was intended, until the irresistible im-
pulse of public opinion in the army compelled that happy movement,
which resulted in the memorable battle of San Jacinto. The impetuous
gallantry of the subaltern officers and the soldiers had become impatient
under the restraints of the Fabian system, as that ruinous policy has
been pompously denominated, and they were resolved no longer to en-
dure the taunts and the vain triumphs of an enemy, whose pusilanimity
-was proverbial, and whose military character had been universally an
object of contempt and ridicule in Texas.
The rapid approaches of the enemy had compelled the government
to abandon Harrisburg, but after a transcient dispersion they re-assembled
at Galveston Island, which was then considered the last hope of de-
- fence to Texas. The arrival of the army on Buffalo bayou was made
known to us about the 19th of April, two days after the enemy were
known to have occupied New Washington. On the 17th I had made
a very narrow escape, with my family and some others, from the ad-
vance guard of the Mexican forces at that point. As soon as we heard
-ul thp-Ialand, of the arrival of Gcn.-Houston and his forces on Buffalo
bayou, the steamboat Cayuga was despatched, with a number ofN volun-
teers and some provisions for the relief and succor of our brave troops.
The Secretary of the Nayy was on board this boat. On the 22d or 23d,
the steambont Laura was also despatched with further supplies, and an
additional number of volunteers. Mr. Hardiman the Secretary of the
Treasury was one of those volunteers. This boatsustained some injury
to her boiler and was detained some 24 or 30 hours at Red fish bar, after
-which she proceeded to the Texian camp. The news of the great battle
did not reach me at the Island until the 26th, owing to the inclemancy
of the weather and the miserable quality of the boat in which the mes-
sengers made their trip. A special request was made to me by the Se-
cretary of War, that I would repair to the Camp and as soon as the
steamer Yellow Stone could procure a supply of wood, which required
four or five days, I set out in that boat, with more provisions, and arrived
at the Camp on Buffalo bayou about the 1st of May.
On my arrival at Camp, which had been recently removed further
up the bayou to escape, the offensive odors of the battle ground, I found
the President Santa Anna and his suite occupying the only building in
the vicinity. Cheerfulness seemed to pervade their countenances.
The Ptern asperities of war were softened down, and the more bland
jend delightful associations of peace had resumed their sway, where
'lately bayonets bristled and cannon roared. The Mexican General
Adrian Wall, who had been commissioned by General Filisola, under a
'Hugf- truce, to enquire into the particulars of a treaty entered into by
General Houston and General Santa Anna, was admitted to a free
Intercourse with the.prisoners and was an habitual inmate of their ha-
bitation ; and apparently no restrictions were imposed upon others, in
Tcspect to access to the distinguished captive.
After the usual ceremonies were passed, I was informed that an
Armistice had been entered into between General Houston and
General "Santa Ann?. : that the latter had iucd hi? ordrr?. which
had been transmitted under the authority of General Houston,
to General Filisola for the -whole Mexican forces to retrogade
a portion of them to fall back to Bexar (San Antonia) and the residue
to Gaudaloupe Victoria. Copies of the several orders promulgated in
consequence of that treaty, which appears to have been commenced on
the day after the battle, and five days before I had heard of the great
victory, are subjoined.
No. 1. " ' ARMY OF OPERATIONS.
Excellent Sir, The small division under my immediate, command
having had yesterday evening an unfortunate encounter, it has resulted
in my being a prisoner of war in the enemy's hands, but all possi-
ble considerations have been shown to me ; therefore I command you
to cause General Gaona to countermarch to Bejar to wait there for
orders. Your Excellency will also return to the same place with the
troops under your command, .ordering at the same time General Urrea
to retreat with his division to Guadalupe Victoria, because .an armistice
has been agreed upon with General Houston, until some negotiations'
are arranged, by which the war is to cease for ever.
For the support of the army (from henceforth placed under your
command) you may make use of the funds which have arrived at Mata-
moros, as well as the provisions lying there and at Victoria, and you
may also dispose of the $20,000 brought fromBexar, and which should be
in the army chest.
I expect that your Excellency will, without fail, comply with these
orders, and advise me of vour having commenced doinjr so. God and
Liberty. Camp St. Jacinto, April 22d, 1836.
ANTONIO LOPEZ DE SANTA ANNA.
To H. E. Don Vicente Filisola, General of Division.
Table of Paj, Subsistence, Forage, &c. allowed to Officers, Soldiers, &c,
copied from the regulations of the United States Army and by which our own
is governed.
No. 2. ARMY OF OPERATIONS.
Excellent Sir, Inasmuch as I have ordered your Excellency by
official note of to-day, that you cause the troops to return to Bexar and
Gaudeloupe Victoria, I charge you to instruct the Commandants of the
several divisions, not to permit any damage done to the property of the
inhabitants of the country, Roping that these dispositions will be punc-
tually complied with.
God and Liberty, at San Jacinto, April 22, 1836.
(Signed) ANTONIO LOPEZ DE SANTA ANNA.
No. 3. ARMY OF OPERATIONS.
