Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME iv.
THE GEORGIA CITIZEN?
v family newspaper,
PUBLISHED EYERYSATURDAY MORXIXG.
L P w. ANDREWS, Editor mid Proprietor.
TFRMS-S2I>ER ANNUM IN ADVANCE.
tyt fffefs Corner.
TJl i; EARLY SPRING I'LOWKKS.
Beautiful ho^'^ ut ed’leaves and vour fragrant perfume,
‘ V ! Th t f V erLlS re come forth from the ground,
autumn her dead leaves around,
Whether near cottage or palace ve duell,
Jkautiful flowers! i love je well.
„ ! 1,1 a vouiig ffirl, in Her mirthful play,
®*2J n /the hours of childhood away; ,
Biihf winds are waving her sunny ha.r,
T , w voice sounds sweet in the silent air,
fair hands are twining from summer cowers |
!Su;ISL- f “*•••
T!,e scene is now changed, for years have fiown-
Ev laughing girl to a woman has grown;
, 7 ‘ i ,rer is there, who fain would tell
Si secret their eves have revealed too well.
t flowers he plants in her snowy breast,
And their eloquent leaves have las loveconfest.
•Tis bridal morn, and loudly swells
The merry peal from the old church hell,;
T e white robed bride is smiling now
>\Vat!i a budding wreath from the orange bough,
\nd bright-eyed maidens before her strew
jieiuitiiul flowers ot every hue.
There's a voice of sorrow, for time hath fled;
\ wife and a mother lies cold and dead,
k„ v flue laid her to sleep m her endless rest,
Wi-L i voung babe clasped on her marble breast;
\nd flowers are there with their perfumed breath,
Decking the bud and the blossom in death.
hi the green church-yard is u lonely spot,
Where the joyous sunshine enters not;
beep in the gloom ot the cypress shade
There is her home in the cola earth made,
And o’er her still the sweet flowers bloom ;
i’hev were near her in life, and forsake not her tomb.
beautiful flowers! ye seem to be
Linked in the fond ties of memory!
Companions ye were to our childhood’s day,
Com] 'anions ye are to our lifeless clay;
And barren and drear were this wide world of ours,
Lacking the smile of ‘lie beautiful flowers.
CLING TO THY MOTHER.
[ Written by a Lady Eiyhty Year* of Aye.]
Cling to thy mother! for she was first
To know thy being, and to feel thy life;
Tlie hope of thee through many a Jiang she nursed,
And when, midst anguish like the parting strife
The babe was in her arms, the agony
Was all forgot for bliss of loving thee.
Be gentle to thy mother! long she bore
Tiiine infant fretfulness and silly youth ;
Nor rudelv scorn the faithful voice that o’er
iky cradle played, and taught tliy lisping truth.
Yen/ske i id-} ; vet. on thy manly brow
she looks, and tJaiurs tkee as lser child ev’n now;
Uphold thy mother.! -close to her warm heart
the carried, led thee, lulled thee to thy re;t-
Thru taught thy tottering limbs their unified art.
Exulting in tlie fledgling fi-om her nest;
And now her steps are feeble, be her stay,
Whose strength was thine, in thy most feeble day.
(Cherish thy mother! brief fe reliance the time
May be that she will claim the care she gave ;
Passed are her hopes of youth, her harvest inline
Os joy on earth ; h erf fields are in the nr nee •
Hut In r her children, she could lay her Lead
tiladly to rest among the precious dead.
Be tender to thy mother! words unkind
Or light neglect from thee would give a pang
vj that fond bosom, where t.Lou art enshrined
In hv< uisai.v-rafcie, iao:e than feqg
Os venom*l serpent. Wound nsp her strong trust.
As thou wouldst hope for peace when she is dust.
0, mother mine! God grant I ne’er forget,
Whatever be my grief, or what mv joy,
The untreasured, (inextinguishable debt
1 owe thy love; but find my sweet employ
Ever through thy remaining days to be,
To thee as faithful as thou wort to me.
——— — -
SONG OF TIIE SABBATH,
llr Jri.Lt D vr.
The Sabbath day—the gracious day!
Bringing the gifts of peace.
Chasing life’s rudest cares away,
hotting tired labor cexsc;
Breaking like sunshine u the earth,
Bidding vain shadows flee.
Calling for praise and sinless mirth,
.Making the bondman free.
i
The Sabbath day —the priceless boon!
Let not the sordid dc.ai, j
It ‘ u Ms no gain, it conies too soon,
It is of light esteem.
I.ct not the bigot sternly say
His temple claims it ail;
Who shall imprison Mercy’s ray
Within that narrow wall V
Tlie Sabbath day—the separate!
For which with yearning sighs
The wearied workers jiatient wait,
And joy to see it rise;
The aching hand, the o’ertasked brain,
Alike may find repose,
And gather strength to toil again,
Acd strength to conquer woes.
The Sabbath day—the gift divine!
That, whatsoe’er our creed,
Supplies with bountcousuess benign
_ Leisure for every need ;
l’or prayer, for praise, for soothing rest,
For thought of boundless scope,
lor heed of Charity’s behest,
Fi r love, for joy, for hope.
The Sabbath day—the glorious day!
Beyond the city gate
1-et tens of thousands v. end their way,
W here breeze and sunshine wait,
And let them see the streamlets flow,
And tread the daisied sod,
And look upon the buds that blow.
And search and find out God.
