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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§