Excellent Sir, You will immediately order the Military Com-
mandant at Goliad, to put all the prisoners made at Copano, at liberty
and send them forthwith to San Felipe de Austin, and for which purpose
your Excellency will dictate such Orders as may be conducive to the
object.
' God and Liberty, Camp of San Jacinto, April 22, 1836.
(Signed) ANTONTA LOPEZ J)E SANTA ANNA
The compete! of the Commander-in-Chief, especially when sus
tained by the presence of the Secretary of War, to make such a military
Convention, with the Captivp Chief of the enenry, will not be questioned.
The propriety of his doing so,. I am not disposed to discuss. A large
amount of property, including some 10 or 12,000 dollars in money, had
been captured, and this booty was ordered by General Houston to be
distributed among the captors. The legitimacy of such an order is more
than questionable, but there has been no disposition to contravene it.
The exclusive enjoyment, by the captors, of the property taken on the
field of battle, was a gratuity which but feebly expressed the gratitude
of their countrymen for their gallantry on that brilliant occasion, x he
distribution of those spoils occupied some days and was just completed
when I arrived at Camp. Hannibal distributed spoils at Cannm and
Home teas saved. But it is the political effect of that treaty which it is
necessary for me to examine. In doing so I shall endeavor to he brief
to avoid personalities and to advance nothing more than is necessary
to elucidate an intricate subject and to justif1- a position, assumed by
the Administration, in relation to that treaty, which I am confident the
thinking, the humane and the enhghtend portion of mankind, will ac
cede to, and sanction with their approbation. To avoid an undue occu-
pation of the valuable columns of the Telegraph, I shall distribute my
communications into several numbers.
Your obodicnt servant,
DAVID G. BURNET.
The Farmers of Exgland. The farmes are regularly laid but into
squares and parallelograms of from twelve to forty acres ; and in gen
eral they are laid down as smooth and level as the roller can make them.
Here is a luxuriant wheat field and there a fine meadow, and next a
rich pasture, and there busy preparations for putting in potatoes or tur
nips; and there barley or oats just shooting up from the dark or rich
soil. But scarcely a rod or fence, such as we meet with in the United
States of America, do you see in your 200 miles ride from Liverpool to
the metropolis. All is haw-thorn ; and these hedges, which are for the
most part kept neatly trimmed, about the gardens and farm houses, and
by the road side, add more to the beauty of the country than any de-
scription had pictured upon my mind. The common method of making
the hedges is this : first a ridge is thrown up, perhaps a foot from the
level of the fields which are to be fenced off, then the young thorn is
planted in two parallel rows, about a foot or eighteen inches apart.
The growth is not very rapid, but when it has attained the height of
four or five feet, in about as many 3-ears, it becomes so dense that no
domestic animals would think of breaking through it. The leaf is small,
deeply verdant, and beautifully serrated. In the month of May these
hedges are clothed with a white fragrant blossom, very much resembling
the thorn of our own country; and it is then that the honeysuckle and
other wild flowers unfold their bright hues, and mingle their sweetness
wjth the haw-thorn. In the hedges, trees, such as the oak, the elm, and
the horse chesnut, are planted in rows, near together, but oftener far
apart, so that each one rises and waves by itself over the humble but
not less charming growth below. Single trees of a great age, and very
large, are sprinkled here and there in every direction, and every now
and then you catch a glimpse in a distance of a grove, or circular clump,
which adds not a little to the beauty of the landscape. President
Humphrey's Tour.
We are informed that the Cherokee Rose, (first introduced into Georgia by a
Frenchman,) also makes a good and ornamental hedge. The time is notlfar
distant when the farmer of Texas will have to adopt, from a principle of econo-
my and durability, a fence of different materials to the one now in use, consist-
ing of rail3, placed zigzag, which is liable to rot, and aflbrdr, ns we conceive,
no other advantage than a more open prospect. When timber is scarce, or re-
mote from the farm, ditching might also be made a barrier to the intrusion of
cattle, and to serve as a line of division. These imperfect remarks have been
suggested by the rising value of our lands, and bj' a desire to see them recene
all that improvement of which they are susceptible; and we would like to be
informed il the eed or slips of the Cherokee rose can be procured in this
country.
In a country of increasing population and of progressive civilization, it is
highly nccessarj' to call the agriculturalists' attention towards those artifiicial
guards and limits which the savage disdains to establish, because mountains and
fetrccu- an hi .i.ir'. r d(ntr',a'on. T !, i-i'V -niri hi" fid'4
GftADE.
Major General. -
Aide-Camp to to Major General, in addi-!
uon to ins pay in the line,
Brigadier General, -
Aide-Camp to Brigadier General in addi
tion to his pay in the line, -Adjutant
General, -Inspector
General, - -Quarter
Master General, -Quarter
Master, -
Assistant Quarter Master in addition to
his pay in the line,
Pay Master General, $2,500 per annum,
ray master, -
Commissary General of Purchase $3,000
commissary general 01 subsistence,
Commissary of Subsistence
Commissary of Snbsistance, in addition, to
his dqv in the line. "
Assistant Commissary of Subsistence in
addition to his pay in the line,
Store Keeper, not to exceed pay of Capt.
oi iniantry.
