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diff --git a/old/60144-8.txt b/old/60144-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 55a00ee..0000000 --- a/old/60144-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7056 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Under Six Flags: The Story of Texas, by M. E. M. Davis - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Under Six Flags: The Story of Texas - -Author: M. E. M. Davis - -Release Date: August 21, 2019 [EBook #60144] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDER SIX FLAGS: STORY OF TEXAS *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Ron Box and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - [Illustration: MAIN DOOR OF MISSION SAN JOSÉ, SAN ANTONIO.] - - - - - Under Six Flags - THE STORY OF TEXAS - - - BY - M. E. M. DAVIS - Author of "In War Times at La Rose Blanche," "Under the Man-Fig," - "Minding the Gap," etc., etc. - - GINN & COMPANY - BOSTON · NEW YORK · CHICAGO · LONDON - - Copyright, 1897 - By M. E. M. DAVIS - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - 26.5 - - _The Athenæum Press_ - GINN & COMPANY · PROPRIETORS · BOSTON · U.S.A. - - - TO THE MEMORY - OF - _E. H. Cushing_ - - - - - PREFACE. - - -In the following pages I have endeavored to sketch, in rather bold -outlines, the story of Texas. It is a story of knightly romance which -calls the poet even as, in earlier days, the Land of the Tehas called -across its borders the dreamers of dreams. - -But the history of Texas is far more than a romantic legend. It is a -record of bold conceptions and bolder deeds; the story of the discoverer -penetrating unknown wildernesses; of the pioneer matching his strength -against the savage; of the colonist struggling for his freedom and his -rights. - -It is the chronicle of the birth of a people; the history of the rise -and progress of a great State. - -I have tried in these simple readings so to arrange the salient points -of a drama of two centuries as to present a consistent whole. - -And I shall be happy if I shall succeed in awakening in the reader -somewhat of the interest in Texas history which has inspired this work. - -There are several features which mark Texas history as unique. One of -these is the difference between the methods of colonization employed in -Texas and those exercised elsewhere in the United States. - -The pioneer with his cabin, his ever-spreading fields, his gardens and -orchards--the idea of the home with its roots in the very soil, as -represented by Austin and his followers--was preceded by a hundred -barren years of fortress and soldier, the Spanish idea of conquest and -military rule. - -Again, its vast extent of territory and the ease with which its rich -lands were acquired seemed to adapt Texas peculiarly to those -communistic and utopian experiments which have been the delight of the -visionary in every age of the world's progress. A number of these have -been tried upon its soil. The result has been to give a varied and -original coloring to the shifting scenes. - -The philosophical student will find these phases of our history well -worth his consideration. - - -I desire in this place to express my thanks to the Texas teachers, to -many of whom I am indebted for timely suggestions and for kindly -encouragement; also my grateful obligation to Mr. William Beer, of the -New Orleans Howard Memorial Library, for valuable assistance; and to the -Library itself, which, under his able direction, has become particularly -rich in documents and publications relating to the early history of -Louisiana and Texas. - M. E. M. DAVIS. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - I. - FORT ST. LOUIS. - PAGE - 1. In the Name of France 1 - 2. In the Name of Spain 9 - 3. In the Name of Oblivion 12 - - - II. - SAN ANTONIO. - 1. A Bold Rider 14 - 2. Cowl and Carbine 16 - 3. A Hurried Ride 20 - 4. Indios Bravos 23 - 5. Along the Old San Antonio Road 25 - - - III. - NACOGDOCHES. - 1. A Fatal Venture 29 - 2. The Disputed Boundary Line 33 - 3. The Neutral Ground 36 - 4. The Red House 40 - 5. The Champ d'Asile 44 - 6. A Treacherous Shot 46 - 7. A Voice in the Wilderness 48 - - - IV. - SAN FELIPE DE AUSTIN. - 1. An Unexpected Meeting 50 - 2. Ups and Downs 52 - 3. Orders and Disorders 56 - 4. A Trumpet Call 62 - 5. Out of a Mist 65 - 6. The Priest's House 69 - 7. By the Brazos 74 - - - V. - GOLIAD. - 1. Messengers of Distress 77 - 2. In Church and Fortress 82 - 3. Fort Defiance 85 - 4. Palm Sunday 91 - 5. Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! 96 - 6. Two Generals 102 - 7. How the Good News was Brought 105 - - - VI. - HOUSTON. - 1. On Buffalo Bayou 111 - 2. The Invincible 117 - 3. The Capital 120 - 4. The War of the Archives 124 - 5. The Black Beans 127 - - - VII. - AUSTIN. - 1. The Republic is no More 132 - 2. Across the Border 136 - 3. Dying Races 142 - 4. The Texas Ranger 143 - 5. A Cloud in the Sky 148 - - - VIII. - GALVESTON. - 1. A Buffalo Hunt 154 - 2. The Blue and the Gray 158 - 3. Home Again 163 - - - IX. - A FLIGHT OF YEARS. - A Flight of Years 167 - - - X. - THE NEW CENTURY. - The New Century 175 - - - XI. - TEXAS. - From the Dome of the Capitol 178 - Index 185 - - - - - UNDER SIX FLAGS. - - - - - I. - FORT ST. LOUIS. - (1685-1721.) - - - 1. IN THE NAME OF FRANCE. - -One morning early in the year 1684, Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle, -a gentleman in the King's service, stood waiting in an antechamber of -the royal palace at Versailles (Ver-salz'). Behind the closed door, -which was guarded by two of the King's Musketeers in their showy -uniforms, his Majesty Louis the Fourteenth was giving a private audience -to the Count de Frontenac. This gentleman, late the governor of New -France (Canada), was the friend and adviser of _The Adventurer_, as La -Salle had been mockingly nicknamed by the idlers of the French court. - -La Salle, who was headstrong and somewhat overbearing in character, more -used, moreover, to command than to obey, frowned as he walked up and -down the room, and glanced impatiently from time to time towards the -king's cabinet, where his fate hung in the balance. Months had passed -since he had arrived in France from North America, with a great scheme -already planned, and lacking only the consent of the king and his -ministers. He had danced attendance at court until he was weary, rugged -soldier that he was; now filled with hope when the ministers plied him -with false promises, now sunk in despair when his enemies placed -obstacles in his way. "Would I were back in the wilds of America, with -Tonti of the Iron Hand and my red brothers," he muttered, downcast and -discouraged. - -But at length the door opened, the tapestry was pushed aside, and -Frontenac appeared. His eyes beamed with satisfaction. "Your application -is granted," he said, pressing La Salle's hand. "His Majesty commissions -you to plant a colony at the mouth of the great river where you have -already raised the flag of France. Go, my friend; thank his gracious -Majesty, and then hasten your preparations for departure." - - [Illustration: La Salle.] - -La Salle lost no time in obeying these directions. His heart throbbed -with pride and satisfied ambition. For this was his dream: to colonize -the beautiful wilderness watered by the lower Mississippi; to found a -city on the banks of the mighty stream whose mouth it had been his good -fortune to discover. - -But this dream was never to be realized by him. It was the destiny of La -Salle not to colonize Louisiana, but to become the discoverer of Texas. - -After much trouble La Salle succeeded in perfecting the arrangements for -his voyage. His little fleet was composed of four vessels: the _Aimable_ -(A-mah'-bl), the _Joli_ (Zho-leé), the _Belle_, and the _St. Francis_. -In these embarked over three hundred souls, including women, workmen, -priests, and soldiers. - -They sailed from Rochelle, France, on the 24th of July, 1684. The -passage across the Atlantic was tedious and stormy; it was embittered by -constant quarrels between La Salle and Beaujeu (Bo-zhuh'), the naval -commandant of the squadron; and the fleet was crippled by the loss of -the _St. Francis_, the store-ship, which was captured by the Spaniards. -But toward the end of September the remaining vessels, in tolerable -condition, entered the Gulf of Mexico. Here La Salle began a sharp -lookout for the wide mouth of the river he aimed to enter. - -He was full of confidence in himself, for he had spent years of his life -tracking the savage wilderness of the north with his Indian guides, and -he had the keen eye and the ready memory of the practiced scout. - -But he had no exact chart of the pathless and unknown waters around him; -the calculation of the experienced landsman stood him in little stead at -sea. He lost his way, and sailing to the westward of the river known to -us as the Mississippi,--but called by La Salle the St. Louis,--he came, -on the 1st of January, 1685, in sight of the low-lying shores of Texas. - - [Illustration: The Flag of France.] - -Some weeks later, the fleet anchored in the Gulf outside the beautiful -land-locked bay of San Bernard (now Matagorda Bay); and La Salle, flag -in hand, and attended by soldiers and priests, set foot on the new land, -taking formal possession of it in the name of the King of France. - -To the colonists, so long confined within the small ships and -overwearied by the monotony of the voyage, it was a joy simply to feast -their eyes on the green of the trees that lined the shore, and to -breathe the fresh air that blew down, flower-scented, from the far -western prairies. They longed to run like children on the sandy beach, -to feel under their feet the firm turf. But La Salle's experience among -the Indians had taught him caution. He took the utmost care in landing -his colonists, and in forming his temporary camps. Two temporary camps -were established, one on Matagorda Island, where the lighthouse now -stands; the other on the mainland, near the present site of Indianola. - -His own heart, meantime, was heavy. He had missed his coveted and -beloved river, though he still believed that the San Bernard Bay might -be one of its mouths. The _Aimable_, in attempting to enter the harbor, -had grounded upon a sandbank and gone to pieces. The Indians, who had -swarmed to the coast in great numbers to greet the pale-faced strangers, -had already become troublesome. They had, indeed, murdered two of the -colonists, named Ory and Desloges. This was the first European blood -shed upon Texas soil. The stock of provisions was running low, and -finally, to crown all, Beaujeu, from the beginning hostile to La Salle, -had hoisted sail, with scant warning, and returned to France, leaving -the eight cannons and the powder belonging to the expedition, but -carrying away with him all the cannon balls. - -A less sturdy spirit might have been wholly disheartened; but La Salle, -whatever he felt, gave no signs of weakness. He explored the country -round about, and at the end of a short time he marked out the foundation -of a fort beside a small stream which empties into the bay. He called -the river _Les Vaches_ (Cow River[1]), from the number of buffaloes -which grazed along the banks. The spot[2] chosen for the site of the -fort was a delightful one; the rolling prairies which stretched away -northward were covered with rich grass and studded with belts of noble -timber; southward lay the grey and misty line of the bay; birds of gay -plumage sang in shadow of the grapevines that trailed from overhanging -trees to the water's edge; the clear stream reflected the blue and -cloudless sky of southern Texas. Here the colonists set to work. La -Salle with his own hands aided in hewing and laying the heavy beams of -wall and of blockhouse. The curious savages, tall Lipans and scowling -Carankawaes, hung about the place, peering forward with jealous eyes, -and picking off the unwary workmen with their deadly arrows. But a day -came at last when the little fortress, with its chapel, lodgings, and -guardhouse, was completed. Amid the cheers of the colonists the flag of -France loosened its folds to the wind; a hymn of thanksgiving and praise -arose from the chapel; and La Salle, giving to the fort the name of St. -Louis, dedicated it to France in the name of the King. - -Several expeditions followed, in 1685 and 1686, the building of Fort St. -Louis. La Salle not only cherished the hope of finding his lost river; -he was lured northwestward by rumors obtained from the Cenis, the -Nassonites, and other friendly Indians, of rich silver mines in the -interior. He wished also to communicate, if possible, with his old -friend, the Chevalier Tonti of the Iron Hand, whom he had left with a -colony on the Illinois River. Tonti, having lost a hand in battle, used -one made of iron; hence his title. - -These journeys were both painful and perilous; the footsore explorers -were obliged to swim swollen rivers; they traversed dangerous swamps and -unknown forests; they encountered and fought with hostile Indians; they -suffered the pangs of hunger and thirst; they were shaken with chills -and parched with fever. It is marvelous, indeed, that a spark of courage -should have remained in their hearts. - -On returning to the fort after one of these expeditions, during which -the commandant had lain for months helpless with fever in the lodge of a -Cenis chief, he found matters there in a bad way. The last remaining -vessel, the _Belle_, had been wrecked on a shoal in the bay. Food was -scarce; ammunition was almost exhausted; and between death from sickness -and losses in Indian skirmishes, the inmates were reduced to less than -forty persons. - - [Illustration: La Salle's Map of Texas.] - -Despite all this, however, as the wayworn explorers drew near the walls, -their ears were greeted with sounds of mirth and revelry. The Sieur -Barbier and "one of the maidens"--as the chronicler relates--had just -been married in the little chapel. The wedding party welcomed their -chief with joyous shouts. We can well imagine how, removing his worn -cap, he saluted the youthful pair with a stately bow. And the same -evening, when the colonists gathered in the log-built hall of the -commandant's own quarters to make merry over the first European wedding -on Texas soil, with what courtly grace did the Sieur de la Salle tread a -measure with the blushing bride! - -This was in October, 1686. On the 12th of January the following year, La -Salle appeared in the open square of the Fort, dressed in his faded red -uniform and equipped for traveling. His people pressed around him, -listening with anxious hearts to his farewell words. For he was about -starting once more across vast and unknown regions in search of -Tonti--and help. - -One by one he called to his side those whom he had chosen to accompany -him. They numbered twenty--exactly half of the remnant of his colony. -Among them were two of his own nephews and his brother, Cavalier; the -faithful priest, Father Anastase; Joutel, the young historian of the -colony; Liotot (Lee-o-to); L'Archevêque (Larsh-vake'); Duhaut (Du-ho'); -and Nika (Nee-ka), an Indian hunter who had followed La Salle to France -from Canada. - -Sieur Barbier was placed in command of the garrison; and, after an -affectionate farewell, La Salle passed through the gate, which he was -never to enter again, and plunged a last time into the forest. - -Two months later, near the crossing of the Neches River, Moragnet -(Mo-ra-nya), La Salle's nephew, who had been for some time on bad terms -with L'Archevêque and Duhaut, was murdered by them while he was -sleeping. Nika, who was with the party (which had been sent out after -fresh buffalo meat), was killed at the same time. The murderers, fearful -of La Salle's just vengeance, determined to take his life also. They -placed themselves in ambush; L'Archevêque, who was only sixteen years -old, was detailed to lead their chief into the trap. - -When La Salle appeared, in search of his nephew, he was fired upon and -instantly killed (March 16, 1687). - -Thus perished, by treacherous hands, the gallant and stout-hearted La -Salle--the soldier, explorer, and dreamer. He was buried in the lonely -spot where he fell. Father Anastase scooped out a shallow grave for his -friend and benefactor, and pressed the grassy turf upon his breast. And -so, within the borders of Texas--though the exact spot is -unknown--repose the mortal remains of its discoverer. - -Joutel with several of the band succeeded after many adventures in -reaching one of Tonti's settlements on the Arkansas River. Thence they -made their way to Canada. - -The assassins and their followers remained with the Indians, where, one -after another, they nearly all met the same bloody and violent death -they had meted out to their victims. - -Five years later L'Archevêque with one companion was recaptured by the -Spaniards from the savages and sent to Madrid.[3] - -Tonti of the Iron Hand had waited long and anxiously for news of his -friend. In 1684 he had gone in a canoe down the Mississippi to its mouth -to meet the expedition from France. The expedition did not appear, and -he returned to his post on the upper Mississippi. He questioned the -Indian runners from the south and west as they passed his camp on their -hunting raids. He could learn nothing of La Salle or his companions. -That intrepid captain seemed to have vanished into the unknown west. At -last, in 1689, he journeyed southward again in quest of his friend. -Vague rumors reached him of men who had passed through his own forts and -tarried to tell the story of La Salle's death. But he would not believe -them. He entered Texas and traveled as far as the wigwams of the -friendly Cenis. From them he learned the fate of the man he loved; and -the rugged soldier turned aside his head and wept.[4] - - - 2. IN THE NAME OF SPAIN. - -While these things were taking place in an obscure corner of the New -World, there was commotion in the court of Spain. Word had come over -from the "Golden West" that France had laid an unlawful hand upon some -of the Spanish possessions there. Letters flew thick and fast between -the Spanish viceroy in Mexico and the Spanish king's[5] ministers. The -Viceroy was ordered to punish the offenders as soon as ever they could -be found; the dark-browed king of Spain was very angry. - -All this stir was caused by the capture of the _St. Francis_, La Salle's -little store-ship in 1684. She was plainly on her way to some new -colony. But where had that colony been planted? The wary captain of the -_St. Francis_ said that he did not know. Perhaps he told the truth. At -any rate, it was not until 1686 and after a world of trouble that the -Viceroy in Mexico located the spot of La Salle's settlement. Spain -considered herself at that time the legitimate owner of all that region -which we now call Texas; she pretended, indeed, to own everything -bordering on the Gulf of Mexico. A military council was therefore held -at the new post of Monclova, and Captain Alonzo de Leon, the newly -appointed governor of Coaquila (afterwards called Coahuila) -(Co-ah-wee'-la), was dispatched to find and destroy La Salle and his -colony. La Salle, with a bullet in his brain, had been lying for two -years in his shallow grave near the Neches River; but the Viceroy did -not know this. - -Captain De Leon and his hundred soldiers marched gaily and confidently -from Monclova in a northeasterly direction, across wild prairie and -savage woodland. They were used to the ways of the Comanches, through -whose hunting grounds they marched, and, at need, could take scalp for -scalp; they were well fed and comfortably clad; the King's pay jingled -in their pockets,--a brave contrast truly to the starved, ragged, -disheartened colonists at Fort St. Louis! - -But when Captain De Leon and his men at length found the fort, the -unfortunate French colonists, like their chief, had perished. Their -bleaching bones lay scattered about the door of the blockhouse, where -they had made their last desperate stand against the bloodthirsty -Carankawaes. De Leon's heart stirred with pity as he looked about him, -thinking less, perhaps, of the men--for it is a soldier's business to -die--than of the delicate women who had shared their fate. - -With the Cenis, into whose friendly wigwams they had escaped at the time -of the massacre, De Leon found several of the colonists. These were -afterwards sent back to their homes in France. But among them there is -no mention of the Sieur Barbier and his young bride. - - [Illustration: The Flag of Spain.] - -De Leon, it is said,--though this is a much disputed fact,--called the -country about Fort St. Louis Texas, because of his kindly treatment by -the Cenis Indians, the word _Texas_ in their tongue meaning friends.