The Sabbath day—the buckler strong
I hat guards the poor and meek,
. melding the desolate from wrong,
Leaving the tyrant weak,
Cue Sabbath day—o prize it well,
It* wisdom learn to scan;
Alike in temple, field, or cell,
’ The PaUmth made for man. ’
ii .<a>. ar —■
following exquisite lines were written by a
nu>st excellent lady to her husband, one
tifi.n'.-” ’S’ “ o! ' : hy of the love so truthfully and so beau
witl Dur readers will, we are sure, feel
thi> imf’ , ‘fthe wasting touch of time has dimmed
“* nl . laments, it has not tarnished the fresh
has Umis, ‘e<l the warmth of the heart within, bui
lif.‘ i •*. ‘ oUn fl and genial as in the morning prime of
no in. 18 P ro Per to add that the lines were written with
Journal 10U W ®*p*etation of publication. —LovitciUe i
tiie talisman.
‘ho all hath changed since first we met,
\\ boa re have rolled along;
us Talisman is with us yet,
tt not so bright, yet still as strong.
Tho time hath changed life’s vivid hue,
Y t r sl, iPl )e H our path of vernal flowers,
c . B° ve l' an gild the sombre view,
-vnd surile upon the jutssing hours.
Htd wedded lore thy magic spell
... i genuine truth hath bound us fast:
i: “T uld not f(jr a diadem
Exchange the memory of the past.
T ™. We aTe 86611 Hfe’s sunny ray
~ Lchpsed by many a fitful gloom,
116 hath beamed on that bright day
that known ao change beyond iho tomb.
u’ i?' er noise less ware of time,
Bath nearly borne us to that shore
” llere mortal bliss becomes divine.
And hearts are bound forevermore.
T n we 'H Imil the jovful sight
.... I hose matured in heavenly bovvers,
’ °ne eternal day of light
beam ia Eden’s deathless flowers,
,F I COULD HAVE MY WAY.
CT MRS. VALE.VTIXE ROBERTS.
If Icould have my wav,
wm’ customs 1 would break,
•> hat fashions old destroy,
And nice new laws I’d make:
Husbands should never fume
And wives should hold the’swav—
tv hat blessed times they’d be
If l can Id have mv way, ’
“INDEPENDENT IN ALL THINGS—NEUTRAL IN NOTHING.”
If I could have my way,
_ I'll tell you what I’d do:
Id have tlie single wed,
_ And all the married true.
No doubts should then exist,
No husbands dare say ‘Nav,’
Whate’er bis wife might ask,
If I could have my way.
I’d have a law enforced,
That then no gentleman,
Without a wife’s consent,
Should stay out after ten ;
No wife would venture then
An angrv word !o say—
l’or ladies all are pleased
If they but have their way.
Old bachelors I’d tax—
No matter high or low—
They'd soon get married iheu,
AS ere taxes levied so,
Old maids I’d pension well;
I For this with truth I’ll say,
They would not single dwell,
If they could have their way.
But ah ! ’tis vain to wish! i
Ho, since it cannot be,
A word of good advice,
Dear gents, pray take of me:
If woman’s smiles are dear,
You’ve but kind tilings to say;
j Ne’er fear that she will frown,
So let her have her wav ;
iloutlj's Department.
From tlte Child's Paper.
The Red Apple.
I Little Delia was one day sent by her mother
jto do some errand in the yard. A wood-saw- j
! ver was at work there, and a pile of wood was
thrown up directly before tlte door. Little
Delia climbed carefully over the wood and did
her errand. When she was on her way back,
the wood-sawyer took her up in his strong j
arms, and set her down safely in the door-way, j
smiling as he did so, and saying to her in a
soft tone, ‘There, my little girl; I was afraid
you might fall, and I didn’t want you to.’
Delia thanked him very pleasantly, and went
up stairs to tell her mother. ‘Now, mother, I
like the woodman very much, for he was so j
good to me,’ said she, ‘may 1 not give him
something!’
‘What would you like to give him ?
‘That large red apple that you gave me this
morning. Wouldn’t that be nice V said Delia.
‘Yes, that would be very well,’her mother
i answered.
Delia ran down and gave the apple, quite
delighted.
“Thank you; you’re a good dear,’said the
wood-sawyer, as he received it: ‘and what shall >
Ido with it I Wouldn’t you like to have me
give it to my jj*>ur little Johnny i’
‘Johnny, and who is Johnny !’
‘My poor little boy, that is so burnt and crip
pled by the lire. When he was a baby Ite was
tied into a chair, and tripped himself over
against the hot stove, and his clothes took fire,
and he was sad'y burned, indeed. But lie is a
good little thing, and so loving; shall 1 give
him the apple
. ‘Yes, indeed,’ said Delia ; and she ran quick
; ly back into the house, and with her mother’s
permission, brought out a little brown wooden
horse with a red soldier on his back. ‘There,
give that to Johnny, too,’said she, ‘for I'm sor
ry lie’s so burnt.’
When tlie wood-sawyer returned home at
night, little Johnny sat watching for him at the
window ; and when he gave him the horse and
apple, Johnny thought he had never seen so
tine a plaything as the horse, or so large and
red an apple before, lie kissed his father, and
thanked him heartily; and then lie kissed the
horse and the soldier, and the apple, too. —
When he learned who sent them to him, he
said—
‘How good she is to me ; how I should like
to see her.’
‘What are you going to do with your pres
ents V said his father.
Johnny thought a moment—‘l know what 1
shall do with the apple,’ said he. ‘Don’t von
X 1 # *
know that big boy that looks inhere and makes
me cry sometimes, looking so bad, shivering up
one side of his face and drawing his head down
to his shoulder, as if trying to make fuuofme,
because I tun so burnt, and my head is all
drawn to one side by the lire —don’t you know
that boy V
‘Jim Norton, do you mean;’ asked bis father,!