Topographical Engineer,
Assistant Topographical Engineer, - -Surgeon
General, - - - -
Surgeon of 10 years standing, - -
Surgeon under 10 years standing, - -Assistant
Surgeon of 10 years standing,
Assistant Surgeon of 5 years standing,
Colonel, ---
Lieutenant Colonel, -Major,
......
Captain, ......
1st Lieutenant, - -
2nd Lieutenant, - - - - -
1st Sergeant Artillery and Infantry,
Other Sergeants,
Corporals, - -
Privates and Musicians, ...
Dragoons 1st Sergeant, - - - -
Dragoons, other Sergeants, - - -Dragoons,
Corporals, -Dragoons,
Privates, - . - -
Otficers of Dragoons, -Colonel,
"-
Lieutenant Colonel,
Major, ...
Captain, -
Lieutenants, ... .
sergeant iVtirjorp - - - - -Quarter
Master Sergeant, -
Bugler, (Chief)
Bugler, - ---.
Farrier and Blacksmith, - - - -
JVb. of JVb. of
Pay Rations Horses
per month, per day. allowed.
$200 15 7
24 ' 1 2
104 12 "5
20 2
90 6 5
90 6 5
104 12 5
60 4 4
20
50 4 3
90 G 4
60 4 4
20 2
10 to 20
60 4 4
40 4
50 8 3
50 4-2
40 8 2
40 8 2
40 4 2
75 6 4
60 5 3
50 4 3
40 4
30 4
25 4
15 1
12 1
8 1
6 1
15 1
12 1
10 1
8 1
90 6 5
75 ;5 4
60 4 4
50 4 3
33 4 2
16 - F
16 1
16 1
9 1
10 1
Servants
JVb.
allowed.
4
3
TEXAS.
This country may be looked upon as Independent it cannot
be conquered. The manner in which the Mexican Government
commenced the war, the savage threat of extermination, the
bloody butcheries perpetrated after the war commenced, has
roused the patriotic spirit of the friends of civil liberty, both in
tne U. states and abroad ; and no force or law will restrain our
hardy backwoodsmen of the south-west from seeking vengeance
lor the butchery ot Orockett and oi the Alamo : and bloody will be
the vengeance, if the two armies should again engage an event
of which we never expect to hear. The internal commotions of
Mexico will hardly allow of her sending a large armed force out
of the country, even if it were possible to pay and provision
the troops with a disaffected population, an empty treasury,
and a distracted government, what can be expected of Mexico?
Is it a fair supposition, that she will be able to wage a success-
ful campaign against men, nerved to desperation by wrongs,
either real or imaginary, no matter which, they are waiting to
avenge? Can a mercenary soldiery withstand the charge of
men who have voluntarily left their country and their homes to
strike the blow of liberty? We look upon Texas as a free and
Independent country. The idle baost of Santa Anna will in fact
shortly be realized : he will not, or has not gained Texas ; but is
about to loose Mexico. Texas will be free ; must she always
remain a province on the skirts of this great Republic, goyerned
by laws similar to our own, and always subject to strifes and
jealousies from the fact of being the lesser. "We do not pretend
to understand either the wishes or intentions of the inhabitants,
but we believe the general desire is, that Texas may at no dis-
tant day become part of the Union. On casting the eye over
the map of North America, it certainly does appear to us, that
Rio Grande is a more proper dividing line than the Red River.
The boundary of our southern frontier, should have been fixed
at the Rio del Norte, and then none of this bloody war would
have occurred, and the U. States would have possessed one of the
finest countries known but the asgis of our national power will
yet be extended over it. The safety of the Union may not be
feared by extending it over a broader surface. The immortal
Madison had no fears of the kind then we may have none.
1 exas once free and quiet, actual settlers would flock from the
North and East, and soon form a dense population, that would
not be one tittle behind any State in the Union, as regards en-
terprise, industry, and intelligence. Located as Texas is, it will
be impossible for her long to remain ununited with these states ;
experience has taught us, that petty governments cannot exist
in the vicinity of powerful ones. What then are the destinies
of this beautiful country? Time alone can answer the question.
Oursubjectis a theme that can be long and profitably, and in-
terestingly dwelt upon. JV. O. Bee.
Relics. Capt. Kimball, of the ship Mexican, arrived last
night from Vera Cruz, has brought with him the rifle, powder
horn, bullet pouch, and other equipments of Colonel Crockett ;
they were given to him by an officer of the Mexican Navy, who
received them from an officer of the Mexican Army, who was at
the assault and capture of the Alamo, where the gallant bear-
hunter closed his adventurlous career. JVew Yorker.
If you would make a man your enemy, lend him money,
jt fhr it npain. Portuguese Proverb.
-J&
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G.& T.H. Borden. Telegraph and Texas Register (Columbia, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 28, Ed. 1, Tuesday, September 6, 1836, newspaper, September 6, 1836; Columbia, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth47884/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.