[6] -On his return to Monclova, he pictured this Texas as a paradise so -fertile and so beautiful that the viceroy determined to establish there -a mission and presidio,--that is to say, a church and stronghold,--for -the double purpose of reducing and converting the Indians. - -In 1690 Captain De Leon, with several priests added to his company of -soldiers, marched again to Fort St. Louis. The broken walls were -restored, and once more the air rang with the cheerful sounds of axe and -hammer. The Mission of San Francisco was begun and dedicated; the -Spanish flag fluttered in the breeze; a hymn of praise and thanksgiving -arose from the chapel; and De Leon took formal possession of the country -in the name of the King of Spain. - -The Spaniards, harried by the Indians and too far from Monclova to -receive regular supplies, were soon forced to abandon Fort St. Louis. -Great was the rejoicing among the Lipans and the Carankawaes when the -pale faces disappeared from among them, leaving the bay once more free -to their own canoes, the prairies open to their moccasined feet. - -Neither France nor Spain for a time seemed inclined to trouble herself -further about this disputed property. - -But in 1719 a French ship bound for the Mississippi drifted, like La -Salle's fleet, westward to the bay of San Bernard. Among those who went -ashore for recreation, while the sailors were taking on fresh water, -were Monsieur Belleisle, a French officer, and four of his friends. They -did not reappear at the appointed signal, and the captain, after waiting -for them for some hours, sailed away without them. - -Belleisle and his companions were in despair at finding themselves thus -abandoned; they wandered for weeks along the strange and lonely coast, -living, as best they could, upon roots, berries, and insects. Finally -four of the men died of starvation, leaving Belleisle alone. Weak and -despairing, he made his way to the interior, where he soon fell into the -hands of some Indians, whom he took at first to be cannibals. They -stripped him and divided his clothing among themselves; but instead of -eating him, as he expected they would do, they gave him to an old woman -of the tribe, who made him her slave but who otherwise treated him with -rude kindness. In time he learned the language of his captors and became -a warrior, sometimes even leading their savage forays. - -One day an embassy from another tribe came to the camp. Belleisle, -listening to their talk, heard the name of St. Denis. Now St. Denis was -one of his own former comrades-in-arms. Belleisle's heart leaped. He -wrote, with ink made of soot, a few lines on his officer's -commission,--which he had somehow kept,--and secretly bribed one of the -strange Indians to carry this message to St. Denis. St. Denis happened -at the time to be at Natchitoches (Nack-ee-tosh) beyond the Sabine -River; when he read the note he was much affected. He immediately sent -horses, arms, and clothing to the captive; Belleisle, by means of a -strategy, escaped with the Indian guides and joined his friend. - -This adventure of Monsieur Belleisle caused him later to become a part -of the history of Fort St. Louis. - - - 3. IN THE NAME OF OBLIVION. - -The unfortunate La Salle had died with his ardent and long-cherished -dream unfulfilled. But after more than thirty years, another man had -begun to realize that dream. Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville -had sailed with French ships up the beloved river; his colonists were -fast peopling the beautiful wilderness, and already the infant city of -New Orleans lay strong and thriving on the bank of the Mississippi. - -The commandant of Louisiana, though busied with his growing colony, kept -yet a watchful eye upon the grasping Spaniards, who claimed the country -eastward nearly to the Mississippi. But France claimed westward as far -as the bay of San Bernard, by virtue of La Salle's discovery. Bienville -determined to make good the claim of France. In August, 1721, he fitted -out a small vessel, the _Subtile_, told off a detachment of tried -soldiers, and placed Bernard de la Harpe, an experienced captain, in -command. The expedition set out at once to recover La Salle's old fort. -Belleisle, on account of his knowledge of the country and the Indian -language, was sent along as guide. - -The surprise and the rage of the Indians when they saw the hated flag -waving again above the fort may be imagined. They threw themselves with -such fury against the newcomers that La Harpe, seeing his small garrison -in danger of massacre, withdrew quietly, and returned in October to New -Orleans. - -Fort St. Louis was left at last to a solitude never again to be broken. -Vines grew over the crumbling walls and sprawled across the floors where -human feet had passed; lizards basked in crevices of the blockhouse; and -wild creatures from the wood took up their abode in the chapel. Day by -day and year by year decay and change went on, until there came a time -when nothing remained to tell of the place where the first settlers of -Texas lived, suffered, rejoiced, and perished. - - - - - II. - SAN ANTONIO. - (1714-1794.) - - - 1. A BOLD RIDER. - -In 1714 Juchereau St. Denis rode across Texas, in an oblique line from a -trading post in Louisiana to a presidio on the Rio Grande River. This -was the same St. Denis who afterward, as already related, rescued his -comrade-in-arms Belleisle from captivity. He had secret orders from -Cadillac, the governor of Louisiana, and his busy brain was teeming with -carefully laid plans of his own. His escort consisted of twelve white -men and two or three Indians. He took his bearings as he went, carefully -marking the way from river to river, from prairie to forest, from Indian -village to buffalo range; thus sketching out that long thoroughfare -which afterwards became famous as the "Old San Antonio Road." - -Much of the way lay through the lands of unfriendly Indians; but St. -Denis rode as jauntily as if the men at his back were a thousand instead -of a dozen. - -And when one day he drew rein on the brow of a certain hill, and gazed -down into the lovely cup-like valley where a few huts marked the -beginnings of San Antonio, he might, for all signs of fatigue upon his -handsome young face, have just quitted the governor's residence. - -"A beautiful site for a city," he said to Jallot, his confidential -servant. His pleased eyes roved over the smiling valley, through which -the river ran like a silver thread. Graceful trees lined the river -banks; the tender grass was studded with a thousand flowers of varied -colors; there was a life-giving softness in the wind that came from the -low mountains to the northward. - - [Illustration: THE MISSION OF SAN JOSÉ.] - -St. Denis journeyed on to St. John the Baptist, carrying this lovely -picture in his heart as he went. St. John the Baptist was a presidio on -the Rio Grande River. It was built by Captain Alonzo de Leon, after his -return from Fort St. Louis in 1689. Its commandant, at the time of the -visit of St. Denis, was Don Pedro de Villescas. To Don Pedro St. Denis -unfolded his mission--the opening of trade between Louisiana and Mexico. -The friendly commandant could do nothing without first consulting his -superiors; so he asked St. Denis to wait until a letter could be sent to -the governor of the province at Monclova. St. Denis waited, and while he -was waiting he fell in love with Donna Maria, the commandant's daughter. - -The young French officer was so dashing, so courtly, and withal so good -looking, that it is no wonder Don Pedro's daughter loved him in return; -and there were at least two very happy persons at the Presidio of St. -John the Baptist. - -But when the courier came back from Monclova, St. Denis was seized by -order of the governor, and was carried under guard to that city. - -The governor of Coahuila was, as it happened, a rejected suitor of Donna -Maria Villescas. Filled with jealous rage, he threw the young Frenchman -into prison and threatened him with death unless he would give up all -claim to his promised bride. - -This St. Denis gallantly refused to do. After some months the governor -sent him to the city of Mexico, denouncing him to the viceroy as a spy -against the government. He was again placed in prison, where he was -treated with great severity. - -Donna Maria, however, was not idle all this time. She had sent several -spirited letters to the governor at Monclova, and she now wrote to the -viceroy himself. Her letter had the effect of loosening the chains of -her lover. - -Marquis de Linares, the viceroy, when he saw his prisoner, was so -charmed that he offered the young Frenchman an important post in the -Spanish army. But St. Denis would not consent to abandon his own flag. -The viceroy then gave him a handsome horse, and parting from him with -regret, sent him back to the presidio, where he married the loyal Donna -Maria. - -Before leaving the presidio on his return to Louisiana, he made secret -arrangements for smuggling goods into Mexico. - -The viceroy, having a hint of this, did not trouble St. Denis again; but -he decided to establish posts and missions throughout the New -Philippines--as Texas was still called--with garrisons armed to prevent -contraband trade. Captain Domingo Ramon was appointed to carry on this -work. He set out at once from St. John the Baptist for San Antonio, with -a company of soldiers and several friars under his command. St. Denis, -in high spirits and sure of his own success in spite of Captain Ramon, -rode with him, acting as his guide. - - - 2. COWL AND CARBINE. - -Mission and presidio, as already stated, meant church and fortress. The -places chosen for these buildings were generally in the very midst of -populous and fierce Indian tribes. For the object of the builders was -not only to hold the country against France, but also to reduce the -savages and convert them to the Catholic religion. - -The Red Man had already his own rude belief in the Great Spirit who sat -behind the clouds and watched over the flight of his arrows and the -tasseling of his corn. He loved to tell about the Happy Hunting-grounds -to which he would travel after death, attended by his horse and his dog. - -It required a great deal of patience and perseverance on the part of the -missionaries to make these wild creatures understand the meaning of the -strange things they saw and heard: the hymns and prayers which broke the -stillness at morning and at eventide, the candles blazing on the altar, -the tinkling of bells, the movements of the priests, the humble attitude -of the proud Spanish soldiers at mass. They crowded about the chapels, -now accepting the new faith with childlike confidence, at other times -seeking a chance to massacre priest and soldier in cold blood. - -But these missionaries belonged to an order whose business it was to be -patient. They were Franciscans from the monastery of St. Francis at -Zacatecas in Mexico, and they were pledged to poverty and self-denial. -Gentle, but sturdy, these barefooted friars, in their coarse woolen -frocks and rope girdles, exercised a strange fascination over the -Indians who fell under their influence. - - [Illustration: A Franciscan Father.] - -Captain Domingo Ramon went bravely to work with his soldiers and -Franciscans. He was very much loved by the Indians. They adopted him -into their tribes and cheerfully aided him in the hard labor of clearing -and building. Within a few years the country was dotted with missions. -Some of these were temporary structures, rude and frail; others were -built of stone. The noble and majestic ruins of the latter fill the -beholder to-day with wonder and delight. If the mission served also as a -presidio, it was entitled to a garrison of two hundred and fifty -soldiers; where there was no fortress, the church itself served as a -stronghold. Among the earliest of the missions thus built were Our Lady -of Guadalupe (Gwah-dah-loop'a), at Victoria (1714); Mission Orquizacas -(Or-kee-sa'-kass), on the San Jacinto River (1715); Mission Dolores near -San Augustine (1716); Adaes, east of the Sabine River (1718); -Nacogdoches (1715); and Espiritu Santo, at Goliad (La Bahia) (1718). - -The Mission Alamo,[7] which was to play so prominent a part in the later -history of Texas, was begun under another name, in 1703, on the Rio -Grande River. It was removed to the San Pedro River at San Antonio in -1718. In 1744 it was finally built where its ruins now stand, on the -Alamo Plaza in San Antonio, and was called the Church of the Alamo. - -Early in 1718 the foundation of San José (Ho-sa') de Aguayo, the largest -and finest of all the missions, was laid near San Antonio. The little -settlement which had so pleased the eye of St. Denis four years before -had grown to a village. It had been laid off and named for the Duke de -Bexar (Bair), a viceroy of Mexico; and St. Denis' road, which linked it -on the southwest with St. John the Baptist and on the northeast with -Natchitoches in Louisiana, had already become a traveled highway. The -Mission and Presidio of San José were therefore of the first importance. - -Captain Ramon himself may have selected the site. It was a few miles -below the town, on the limpid and swift-flowing river San Antonio. A day -or two after the site was decided upon, a long procession wound across -the beautiful open prairie from the village. It was headed by a -venerable barefoot Franciscan father, who carried aloft a large wooden -cross; on either side of him walked a friar of the same order, and -behind them came acolytes and altar-boys bearing censer, bell, and -vessels of holy water. Captain Ramon and his soldiers on horseback, and -stiff and erect in their holiday uniforms, followed with the Spanish -flag in their midst; the Mexicans who composed the slim population of -San Antonio came next; then, grave and stately in their blankets and -feathered headdresses and as proud as the Spaniards themselves, stalked -a hundred or more converted Apache and Comanche warriors. A rabble of -Indian squaws and papooses brought up the rear. - -This procession went slowly along under the morning sun, now over the -flower-set prairie, now through a strip of woodland. The river, -breast-high to the women and boys, was forded, and as the foremost group -reached the farther shore, the old Franciscan lifted his hand; a church -hymn, sweet, powerful, resonant, arose from five hundred throats. Thus -they came, singing, to the place where San José was to stand. - -A large space was marked off; the ground plan of the great church was -sketched on the turf,--perhaps with the point of Captain Domingo Ramon's -sword; the church prayers were said, and the corner-stone, already hewn -and shaped, was sprinkled with holy water. - -The scene on the spot daily thereafter for many years was a busy and -picturesque one. Everybody worked with a will,--soldiers, priests, and -Indians, all filled with a holy zeal. Even the Indian women fetched sand -in their aprons, and the Indian children set their small brown bodies -against the stones and helped push them into place. Tradition says that -the people brought milk from their goats and cows to mix the mortar, -thereby making it firmer and more lasting. - -The beautiful twin towers went slowly up; the great dome was rounded -over the main chapel; the double row of arched cloisters stretched their -lovely length along the wall; the artist, Juan Huicar (wee'-car), sent -out by the king of Spain, set his fine carvings above the wide doors. - -At the same time the enclosing wall was raised; the fort with its flying -buttresses, the guardhouse, the huts into which the Indian converts were -locked at night--all these were completed. Orchards and gardens were -planted, and irrigating ditches were dug. Again and again the work was -interrupted by attacks from Indians; but when the fight was over the -dead were buried, the wounded were cared for, and the building and -planting went on as before.[8] - -Such was the manner of the building of the Texas missions. It took sixty -years to complete San José. In the meantime the handsome Mission of La -Purissima Concepcion (Immaculate Conception) and San Francisco de la -Espada (St. Francis of the Sword) were erected, both also on the San -Antonio River. - -The Mission of San Saba was built in 1734, on the San Saba River in what -is now Menard County. The good fathers were at first very successful in -converting the Apaches and the Comanches, who flocked to them in great -numbers. But the reopening of _Las Almagras_ (red ores), an old silver -mine near the mission, brought into the neighborhood many reckless men; -and quarrels soon arose between them and the Indians--quarrels which -were one day to bear bitter fruit. - - - 3. A HURRIED RIDE. - -In 1719 St. Denis was at Natchitoches, which was one of the outposts of -the French in Louisiana and close to the Texas border. He had traveled -back and forth through Texas more than once since his first trip to the -presidio on the Rio Grande; and he had spent much of his time in Mexican -dungeons. But for that he bore the Spaniards no great ill-will. He had -escaped from prison and brought his beautiful Mexican wife away with -him; and when he made his flying journeys he turned aside, no doubt, to -see his Spanish friend, Captain Domingo Ramon--who, by the way, was his -wife's uncle--and to admire the missions which were going up in every -direction under that captain's vigorous management. But now things were -changed. A few months before, France and Spain, never on good terms with -each other, had declared open war. - -St. Denis, if the truth were told, was glad of a chance to fight -somebody besides Indians. He was right weary of the skulking ways of the -red warrior with his tomahawk, his paint and feathers, and his savage -desire to carry scalps at his belt. He longed for a good honest brush -with white men, who fought openly with gun and sword--men, for example, -like his good friend Captain Ramon and his troop of jolly soldiers! - -He leaped lightly into the saddle one morning and galloped out of -Natchitoches at the head of a hundred and fifty men. Bernard de la -Harpe, in joint command of the expedition, rode by his side. - -They crossed the Sabine River and attacked the garrisons at the Missions -of Nacogdoches, Aes, and Orquizacas, all of whom, surprised by the -sudden onslaught, retreated before them. It was a lively chase across -the vast territory, with a good deal of skirmishing; and it ended only -when the Spaniards were safe inside the town of San Antonio. - -St. Denis, drawing rein on the brow of the hill and gazing down once -more into the lovely valley, saw a sort of orderly confusion on an open -plaza in the heart of the town; horsemen were gathering, men were moving -hurriedly about, and from the midst of the bustle the clear tones of a -bell suddenly fell upon the air. It was the call to arms! - -St. Denis smiled and turned to La Harpe: "It is high time we were riding -homeward," he said gaily, with a glance at their small band of wayworn -troopers; and turning their horses' heads they galloped away. - -None too soon! For shortly afterwards the Marquis de Aguayo, governor of -the province, came out of the town with a fresh troop of five hundred -Spaniards, tried soldiers and eager recruits, and galloped in pursuit of -the flying Frenchmen. It was another lively chase across the vast -territory; but this time it was France who retreated, with Spain at her -heels. Captain Ramon, quite as anxious for a tilt with civilized -soldiers as his friendly enemy and nephew-in-law St. Denis, left the -work of mission-building in the hands of his friars, and, as second in -command, joined the governor-general in this pursuit. - -Aguayo, following the example of St. Denis, did not pause until the -intruders were safe in their own citadel at Natchitoches; then he -replaced at the Missions of Orquizacas and Aes the men whom he had -brought back with him, and he left for their protection a stout garrison -at the Mission of Nuestra Senora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Font), about -twenty miles west of Natchitoches. - -He was as keenly alive as St. Denis himself to the natural beauty of the -valley watered by the San Pedro and San Antonio Rivers; and on his -return to San Antonio he set on foot many improvements, including the -widening and deepening of the irrigating ditches. - -These irrigating ditches were called _acequias_ (a-sa'-kee-a). They are -still in use, and many of them are very beautiful. One known as the -Acequia Madre, or Mother Ditch, is as deep and wide as a small rivulet; -the living waters, pure and cool, rush along a bed lined and parapeted -with stone, and overhung with pomegranates and rustling banana leaves. - -The water from the ditches is turned, by means of gates, into the fields -and gardens which lie along its course. Each landowner is entitled to so -much water a day, or at a stated period. This inflow of the crystal -flood is called the _saca de agua_ (taking the water), and is hailed -with delight as it comes singing its way through corn-row, garden-patch, -and rose-bower. - -In the early days the completing of a water-ditch was celebrated as a -feast. Rows of cactus were planted on its banks to keep off cattle, and -shade-trees were set out along its course. A priest, attended by -acolytes, blessed the water. The following day a drum was beaten at -morning mass, and all those who had contributed in money or labor to the -making of the ditch were summoned to the church to take part in the -Suerte (soo-air'-ta),--a lottery for the drawing of the land watered by -the new sluice. Tickets were placed in an urn and were drawn out by two -children. The lucky holders of the highest numbers got the best lands. -At night, by way of winding up the feast, there would be a procession -and a _fandango_[9] on the plaza. - -The good Marquis de Aguayo further recommended to the Spanish government -at Madrid to send colonists to the province. "One family," he said, "is -better than a hundred soldiers." - -Then, having done all he could for the New Philippines, he went back to -his official residence at Monclova, attended as far as St. John the -Baptist by Captain Ramon. - - - 4. INDIOS BRAVOS. - -The Spanish government, acting on the governor-general's