‘that bad fellow that I drove away from tlie i
window last week You don’t like liim so
much, do you V
‘Not so much ; hut I want him to like me.
I want to show him that I don’t hate him be
cause be tries to make me feci bad, and makes
fun of what I can’t help, and what I am some
times so sorry for, though I know I ought not
to complain, for God knows what is best for
me.’
The next day little Johnny watched at the
window, and when he saw the bad boy that
tried to make fun of his misfortune, he beck
oned to him to come nearer. ‘Here, Jim,’ said
Johnny, ‘here is a nice apple for you. 1 don’t
hate you. Won’t you love me now, Jim V
\ The bad boy reddened with slmme and guilt,
i To use Bible words, Johnny had ‘heaped coals
jof fire upon his head.’ He could not take the
| apP l *-
‘No, little boy,* said lie, ‘I don’t want your
apple. 1 can get apples.’
‘Yes, I want you to take it,’ said Johnny ;
‘then you won’t hate me, perhaps.’
The apple was tempting, and Jim took it;
but as he went away, he thought, AY hat a good ;
j boy that Johnny is, when I’ve acted so to him.
| Tin sorry I took his apple, for I don’t suppose
he gets half as many as I do. I wish he had
it back again.’
He could not eat the apple, so he took it |
it home and divided it among his brothers and
sisters, which was anew thing for him to do. j
He made no more bad faces at Johnny, and t
soon began to smile as he passed his window; i
and Johnny, as you might know', was very
glad to see the change in him. and always
ami led pleasantly in return.
MACON, GEORGIA, SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL 23, 1853.
Jim Norton sometimes thought, ‘I wish I
had something to give Johnny. I ought to
give to him, rather than he to ine.’ Then he
thought, ‘I have sometimes earned a few cents
i f° r myself by selling shavings, why can’t I earn
i some for Johnny P
1 He set about it, and sold two baskets of
; shavings. NN ith the cents he gained, he bought 1
| a few hickory nuts and some sugar plums. He •
i gave them to Johnny, and was never so happy
in his lite before. He was now by degrees,
growing generous and kind to everybody, but
particularly to Johnny, for he felt something j
like gratitude towards him, and he was learn- !
ing to pity and love him. When the spring
i came, he brought him green houghs and tlow
i ers, which he gathered for him whenever he j
went into the field beyond the city.
One day lie told Johnny of a plan lie had
to snare a little bird and bring it to lfira, so
that he might hear its fine song in his own j
room, since he was lame and could not go out
into the fields and woods, and was so often i
alone ; but Johnny said—
‘No Jim; it is hard enough for me to be so
shut up here, and I’m used to it since I was a
baby. The bird isn’t used to it, mid it would
i be very dreadful for it; I don’t want anything
to be miserable for me ; I shouldn’t be happy.
I’d rather not, Jim. The flowers you bring me j
are enough.’
°
So Jim left the birds to sing in freedom in
( “ i
i the pleasant woods, but he took up a root of j
j pretty sweet briar and planted in a little pot,
i and set it in Johnny’s window, and though it :
! does not bloom very often, it is always fresh |
and sweet, like the odor of good deeds.
Have you not noticed, little reader, how, in
this story, one little good act brought along ano
ther and another, till there was quite a chain
iof kind deeds! There are little good acts for
you to do all the time. Be sure you do them ; i
and who knows what may come of them ! A ,
little seed makes a great tree when God smiles
on it.
SitsLorital.
’ ~ j
Fannin and his Command:
Comprising a brief sketch of the Organization , I
Military Operations and Llfassarre <>f 001.
Janus lU. Fannin and his llegimcnl , in the .
Revolutionary straggle of Texas —lß3s and i
’3O.
BY ONE OF THE COMMAND.
To the Editor of the Georgia Citizen.
Sir.—As a respectable number of your read
ers were no doubt, acquainted, not only with j
the late gallant, but unfortunate, Colonels Tan
nin and YVaid—xtho so nobly fell as martyrs :
i:t the cause of Texian Independence—but with
many of those ardent and chivalric spirits that j
composed their Command, and who, or nearly |
all of them, shared the same fate with their lie- !
roic commanders, in the memorable massacre j
at Goliad, in tbe Spring of 1830, I will en- |
(Davor, as far as my memory serves me, to j
give, through the medium of your valuable i
journal, a brief sketch of the organization, mili- i
tary operatU ns, massacre, <kc. of that noble :
and valorous Regiment, believing that it will j
be read with some degree of interest. In giv- j
ing tliis sketch to the public, 1 feel the neeessi- ‘
tv of asking, in advance, ail due allowance, for j
such inaccuracies of detail as may, and no doubt !
trill be Dund to exist ia the body of the narra
tive. A’ \ write almost wholly from memory, |
no libeiai-miudi and man will expect every inci
dent connected with the history of that ”event
ful and bloody dramas (as it has been aptly
termed,) to be given with unerring exactness,
even to the minutiae. Notwithstanding the
slight inaccuracies that may be discovered, it
is confidently believed, that ia tlie main, this
desultory narrative will he found, by those tit
miliar with the fads, substantially correct: — i
Many of the volunteers, comprising the com- j
mand of Col. Fannin, were from Georgia; the
most of whom volunteered their services to bat- j
tie in the <9use of Texian Liberty, early in the j
Fall of 1835, at Macon, Milledgeville and Co- j
luinbus. Those from the vicinity of the two j
former places were chiefly raised for the occa
sion, by Col. William Ward, and those from the
latter, bv Capt. Win. A. O. Wadsworth; but
on their route to Texas, their numbers were
considerably augmented by other volunteers,
who enrolled themselves at Montgomery, Ala.
