9
that they would resist with five hundred infantry and fourteen
pieces of artillery, of various calibre, on the 16th he ordered
general Tolsa to march to reinforce Mr. Sesma with the battalions
of Guerrero, 1st battalion regular militia of Mexico, and
40 dragoons from Tampico: and he sent colonel CGaetano Montoya
to reinforce Mr. Urrea with the regular militia from Tres
Villas and Queretaro, and a twelve-pounder; all these troops
carrying rations for a month.
Even at that time his Excellency had thought it advisable to
order general Gaona to Nacogdeches with the battalion of Morelos,
and militia of Guanaxuato; and he was more confirmed in
this movement by the information sent him by Mr. Urrea, that
the enemy, having abandoned the post of Goliad, were overtakeQ
on the road to Guadalupe Victoria, at a place called Encinal
del Perdido, where they iad capitulated, and were prisoners in
his possession, with all the artillery that they had, and in consequence,
the said ,Mr. Gaona marched for Nacogdoches with the
two battalions already mentioned, two four-pounders, 20 frontier
dragoons, 50 convicts, and rations for forty days, on the 24th;
the whole number of men of this section including the said,
convicts being 725.
If the taking of the Alanio and the trifling advantage obtained
by Mr. Urrea, in the death of Dr. Grant, caused the general-in-chiefto
believe that the war was already terminated, this
last victory convinced him that now his presence in Texas was no
longei nfecessary and that he ought to return to the capital of Mexico,
going by sea from Copano or Matagorda to Tampico, and thence
by land to San Luis, and as regards those lately made, that he should orders
the commandant of Goliad to execute them; these being the
same instructions given to Gaona and Sesma with respect to all
found with arms in their hands, and to force those who had not
taken up arms to leave the country. It was also made known
by the general order of the day, that the whole brigade of cavalry
under the orders of John Joseph Andrade, and all the utensils
and property that had remained, which belonged to the regular
battalions of Guerrero, Matamoras and Ximenez, that of