advice, ordered -four hundred families to be sent out to the New Philippines from the -Canary Islands. These islands, situated off the coast of Africa, -belonged to Spain by right of conquest, and were settled by Spaniards of -pure blood, noted for their honor and chastity, and for their devotion -to the Catholic religion. Of the four hundred families only thirteen -ever came. They reached San Antonio by way of Mexico in 1729, bringing -with them their stores of clothing, silverware, and jewels. They built -their dwellings around the present square of the Constitution, which -they called _Plaza de las Islas_ (Square of the Islands), in homesick -memory of the sea-girt isles they had left behind. - -Other colonists from Monterey and from Lake Teztuco, in Mexico, -followed; houses sprung up beside the musical water-ways; vines were -trained over the yellow adobe walls; semi-tropical vegetation made a -paradise of the spreading fields and gardens. Finally, the newcomers, -emulous of the growing walls of San José, laid on their plaza the -foundation (1731) of San Fernando Church. - -Enlarged and rebuilt on the same spot, San Fernando remains to this day -the parish church of the Spanish-speaking Catholics of San Antonio. - -But the settlers, or townspeople--as they may now be called--were full -of anxiety in those troublous times. No more French soldiers, it is -true, came riding across the border, chasing the Spanish troops to their -very gates. But there were the Apaches and the Comanches. For in spite -of the efforts of Spanish friars and Spanish soldiers, but few of the -Apaches and Comanches had become _Indios reducidos_ (converted Indians). -Thousands of _Indios bravos_ (wild Indians), as savage and cruel as if a -mission had never been built, roamed the country, ready to swoop down at -any moment upon the ill-guarded little post. A messenger would hurry in, -perhaps from the missions below, which kept ever a keen lookout, -breathless with the news that the Apaches were creeping stealthily upon -the town. Or, suddenly and without warning, a ringing war-whoop would -echo in the air, and leaping from cover to cover among the scattered -houses, the Comanches, tomahawk in hand, would pursue their hapless -victims to some last hiding-place; then, leaving death and desolation -behind, they would vanish as suddenly as they had come. - -At last the new settlers determined to put an end to this state of -affairs. They organized themselves into a small army, and aided by the -little garrison of soldiers then stationed there, they marched against -their Indian foes, whom they defeated in a pitched battle. - - [Illustration: THE MISSION OF LA PURISSIMA CONCEPCION.] - -This victory (in 1732) gave some security to the place. The _Indian -bravos_ still harried the country, killing those who ventured far from -post and mission, and plundering where they could not kill. A number of -years later (1752), after a fresh quarrel with the miners at Las -Almagras, they fell upon the Mission of San Saba, and butchered every -human creature within its walls. But rarely did they again venture near -the dwellings of those determined pale-faces who had overcome them on -their own hunting-grounds. - - - 5. ALONG THE OLD SAN ANTONIO ROAD. - -The years drifted on, peaceful and sluggish, towards the end of the -eighteenth century. There were few happenings either in San Antonio -itself or in the province, which was at last laid down on the map as -Texas. There was no further dispute concerning boundary lines or -property. Spain was the lawful owner of everything west of the -Mississippi River. For Louis the Fifteenth of France, in 1762, for state -reasons, presented to the King of Spain the handsome French province of -Louisiana. The people of Louisiana were very angry when they -learned--more than a year after the transfer--that they had been handed -over without their knowledge or consent to the hated Spaniard. But Louis -did not trouble himself in the least about what they thought or felt. -Thus, the colonists being all Spanish subjects, were bound to peace -among themselves. Even the dashing St. Denis, had he lived so long, -could have found nobody to fight except the despised Indian. But that -doughty warrior and courtly gentleman had long since fired his last shot -on the field, and trod his last measure in the dance. According to the -old chroniclers he remained to the end of his life "a devoted friend and -a noble fighter." - -In 1729 a widespread plot was formed among the Indians in Texas and -Louisiana to massacre all white people within reach, Spanish and French, -men, women, and children. A friendly chief warned St. Denis of the plot. -He gathered his troopers hastily together and rode out of Natchitoches, -where he had continued in command, and in a short time defeated and -scattered the tribes. After this they hated and feared him, but they -looked upon him with awe, believing him to be protected by their own -Manitou. - - [Illustration: The Cathedral of San Fernando.] - -He was at length killed by the chief of the Natchez Indians. He lies -buried near the town of Natchitoches. - -In spite of the peace between Spain and France (1762)--or perhaps -because of it--there was little progress in Texas. Spain forbade her -colonists to trade with other nations; she did not allow them to -manufacture anything that could be made in the mother-country, or to -plant anything that could with profit be sent over from there. They were -even forbidden to trade with their fellow-colonists in Louisiana.[10] -Under these hard conditions settlers came in slowly. Texas remained -almost neglected, peopled only by fierce savages. - -But the little town in the southwest had a life of its own. Nearly -everybody who had any business with Texas or Mexico traveled the Old San -Antonio Road laid out by St. Denis in 1714; and all travelers halted at -this lovely oasis in the wilderness. They were always loth to go away. -For there were wonderful _fiestas_ (feasts) in the Churches of the Alamo -and San Fernando, and solemn processions to the grand Missions of -Concepcion and San José; there were stately gatherings in the houses of -the Island Spaniards, and merry boating parties on the blue-green waters -of the river San Antonio. There were gay dances on the plaza at night to -the music of guitar and castanet, and Mexican jugglers throwing balls -and knives by the light of smoking torches. Bands of Mexican muleteers -jingled in from the presidio on the Rio Grande, driving before them -trains of mules loaded with ingots of silver, on their way to -Natchitoches, four hundred miles distant; caravans traveling westward -with bales of smuggled goods crawled lazily through the narrow streets. -There was a continued coming and going of swarthy soldiers and -black-gowned priests, governors, bishops, alcades, and christianized -Indians; among them appeared, now and then, the fair face and wiry form -of the American, the forerunner of that race which was one day to sweep -all the others out of its path and to possess the land. - -Once, in 1779, when Spain and England were at war with each other, there -was even more than the usual stir on the Military Plaza. Nearly all the -inhabitants of the town were gathered about the doors of the Church of -the Alamo, where a priest was saying mass. Presently there was a burst -of martial music, and a little company of soldiers came out; their heads -were lifted proudly and their step was firm and assured. A cheer broke -forth from the crowd; the soldiers sent back an answering shout as they -mounted their waiting horses and rode away under the gaudy pennon of -Leon and Castile. - -Spain was at this time at war with England, and this handful of fighting -men was the quota of troops furnished by the Spanish province of Texas -to Don Galvez, the commander-in-chief of the army at New Orleans. They -reached Louisiana in time to take an active part in the war and to -rejoice with Galvez over his victories at Natchez, Mobile, and -Pensacola. - -In 1794 all the missions were secularized; that is, the control of them -was taken away from the priests and given to the civil authorities. Upon -this, the Missions of San José and Concepcion ceased to be the centers -of activity they had been for nearly a century. San Antonio was shorn of -a part of her glory. The majestic buildings remained, but the pomp and -circumstance of fortress and chapel had forever departed. - - - - - III. - NACOGDOCHES. - (1794-1821.) - - - 1. A FATAL VENTURE. - -One of the earliest missions planned by Captain Ramon was that of Our -Lady of Nacogdoches (1715). It was built on the lands of the Naugodoches -Indians, not far from the disputed boundary of Texas, and nearly on a -line with the French post of Natchitoches in Louisiana. Some priests, -whose duty it was to convert the Indians, were placed there, and with -them a small garrison of Spanish soldiers to watch the French at -Natchitoches. This was one of those garrisons surprised in 1718 by St. -Denis, and driven to the gates of San Antonio. The soldiers were brought -back and reinstated by Aguayo; and from that time on, to the close of -the century, the little military post was kept up. - -Monsieur de Pagès, a French gentleman who in 1766 passed across Texas on -a voyage around the world, received from the missionary fathers at Aes, -Adaes, and Nacogdoches a hospitable welcome. He describes particularly -the Mission of "Naquadock" (Nacogdoches) with its "plaza and its -pleasant trees," and says that the "half-savage Spanish soldiers" at the -presidio, when they were upon their horses, recalled to his mind the -ancient chevaliers. The Spanish "bold-rider" wore a cuirass of antelope -skin and carried a shield, a large sword, a carbine, and a pair of -pistols. His arms and the equipment of his horse were very heavy and -cumbersome, but he was an "amazing good fighter." Monsieur de Pagès, who -was an officer in the French navy, was also a correspondent of the -Academy of Sciences at Paris. He took careful notes in all the countries -through which he passed. He describes the soil and climate of Texas and -the animals, especially the fine, robust horses. "A good horse," he -says, "may be had for a pair of shoes." But his greatest interest is in -the savages. He mentions the Comanches, the Apaches, the Adaes, and the -Tehas tribes. The Tehas, he says, were a "corn-growing people." He spent -some time at the Mission of Nacogdoches ("Naquadock") in company with a -deposed governor of the province. - - [Illustration: De Pagès' Map of Texas.] - -In 1778 a stone fort, which still stands, was built at Nacogdoches by -Captain Gil Y Barbo for the accommodation of the Spanish soldiers. A few -huts were clustered about the presidio, for it was on the Old San -Antonio Road and was a stopping-place for travelers; but it was a dull -and lonely spot. - -Suddenly, with the birth of a new century, it awoke from its long -slumber and became, in a way, the starting-point of Texas history. It -was the gateway through which Anglo-American energy and ambition came in -to Texas. From its plaza unrolled a panorama full of life and vigor: -scenes in which adventurers, freebooters, patriots, and dreamers played -their parts. - -The panorama opens with Philip Nolan. - -Philip Nolan, a young man of Irish descent, obtained in 1797 a permit -from De Nava, the Spanish commandant-general of Texas, to collect in -that province wild horses for the American army. He entered the -province, made friends with the Indians, and succeeded in gathering -twelve hundred mustangs, which he drove across the border. He drew and -brought back with him at this time a map of Texas, the first one ever -made. This map he gave to Baron Carondelet, the Spanish governor at New -Orleans.[11] - -Three years later, with the same permit and ostensibly on the same -errand, he started westward from Natchez, Mississippi. He had with him -seventeen white men and one negro. His second in command was a -nineteen-year-old lad named Ellis Bean. The men were all young, most of -them being under thirty and many of them hardly more than twenty years -of age. - -They traveled on horseback across the wilderness, and some months later -they encamped in the neighborhood of the present city of Waco, where -they found "elk and deer plenty, some buffalo, and thousands of wild -horses."[12] In a short time they had caught and penned three hundred -mustangs. The Indians were very friendly. At one time two hundred -Comanches visited them in their camp. In return they spent a month in -the wigwams of that tribe. Then they went back to their business of -capturing wild horses. - -But orders in the meantime had come from De Nava to Musquiz, the Spanish -captain at Nacogdoches, to arrest Nolan at all hazards. He had been -denounced to the Spanish government as a traitor, and it was believed -that he had come to Texas for the purpose of setting up a republic of -his own, or to further the plans of Aaron Burr.[13] - - [Illustration: Ellis P. Bean.] - -Musquiz left Nacogdoches on the 4th of March, 1801, with one hundred -soldiers, in search of the supposed conspirator. After a few days' march -he sent for El Blanco, a famous Indian chief, and offered him a large -bribe if he would lead him to Nolan's camp. El Blanco proudly spurned -this base offer. Some Indian spies, however, served as guides, and at -daybreak on the 22d of March Musquiz found the camp. He attacked Nolan -and his men, who returned his fire from their rude blockhouse. Nolan, -whose rifle had been stolen from him by a deserter from his own camp, -was killed in a few moments. Bean took command and the fighting went on -desperately for some time. Finally, on a promise from the Spaniards that -they should be set free as soon as they reached Nacogdoches, the -outnumbered Americans surrendered. They buried their gallant leader, -whose dream of a republic, if he had one, died with him; and they set -out with their captors for the Presidio of Nacogdoches. There, instead -of the promised freedom, they found chains and captivity. They were -heavily ironed and placed in close confinement. At the end of a month -they were marched into the plaza, bound together, two and two. There was -a beating of drums and a fluttering of Spanish pennons. The hearts of -the poor young prisoners beat high with hope. Knowing that they had been -guilty of no crime, they seemed already to feel their chains falling -off, and they laughed joyfully, lifting their pallid faces to the free -blue sky. But a harsh voice gave the order "Forward March!" and driven -by brutal guards they limped painfully away to Mexican dungeons. - -It was six years before the King of Spain found time to sentence these -prisoners. A royal decree then came (1807) ordering every fifth man to -be shot. By this time but nine were left alive, and the officer in -charge decided that one only should suffer death. - -The nine wretched captives threw dice to determine which of their number -should die. The lot fell to Ephraim Blackburn, the oldest man among -them. He was executed without delay. - -Only one of the others ever breathed the blessed air of freedom again. -Ellis Bean, after many strange and thrilling adventures, finally -escaped. His companions, to a man, perished in loathsome Mexican -prisons, some of them within a short time, others after a wretched -captivity of more than fifteen years,--all ignorant to the last of the -cause of their imprisonment. - - - 2. THE DISPUTED BOUNDARY LINE. - -While Nacogdoches was rubbing her sleepy eyes and staring at the -_Americanos_, who kept coming into Texas in spite of the scant welcome -they got there, a man was strutting about the court at Madrid in Spain, -carrying Texas, so to speak, in his pocket. Manuel de Godoy, called _El -Principe de la Paz_ (The Prince of the Peace), who, from a private in -the King's Guards had come to be a grandee of Spain and first minister -of the King's council, was a corrupt courtier, cordially hated by the -people, but a favorite both of the King and the Queen.[14] They had -given him the highest honors and titles possible in Spain and finally -they had made him a present of the territory of Texas. To this princely -gift they added soldiers and ships and a large number of young women -from the asylums in Spain. Godoy in his dreams already saw himself -ruling in a semi-barbaric fashion over his kingdom in the "golden west." - - [Illustration: Old Stone Fort at Nacogdoches.] - -The attitude of Napoleon Bonaparte toward Spain put an end to this -curious scheme. Soldiers and ships were ordered to another service; the -young women were returned to their asylums; and Godoy was sent into -dishonorable exile with his pocket empty, at least of Texas. - -Spain, tired of the troublesome present she had received from Louis the -Fifteenth, one fine day in 1800 handed Louisiana back to France. But -before the French colonists had time to rejoice, Napoleon in 1803 sold -them and their province to the United States. Again they were very -angry; but, as before, nobody cared in the least what they thought or -how they felt. - -The old dispute concerning the boundary between Louisiana and Texas was -revived by this transaction. Spain claimed eastward as far toward the -Mississippi River as she dared. The United States would gladly have -reached out westward to the Rio Grande. The quarrel at last grew so -bitter that both countries prepared to go to war (1806). - -Nacogdoches and Natchitoches glared at each other across the Sabine -River, like two watch-dogs snarling and showing their teeth. - -Antonio Cordero, governor of Texas, hurried by way of the Old San -Antonio Road from San Antonio to Nacogdoches. The lonely presidio then -fairly thrilled; for fortifications were thrown up, provisions were -brought in, and the place was put in a state of defense. Soldiers were -also stationed at the mouth of the Trinity River, at the old fort at -Adaes, and at other points. At length in August, 1806, Simon Herrera, -commanding the Spanish troops with Cordero as his second, marched in -with twelve hundred men at his back. - -At Natchitoches also there was bustle and excitement. Governor -Claiborne, followed at once by General Wilkinson of the United States -army, had come up from New Orleans. Several angry messages passed -between Generals Wilkinson and Herrera, but neither would yield an inch -in his demands; and on the 22d of October General Wilkinson marched his -troops to the east bank of the Sabine River and camped there. General -Herrera's camp was on the west bank, just opposite. The stream alone -separated the two armies. On both sides everything was in readiness for -a battle. - -But in the hush of the night (November 5) the two generals met and held -a secret council. The next day (Nov. 6, 1806), to the surprise of all -and greatly to the disappointment of the American soldiers, it was -announced that the affair had been peacefully settled. A strip of land -between the Sabine River and a creek called the Arroyo Hondo seven miles -west of Natchitoches, was declared neutral ground,--that is, ground to -be occupied by neither country until the boundary line could be fixed by -a state treaty.