Mobile and New Orleans, making in all, when
they debarked at Velasco, Texas, on the JUth
Dec. ’35, a well equipped force of about three
hundred as gallant and intrepid young men as
ever drew a sword or shouldered a fire-lock in j
the cause of human Liberty.
Within a day or two after thean ival of these
volunteers at Velasco, a thorough organization !
of the companies was consummated, in order that
they might be immediately reported for service j
to the Provisional Government. (< lovemor Hen- ;
ry Smith and the members of the Council,) then
temporarily resident ot San Felipe do Austin, j
the Colonial capital of Stephen F. Austin’s Col
ony.
The number raised by Capt. Wadsworth was
but little mure than sufficient for one full Com
pany, and consequently, it was determined that
they should organize as one Company, inclu
ding the whole number. W. A. Wadsworth ;
was elected Captain, and Thomas Reese and
Joseph Wilson as Lieutenants. Mr. It. Itut- |
ledge, 1 believe, was elected Orderly.
The volunteers raised by Col. Ward, were
found, on landing in Texas, to number well nigh j
two hundred—enough for two companies, and
it was determined that they should be as equal
ly divided as practicable, and the two divisions
separately organized as companies. So soon as
the division was satisfactorily arranged, the
companies proceeded to elect their officers re
spectively. Os one of the companies, U. J. Bul
lock was elected Captain, Bazil Lamar and
Alex. Tatton, Lieutenants, and Francis M.Hunt,
Orderly. The other chose a gallant young gen
tleman of the name of Wynn, (I think from
the county of Gwinnett,) as Captain, and Wi- i
ley Hughs, as a Lieutenant. The names of the
other Lieutenants and the Orderly of this com
pany, I have also forgotten.
After these companies were respectively or
ganized, the whole three proceeded to organize j
as a Battalion—choosing Win. Ward as Ma- !
jor, and a Mr. Chadwick as Sergeant Major. j
Here, it is proper that I should say something
regarding the gallant and accomplished Chad
wick, for 1 have always viewed him as decided
ly one of the most thorough and effective mili
tary men, as well as one of the most polished
and pleasant gentlemen that ever battled un
der tiie bright banner of the Lone Star.
He was, I think, a native of the State of New
York. At an early age he graduated at West
Point Military Academy, and was breveted a
2d Lieutenant in the Dragoon Regiment, then
commanded by the celebrated Dodge of “Black
Hawk War” notoriety, which officer he accom
panied in his first expeditions to the Rocky
Mountains. For a man of his age, (not being
over thirty when lie entered the service of Tex
as,) he had seen much hard and trying service,
which well fitted him to meet the hardships,
privations and perils, which were necessarily to
be encountered in the service of his adopted
country. 111 addition to that which he had
learned from experience, on the “tented field”
amid the wild and inhospitable regions of the
Rocky Mountains, lie was a scientific and effi
cient tactician, as well as an accomplished Mili
tary and Topographical Engineer. Joined to
these accomplishments, was a native suavity of
temper and urbanity of manner, which at once
made him the pride of the Battalion.
80 soon ns the “ Georgia Battalion ” had
been properly organized and reported, Col. Jas.
W. Fannin, who had but a short time before,
been promoted by the Provisional Government,
to a Colonelcy, in consequence of his gallant
and officer-like hearing, as Captain of a volun
teer corps, at the “Grass Fight” and the “ Bat
tle of Concepcion,” during the then recent
siege of San Antonio de Bexar, came down to
Velasco from San Felipe, and formally mus
tered the troops composing ‘. t into the service of
Texas, fora term of six months.
After the Battalion had been “mustered in”
Cos!. Fannin, by proper authority, proceeded to
appoint the necessary staff officers : David I.
Holt, was appointed Quarter Master, and a Mr.
Cozart and the writer of this sketch were ap
pointed Assistant Quarter Masters. Mr. Green
Buchanan received the appointment of Com
missary of Subsistence, and Mr. James Hughes,
that of Issuing Commissary.
The organization of the Battalion being now
completed, Col. Fannin proceeded to San Fe
lipe for further orders; and whilst he was there,
it was determined bv the Provisional Govern-
ment, that he should as soon as practicable, re
j pair with the Georgia Battalion to tlie Western
frontier, and there, at such point tis lie might
! think proper to select, organize as strong a
force as he could gather, with a view to eross
■ ing the Rio Grande, and making a descent up
j on the city of Matamoras, provided that after a
j careful reeonnoisauce s>f the city and its de
i fences, by competent and trustworthy men —its
capture should be deemed practicable. In the
! event of the projected enterprize being found
impracticable or too hazardous, lie was to quar
-1 tertlie troops at some eligible point on thefrofi
| tier, and there fortify, for the [im pose of holding
j any Mexican force that might attempt to pene
trate the settlements, Gy the lower orMatamor
i as route, in check, until a sufficient force could
: be gathered, to offer successful resistance.