[15] - -The Americans marched away, grumbling openly; the Spanish generals, -having got more than they expected, returned well pleased to -Nacogdoches. - -Nacogdoches had ceased to be simply a stopping-place for travelers; it -vied with its distant neighbor, San Antonio, in the gaiety of its social -life. The Spanish officers, especially the commandant Herrera, were -noted for their gracious and courtly manners. Some American families of -position had moved in; there was even a hotel. The presidio had become a -town. - - - 3. THE NEUTRAL GROUND. - -One day in 1812 a young man--an American--wearing the uniform of the -United States army crossed the Arroyo Hondo on horseback and entered the -Neutral Ground. He withdrew a little from the road, dismounted, and -seated himself upon a fallen log, seeming to await some one or -something. - -Soon a second rider appeared, threading his way through the forest -trees. He was a Spaniard of soldierly bearing, and his somewhat stern -features offered a marked contrast to the eager face of the first comer. -He dismounted with a courteous greeting, sat down in his turn, and -drawing a map from his pocket, he spread it upon his knees. - -The Spaniard was Colonel Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara. The American was -Lieutenant Augustus Magee. - - [Illustration: Map of The Neutral Ground.] - - Nacogdoches - Trinity River - Wallisville - East Bay - Neches River - Sabine Lake - Sabine River - Bayou San Patricio - Spanish Lake - Adais - Arroyo Hondo - Nachitoches - Red River - L. Terre Noire - Conel River - NEUTRAL GROUND - Calcasieu River - Lake Calcasieu - Grand Lake - GULF of MEXICO - -The Neutral Ground from the moment of the treaty between Herrera and -Wilkinson in 1806 became the resort of all sorts of lawless men, who, -subject to no authority, robbed and murdered at will the travelers -passing across this No Man's Land. The danger at last became so great -that the United States sent a squad of soldiers to serve as an escort to -people whose business led them between the Sabine and Natchitoches. -Lieutenant Magee was placed in command of this escort. He was a bold and -gallant young fellow, within whose romantic brain soon came the idea of -following out Nolan's supposed plan of founding an independent republic -in Texas. - -He confided his project to Gutierrez, who had fled to Natchitoches after -the failure of a similar attempt in Mexico, in which he had taken part. -Gutierrez was delighted. He undertook to gain over the Mexicans in -Texas. Magee resigned his position in the United States army and soon -succeeded in forming a band composed of adventurers and desperadoes from -the Neutral Ground, a number of Indians, some Mexicans, and a few -Americans of good character. Gutierrez, on account of his influence over -his countrymen, was put in command. Magee, however, was the leading -spirit. - -It was to talk over their scheme of invasion and conquest, to consult -maps and arrange routes, that Magee and Gutierrez had met on the banks -of the Arroyo Hondo. - -Magee started soon after for New Orleans to get money and recruits. -Gutierrez with a few men crossed the Sabine and took possession of -Nacogdoches, which was at once abandoned by the Spaniards. From that -place he marched to join Magee and the main army on the Trinity River. - -The first movement of this army of republicans, which numbered several -hundred men, was upon La Bahia (Goliad). The Spanish garrison in the -fortress there joined them, surrendering, along with other military -stores, the cannon brought over by La Salle in 1685. - -Hardly, however, were the republicans within the fort when they were -attacked by the Spanish army, under Governor Salcedo and General -Herrera. - -The fighting was at great odds, but the little band of republicans held -their own during several months, their greatest loss being the death of -their brave and spirited young leader, Magee, who, wasted with -consumption, died in February, 1813. - -Shortly afterwards a fierce hand-to-hand skirmish took place. In this -the republicans were victorious. The Spaniards thereupon gave up the -siege and retreated to San Antonio. The republicans followed under -Colonel Kemper, who had succeeded Magee. On the 28th of March, 1813, a -bloody battle took place on the Rosillo Creek, nine miles from San -Antonio. The Spaniards were defeated with the loss of one thousand men. -The victorious army marched into San Antonio, flying their flag in -triumph. In the fortress of the Alamo they found seventeen prisoners, -whom they released; the private soldiers taken prisoners at Rosillo were -all set at liberty. The officers were at first paroled; but afterward by -order of Gutierrez, or at least with his consent, they were marched by a -company of Mexican soldiers to a place on the river below the town; -there they were stripped, their hands were bound behind their backs, and -their throats cut. - -Among those thus brutally butchered were Salcedo, Governor of New Leon, -Governor Cordero, and the brave and polished Herrera. - -Many of the better class of Americans, among them the commanding -officer, Colonel Kemper, disgusted with the savagery of Gutierrez, left -the army. The republicans who remained were filled with triumph; -intoxicated with success, they gave themselves up to rioting and -rejoicing. - -Their enthusiasm was increased by a victory over another Spanish force -sent against them under the command of Don Y Elisondo (El-ee-son'do). In -this battle, fought June 4, the Spaniards lost over a thousand men, -dead, wounded, and prisoners. - -But the tide of success had reached its height; it began to turn. -Gutierrez having retired to Natchitoches, General Toledo (To-la'do) was -now in command of the republicans. On the 18th of August he marched out -of San Antonio to attack a third Spanish army commanded by General -Arredondo, who had thrown up breastworks on the Medina near the town. - -The result was a terrific defeat for the republicans. Almost the entire -army was destroyed; many were killed; those taken prisoners were -butchered as cruelly as Herrera and his brother officers had been. Out -of eight hundred and fifty Americans, only ninety-three escaped. One by -one these stole through Nacogdoches on their way back to the safe -thickets of the Neutral Ground. - - - 4. THE RED HOUSE. - -Nacogdoches, it may be supposed, had grown accustomed to that dream of a -Texas Republic which from time to time caused the air about her stone -fort to thrill and vibrate; she was accustomed, too, to see that dream -end in bloodshed and death. - -So it was an old story when in 1819 some three hundred Americans came -tramping in, ready, as they imagined, to convert Texas into a free and -independent state. This new expedition, organized at Natchez, -Mississippi, was conducted by Dr. James Long of Tennessee, an energetic -patriot who had served as a surgeon in Jackson's army at the battle of -New Orleans. - -General Long's brother, David, accompanied him; and his wife and her -sister followed, under the conduct of Randall Jones. They arrived at -Nacogdoches soon after the new republicans had taken peaceful possession -of the town. - -A legislative body was formed. One of its members was Bernardo -Gutierrez, who had continued to live at Natchitoches. The Republic of -Texas was proclaimed, and land and revenue laws were passed. A -newspaper, the first in Texas, was started by Horatio Bigelow, a member -of the council. - -General Long's next step was to take possession of the country and -strengthen the infant government. He placed detachments of men at -various points on the Brazos and Trinity Rivers, opened trade with the -Indians, and sent James Gaines, one of his lieutenants, to Galveston -Island to get the assistance of Lafitte. - -Jean Lafitte, a Frenchman by birth, had, while yet a mere lad, commanded -a privateer which sailed the Gulf of Mexico. Later, with his two -brothers, he had been, nominally, a blacksmith in New Orleans; but while -hammering horseshoes and making wagon-tires, he was really engaged in -smuggling. After a while, he dropped all pretense, and gathering -together a band of reckless men he established himself in 1810 on the -island of Grand Terre, a swampy lowland in Louisiana near the Gulf -coast. From there he plied his unlawful trade. His band became finally -so bold and troublesome that a reward was offered for their leader's -head. This proclamation, signed by Governor Claiborne, was posted about -New Orleans; and more than once the daring freebooter was seen talking -gaily with a group of friends, leaning the while with folded arms -against a wall upon which flamed in big letters the governor's mandate -demanding his head. He was never captured. - - [Illustration: Jean Lafitte.] - -In 1814, when the United States and England were at war, a British -officer visited Lafitte at Grand Terre and offered him the command of a -frigate if he would join the British navy. Lafitte instead offered his -services to General Jackson, fought gallantly at the battle of New -Orleans, and received a full pardon from the United States government. - -But his restless spirit would not long suffer him to remain inactive. In -1816 he fitted out a schooner (_The Pride_) and sailed to the -uninhabited island of Galveston. - -This island was discovered by La Salle as he coasted along the Gulf in -1684, seeking the Mississippi River. He called it the Island of St. -Louis. It was afterward known as Snake Island, and received its present -name, about 1775, in honor of Don José Galvez, governor of Louisiana and -son of the viceroy of Mexico. - -It had been occupied for a short time (1816) by a band of Mexican -"republicans," under Manuel Herrera and Xavier Mina. They were joined by -Luis d'Aury, a Mexican naval officer, and Colonel Perry, an American who -had taken part in Magee's ill-fated expedition. They set up a sort of -republic on the island. Their fleet of twelve armed vessels sailed the -Gulf, and for a time the enterprise prospered. But the little republic -did not last long. The leaders quarreled among themselves; the United -States denounced their sailors as pirates; the settlement was broken up, -and Galveston returned to its native solitude. - -The island was covered with beautiful green grass; there were no shrubs, -and the only trees were three live oaks clustered together about midway -of the island. Its wide beach shone like silver in the sunlight. Here in -a short time Lafitte had established a miniature kingdom. Adventurers -came flocking to him from every direction, and in less than a year there -were a thousand persons on the island. Lafitte, bearing the proud title -of "Lord of Galveston," held absolute sway over them. The fort and the -town, which he named Campeachy, were kept under strict military rule. -The bay harbored a fleet of swift vessels, sailed by fearless pirates -who swept the Gulf, capturing and plundering Spanish ships and bringing -the rich spoils to be divided by their chief. On the incoming Spanish -barques there were bales of silks and satins, woven for the dark-eyed -dames of Mexico, and soft carpets and priceless hangings for their -houses; there were rare wines for the tables of the viceroys, and -gold-embroidered altar-cloths for the churches. On outgoing Mexican -vessels there were bars of silver and ingots of gold, tropical spices -and dyes, uncut jewels, and beautiful skins of wild animals. All these -treasures were unrolled and spread out on the open square of the fort, -and each man was allotted his share. Lafitte was generous with the goods -brought in by his freebooters. Once from a rich "haul" he took for his -own share only a slim gold chain and seal which had been removed from -the neck of a portly Mexican bishop on his way to visit Rome. This chain -and seal were given by the pirate to Rezin Bowie, a brother of James -Bowie. It remains in the Bowie family to this day. - -Besides the regular business of piracy, which was politely called -privateering, a brisk slave-trade was carried on between the island and -the shores of Africa. Slave-ships came boldly into the harbor and landed -their cargoes of black humanity at Campeachy. The negro gangs were -driven into the fort, where they were sold _by the pound_. The price -paid was generally one dollar a pound, though prices sometimes fell so -low that an able-bodied man or woman could be bought for forty dollars. -The purchasers hurried the unhappy Africans through the country to Baton -Rouge and New Orleans, where they were resold at higher prices. - -Lafitte was adored by his followers, though he ruled them as with a rod -of iron. In person he was tall, dark, and handsome, with stern eyes and -a winning smile. He wore a uniform of dark green cloth, a crimson sash, -and an otter-skin cap. He lived in great state, in a richly furnished -dwelling, called, from its color, the "Red House," and entertained there -in an almost princely manner the strangers whom business, curiosity, or -misfortune brought to the island. - -The Carankawae Indians, who had formerly held the strip of silver sand -as their own fishing-ground, visited the newcomers, and gazed with -wonder at their ships, their houses, and their cannon. But in a short -time a quarrel arose between some of the freebooters and the chiefs, and -four of Lafitte's men were killed. - -Lafitte hastened to avenge their death. He marched to the Three Trees, -where three hundred Carankawaes were encamped. His own force numbered -less than two hundred, but they were well armed and provided with two -pieces of artillery. The Indians after three days of hard fighting were -defeated, and withdrew to the mainland. This defeat increased their -hatred of the whites. But they gave no further trouble to Lafitte. - - - 5. THE CHAMP D'ASILE. - -The Lord of Galveston was at the height of his power in March, 1818, -when a colony composed of his own countrymen sailed into the bay. They -were led by General Lallemand, one of Napoleon Bonaparte's old officers. -The empire had fallen, Bonaparte was in exile at St. Helena, and -Lallemand, no longer happy or safe in France, decided to form somewhere -in the New World a _Champ d'Asile_ (Place of Refuge). His choice finally -fell upon Texas. He left France in October, 1817, with four hundred men -and several women and children. He and his brother officer, General -Rigaud (the latter being eighty years old), were received with stately -courtesy by Lafitte, who assisted them greatly in their preparations for -the journey to the place chosen for their colony. - -This was on the banks of the Trinity River, about sixty miles from its -mouth. When all was ready the two generals, with one hundred men, -traveled thither by land; the others set out by water with a number of -small boats carrying provisions, ammunition, etc. - -After several days' march the land party reached its destination, where -the boats should have arrived before them. The boats were not there. -Lallemand and his men were already without food, as they had started -with an insufficient supply. They began to suffer the pangs of hunger, -filled at the same time with anxiety about the missing boats. While in -this condition they found in the woods around a sort of wild lettuce, -large quantities of which they boiled and ate. No sooner had they eaten -than they were seized with violent and deathlike convulsions. Lallemand, -Rigaud, and one of the surgeons had not tasted the poisonous herb. But -they were powerless to help, the medicines being on the boats. - -Thus they were in despair when a Coushatti Indian, drawn by curiosity, -came into the camp. He looked with amazement at the ninety-seven men -stretched out and apparently dying on the ground. Lallemand, showing him -the fatal herb, explained to him by signs what had happened. The Indian -sprang swift as an arrow into the forest, and in a short time -reappeared, his arms filled with a feather-like weed. It was the -antidote of the poison the men had eaten; he boiled and made a drink of -it; and, thanks to his skill and kindness, they all recovered. - -Some days later the boats arrived. The voyagers had been unable at first -to find the mouth of the river, hence the delay. - -The colonists went to work with a will upon their settlement. They built -four small forts,--Forts Charles and Henry, Middle Fort, and Fort -Palanqua,--mounted eight cannons, and hoisted the French flag. Then they -busied themselves with their own houses and fields. - -They were very happy, these self-exiled French people. They labored in -their fields and gardens by day; at night they sang and danced and made -merry, looking forward to long and peaceful lives in their new home. - -But the grain was hardly ripe in their fields when word came that -Spanish soldiers from San Antonio and Goliad (La Bahia) were marching -upon them to destroy them, or to drive them out of the country. They -were not strong enough to resist such a force, so they abandoned their -cabins and smiling gardens and returned to Galveston. A violent storm -swept over the island a few days after their arrival there. Lafitte lost -two brigs, three schooners, and a felucca; the unfortunate colonists -lost not only their boats, but all their clothing and supplies. - -Lafitte gave them the _San Antonio_, a small ship captured from the -Spaniards, and provided them with food and clothes. Some of them sailed -to New Orleans in the _San Antonio_; others made their way overland to -Nacogdoches; thence to Natchitoches, to Baton Rouge, and at length to -New Orleans, whence by the kindness of the citizens they were able to -get back to France. - - - 6. A TREACHEROUS SHOT. - -It was but a few months after Lafitte had so generously aided Lallemand -and his colonists, when James Gaines, sent by General Long, came to the -island. Lafitte entertained him royally at the Red House, but declined -to join Long's enterprise. He thought a Texas republic could be -established only by the help of a large army, whereas General Long had -but a handful of soldiers. - -When Long received Lafitte's reply he started to the island himself, in -the hope of changing this decision. But hearing from his wife that a -Spanish force under Colonel Perez was moving upon his outposts, he -hurried back to Nacogdoches. He found that place deserted; everybody had -fled panic-stricken across the Sabine at the approach of the Spaniards. -In the meantime Perez attacked the forts on the Brazos and the Trinity, -completely routing the garrisons. David Long was among the killed. - -General Long's spirit was unshaken. He joined his brave wife on the east -side of the Sabine, and made his way with her to Bolivar Point, where -the few followers left to him were encamped. - -Just at this time Lafitte was ordered by the United States government to -leave the island; his pirates had begun to meddle with American ships. -He felt that resistance would be useless; so he gathered his men -together, gave them each a handsome sum of money, and, having set fire -to his fort and town, he sailed away in _The Pride_, with sixty of his -buccaneers and a choice crew. He cruised for some years off the coast of -Yucatan, and died at Sisal in 1826. - -It was long believed that he buried fabulous treasures--gold, silver, -and jewels--both at Grand Terre and at Galveston, but these treasures -have never been found. There is a legend among superstitious people at -Grand Terre which declares that several times swarthy, dark-bearded -strangers have appeared there and dug in a certain place for the buried -treasure. They have succeeded each time in uncovering a great iron -chest; but as they were about to lift it out, some one has each time -spoken, and at the sound the box instantly disappeared. It can be found -and removed, the gossips add, only in the midst of perfect silence. - -A prettier story is told of the treasure buried at Galveston. This story -goes that on the night before he left the island forever, the pirate -chief was heard to murmur, as he paced up and down the hall of the Red -House: "I have buried my treasure under the three trees. In the shadow -of the three lone trees I have buried my treasure." Two of his men -overheard him. They stole away down the beach, with picks and spades, -determined to possess themselves of their leader's treasure, which they -knew must be priceless. They reached the spot, and in the pale moonlight -they found the stake set to mark the hiding place. They shoveled the -sand away, breathless and eager with greed. At length they found a long -wooden box whose cover they pried open. Within, instead of piles of -silver, caskets of jewels, and heaps of golden doubloons, they saw with -awe and amazement the pale face and rigid form of the Chief's beautiful -young wife, who had died the day before. This was the treasure of -Lafitte! - -General Long watched the ships of Lafitte vanish into the distance; -then, determined as ever to carry out his plans, he left his wife and a -small guard in the fort at Bolivar Point (July, 1821), and went with -fifty-two soldiers to Goliad, which he occupied without opposition. -Three days later a troop of Mexican cavalry entered Goliad. Long -surrendered and was sent a prisoner of war to Mexico. Eight months -afterward he was released; but almost at the moment of his release he -was shot and instantly killed by a Mexican soldier. - -The guard left at the fort at Bolivar Point soon abandoned it in -despair. Mrs. Long refused to go with them; she had promised her -husband, she said, to await his return, and she stayed on. Her only -companions were her two little children and a negro girl. The days -passed drearily; summer died into fall, and fall into winter. The -provisions gave out, and the forlorn little group almost perished from -hunger. Several times the Carankawaes attacked the fort. The courageous -woman loaded the cannon and fired upon the Indians, thus keeping them at -bay. In the spring of 1822 she learned from some of Austin's colonists -of her husband's tragic death. Then only, having fulfilled her wifely -trust, she left the fort. - - - 7. A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS. - -In Nacogdoches there is a wonderful elm, a tree which stood in the -primeval forest perhaps before the foot of the white man ever trod its -paths. Its leafy branches toss in the wind, green and beautiful against -the blue sky. Its old trunk has turned into sap for its own growth the -sunshine of more years than any living man can remember. - -As a springing sapling it may have greeted Hernando de Soto on his -westward march. It may have looked down on La Salle journeying through -the forest to his untimely death; and on Tonti of the Iron Hand, seeking -tidings of his murdered friend. Don Ramon, lying in its shade, may have -watched the slow building of the Mission of Our Lady of Nacogdoches; and -St. Denis, riding by, may have paused to cut switches from its -down-drooping branches. Nolan, Herrera, Magee, Long, many a soldier, and -many an Indian chief in his war-paint and feathers,--all these the old -tree has seen come and go. - -A soldier of another sort stood in its shade one day in 1821, and looked -upon the small yet motley group of people gathered about him. There were -a dozen or more frontiersmen, bronzed and bearded, and armed to the -teeth; there were a few Mexican soldiers, a Mexican woman or two with -coarse mantillas on their heads, and several wide-eyed Mexican children. -The man facing this group held a small book in his hand. He was not -armed. His eyes shone with a soft light, and when he spoke his voice was -full and sweet. - -This was the Rev. Henry Stephenson, a Methodist preacher who had come -into the wilderness, not to found a republic nor to set up a free and -independent state, but to preach the gospel and to make straight the -paths of the Lord. - -That day, under the old elm, the first Protestant sermon was preached in -Texas. At its close a sweet old hymn, which many a man present had -learned at his mother's knee, was begun by the preacher, and one by one, -and at first half ashamed, the bearded frontiersmen took up the strain -until it floated up and away beyond the clustering leaves of the old -tree, and soared into heaven. - -Eyes long unused to tears were wet when the hymn was ended; and with -softened hearts the singers pressed about the man of God to bid him -good-bye. For he was on his way to carry the gospel to the utmost -western border of Texas. - -Even the gentle Mexican women joined in the cheer which followed him as -he entered the lonely forest and passed on out of sight. - - - - - IV. - SAN FELIPE DE AUSTIN. - (1820-1835.) - - - 1. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. - -Moses Austin, a rugged and travel-stained American, was walking slowly -across the plaza in San Antonio one day in December, 1820. His head hung -on his breast, and his eyes were full of trouble and defeat. Suddenly he -heard his name pronounced; he turned to find himself face to face with -the Baron de Bastrop, who grasped him warmly by the hand. His eyes -brightened with pleasure at this unexpected meeting. "I thought myself a -total stranger in San Antonio," he said. - -De Bastrop, whom he had met some years before in the United States, -listened with great interest while Austin told the story of his plans -and their failure. - - [Illustration: Stephen Fuller Austin.] - -He was, he said, a citizen of Missouri, where he had settled when that -state was Spanish territory. His object in coming to San Antonio was to -obtain permission to establish a colony somewhere in Texas. But on -presenting himself to Governor Martinez (Mar-tee'ness), after his long -and dangerous journey, he had been coldly received and ordered to quit -the province. He was at that moment on his way to the place where he had -left his horses and his negro servant, in order to prepare for -departure. "My journey, as you see," he concluded, "has been fruitless." - -De Bastrop,[16] a Prussian in the service of Mexico, chanced also to be -one of the alcaldes of San Antonio. "Come with me again to the -governor," he said, leading the way to the official residence. Here he -used his influence to such purpose that in a few days Austin was on his -way to Missouri with the assurance that his request would be granted by -the general government. - -But the homeward journey, made in the dead of winter, proved fatal to -him. A sickness, brought on by cold and exposure, so weakened him that -he died soon after reaching home. Before his death, however, he learned -that permission had been given him to settle three hundred families in -Texas. He left as a sacred legacy to his son Stephen the duty of -carrying out his cherished project. - -Stephen Fuller Austin, the great pioneer of Texas colonists, was at that -time twenty-eight years of age. He was slender and broad-browed, with -features which showed at once the gentleness and the firmness of his -character. He had inherited his father's self-reliance and energy--the -capital most needed in that almost trackless wilderness henceforth to be -his home. He was well educated; his manners were courteous and -dignified; he inspired with confidence and respect all who came in touch -with him. Such, in part, was the man one day to be known as the Father -of Texas. - -He was in New Orleans, busied about his father's affairs, when he heard -of the arrival at Natchitoches of Don Erasmo Seguin, the commissioner -sent from Mexico to meet and confer with Moses Austin. He went to -Natchitoches without delay, and there learned of his father's death and -the solemn obligation laid upon himself. - -He accepted the charge without hesitation, and began at once to perfect -his plans. - -In July he accompanied Seguin back to San Antonio, traveling by the Old -San Antonio Road. Martinez received him kindly, and gave him permission -to explore the country and select a place for his colony. He chose the -rich lands lying between the Colorado and Brazos Rivers. - -A contract was made which allowed 640 acres of land to each colonist; to -his wife (if married), 320 acres; and 140 acres to each child; 80 acres -were allowed to the master for each slave. The colonists, who must be -from Louisiana, were required to furnish certificates of good character, -to profess the Roman Catholic religion, and to swear allegiance to -Spain. They were to be free from taxation for six years. Austin was -commissioned to take charge of the local government. - -These writings signed, Austin returned to Louisiana to collect -emigrants. - - - 2. UPS AND DOWNS. - -It was during the Christmas holidays of 1821 that the first settlers, -led by Austin in person, reached the Brazos River and made their camp -upon the chosen spot. Their Christmas and New Year's dinners were not -composed of dainties, we may be sure; but there was, no doubt, joyous -roasting of wild game over the glowing camp-fires, and there was good -honest fun and innocent merriment in plenty among these first Texans! - -Their leader left them at once and proceeded to Matagorda Bay to meet -the _Lively_, a small schooner which had been sent out from New Orleans -with supplies for the settlement. She had also carried eighteen -colonists. - -The _Lively_ had not arrived, nor was she ever heard of afterward. It is -supposed that she was lost at sea, with all on board. To add to Austin's -disappointment, some provisions brought on a former voyage of the -_Lively_, and hidden in the canebrakes on the banks of the Brazos, had -been stolen by the Carankawae Indians. He returned empty-handed to his -people. - -They were in no wise cast down by the news he brought. They were already -making clearings, cutting down trees, burning underbrush, building -cabins, and laying off fields. They were at the same time obliged to -keep guard day and night against the Indians who prowled about, always -on the lookout for a chance to steal or to murder. - -Austin, cheered by their courage, set out for San Antonio to report to -Governor Martinez. There he learned that a revolution against Spain had -taken place in Mexico. His contracts, in the new order of things, might -be worthless. He therefore journeyed on to the city of Mexico, twelve -hundred miles distant. Much of the way he traveled with but one -companion. The country was full of robbers and cut-throats, and, in -order to escape their clutches, the two men disguised themselves as -beggars, going on foot, sleeping in the open air, and eating the -coarsest food. He found the country in such a tumult that it was over a -year before he could get his grant renewed and return to his colony. - -Meantime, other settlers had come in, some making their way slowly by -land with ox-teams, stopping sometimes for a whole season to raise and -harvest a crop of corn, and then moving patiently on. "Children were -born in these movers' camps," says one writer, "and the dead were buried -by the roadside." Others came in ships from New Orleans and Mobile, and -even from the far New England coast. In 1822 the _Revenge_ and the _Only -Son_ came into Galveston harbor and landed at Bolivar Point over a -hundred immigrants. They found Mrs. Long in the forlorn little fort -where her husband had left her, still waiting and hoping for his return. -It was from these pitying and kind-hearted pioneers that the heroic wife -learned of the assassination of her husband. In their company she and -her children left the place of so much suffering. - -The first crop of corn--turned into the virgin soil with wooden -ploughs--had been gathered; a little cotton had whitened the patches -about the cabin doors, and the spinning-wheels were already busy. The -familiar low of home-returning milch-cows was heard at sundown along the -winding footpaths. One of the settlers (Randall Jones) had gone to -Louisiana, taking with him a negro lad. There he traded the boy for -sixty head of cattle, which he drove across the country to the -settlement. Another colonist brought out some pigs and a few goats. -These domestic animals gave a homelike appearance to the strange land. - -The settlement was thriving in spite of hardships. But these hardships -were almost without number. There was neither salt, coffee, nor sugar. -Meat was to be had only by hunting, and oftentimes deer and buffalo were -hard to find and, on account of the Indians, dangerous to follow. True, -there were great numbers of wild mustangs. - -There were no horses in America before the discovery of Columbus. The -Texas mustangs were the product of the cavalry horses brought from -Europe to Mexico by Cortez in 1519. They had multiplied, almost -unmolested, during the three hundred years they had roamed prairie and -forest. These mustangs were always fat, and when nothing better was to -be had they made tolerable food. - -There were, of course, no stores where anything could be bought; the men -went dressed in buckskin; the women in coarse cloth woven by themselves. -There was no mail, news from the outer world--from the dear ones left -behind in the far-away "states"--came only when a chance traveler -arrived with an old newspaper or possibly a letter in his saddle bags. -There was neither school nor church. - -But in those rude cabins dwelt honesty, high courage, and unbounded -hospitality. In business every man's "word was as good as his bond." -There were no locks on the doors, robbery being unknown. Everything, -even to life itself, was ever at the service of friend and neighbor. The -nameless traveler, welcomed without question, shared, as long as he -chose to stay, the fireside and table of his host. - -Of such stuff were the first Texans. - -Austin returned from Mexico in July, 1823. He was welcomed with -affectionate joy by his colonists. He was accompanied by his father's -friend, the Baron de Bastrop, commissioned by the government to assist -him in laying off the town, surveying lands, and issuing titles. - -The town was named by Senor de la Garza, who had succeeded Martinez as -governor of Texas. He called it San Felipe (Fa-lee'pa) de Austin, in -honor at the same time of his own patron saint and of its founder. - -Other towns soon sprung up over the province; for grants for other -settlements had been sought and obtained from the government. Austin got -permission in 1825 to bring out five hundred additional families. -Immigrants flocked in, eager to share in this cheap and fruitful -paradise. The names _Columbia_, _Brazoria_, _Gonzales_, _Victoria_, _San -Augustine_, and other towns and settlements, began to be familiar to the -tongue. - -Some Irish colonists founded on the Nueces River, near its mouth, a town -which they named St. Patrick in remembrance of the patron saint of -Ireland. To the Spanish-speaking people of Texas it soon became known as -San Patricio, and so it is still called. - -A large tract of land was granted to Hayden Edwards, a Kentuckian, in -the neighborhood of Nacogdoches, the old gateway of Texas history. But -things did not go as smoothly there as in Austin's colony. It was too -near the Neutral Ground, which continued to harbor outlaws and -adventurers of all kinds. - -The land, moreover, was claimed by the Mexicans and others who were -already settled upon it. The quarrels between these and the newcomers -became in course of time so bitter that the Mexican government, during -an absence of Hayden Edwards in the United States, took back his grant -and ordered him and his two brothers to leave the country. - -Edwards had put all of his private fortune into his venture, and this -act of tyranny goaded him and his colonists to fury. Finding vain all -their appeals to the governor, they took up arms and declared they would -make of Texas an independent republic. They called themselves -Fredonians; and banding together, they entrenched themselves in the old -stone fort at Nacogdoches. Thence they sent an appeal to Austin's -colonists for help. Both Austin's colonists and the Cherokee Indians, -upon whom they counted for support, refused to join them. News came that -a Mexican army was marching against them; their own fighting force was -less than two hundred men. They saw the weakness of their position; and -the Fredonian war, as it was called, ended after a skirmish or two, in -the surrender of the Fredonians. Edwards and his colonists left Texas, -and returned angry and disgusted to Louisiana (1826). - -This was a small foretaste of Mexican justice. But troubles far graver -than the Fredonian war were at that moment brewing for Texas. - - - 3. ORDERS AND DISORDER. - -Until 1824 Texas had been a province of Mexico, with her capital at San -Antonio. In that year, however, the general government decreed the union -of Texas with Coahuila; and the capital of the new state was fixed at -Saltillo (Sal-tee'yo), a distant town in Mexico. A department chief was -the only official stationed at San Antonio. The colonists were much -displeased at this change. Instead of a ride, when necessary, to San -Antonio, where there were friends and familiar faces, torch-lit plazas, -music, and _fiestas_ to welcome the traveler, it meant a long and -perilous journey through a strange land, among people who regarded all -Americans with an eye of sullen distrust. - - [Illustration: MAP OF TEXAS - With Parts of the Adjoining States - COMPILED BY STEPHEN F. AUSTIN - PUBLISHED by H. S. TANNER PHILADELPHIA - 1835 - - High-resolution Version] - -The Mexicans can hardly be blamed for their lack of confidence. They had -just shaken off the yoke of Spain; and they saw the Americans--people of -a different race, speaking a different tongue, strong, energetic, and -masterful--drawing daily nearer to the Rio Grande River. They saw this -alien people settling upon rich and productive lands, but paying no -taxes; giving nominal allegiance to the Mexican government, but taking -no interest in her political affairs. Added to this uneasiness was a -growing hatred of the United States, which wished to annex Texas and had -already offered to buy the province. Mexico resolved to crush this -rising power. - -The Americans, on their side, were restless. They did not desire -absolute independence; but they wished for a separate state within the -Mexican Republic. They therefore, for political as well as for personal -reasons, resented the change of capital. - -Still further changes were at hand. Bustamente (Boos-ta-men'ta), a cruel -and overbearing man, who became President of Mexico in 1830, on taking -his seat issued a set of laws forbidding Americans either to locate in -Texas or to trade with her people. In place of colonists from the United -States, criminals and disabled soldiers from Mexico were to settle the -country. The introduction of slaves was prohibited; taxes were put upon -almost everything in daily use; customhouses were established for the -collection of these duties; armed troops were quartered in different -places at the expense of the colonists; and military rules were -enforced. - -It is needless to say that these laws were not obeyed. Texas was like a -nest of angry hornets whose center of action was at San Felipe; a buzz -of indignation filled the air; meetings were everywhere held to protest -against the injustice and tyranny of Mexico. - -The excitement was increased by the arrest and imprisonment of some -Texans (1832) by Colonel Juan Davis Bradburn, an American in command of -the Mexican Fort Anahuac (An-ah'wak) on Galveston Bay. Among these were -William B. Travis (the future hero of the Alamo) and Patrick Jack. -William Jack, a brother of the latter, called a meeting at San Felipe, -where it was determined to resort to arms, if necessary, for the release -of the prisoners, whose offense was trifling. - -The state of feeling was clearly shown by the number of men who declared -themselves ready to join in attacking Bradburn in his fort. The affair, -however, was settled without bloodshed. Colonel Piedras, the Mexican -commandant at Nacogdoches, hastened to Fort Anahuac. There, after an -investigation of the case, he released the prisoners and placed Bradburn -himself under arrest. - -In the meantime a fight had taken place between the Mexican garrison at -Fort Velasco, at the mouth of the Brazos River, and one hundred and -twelve Texans, who had been aroused by the tyranny of Bradburn. Not one -of these Texans had ever before been in a battle; their coolness and -bravery under fire gave them the measure of their own power. They were -victorious. Colonel Dominic Ugartechea (U-gar-ta-cha'a), the commandant -of the fort, whose personal courage won the admiration of the Texans, -surrendered, with a loss of thirty-five killed and thirteen wounded. Of -the Texans seven were killed and twenty-seven wounded. - -These encounters increased the public excitement to frenzy. But the -excitement was suddenly allayed by news from Mexico. The patriot Santa -Anna had "pronounced" (declared) against Bustamente. - -Santa Anna at this time was looked upon in his own country as a patriot; -he had been a leader during the war with the Spanish royalists, and -active in deposing Iturbide (Ee-toor-bee'da) (1822) when that officer -had crowned himself Emperor of Mexico. He had always professed great -love for the Texas colonists; and now his bold stand against Bustamente -gave assurance that the rights of the colonists would thenceforth be -respected. The Texans were wild with enthusiasm, and they gladly pledged -their support to Santa Anna, the "generous and high-minded patriot." - -Santa Anna was elected President of Mexico. His disposition towards -Texas continued so friendly that it seemed a good time to make an appeal -to his government for a separation of the state of Texas from Coahuila. - -A convention met at San Felipe in April, 1833. Delegates were present -from all the districts. The streets of the little town on the Brazos -echoed under the tread of men who were afterwards to write their names -in the Republic's book of gold. Sam Houston, the future hero of San -Jacinto, was present as a delegate; David G. Burnet, who was to become -the first President of the Republic of Texas; Erasmo Seguin; William H. -Wharton; Branch T. Archer; and Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas. - -A constitution was framed, and a memorial was written to the general -government, asking for separation from Coahuila and the repeal of -Bustamente's odious decrees. - -Austin carried these papers to the Mexican congress. His breast swelled -with hope as he drew near the city of Mexico and the "high-minded -patriot" Santa Anna. - - [Illustration: Santa Anna.] - -But the Vice-President, Gomez Farias, had no time to listen to so -trifling a thing as a memorial from Texas colonists. As for President -Santa Anna, he was shut up in his country-house (Manga de Clavo) laying -plans for overthrowing the Mexican constitution and making himself -dictator. - -Sick at heart over his vain attempts to get a hearing from the -government, Austin started home. But a letter which he had written to -Texas, advising the people to organize a separate state without further -appeal to Mexico, had been sent back to Farias as a treasonable -document. Austin was arrested at Saltillo, taken back to the city of -Mexico, and put in prison, where he remained for nearly two years. A -part of that time he was in solitary confinement. - -During his imprisonment he kept a diary. He says of himself on one of -these loose pencil-written leaves: "In my first exploring trip in Texas, -in 1821, I had a very good old man with me, who had been raised on the -frontier, and was a very good hunter. We had not been many days in the -wilderness before he told me: 'You are too impatient to make a hunter.' -Scarce a day passed that he did not say to me: 'You are too -impatient--you wish to go too fast.' Before my trip was ended I saw the -benefit of his maxim, and I determined to adopt it as a rule in settling -the colony which I was then about to commence in Texas.... I believe the -greatest error I ever committed was in departing from that rule as I did -in the city of Mexico in October, 1833. I lost patience at the delays in -getting the business of Texas dispatched, and in a moment of impatience -wrote an imprudent, and perhaps an intemperate, letter to the council at -San Antonio." "How happy," he says in another place, "how happy I could -have been on a farm, ... free from all the cares and difficulties that -now surround me. But I thought it was my duty to obey the call of the -people and go to Mexico as their agent." - -In October, 1834, he was admitted to a conference with Santa Anna, who -promised to "meditate maturely" the repeal of some of Bustamente's laws. -He expressed so much love for Texas that Austin wrote to his people in a -burst of thankfulness, "All is going well." But he was himself still -detained, and it was not until September, 1835, that he was allowed to -return to Texas. - -The Texans, despite Austin's letter of assurance, knew that all was not -going well. They were, in fact, so convinced that all was going ill that -they met in the different towns and organized committees of safety for -protection against the Indians (who had become very troublesome), and to -take charge of all public matters. At a meeting held in San Felipe -October 1, 1834, it was openly proposed to make Texas a separate state -without the consent of Mexico. But this step was for a time postponed. - -The next year the situation was still more gloomy. Santa Anna's congress -passed a decree disarming all Texans. General Martin Perfecto de Cos was -ordered from Mexico to Texas with a body