After everything concerning the future ope
rations of Gid. Fannin’s command had been ar
ranged at San Felipe, and the necessary official
1 orders delivered, the Colonel hastened to Ye
i lasco, in order to make immediate preparations
for the embarkation of tlie troops, munitions of
war, etc. for Copono; a point on Aransas Bay,
| which had long been the port of entry for all
that district of country, lying between the Gua
dalupe and Nueces livers. On his arrival at
; Velasco, Col. Fannin made early application to
i Messrs. McKinney & Williams —a high-minded,
wealthy, liberal and patriotic mercantile firm,
j at tlie mouth of the Brazos liver —for vessels of
! sufficient capacity for the transportation of the
; volunteers, Commissary's stores, etc. to the
aforementioned point of destination. Those
gentlemen, with their usual promptness and
j alacrity, soon procured such vessels as were re
quired, and in a few days, every thing was ready
for embarkation,
A dav or two before Col. Fannin and his
command sailed from Velasco, the steamer
Yellow Stone arrived, from New Orleans, with
two more tine companies of volunteers on board
—Capt. Isaac Tieknor’s from Montgomery, Ala.
and Capt. 1 fin al's, (a son of the Ex-Governo r
: 1 fiiva 1 , of Fla.) from Kentucky, making an ac
-1 quisition to the command of something over
j one hundred, choice and thoroughly equipped
men.
Added to the American force above alluded
‘ to, was a small company of Mexicans, under
! command of Captain Luis Guarro—an intelli
gent, gallant and patriotic officer of the regular
army of Mexico, who had been, for years, at
tached to the garrison at Tampico, and had
participated with his company of regulars, in
the disastrous revolutionary movement of the j
Patriot General Mexia, in November, ’35. Af-‘!
ter the defeat of Gen. Mexia, at Tampico, lie,
and those of his adherents who were not cap- 1
tured and shot by the Centralist troops, made
their way to Velasco, on board a small sell00a
! or, bringing with them two new and elegant
! brass field-pieces, double-fortified long sixes.—
Capt. Guarro tendered the services of himself
and company, tis before stated, a day or two
prior to the embarkation of the troops at Vel- ;
| asc-o. Their services were accepted by Col.
I Fannin, more for the purpose of obtaining the ;
| beautiful field-pieces than on account ot any
real efficiency that was supposed to attach to
tlie men, as soldiers, though it was the opinion i
of all, that Capt. Guarro himself, was a man of j
unquestionable valor and fidelity to the patriot
ic cause in which he had so nobly embarked, |
and by doing which, lie had been compelled to
flee precipitately from his own family, and
! country, and leave a large estate subject to con
fiscation by the Central Despotic Government
! of Mexico.
Everything being in readiness, the entire
command sailed from the mouth of the Brazos
! l iver on board the schooner Columbus, and a- j
nother vessel, the name of which I cannot now
remember, on the 23d January, 183 G, and af
ter a short, but tempestuous voyage, arrived at
Copono, Jan. 30th, where we remained until
February Ist.
On our arrival at Copono, met Maj. Holt,
Q. M. who had started through, over J&iJ, pri
or to our sailing, in order to make the neces
sary arrangements, for the transportation of our
stores,baggage, etc. to the Mission de Refugees,
j a small, but ancient village, situated on the
M ission river, 15 miles above Copono, that be
ing the point previously determined upon, at
j which the forces destined for the proposed de- |
scent upon Matamoras, were to concentrate. —
The Major had procured a number of Mexican
! ox-carts, and had them in readiness to “ load up
| and go ahead.” Wo were, consequently, de-
tained but one night and half a day, at Co
pono.
Late in the afternoon of the Ist Feb. we en
camped on the plaza , (public square.) in front
of the old stone Church,in the sequestered and
I antique village of Refugeo, and 011 the follow
j ing morning, removed to a beautiful site for an
I encampment, three miles below the village, on
1 the west side of the river, and immediately on
j tlie Matamoras road. This place had long been
) known as the Lope* Rancho, and some Mexi
- can peons in tlie employ of Lopez, were residing
I there at the time.
1 At Copono and Refugeo, we found some com
| panies, or rather small fragments of companies,
| awaiting our arrival. Among these, as far as
my memory now serves me, were the commands
j of Captains Reason, King, Wyatt, Bradford
I and Burke. The two former gentlemen, were,
| I believe, of the histrionic profession, as well as
; some of those attached to their respective com
] mauds.
The entire force now amounting to nearly,
, or quite enough to constitute a regiment, it
; was determined that a regimental organization
i should at once, be had.
The election of officers for the regiment was
held at the Rancho , about three days after our
encampment there, and resulted in the choice
of James NY r . Fannin, as Colonel,* William
Ward, as Lieut. Colonel, and Doctor Mitchell,
(from Columbus,) Ga. and a gentleman of the
j name of Wallace, (from Virginia,) as Majors of
Battalions.
The elections being over, Col. Fannin pro
ceeded to the appointment of bis staff. Ser
geant Major Chadwick was promoted to the
j Adjutancy of tiie Regiment, and a Mr. Brooks,
(a Virginian, who received a thorough military
education, in the UN S. and in France, and had
seen considerable service in the French war
against the Malays), was apointed to officiate
both as Regimental Inspector and Captain of
j Engineers. Dr. Win. McGee, received the np
poiutment of Surgeon, and the same Quarter
Masters and Commissaries that had been pre
viously appointed, at Velasco, were re-appoint
ed here, together with some additional Assist
ants in both Departments,
j About the time the organization of the
: Regiment was completed, a spy who had been
! sent to observe the movements of the enemy 011
Rio Grande, and especially to ascertain the
strength of the defence at Matamoras, returned
I to our en cam pent, and announced the arrival of
a re-enforcement of 3,000 of the choicest Mexi
can troops at that city. The receipt of this
startling intelligence resulted in a council of
war being immediately held by the commis
! sionecl officers of tlie Regiment, all of whom, I
j think, (with the exeption of Capt. Rearson,) ac- ,
: quie.-ced in the proposition of Col. Fannin, to
j abandon for the time being, the project of ta
king Matamoras, and to repair, forthwith, to
Goliad, (28 miles above Refugeo, ou tlie route
i to San Antonio,) and there take up quarters
! within tbe walls of the old fortified church,
known as tlie Mission de Espirito Santa.