of five hundred soldiers to -enforce the decree, and to punish those who had refused to obey, not the -just laws of the Mexican Republic, but the tyrannical edicts of -Bustamente and Santa Anna. - -At the same time a courier was arrested with dispatches from Ugartechea -at San Antonio to the commandant at Anahuac. These dispatches were -opened and read at San Felipe. They stated that a strong force would -soon reach Anahuac from Mexico. - -These things caused great uneasiness and indignation. Another meeting -was held in San Felipe. Among those who addressed the people there -assembled was R. M. Williamson (called three-legged Willie, because of -his carrying a crutch). He counseled resistance. "Our country, our -property, our liberty, and our lives," he said, "are all involved in the -present contest between the states and the military." - -In the midst of the excitement Austin reached home. He was welcomed -almost as one given up by the tomb. - -It was determined to hold a general consultation to consider the dangers -threatening Texas. - -The word "consultation" was used instead of "convention" to avoid -exciting the jealousy of the government. A convention in Mexico was -often followed by a revolution. - -A call was issued by Austin for the election of delegates, and the time -and place of meeting were fixed for October 16 at San Felipe. - - - 4. A TRUMPET CALL. - -A messenger came riding into San Felipe one day; his clothes were dusty, -his horse was flecked with foam, his voice was hoarse with excitement. -He had ridden hard and fast from Gonzales town, and the news he brought -thrilled to the heart's core the men who had gathered about him in the -plaza. - -Colonel Ugartechea, acting under the decree disarming citizens, had sent -an order to Gonzales for a cannon--a four-pounder given by the Mexican -government to the townspeople in 1831 for service against the Indians. -The order had been peremptorily refused. There were only eighteen men at -Gonzales, but they determined to hold the cannon at any cost; and -believing that Ugartechea would send an armed force to take it, they had -dispatched messengers to the Colorado, the Guadalupe, and the Brazos for -help. - -The messenger to San Felipe had not finished his story before the men -were in their saddles, or girded for the long tramp. They were already -armed for the purpose of intercepting General Cos on his march to San -Antonio. - -When they reached Gonzales they found that the Mexican captain -Castenado, had appeared there (September 29) with one hundred cavalrymen -and made his demand for the cannon. He had been put off with the pretext -that the alcalde was absent, thus giving the volunteers time to arrive. - -The Mexicans had remained on the west bank of the Guadalupe River, the -ferryboats having been removed by the Texans to the east or town side on -the approach of the enemy. - -With the recruits from the Brazos, the Colorado, and the Guadalupe, the -Texans on the 30th numbered one hundred and sixty fighting men. They -then informed Castenado that he could not have the cannon. Moreover, -Major Williamson (three-legged Willie) and some others drew the disputed -piece of artillery to the river-bank, and placed above it a placard -bearing in large letters the challenge, "Come and Take It." - - [Illustration: R. M. Williamson.] - -In response to this taunt Castenado made an effort to cross his troops -over the river; but the fords were too well guarded, and he finally -moved away and encamped a short distance from the river. - -On the evening of the 1st of October the Texans, under the command of -Colonels John Moore and J. W. Wallace, crossed the Guadalupe, carrying -their four-pounder with them. The same night at eleven o'clock they were -formed into a hollow Square. Colonels Moore and Wallace, with the Rev. -W. P. Smith, rode into the square, where the minister, being seated on -his favorite mule, made them a spirited address. "Fellow soldiers," he -said, "the cause for which we are contending is just, honorable, and -glorious--our liberty.... Let us march silently, obey the commands of -our superior officers, and, united as one man, present a bold front to -the enemy. _Victory will be ours._"[17] - -On the morning of the 2d they advanced under cover of a heavy fog to a -high mound in the prairie where the enemy was posted. After the exchange -of a few picket shots a parley took place between Colonel Moore and -Captain Castenado. But they could come to no agreement, so they returned -to their respective commands. The Texans at once opened fire with their -saucy little cannon, and in a short time the enemy was put to rout. The -Mexicans retreated toward San Antonio, having lost several men. The -Texans, without the loss of a man, returned in triumph to Gonzales with -their precious cannon. - -This was the first trumpet call to the war of independence. The alarm -leaped from town to town. Texas, like a trooper who stands with his foot -in the stirrup awaiting but the blast of a bugle, sprang at once into -action. There was everywhere an eager note of preparation. - -A few days after the victory at Gonzales, Captain George Collingsworth, -with about fifty planters from Caney and Matagorda, marched from the -latter place to capture Goliad. Just about midnight on the 9th of -October, as they approached the town, they were hailed by a man who came -out of a mesquit thicket on the roadside. It was Benjamin Milam. He had -escaped from prison in Monterey, where he had been placed for opposing -the tyranny of Santa Anna, and, worn out by his long journey, he had -thrown himself on the ground to rest. - -Milam was a man of high courage and stern patriotism. He had taken -part--always on the republican side--in several of the bloody -revolutions in Mexico, and he had been in almost every prison from the -Rio Grande to the city of Mexico.[18] - -He offered his services to the little band of patriots. They welcomed -him with joy into their ranks. - -They marched on, and during the night fell upon the unsuspecting -garrison at Goliad. The sentinel who fired upon them was killed. The -commandant Colonel Sandoval was taken prisoner in his own room, the door -of which was broken open with axes. Several officers and twenty-five -private soldiers surrendered, the others having escaped in the _mêlée_. -The spoils which fell into the hands of the Texans by this exploit were -very valuable. They consisted of three hundred stands of arms, several -cannon, and about ten thousand dollars worth of military stores. - - - 5. OUT OF A MIST. - -San Felipe was not behindhand in enthusiasm over the tidings from -Gonzales. Delegates to the General Consultation were coming in, and the -committee, on hearing the news, sent out a circular calling upon each -man in Texas to decide for himself whether or not he would submit to the -tyranny of Mexico, and if he would not submit, "let him answer by mouth -of his rifle." This charge was not needed. Men poured in from every -quarter carrying their rifles, shot-pouches, and powder-horns; the look -of grim determination on their faces meant "liberty, or war to the -death." - -Austin, by permission of the convention, left San Felipe for Gonzales, -arriving there on the 10th of October. He was elected to the command of -the volunteers there assembled, about three hundred and fifty strong, -and marched almost immediately for San Antonio, hoping to capture and -hold that important post. He encamped on the 20th at the Mission of La -Espada on the San Antonio River. Recruits came in rapidly. Sam Houston, -who had given his last five-dollar bill to a messenger to spread the -call for volunteers, arrived with a detachment of men from East Texas. -Bowie and Travis, Crockett and Fannin, Milam, Burleson, "Deaf" Smith, -Rusk, Wharton,--these gathered in groups about the camp, little dreaming -that each man of them carried within his own breast something of which -the history of Texas was to be made. - - [Illustration: Mission of La Espada.] - -General Cos had arrived and had taken command at San Antonio. He -scornfully rejected Austin's summons to surrender, even threatening to -fire upon his flag of truce. Austin, whose army now numbered about six -hundred men, did not feel himself strong enough to make an attack, but -decided to move nearer the enemy. Accordingly on the 27th he sent -Captains Bowie and Fannin with ninety-two men to reconnoiter and to -choose a suitable position. They marched up the riverbank and encamped -at nightfall in a bend of the river, near the old Mission of Concepcion. - -The next morning at sunrise, through the mist that hung like a grey -curtain around the camp, they heard something like the wary tread of -horses' hoofs. At the same time a sentinel[19] posted in the high tower -of the mission gave warning, and a shot echoed from the outer -picket-line. - -The Texans sprang to arms; a slight lifting of the fog showed them a -solid phalanx of Mexican cavalry hemming in the camp on three sides. -There was a breathless interval of preparation, but no confusion; and by -the time the enemy's infantry came in sight trailing their arms, the -Texans were ready for the fight. It was a short and sharp one. - -The encampment had been well chosen; the triangular bottom land in which -it lay by the riverside was skirted by heavy timber, and the bluff -surrounding it made a sort of natural parapet. - -In a few moments the Mexicans shoved forth their cannon,--a brass -six-pounder,--and their bugle sounded a cavalry charge. But one set of -gunners after another fell dead or wounded around the cannon, and the -cavalry was beaten back. Finally, by a sudden impulse, the whole body of -Texans rushed forward with the cry, "The cannon and victory!" - -The battle had lasted thirty minutes. The Texan loss was one man -(Richard Andrews) killed; none wounded. The Mexicans, whose force -numbered four hundred, had sixty killed and about as many wounded. -These, in the pell-mell retreat of the attacking party, were left upon -the field. About noon a white flag was seen coming across the prairie. -It was carried by a priest sent by General Cos, who asked and obtained -permission to bury the dead. - -The main army, which had marched from La Espada on hearing the cannon, -arrived after the battle was over. - -Some days later Austin camped with his troops near San Antonio, and -prepared to hold his position until strong enough to storm the place. - -But inaction, after the brilliant successes at Gonzales, Goliad, and -Concepcion, was galling to the volunteers. They clamored to be allowed -to throw themselves against Cos' fortifications, and when they were held -back many of them grew dissatisfied and left the army. Those who -remained were cheered by the arrival of the Grays--two fine companies of -volunteers from New Orleans--and a company from Mississippi. - -Another incident which revived their drooping spirits was a lively -skirmish on the morning of November 26. The approach of a train of mules -from Mexico, loaded with silver for General Cos, had been reported by -spies to General Edward Burleson, then in command of the army. Colonel -Bowie with a small scouting party was on the watch for its appearance. - -A scout riding up reported about two hundred Mexican cavalry advancing -from the west, guarding a number of loaded pack-mules. Bowie sent the -scout on to Burleson for assistance, and dashed forward with his men to -cut off the train. On his approach the Mexican cavalry posted themselves -in a ravine about one mile from San Antonio. Bowie charged them, but at -that moment he was attacked in the rear by a body of Mexican soldiers, -who, seeing the situation, had come out from San Antonio, bringing two -cannon with them. Bowie wheeled and rode upon this new force, and -Burleson coming up with reinforcements, the Mexicans were put to flight, -abandoning pack-mules and packs, and leaving on the field fifty men -killed and several wounded. - -When the Texans, who had come off without a scratch, threw themselves -upon the bulky packs ready to count out Mexican dollars, they found them -filled, instead, with fresh grass cut for the feed of General Cos' -horses. This skirmish was known as the Grass Fight. - - - 6. THE PRIEST'S HOUSE. - -While these things were happening at San Antonio, the General -Consultation was in session at San Felipe. General Austin, appointed -special commissioner to the United States, had resigned his position as -commander-in-chief of the army two days before the Grass Fight. - -Edward Burleson, who succeeded to the command, had fought under General -Jackson in the Creek war, and was known throughout Texas as a brave and -intrepid Indian fighter. To him the soldiers now looked confidently for -immediate action; and all eyes were turned eagerly toward the citadel -over which floated the Mexican flag. - -The old town beloved of St. Denis still hugged the river-bank, buried in -evergreen foliage and gay with ever-blooming flowers. The stone and -adobe houses, with flat roofs, thick walls, and barred windows, lined -the narrow streets which opened out into the Military Plaza and the old -_Plaza de las Islas_ (now Constitution). These plazas had been -fortified, and the streets leading into them were barricaded and guarded -by cannon. On the east side of the river the fortress of the Church of -the Alamo and its walled enclosure had also been fortified and mounted -with artillery. - -General Burleson, aware of these fortifications, looked at the citadel -and at his little army, and, courageous though he was, he stopped to -count the cost. While he was hesitating and his men were openly -fretting, three Americans escaped from San Antonio, where they had been -imprisoned, and came into the camp (December 3). Their report of the -enemy's condition decided Burleson to attack the place at once. The -order was given and a plan of assault arranged. The soldiers were -jubilant; an activity long unknown pervaded the camp. But into the midst -of this cheerful excitement dropped like a bombshell a second order -countermanding the first. A scout had disappeared, and it was believed -that he had deserted in order to warn Cos of the intended attack. - - [Illustration: Edward Burleson.] - -This reason did not satisfy the soldiers. They were defiant and angry -almost to mutiny. Their indignation knew no bounds when they were told -that the camp was about to be broken and the siege raised. There was a -loud clamor of rage and disappointment. During this scene the missing -scout returned in company with a deserter from San Antonio, who -confirmed the report of the weakness of the defenses and the discontent -of the Mexican garrison. Benjamin Milam, upon this, had a word or two -with General Burleson in his tent; then he stepped out, bared his head, -and, waving his hat with a loud hurrah, demanded in a ringing voice: -"Who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio?" - -Three hundred volunteers with an answering shout sprang to the front. - -The same night (December 4) by twos and threes, singly, and in squads, -the storming party stole silently into an old mill on the road between -the camp and the town. Milam, the chief in command, told them off into -two divisions: one to be led by himself and the other by Colonel Frank -W. Johnson. Silent still and like phantoms, the double line took up its -march over the intervening ground and slipped into San Antonio. - -A little earlier, Colonel Neill had started from camp with a detachment -to make a pretended attack on the fortress of the Alamo. He opened fire -before daylight and continued to hold the enemy's attention until the -assaulting party could enter the town. When the sound of their guns -apprised him that this was done, he returned to the camp, where General -Burleson kept his men under arms, ready to march at any moment to -Milam's assistance. - -Milam and Johnson, guided by Deaf Smith, drew their men swiftly through -the dark and silent streets. Suddenly a sentinel gave the alarm. A shot -from Deaf Smith's rifle silenced him forever; and the Texans dashed to -cover. The Mexicans poured out of their quarters and attacked them -furiously in the houses of Senors de la Garza and Veramendi, where they -had taken shelter. They returned the fire with their accustomed -coolness, picking off their assailants with unerring aim through -loop-holes cut in the thick walls, or from the flat parapeted roofs. - -For the next five days the Texans were engaged in fighting and burrowing -their way steadily toward the Military Plaza. With cannon booming and -scattering grape and canister among them, and the rattle of small arms -in their ears, they dug trenches along the streets from corner to -corner; they battered down doors; with crowbars and axes they pried -openings in walls--fighting the while, now at long range, now in deadly -hand-to-hand encounters, and always with defiant smiles on their -powder-blackened faces. The weather was wet and cold; the dismal streets -were slippery with blood and choked with the débris of battle. Above, in -the smoky air flapped from the church tower a black flag which meant "No -quarter." - -On the third day Milam, leaping from a trench to the entrance of the -Veramendi courtyard, was killed. A volley of shot spattered holes in the -heavy, green, batten door beside him as he fell. The brave Chieftain was -buried on the spot consecrated by his own blood. Colonel Johnson was -elected leader in his place, and the fighting and burrowing went on. -About noon the same day Henry Karnes stormed alone the only house -between de la Garza's and the plaza, and forced an entrance with a -crowbar under a heavy fire from the enemy. - -Henry Karnes, the hero of this exploit, was a trapper from the frontier -of Arkansas. He had a genuine love of Indian warfare for its own sake, -and in search of it came to Texas with the earliest pioneers. When the -trumpet call for volunteers was sounded, he enlisted and soon came to be -known, with his celebrated friend and companion Deaf Smith, as one of -the best scouts and spies in the army. He had many adventures among the -Indians. At one time in single combat with an Apache chief he was -wounded and taken prisoner. His fiery red hair, which the Indians -supposed to be painted, caused him to be regarded by them as a great -medicine man. After his capture they concluded to deprive him of this -charm, and, taking him to the nearest stream, they ducked his head under -the water to wash the red from his hair. When they found, after nearly -drowning him, that the red would not come off, they released him, -satisfied that he was a favorite of the Great Spirit. He held the house -he had taken, against the enraged Mexicans, until Captain York's company -joined him and fortified the position. - -"These dogs of Texans are hard to beat off," thought General Cos, -listening to the crack of their rifles. His crafty face lightened for -one moment, for Ugartechea came in from the Rio Grande, and entered the -fortress, in spite of the cordon of guards, with five hundred recruits. -But such recruits! Cos' face darkened again. They were five hundred -convicts chained together two and two, and driven like sheep by their -guards. - -On the night of the 8th of December the Texans, by a sudden rush and -under a hail of hostile bullets, made themselves masters of the Priest's -House. The Priest's House was a large, thick-walled building, commanding -the Military Plaza on the north side. The captors at once barricaded the -doors and cut loop-holes in the massive walls. A loud cheer carried the -news of their success to their comrades outside. "To-morrow!" they -shouted joyously. - -But the capture of the Priest's House completely demoralized the -Mexicans. On the morning of the 9th the cannon at the Alamo ceased their -thunder; the black flag was hauled down from San Fernando's tower and a -white one went up in its place. - -General Burleson entered the city the same day and arranged with General -Cos the terms of surrender.