This position was deemed the most impor
tant one on the Western frontier, with perhaps
the exception of San Antonio, as it was imme
diately on the only traveled route from Mata
-111 eras to the American settlements in Texas.
Another inducement to occupy the fortress
i of Espirito Santa was, that there was already
| a small force of Texian regulars and volunteers
: in possession of that post; Capt. Rhii. Diinett,
with a few intrepid men. having taken it by
! storm, the proceeding fall, from a considerable
body of Mexican soldiers and rancher os that
had been garrisoned there since the beginning
of tbe revolutionary movements in the autumn
of ’35. The acquisition of the troops at Goli
ad, together with some fine pieces of artillery,
that had been captured there, by Dimett, was
deemed of great importance, as it would add
much to the strength and efficiency of the Re
giment.
So soon as it was determined to occupy the
fort at Goliad, preparations were made to take
up tlie line of march for that point, and on
the 11th Feb. the whole force was on the way
thither —excepting Captain Rearson's company,
which proceeded in tlie direction of Matamo
ras, as far as San Patricio, (an Irish settlement
ion the Nueces river, about 40 miles west of
Refugeo- ;) where were Col. Frank Johnson and j
Capt. Grant endeavoring to concentrate a suf
ficient body of men to make a foray upon the I
Mexican settlements on the Lower Rio Grande,
and, perhaps, to pay Matamoras a visit; not
believing the report given by the spy, relative
to the arrival of re-enforcement at that
place.
We reached Goliad on the afternoon of the
13th Feb. after a march of about, two days,
over a level prairie; facing, the whole time, a
furious ‘Fortherf accompanied with heavy
sleet. This was the first genuine taste of the ,
‘pleasures of soldiering’ that the most of the
I ‘boys’ had ever experienced ; and the reader
’ may rest assured that many were tlie inipreea
-1 tioiis muttered, and many the rueful grimaces
of visage exhibited, whilst the draught was be
ing swallowed. Poor fellows! there was yeti
reserved a far more Litter cup than that, for j
them to drain.
On our arrival at Goliad, we found, within
the walls of the Fort, one company of regulars,
(not full,) and several fragments of volunteer
companies; the most of the men composing
them having belonged to companies that had 1
been disbanded at San Antonio, after the capi
tulation of Cos, early in the preceding Decern- J
her. The garrison was under tlie temporary :
command of Capt. Westover, of the regulars ;
who, upon the arrival of Col. Fannin, formally 1
resigned the command into his hands ; having j
been instructed to that effect, by official orders ,
previously received from San Felipe.
Col. Fannin, on examining the Fort, found
that much work was necessary, before it could
be made to answer any valuable purpose, in
the event of being stormed, or besieged, by a
strong and well appointed force of the enemy.
Consequently, he, at once, caused such repairs
as could be made, to be commenced; together j
with other important defences, suggested by
Capt. Brooks. A number of old dilapidated
stone houses were torn down, and the stones of
which they were built used in strengthening j
the walls of the fortress. A narrow ditch was
“Though Col. Fannin already Ixire a Commission
in the army of Texas, and had received special orders
to take command of the Georgia volunteers who were
at the mouth of the Brazos liver, at the date of his
orders, and of such other companies as might, thereaf
ter, arrive In the country until it should be deemed
proper by the Provisional Government, t.o change the
plan of operations, yet his commission for the re- |
yulnr service, and he was well aware of the long es
tablished usage, (in America,) of volunteers electing -
their own o(fleers, consequently he resigned his Com- i
mission in the regular army, in order to give the vol- j
unteers of the Regiment, an opportunity of exercising j
their own choice in tbe selection of their regimental ‘
commander. j
dug, on the inner side, four feet from tbe walls,
and strong pickets planted firmly and closely
together therein. The space between tbe pick
ets and the walls, was then filled with earth
and stones, well beaten in, making the entire
outer walls, well nigh eight feet in thickness.
A deep ditch, six feet wide, was then dug, in
side of these strong ramparts, with draw bridges
at such places as they were thought necessary.
Substantial platforms were erected at suitable
points on the walls, upon which heavy pieces
of artillery were mounted so as to command
the different streets of the town that led to the
‘ military plaza’ in the centre of which the
Fort xvas situated. In fine, no time was lost,
! n>r pains spared to put everything in as defen
sible a condition as possible.
A short time after our being quartered in
the fortress, de Espirito Santa , there was a
small Artillery Corps organized, made up of
men of some experience in gunnery, and com
| manded by a kinsman of the late gallant Ste
j plien Decatur—Capt. Stephen D. Hurst, and
who, I believe, was also once attached to the
jU. S. Navy. With the assistance of the ac
j
i eomplished Brooks, of the Engineers, Capt.
i Hurst soon drilled his little corps into a tolera
ble degree of efficiency.
About a week, or ten days after our arrival
at Goliad, we were re-enforced by Capt. Jack
Shackelford, with his chivalric and finely !
equipped company of uniformed volunteers— ;
the ‘Red Rovers’ from North Alabama. Cur
entire effective force now amounted to about
500 men ; and, through the indefatigable excr
; lions of our Quarter Masters, Commissaries
I and Contractors, the garrison was pretty well
! supplied with beef, corn, flour, sugar and cof
i fee. Our supply of amunition was, also, very
| good ; and of arms, we had an abundance—
good muskets, fine Harper’s Ferry yagers, and
close-shooting rifles. Also, eleven pieces of ar
tillery, including one mortar.