[20] By these a large quantity of valuable -stores, ammunition, artillery, small arms, and clothing remained in the -hands of the victors. The Mexicans to the number of thirteen hundred, -after taking an oath not to fight against Texas, were permitted to -leave, the officers retaining their arms and private property. - -The Texan loss in this five days' fight was two killed and twenty-six -wounded; the enemy lost about one hundred and fifty. - -General Burleson placed a small garrison in the fortress of the Alamo. -The camp was raised, and many of the Texan volunteers scattered to their -own homes and firesides, rejoicing in the fact that not a Mexican -soldier remained to tread the soil of Texas. - - - 7. BY THE BRAZOS. - -In November, just before the fight at Concepcion, Houston, Wharton, and -other delegates left Austin's army to take their seats as members of the -General Consultation at San Felipe. - -Branch T. Archer was elected President of the Consultation. - -Many of the members were in favor of an outright declaration of -independence; but the more prudent advised against a step so decisive. A -temporary government was therefore agreed upon, and a declaration of -adherence to the Republican constitution of Mexico of 1824 was signed -and sent out. This declaration also gave the reasons of the colonists -for taking up arms against military despotism, and stated that "they -would not cease to carry on war as long as Mexican troops were within -the limits of Texas." - -The convention then elected Henry Smith governor, and James W. Robinson -lieutenant-governor of the provisional government. Branch T. Archer, -William H. Wharton, and Stephen F. Austin were appointed commissioners -to the United States. Houston was made commander-in-chief of the Texan -army "to be raised." - -Sam Houston, placed in so responsible a place by the Consultation, was -born in Virginia, but removed when a child to Tennessee with his widowed -mother. He had a strong imperious and wayward disposition which showed -itself from his early boyhood. At the age of fourteen he left home and -joined a band of Cherokee Indians, was adopted into their tribe, learned -their language, and wore their costume. In 1813 he served under Jackson -in the Creek war; and at the battle of Topo-heka,[21] he was struck in -the thigh by an Indian arrow; the barbed head buried itself deep in the -flesh. He ordered the man by his side to pull out the arrow. After two -vain attempts the man, who was the lieutenant of his company, turned -away. Houston drew his sword and commanded him again to draw out the -arrow. "If you fail," he declared, "I will kill you on the spot." The -arrow on the third tug came out, leaving a gaping wound. At this battle -he received also two bullets in his shoulder. - - [Illustration: Sam Houston.] - -He became in rapid turn major-general of the Tennessee militia, member -of congress, and governor of his state. While he was governor, and in -the full splendor of his brilliant career, he resigned his office in -consequence of some private and domestic trouble, which has ever -remained a secret, and took refuge among his old friends, the Cherokees, -with whom he dwelt for years, living the life of an Indian warrior. - -In 1832 he went to Washington, D. C., in the interests of the Cherokees, -and while there was appointed special Indian agent for the southwest. -The same year he visited Texas. At San Felipe he met James Bowie and -went with him to San Antonio to treat with the Comanches. In 1833 he -settled in San Augustine, whence he went as a delegate to the -Consultation of 1835. - -Governor Smith and his council continued in session at San Felipe. They -provided for the raising and equipment of an army of twelve hundred -soldiers, and made arrangements for a small navy. - -In December Major William Ward of Georgia arrived at San Felipe. He was -in command of three hundred newly enlisted volunteers, known as the -Georgia Battalion. He obtained from Governor Smith commissions for his -officers and returned to Velasco where he had left his troops. Thence -they marched to Goliad. About the same time Colonel Wyatt, with two -companies of recruits, came from Alabama; and a little later the Red -Rovers, a company from Courtland, Alabama, landed at Matagorda. Doctor -Shackleford, the captain, sent a messenger to the governor to say that -the Red Rovers placed themselves at the service of Texas to remain, not -for a term of three, six, or twelve months, but as long as a man was -left of the company, or there was an enemy to be found on Texas soil. -This offer was accepted by the governor with gratitude, and the Red -Rovers, as well as Colonel Wyatt's volunteers, were ordered to report to -Colonel Fannin at Goliad. - -Bitter quarrels, however, soon arose between Governor Smith and his -council and almost put a stop to all public business. Governor Smith was -deposed, and Lieutenant-Governor Robinson was placed at the head of -affairs. Finally, after providing for an election for delegates to a -convention to be held at Washington on the Brazos March 1, the council -adjourned. - -About the last of March the following year (1836), the Texans, to keep -San Felipe from falling into the hands of Santa Anna, set fire to it -themselves. The flames spread from cabin to cabin, roaring around the -hearthstones so long noted for their hospitality. They swept past the -one-room building where the conventions had been held and devoured the -rude, unchinked log-hut in the black-jack grove beyond, where Henry -Stephenson had preached, and where the first Sunday School had been -organized; they consumed roof-tree and picket and garden-fence, so that -in a few hours a heap of blackened ashes alone remained of the cradle of -Texas. - - - - - V. - GOLIAD. - (1835-1836.) - - - 1. MESSENGERS OF DISTRESS. - -On the 20th of December, 1835, there was a spirited meeting of citizens -and soldiers at the old town of La Bahia (Goliad) on the San Antonio -River. - -La Bahia--which means "the bay"--was already old when Austin laid off -his town on the Brazos. Captain Alonzo de Leon, on his way to attack La -Salle at Fort St. Louis in 1689, stopped there; and in 1718 Don Domingo -Ramon with his troopers and friars built there the Mission of Espiritu -Santo (The Holy Ghost) for the benefit of the fierce Carankawae Indians. - -The town had seen stirring times during the century and a half of its -existence. There had been many Indian fights in and around the mission -church, when the garrison was weak and the priests could not control -their red-skinned converts; it was in the same church in 1812 that -Magee's army was besieged, and from its doors his Republicans sallied -forth to their victorious hand-to-hand conflict with the Spaniards. -Here, too, in 1819, General Long surrendered to the Mexicans and was -carried away to a treacherous death. - -And here in October, 1835, the Mexican commandant Sandoval had been -surprised in his sleep by the Texans, his soldiers made prisoners, and -the fort and its stores handed over to his captors. - -The General Consultation at San Felipe in November, 1835, had thought it -more prudent to declare their adherence to the Mexican republican -constitution than to issue a declaration of independence. - -The citizens and soldiers of Goliad, on the 20th of December following, -boldly set their names to a document resolving "that the former state -and department of Texas is and ought to be _a free, sovereign, and -independent state_." - -Among the signers were several boys fifteen and sixteen years of age. - -This paper was sent to the governor and his council at San Felipe by -whom it was disapproved and suppressed. They thought it premature. But -it was a straw that showed which way the revolutionary wind was blowing. - -Captain Philip Dimitt, who was at the head of this movement, was -commandant at the fortress at Goliad with about eighty men under his -command. - -Over at San Antonio at this time, there was much dissatisfaction among -the volunteers remaining there. They were more restless than ever, with -their own flag waving above the Alamo and no enemy in sight. They had -left their homes and firesides for a purpose. It was fighting they were -eager for, not idling around a camp-fire. - -They were, therefore, delighted when an expedition was set on foot for -the capture of Matamoras on the Rio Grande River. General Houston, who -had fixed his headquarters at Washington on the Brazos, wished to place -Colonel James Bowie in command of this expedition; but in the confusion -arising from the quarrels between Governor Smith and his council at San -Felipe, an English physician, named Grant, assumed the leadership -(January, 1836). - -Dr. Grant had taken part in the storming of San Antonio; he was brave -and gallant, and a favorite with his fellow-soldiers. Two hundred -volunteers gathered under his standard; he helped himself without leave -to arms and ammunition from the fortress stores, took clothing and -provisions from the townspeople, and started for Matamoras. - -He halted at Goliad. But only long enough to seize and press into -service Captain Dimitt's drove of army horses. - -Here by order of the council, who had decided to sustain Grant, he was -joined by Colonel Frank W. Johnson, and they marched away, leaving -Captain Dimitt indignant and angry. - -The citizens and soldiers at San Antonio were likewise indignant and -angry; and with far better reason. Colonel Neill, left by Johnson in -command of the Alamo with only sixty men, sent to General Houston a -report describing the helpless and suffering condition of that place -after the high-handed raid of Grant and his volunteers. - -Houston was much disturbed by this report. He enclosed it to Governor -Smith, requesting him to refer it to the council. The commander-in-chief -denounced the action of Grant in strong terms and added: - -"Within thirty hours I shall set out for the army, and repair there with -all possible dispatch. I pray that a confidential dispatch may meet me -at Goliad.... No language can express my anguish of soul. Oh! save my -poor country! Send supplies to the sick and the hungry, for God's sake!" - -He left Washington on the Brazos River on the 8th of January and reached -Goliad on the 16th. On his arrival he sent for Colonel Bowie. - - [Illustration: James Bowie.] - -James Bowie had come to Texas with Long's expedition. He was a famous -Indian fighter. In 1831, near the near the old San Saba Mission, with -ten companions, including his brother, Rezin Bowie, he had fought one -hundred and sixty Comanches and Caddoes, armed with bows and arrows, and -guns. The savages surprised and surrounded the little party, discharging -their arrows and firing their guns in true Indian fashion from behind -rocks, trees, and bushes. The fire was returned, and at every crack of a -rifle a redskin bit the dust. The crafty warriors, finding they could -not dislodge the hunters, set fire to the dry prairie grass; then they -renewed the attack, rending the air with shrill yells. "The sparks flew -so thick," said Rezin Bowie afterward, "that we could not open our -powder-horns without danger of being blown up." But they held their -ground. The Indians drew off at nightfall, and all night long the -hunters heard them wailing their dead. The next morning the red warriors -had disappeared. Bowie lost but one man in this fight; the Indians had -eighty-two killed and wounded. - -Bowie was as noted for his coolness and prudence as for his unflinching -courage. In person he was tall and fair, with soft blue eyes, and a -somewhat careless address. He had married a Mexican lady--the daughter -of Vice-Governor Veramendi of San Antonio--and was devoted to the -interests of Texas. He was the inventor of the deadly knife which bears -his name. - -The result of the interview between Houston and Bowie was that Bowie -left Goliad the next morning for San Antonio, with a company of thirty -men. He bore orders from Houston to Colonel Neill to leave San Antonio, -blow up the fort, and bring off the artillery. - -Colonel Neill found it impossible to get teams to transport the -artillery; he therefore did not carry out any of these instructions. -Bowie remained at San Antonio. - -Houston made an effort to concentrate at Goliad and Refugio the slender -force which made up his army. But he was so hampered by the intrigues -and wrangling of the government officials, that early in February he -gave up the command and returned to Washington on the Brazos, leaving -Colonel James W. Fannin in command of Goliad, with four hundred men. On -the 25th of the same month a messenger came into Goliad. His face was -worn with an anxiety which he did not try to conceal; his eyes were -heavy with fatigue. He sought Fannin and had a brief but earnest talk -with him. Then he turned, setting his face in the direction whence he -had come, and went his way. - -This messenger was the fearless and courtly South Carolinian, James B. -Bonham. His message was from Colonel Travis, pent up in the fortress of -the Alamo and besieged by the army of Santa Anna. He appealed for help -from Fannin and the army at Goliad. - -On the 28th Fannin started with reinforcements of men and artillery to -the relief of Travis; but before he was fairly on the way his wagons -broke down. While he was trying to get them repaired, and at the same -time uncertain as to whether he should go on to San Antonio or not, -Placido Benevidas (Ba-na-vee'das), one of Grant's men, came up with -weighty news. The Mexican General Urrea (Ur-ra'a) was marching upon -Goliad with an army of one thousand men. Fannin returned in haste to the -town and began to strengthen his fortifications. - -San Patricio, where Grant and Johnson were encamped, was surprised on -the night of the 28th of February by Urrea's soldiers. The volunteers, -with the exception of Johnson himself and four of his companions who -managed to escape, were all captured or killed. Grant, who was out with -a squad of men collecting horses, was killed some days later and his -body frightfully mutilated. - - - 2. IN CHURCH AND FORTRESS. - -A line of blood and flame seemed indeed to be closing upon Texas. -General Urrea, after destroying Grant and his volunteers, was advancing -toward Goliad with one thousand men. Santa Anna, with an army of seven -thousand, had invested San Antonio. - -The defeat of General Cos had filled the haughty dictator of Mexico with -fury. It was past belief that a handful of the despised colonists, armed -with hunting-rifles, should have put to rout his own well-equipped -regulars. He determined to punish this insolence as it deserved. And not -only to punish, but to set an iron heel upon the rebellious province. - - [Illustration: THE ALAMO, SAN ANTONIO] - -All prisoners were to be shot; all who had taken part in the revolution -were to be driven out of the country; the best lands were to be divided -among the Mexican soldiers. The expenses of the rebellion were to be -paid by the Texans. All foreigners giving aid to the rebels were to be -treated as pirates. - -By the 1st of February Santa Anna had sent General Urrea to Matamoras, a -town near the mouth of the Rio Grande River, with orders to proceed from -that place against Refugio and Goliad. He himself took command of the -main army, with General Filisola (Fee-lee-so'la) as second in command. -General Cos and his men, who had taken oath not to bear arms again -during the war, joined the army at the crossing of the Rio Grande River. -On the 23d of February the first division of this united force appeared -on the heights of the Alazan, west of San Antonio. - -The soldiers of the garrison were scattered about the town. No warning -of a near approach of the enemy had come, and things looked tranquil -enough that morning, with the soft winter sunshine flooding the yellow -adobe walls and glinting the limpid river. - -A cry from the sentinel posted on the roof of San Fernando Church -startled the stillness; its echoes leaped from street to street; the -alarum bells burst into a clanging peal. The Mexicans were already -pouring down the slopes west of the San Pedro River. - -The garrison hastily crossed the San Antonio River and entered the -fortress of the Alamo. One of the officers, Lieutenant Dickinson, -galloped in on horseback, with his baby on his arm and his wife behind -him. Some beef-cattle grazing around the fort were driven in and the -gates were closed. - -Colonel William B. Travis had succeeded Neill in the command of the -fort, which was garrisoned by one hundred and forty-five men. Travis was -but twenty-eight years of age; confident, bold, determined, and full of -patriotic ardor. Colonel James Bowie was second in command. - -Among other defenders of the Alamo were Colonel James B. Bonham of South -Carolina and David Crockett of Tennessee--"Davy" Crockett, the -backwoodsman, bear-hunter, wit, and politician. Crockett had reached San -Antonio just before the siege, with a small company of Tennesseeans, and -offered his services to Travis. He was a picturesque figure in his -fringed and belted buck-skin blouse and coon-skin cap. His long rifle, -Betsy, had "spoken" in the war of 1812, and echoed since on many an -Indian trail. Its last word was to be spoken at the defense of the -Alamo. - - [Illustration: David Crockett.] - -The Mission of the Alamo, established in 1703 and several times removed, -was finally built, in 1744, on the spot where it now stands. Like the -other missions, it was both a church and a fortress. It is on the east -side of the San Antonio River, facing the town to westward. The -cross-shaped church, slit with narrow windows and partly roofless, stood -on the southeast corner of a walled plaza several acres in extent. The -other buildings--convent, hospital, barracks, and prison--were within -the enclosure. There was also a small convent-yard adjoining the chapel. -All of the buildings were of stone; the enclosing walls were built of -adobe bricks. The sacristy of the church was used as a powder magazine. -The place was defended by fourteen pieces of artillery. - -Santa Anna arrived in person on the 23d. He took possession of San -Antonio town and sent a summons to the rebels in the Alamo for -unconditional surrender. Travis received and dismissed the messengers -with courtesy; then answered by the mouth of a cannon, "No." At the -defiant boom which stirred the peaceful air of the valley, a blood-red -flag was placed upon the tower of San Fernando, proclaiming "no -quarter"; and a thunder of guns opened the attack. - -The besiegers at first made little headway. If they ventured across the -river they were within reach of those unerring rifles they had such -cause to dread. It was the third day before they succeeded in planting a -battery between the fort and the bridge. - -The besieged within the fortress were calm and confident, though they -were kept day and night at rifle and cannon. But they were fighting at -fearful odds. Travis sent out an impassioned appeal to the council for -aid. He also dispatched Colonel Bonham to Goliad, asking for Fannin's -assistance. At the same time he proudly wrote: "I shall never surrender -or retreat." - -On the eighth day of the siege thirty-two volunteers from Gonzales -succeeded in passing the Mexican lines and entered the fort. Two days -later Colonel Bonham slipped in alone, but bringing news that Fannin -would march at once with men and artillery. On the 1st of March Travis -wrote to the council; it was his last letter. "I shall continue to hold -this place," he said, "until I get relief from my countrymen, or I shall -perish in the attempt." - -But steady as was his spirit, he could not shut his eyes to the fact -that the desperate game was well-nigh played out. On the 4th of March he -called his men together and made them a short but ringing speech. There -was, he told them, no longer any hope of reinforcements; death was -staring them all in the face, and nothing remained but to sell their -lives as dearly as possible. "Now," he concluded, drawing a line on the -ground with his sword, "whoever is willing to die like a hero, let him -cross this line." There was not a moment of hesitation. Gravely and -silently, one by one, the men, with one exception,[22] stepped across -the line and ranged themselves beside their leader. Bowie, who was sick, -had himself lifted over in his cot. - -Sunday morning, March 6, between midnight and dawn, the final assault -was made by the besiegers. The Mexican bugles sounded the notes of -_Duquelo_ (no quarter); the thunder of cannon followed. The devoted -little band of Texans, weary and worn with constant watching and -incessant fighting, sprang to arms as cheerfully and quickly as to a -holiday parade. - -The Mexicans, two thousand five hundred strong, closed about the walls. -They were provided with scaling ladders, axes, and crowbars. A cordon of -cavalry was placed around the fort to prevent escape. - -The enemy advanced in the gray dawnlight, under a deadly fire from the -fort. Twice they placed their ladders against the walls, and twice they -recoiled before the terrible hail of shot and shell poured upon them -from the fort. The third time, driven by their officers at the point of -the sword, the soldiers climbed the walls and swarmed over into the -enclosure. Then began a stubborn and bloody combat, which strewed the -plaza with corpses. The Texans fought grimly, silently, furiously, with -pistols, with knives, with the butts of their rifles, dropping one by -one, but sending as they fell scores of Mexicans to a bloody death. - -It was in the old church, dedicated to peace and prayer, that the last -conflict took place. Here Crockett was killed, with Betsy, his long -rifle, whose voice had resounded clearly above the uproar, in his hand. -Bowie was slaughtered in his cot, after killing several of his -assailants. Major T. C. Evans was shot in the act of putting fire to the -powder magazine, as he had promised to do in case things came to the -worst. - -Mrs. Dickinson and her child, with two Mexican women, were in a small -arched room to the right of the chapel door. They were saved by the -kindness of the Mexican officer, Colonel Almonte. - -The tall form of Travis had towered for an instant only above the -battle-waves near a breach in the north wall; then he had gone down, his -brave heart stilled forever. With his last breath he cried in a voice -which rang above the deadly tumult: "_No rendirse muchachos!