On the 25th Feb, an Express arrived from
San Antonio, informing Col. Fannin of the ar- -
rival, at that place, of a large force of Mexicans;
and that the Alamo —an ancient fortified church
on the East side of the river, and immediately
opposite the city —was then besieged by them.
I This Express had been dispatched by Col. Win. 1
i B. Travis, (who was quartered in the Alamo, i
; with only about 100 men,) requesting Col. j
j Fannin to re-enforce him, if possible, from the !
j garrison of Goliad; as his small force was
1 wholly insufficient to wishstand, successfully,
j any united and determined assault, by a force :
1 so vastly superior in numerical strength.
! On the receipt of tin’s intelligence, Col. Fan
nin consulted with the commissioned officers of
his command; and it was determined that the :
whole Regiment—excepting a small force, to be j
left in charge of the post at Goliad—should j
take up the line of march, on the following ■
day, for San Antonio, or, rather, the Alamo,
j On the next day, so soon as necessary prepara
| tions could be made for the march, we were on
the route to the seat of ‘active operations;’ but,
it being late in tlie day before we could get off',
might, overtook us ere we had proceeded too
miles from the Fort. After we had encamped,
Col. Fannin again went into consultation with
his officers, which resulted in an order for a
countermarch, of the whole force, to tlie for- !
tress de Espirito Santa. This retrograde move
ment was, upon due reflection, considered ad
visable, by a majority of the commissioned of- j
fleers of the Regiment, for the follow ing rea-:
sons:
Ist. As the dispatch from Col. Travis had
not intimated the probable number of the ene
my, by which the Alamo was besieged, it was
highly possible that their force was of sufficient
strength to prevent any re-enforcement, not
stronger than we were, from obtaining ingress
to the fortress; if not to encounter and van
quish us in an open field engagement, on our
approach to San Antonio.
2d. If there was really a powerful force of
Mexicans then before the walls of the Alamo,
(which the Expressman informed us was far
from being in a defensible condition, even if;
it were strongly garrisoned,) it was probable
that some decisive movement would be made,
ere we should reach there, as the distance was
ninety miles—a inarch of fully four days and
a halt- —and our subsistence and ammunition
carts, artillery, Ac. were drawn by jaded and
tarnished ox-teams that were liable to fail, even
before we could make half the distance.
3d. Tlie report brought in by the spy, whilst
we were lying at the Lopez Rancho , was con
sidered sufficient to warrant the supposition,
that it was, probably, Santa Anna’s purpose to
divide the Mexican forces, destined for a second
invasion of Texas, so tiiat one division should
penetrate the country by the upper or San An
tonio road, and the other by the lower or Go
liad route. In the event of that supposition
being correct, the abandonment of tlie fortress
de Espirito Santa, or tbe leaving of it garri
soned by so few men as were then occupying
it, might be followed by the most disastrous
consequences; not only to the garrison, but to
the cause of Texian liberty.
These reasons having been duly considered,
it was deemed most prudent that the Regiment
should return to the Fort, and put themselves
in readiness for its defence.
Ou the day after our return, a second Express
came in, from San Antonio, bringing intelli
gence of the arrival at that place, of a re-en
forcoment of 50GO Mexican troops, under the
immediate command of the Rresident-General,
the despot Santa Alina himself, and stating that
the whole Mexican three, then before the walls
of the Alamo, did not amount to less than 7000
men. o<>l. Travis had also been re-enforced,
by the arrival of about 30 Texians, mostly from
the neighborhood of Gonzales, who obtained
ingress to the Fort, by stealth, under cover of
the darkness ot night. The besieging army
bad made several attempts to take the Alamo
by storm ; but up to the time of the Express
man's leaving, they had been beaten back, wuth
considerable lo&s on their part, and without
tbe loss of a single man on the side of tlie
Texians. Yet, notwithstanding the success that
had so far attended the gallant defense of the
Alamo, it was hardly possible that so small a
force could much longer continue to repel the
constant and determined assaults of a besieging
army, numbering at least twenty to their one.
In fact, it appeared that the heroic little band
foresaw the result, and w ere hourly expecting
the last, bloody scene, of the momentous trag
edy, in w hich they w#re engaged as prominent
actors, for the Expressman stated, that Col.
Travis and his Spartan-like command had de
liberately resolved never to surrender the For- j
tress, a long as there was a living man with
in its wails to strike for its defend.
About this time, a Mexican—Rlaeedore, an
old and respectable citizen of Texas,, who had
been with Johnson and Grant at San Patrieo,
came into Goliad, at full speed and greatly ex- |
NUMBER v.
hausted, and announced that Capt. Grant’s
command, of which he was a member, hud
encountered a heavy force of the enemy, uea r
the Casa Blanco, about fifteen miles West o f
’ San P’atricio, nud that they were all either kill
ed or captured, save himself.
Col. Fannin placed entire confidence in Pla
cedore’s statement; knowing him to be a man
of veracity, and of well tested fidelity to the
Texian cause.
On the second day, after the arrival of Pla
cedore at Goliad, Cos!. Frank Johnson and Mr.
John Love came in on foot and without shoes,
and confirmed the intelligence brought by Pla
i eedore. They also stated that, after calling up
Grant's party, the Mexicans had advanced upon
San Patricio, at the dead of night, and had
taken them, (Johnson’s command.) by surprise,
they, only, (Johnson and Love,) effecting an
] escape.
j It was now certain that a division of the
Mexican array was approaching the coast set
tlements of Western Texas, by the lower route,
proving the correctness of the supposition which
; had led to the abandonment of the project of
: re-enforcing Col. Travis, as before stated.
J The company of Mexicans in the Fort, were
j seized with great trepidation on the receipt of
this, to them, appalling intelligence ; and
j through their commander, (Guarro.) requested
! permission of Col. Fannin, to repair immediate
j ly to Coxe’s Point, on the Bay, where they
would have an early opportunity of embarking
for New Orleans; urging,as a reason for mak
ing the request, that, if they should fall into
the hands of the Central troops, they would
instantly be shot, as deserters and rebels. Col.
j Fannin granted their request with little hesi
j tancy, as he bad never viewed them as being
i efficient or reliable, though he had full confi
! deuce in both the patriotism and prowess of
Capt. Guarro. As soon as the necessary per-
I mission was given, in writing, the whole coin-
I pany left Goliad, as was understood, for Coxe’s
Point; but —as it will hereafter appear, in the
course this narrative —all of them, excepting
I Capt. Guarro, who went to New Orleans,
joined Gen. Urea’s division of the Mexican ar
my. then at San Patricio. A day or two be
fore they asked permission to leave, a strange
Mexican—representing himself to lie a Ila;i
----cher o, residing on the San Antonio river, some
ten or fifteen miles below Goliad—came into
the Fort, and remained with the Mexican com
i pany for several hours. Nothing, at the time,
i was thoughtof this visit of the self-styled Ran
chero ; as Mexicans of similar appearance had
often before vi.dted their countrymen, in the
Fort, without having attracted special notice
or excited suspicion; but it was subsequently
ascertained that he was a Mexican officer, in
disguise, and that he was the bearer of a dis
patch, from Gen. Urea to that company, offer
i iug a full pardon for their former ‘traitorous
, and libellous conduct, at Tampico,’ if they
j would ‘forsake the ignoble and criminal cau.ee
J of the pirates, (as the Texians were termed,)
j and return, like honorable Mexicans, to the glo
rious and triumphant standard of their blessed
I country.’ But, in the event of their ‘obstiuate
i ly refusing to accept the magnanimous offer,
; extended to them, they would, just as certain
: as the Blessed Virgin was then looking down,
from Paradise, upon them—he captured, and
executed as traitors, without the baieftt of cler
gy.
On the 10th March, a man of the name of
Ayers, who had been merchandising in the
town of San Patricio, arrived at Goliad, appa
rently in the deepest trouble, stating that his
family were captives in the hands of a uura
ber of Ranchcros at the Mission Refngeo, and
expressed much fear that they would be put to
death. Col. Fannin, on hearing this touching
representation of what lie supposed to be facts ,
immediately dispatched Captain King’s small
; company, and Capt. Bradford’s, (still smaller,)
the whole under command of King, to effect a
release of Ayer’s family, and such others as
might have fallen into the hands of the reputed
Roncheros subsequent to the departure of Ayers
from the Mission—Ayers remaining at Goliad,
seemingly in the greatest mental agony.
On the 12th, a young man —the son of an
Irish widow who resided at the Mission—came
into Goliad, and reported himself to Col. Fan
nin ns the bearer of a verbal express from
Capt. King, who had, upon reaching the Mis
sion, instead of finding a mere body of Ran
cher os, as Ayers had represented, encountered
over three hundred well drilled and well armed
Mexican soldiers. lie stated that King, on
finding so great an odds against him, had be
taken himself to the old stone Church, and
had, up to the time of his leaving, succeeded
in defending himself, from within its massive
walls, without any loss; but that it would be
impossible for him to do so much longer; inas
much as his men were out of previsions, and
had well nigh expended all their amunitiou.
This intelligence reached Goliad about 10
o’clock at night, and, in lers than an hour from
the time of its receipt, the ‘Georgia Battalion,’
(including Capt Tickuor’s company, from
Montgomery, Ala.) were on a forced march for
the Mission, which place they reached at an
early hour on the following day. Ayers ac
companied the Battalion. I will here intro
uuce an extract from an article touching the
subject matter under consideration, which ap
jreared in the Galveston Nuns, in the summer
of 1851 ; and may be relied uu as substantial
ly correct:
‘Finding a great many more Mexicans there
than had shown themselves at the time Capt,
King forwarded the express, Col. Ward was
compelled to cut his way through their lines,
which had l>een formed, expressly to prevent
his joining King’s gallant little baud, something
near a mile above the Mission. In the course
of this short, hut desperate encounter, about
twelve Mexicans were killed.
On the following morning Maj. Mitchell,
with a detachment, was ordered across the ri
ver to destroy the ranchos lying below the Mis
sion ; which order having been satisfactorily
executed. Col. Ward began making prepara
tions to retreat with the families under hi*
protection. Just at this time, a difficulty arose
between Col. Ward and (’apt. King; the latter
of whom—at the urgent request of Ayres, and
against the will of Ward—was about starting
out for the purpose of re-capturing some goods,
which he, (Ayres,) represented as having been
stolen from him bv the Mexicans. King, with
twenty-eight men, had crossed the river, for the
purpose already stated, when the whole of
Urea’s Division of the Mexican army, amount
ing to near sixteen hundred men, appeared, ‘in
battle array,’ before them.
Capt. King was, at once ent off from all
chance of escape; and he fought, with furious
desperation, until he lost all of his men but
cine; eight of vbom, {including himself.) w*f§