_" (Don't -surrender, boys!) - -Bonham fell near him and almost at the same moment. - -Before nine o'clock the butchery was complete. Two thousand five hundred -Mexicans, cavalry, artillery, and infantry, fresh and unwearied, had -conquered after eleven days' siege a handful of poorly armed, outworn -"rebels." - -Santa Anna directed the assault from a battery near the river. After the -carnage was ended he came into the fort. He surveyed the bloody scene -with a smile of satisfaction. His victory had cost him a thousand or -more of dead and many wounded; but what did that matter? Not a Texan was -left to tell the tale of the Alamo! - -The next day the dead bodies of the Texans were collected in heaps and -burned. The smoke of that fire ascended to high heaven like a prayer for -vengeance. The answer when it came was terrible. - -Mrs. Dickinson and her child, two Mexican women, and a negro servant -belonging to Travis were the only survivors of this massacre. Mrs. -Dickinson was placed on a horse with her child in her arms and sent by -Santa Anna to the colonists with an insolent message announcing the fall -of the Alamo. - - - 3. FORT DEFIANCE. - -On the 1st of March the General Convention met at Washington on the -Brazos. On the 2d, while Travis' signal guns were still sending their -sturdy boom across the prairies, a declaration of independence was read -and adopted. - -Houston was made commander-in-chief of the armies of the Republic of -Texas. David G. Burnet was elected President and Lorenzo D. Zavala -Vice-President. Thomas J. Rusk was made Secretary of War. - -Sunday, the 6th of March, the day the Alamo fell, Travis' last appeal -reached Washington--after the hand that wrote it was cold in death. His -letter was read by the President to the members of the convention; it -produced a powerful effect. In the first burst of feeling it was even -proposed that the convention should adjourn, arm, and march to San -Antonio. - - [Illustration: Mission at Goliad.] - -Houston spoke earnestly against such a step, and as soon as quiet was -restored, he himself with two or three companions left for Gonzales, -where the new volunteers were ordered to gather. - -The air as he rode westward was thick with rumors. He arrived at -Gonzales on the 11th. The same day came the first tidings of the fall of -the Alamo. It filled the town with a wail of desolation. Of the -thirty-two men who had marched from Gonzales to the relief of Travis, -and to their own death, twenty had left wives and children behind them. - -The arrival of Mrs. Dickinson with her child, and her story of the siege -with all its ghastly details, added to the gloom. The moans of the widow -and the fatherless mingled with the dreary bustle of preparation for -flight. For it was rumored that the bloodthirsty Mexicans were -approaching. - -General Houston had found three hundred recruits at Gonzales. But they -were unprepared for an attack; they had neither provisions nor munitions -of war; the place was without defenses of any kind. He therefore gave -orders for retreat. At nightfall on the 13th the forlorn handful of -women and children mounted horses, or clambered into wagons where a few -household goods had been hastily piled; the troops formed around them, -and at midnight the march began. - -As they moved away across the prairie a light reddened the sky behind -them. It came from the flames of their own burning houses. A cry burst -from the women, and the eyes already swollen with weeping overflowed -again at the sight of their desolated hearthstones. - - -When Colonel Fannin found himself unable to march to the relief of the -Alamo, he reëntered Goliad. He now knew that Urrea was advancing -rapidly, and he made haste to strengthen his position. He had at this -time five hundred men under his command. They occupied the Mission of -Espiritu Santo, called by Fannin Fort Defiance. Earthworks had been -thrown up around the old church, ditches dug, and cannon mounted. But -the defenses were weak, the men were poorly fed and scantily clad. They -were often compelled to mount guard barefoot. Fannin was filled with -gloomy forebodings, although the signal-guns of the Alamo, which were to -be fired as long as the flag continued to wave over that fortress, were -not yet silenced. - -About the 12th of March Captain King was sent by Fannin with a small -detachment of men to bring away the women and children from Refugio, a -small town about twenty miles distant. King was attacked by the advance -guard of Urrea's army, and had barely time to throw himself into the -mission church at Refugio. From there he sent to Fannin for more troops. -Colonel Ward, with one hundred and twenty-five men, immediately joined -him in the church where he was entrenched. - -The next morning (14th) Captain King with his men left the fort on a -scouting expedition. About three miles from the mission they were -surprised by a large body of Mexicans, to whom they surrendered. A few -hours later they were stripped of their clothing by their captors and -shot. Their unburied bodies were left to decay on the open prairie. - -The same morning, about ten o'clock, fifteen of Ward's men were sent -from the mission to the river about a hundred yards away to get water. -They had filled two barrels and placed them on a cart drawn by a couple -of oxen, and were about returning to the fort when some bullets sang -over their heads. A glance showed them the Mexican army on the other -side of the river, not half a mile distant. They hurried on as fast as -they could, and reached the mission in safety with a good part of the -water. One barrel was emptied of about half of its contents through a -hole made by a shot from the advancing enemy. - -Urrea attacked the barricaded church. The battle lasted nearly all day, -but late in the afternoon he drew off his beaten and discouraged force; -he had two hundred killed and wounded. Ward's loss was three wounded. - -But the ammunition of the besieged was nearly exhausted, and that night, -after supplying the three wounded men with water, Colonel Ward and his -men stole quietly out of the church and slipped unseen past the Mexican -sentinels. - -On the 21st, after weary marches through swamp and thicket and constant -skirmishes with the enemy, they surrendered on honorable terms to Urrea, -and were taken back to Goliad. - - - 4. PALM SUNDAY. - -Fannin turned away from General Houston's messenger on the morning of -the 13th (March) with an anxious and gloomy face. The messenger, Captain -Desauque, had just come in from Gonzales, leaving woe and despair behind -him. He brought the black tidings of the fall of the Alamo, and he bore -orders from the commander-in-chief for Fannin to blow up the fort, bury -or throw into the river such of the cannon as he could not bring away, -and retreat to Victoria on the Guadalupe River. - -There was scant time in which to mourn the fall of the Alamo, but the -dark looks on the men's faces, as they buried the guns and demolished -the fortifications, told of what they were thinking. - -Fannin sent a courier to Ward and King, ordering them to return at once -from Refugio; this courier, as well as others sent later, was captured -by Mexican scouts. - -Fannin waited five days in great suspense, loth to abandon these -officers and the women and children whom they had been sent to protect. - -At length came the news of Ward's retreat from Refugio. The remaining -works of Fort Defiance were destroyed, the buildings were set on fire, -artillery and ammunition were loaded on wagons; the drums called the men -from their ruined quarters. Mrs. Cash, the only woman left in Goliad, -was placed in their midst, and, with a last glance at Fort Defiance, -Fannin began his fatal retreat. - -This was on the 19th of March. - -The wagons, enveloped in fog, creaked their way across the San Antonio -River and over the prairie beyond. The troops marched steadily. An -ominous silence reigned everywhere; not even a Mexican scout was to be -seen. - -Several miles from Goliad Fannin halted an hour in the open prairie to -allow his jaded and hungry ox-teams to graze. At the moment the march -was taken up, a line of Mexican cavalry came out of the wood skirting -the Colita (Co-lee'ta) Creek two miles away. Their arms glistened in the -sunlight, for the fog had lifted. A compact mass of infantry followed. -Urrea's entire army was upon them. - -Fannin immediately formed his men in a hollow square with the wagons and -teams in the center. His position had the double disadvantage of being -unprotected and in a miry hollow some feet below the surface of the -prairie around. But his men received the Mexican advance with a volley -from the artillery and a galling fire from their rifles.[23] - -The cannon, for want of water to sponge them, soon became useless. With -small arms alone, charge after charge of the enemy was repulsed; the -prairie was soon covered with dead and dying men and horses. - -Early in the action Fannin received a severe wound in his thigh, but in -spite of this he continued to direct his men with great courage and -coolness. - -Many a poor fellow loaded and fired his gun with his own life-blood -wetting the sod about him. One lad, named Hal Ripley, fifteen years of -age, after his thigh was broken by a ball, climbed, with Mrs. Cash's -help, into her cart. There, with his back propped and a rest for his -rifle, he fired away calmly until another bullet shattered his right -arm. He had, in the meantime, killed four Mexicans. "Now, Mother Cash," -he said cheerfully, "you may take me down."[24] - -At dark the Mexicans ceased firing and made their camp in the timber. -Their bugles sounded shrilly the livelong night. That night was one of -agony in the bloody little camp on the prairie. There were but seven -Texans killed, but more than sixty were badly wounded. These groaned in -the darkness, begging for water which could not be had, imploring aid -which mortal hand was powerless to give. Those who were not wounded lay -breathless and exhausted on the trampled ground, staring up at the sky -and wondering what the morrow would bring forth. - -The morrow brought no help to them. To the already large force of Urrea -it brought reinforcements to the number of three or four hundred men -with artillery, ammunition, and supplies. - -Fannin watched the enemy ranging his men under the morning sky and -dragging his cannon into place; then his haggard eyes sought his own -brave little band. They were without food, drink, or ammunition; their -teams were killed or disabled; their cannon were useless; the cries of -their wounded rose mournfully on the heavy air. He called his officers -together and submitted the question: "Shall we surrender or not?" The -private soldiers were then asked to decide for themselves. - -During this consultation Mrs. Cash went to the Mexican camp to beg for -water for the wounded men. She was accompanied by her son, a boy of -fourteen years, who, like Hal Ripley, had fought the day before with the -best and the bravest. They passed over the prairie strewn with the dead -and dying, and entered the presence of the Mexican general. "I have -come, sir," she said, fearlessly, "to ask you before the fighting begins -again, to give me water for our wounded." Urrea looked at her without -replying, and then his eyes fell upon the shot-pouch and powder-horn of -the boy. "Woman," he demanded sternly, "are you not ashamed to bring a -child like that into such scenes?" The boy himself answered with his -blue eyes kindling: "Young as I am, sir," he said, "I know my rights, as -everybody in Texas does, and I mean to have them or die." - -What the general might have said in answer to this insolent speech -cannot be known, for at that moment a white flag was raised in the Texan -camp. - -The majority of Fannin's men were in favor of surrender, though many -thought in their hearts it would be better to die with arms in their -hands like the defenders of the Alamo. Fannin himself was opposed to -surrender. "We beat them off yesterday," he declared, "and we can do it -again to-day." - -Favorable terms were secured from General Urrea by Fannin, and the -prisoners of war were marched back to Goliad and placed in the mission -church--Fannin's Fort Defiance. The wounded were brought in the next day -and housed in the barracks; and several days later Ward and his men were -thrust into the overcrowded church. - -The prisoners were ill fed and badly treated. But when the first shock -of their defeat had passed, they began to look forward eagerly to their -release. They were told that they were to be placed at once on ships and -sent to New Orleans, where they would be paroled and set at liberty. - -On the Saturday evening after their capture, the sounds of gay laughter -echoed from the time-stained walls of the chapel. The men sang "Home, -Sweet Home," to the music of a flute played by one of their number. -Fannin talked of his wife and children far into the night. - -The next day was Palm Sunday. - -In the old days of the mission, the Indian converts were accustomed on -Palm Sunday to walk up the aisles of the church bearing green branches -in their hands, in memory of Christ's entry into Jerusalem; and hymns of -joy and praise mingled with the incense which arose from the altar. - -At just the sunrise hour, when in those old times the converts came -carrying their dewy sweet-smelling boughs from the forest, the prisoners -were awakened by their guards and marched out of the church. They were -formed into four divisions and hurried away under various pretences. -Some were even told that they were starting home. - -Three-quarters of a mile from the fort they were halted, drawn up in -sections, and ordered to kneel. Everything had been so orderly, so -natural, so swift, that only at the last moment did the men realize what -was about to happen. "My God, boys," cried a voice that echoed like a -shot on the clear air, "they are going to kill us." - -The guns of the guards were already turned upon the prisoners. A -deliberate discharge followed this despairing cry; another, and another, -and a heap of writhing, bleeding bodies was all that remained of -Fannin's gallant band. A few escaped, struggling to their feet and -fleeing to the swamp pursued by shots and curses. The surgeons and one -or two others were saved by the kindness of Colonel Garay, a Mexican -officer.[25] One of these, Dr. Shackelford, captain of the Red Rovers, -heard the firing as he entered the tent of his preserver. He did not -know that anything had gone wrong; but he trembled and turned pale, and -well he might! For three of his young nephews and his own son were among -the killed. - -Senora Alvarez, a Mexican woman, concealed several prisoners until after -the massacre, and afterward helped them to escape. It was her tears and -entreaties which moved Colonel Garay to risk keeping the surgeons in his -tent. While the butchery was going on, she stood in the plaza, with her -black hair streaming over her shoulders; and with flashing eyes she -denounced Santa Anna and called down the vengeance of heaven upon his -head. When she learned that Dr. Shackelford's son had been shot, she -burst into tears and cried out, "Oh, if I had only known, I would have -saved him." - -Her husband was one of Urrea's officers, and her kindness to the Texan -prisoners throughout the war ought never to be forgotten. "Her name," -writes one of the survivors of the massacre, "should be written in -letters of gold." - -The two brave boys, Harry Ripley and young Cash, were also among the -slain. - -The wounded men were then dragged out of their beds and shot. Fannin, -who was the last to die, met his fate inside the fort, it is even said -inside the consecrated church. His high courage sustained him to the -end. After receiving the promise of the officer in charge that he should -not be shot in the head, that his body should be decently buried, and -that his watch should be sent to his wife, he fastened the bandage about -his eyes with his own hands, and welcomed death like a soldier. Not one -of the promises made to him was kept. - -The dead Texans to the number of three hundred and fifty were stripped -of their clothing and piled, naked, in heaps on the ground. A little -brushwood was thrown over them and set on fire. It burned, crackling a -few moments, and then the flames died out. The half-consumed flesh was -torn from the bones by vultures. - -This cold-blooded murder was done by order of Santa Anna. For it, as for -the massacre at the Alamo, a deadly vengeance was at hand. - - - 5. REMEMBER THE ALAMO! REMEMBER GOLIAD! - -On the morning of the 21st of April, 1836, Houston, with his army of -seven hundred Texans, and Santa Anna, with his army of more than twice -that number of Mexicans, were encamped within a mile of each other near -the banks of Buffalo Bayou. - -The country was in a wild panic. Men, women, and children were fleeing -before the very rumor of Santa Anna's approach, as in the pioneer days -they had not fled before the tomahawks of the Comanches. - -Houston's slow retreat[26] (begun on March 13), from Gonzales to the -Colorado, from the Colorado to various points on the Brazos, with the -enemy close upon his rear, had filled the stoutest hearts with doubt and -alarm. After more than two months of suspense charged with the terrible -episodes of San Patricio, Refugio, the Alamo, and Goliad, and the -burning of San Felipe, Gonzales, and Harrisburg, the people began to ask -of each other what would be the end. - -Here at last, on an open field and in a fair fight, the question was -about to be answered. - -Santa Anna, after the fall of the Alamo, was filled with vain glory. He -called himself the Napoleon of the West, and looked upon the Texan -"rebels" as already conquered and suppliant at his feet. From his -headquarters at San Antonio he directed his army to possess the country -and to shoot every man taken with a gun in his hand. One division, under -General Gaona, was ordered to Nacogdoches; General Urrea, after the -battle of Colita, was ordered to sweep the coast from Victoria to -Anahuac with his division; the central division, under Generals Sesma -and Filisola, followed Houston almost step by step in his retreat. Santa -Anna himself accompanied this division. - -On the 15th of April, believing that Houston was at last in his power, -the Mexican commander-in-chief left his main army on the Brazos and -marched, with about one thousand men, to Harrisburg, where he hoped to -capture President Burnet and the members of his cabinet. He found -Harrisburg deserted; whereupon he set fire to the town, and hurried to -New Washington. From there, after burning the straggling village, he -intended to move on to Lynch's Ferry (now Lynchburg) at the junction of -Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River. His plan was to pursue the -government officials to Galveston, whither they had retreated, make them -prisoners, and so end the war. While his troops were in line for the -ferry (April 20) he was startled by the arrival of a scout who reported -the approach of Houston with his entire command. Santa Anna, thus cut -off from his army, was taken completely by surprise. - -This was the moment Houston had so long awaited. - -"We need not talk," he said to Rusk, the Secretary of War, who was with -the army. "You think we ought to fight, and I think so, too." - - [Illustration: Deaf Smith.] - -The rising sun of April 21 looked down bright and glowing upon the two -hostile camps. The Texans were in a grove of moss-hung live oaks; in -front of them a rolling prairie, gay with spring flowers, stretched away -to the marshy bottom lands of the San Jacinto River; behind them Buffalo -Bayou rolled its dark waters to Galveston Bay. The "Twin Sisters," two -small cannon presented to the Republic by the citizens of Cincinnati, -were planted on the rising ground before the camp. They were flanked on -either side by the infantry. The cavalry, under the command of Mirabeau -B. Lamar, was placed in the rear. - - [Illustration: Battlefield of San Jacinto.] - -Santa Anna's camp also faced the prairie, but it had directly in the -rear the oozy, grass-grown San Jacinto marsh. - -The day before (20th) when the ground was first occupied by the two -armies, there had been some skirmishing. But this morning passed in a -quiet, which was broken only by the arrival of General Cos at the -enemy's camp with a reinforcement of five hundred men. - -Toward noon a profound silence fell upon the Mexican camp. The men, -officers and soldiers, from Santa Anna to the humblest private, were -taking their _siesta_ (afternoon nap). - -Meantime, General Houston, after a short consultation with his officers, -sent for Deaf Smith. - -Deaf Smith was a bold, cool-headed, shrewd guide and spy, who had come -from New York to Texas in 1821. He was hard of hearing (hence his -nickname), silent and secretive in his manner, with the instinct and the -unerring sight of a savage. It was Deaf Smith who had guided Fannin and -Bowie from La Espada to Mission Concepcion, and led Johnson and Milam -through the dark streets at the storming of San Antonio. It was he who -had been sent to meet Mrs. Dickinson on her dreary journey from the -Alamo; and when General Houston retreated from Gonzales, Deaf Smith, -with one or two companions, was left to spy upon the movements of the -enemy. - -Houston dispatched Smith with secret orders to cut down and burn Vince's -bridge, about eight miles distant. - -This bridge, which both armies had crossed on their march to their -present position, spanned Vince's Bayou, a narrow but deep stream -running into Buffalo Bayou. To destroy it was to destroy the only means -of retreat for either army. - -General Houston, after making these arrangements, paraded his army. The -men were in high spirits. Their eyes were dancing, their fingers itched -to pull the triggers of their guns. The day was waning; it was nearly -three o'clock in the afternoon. At this moment Deaf Smith galloped in, -his horse white with foam, with the news that Vince's bridge had been -burned. - -The order to advance was given. A single fife struck up the curiously -inappropriate tune, "Will you come to the bower I have shaded for you." -The cannon were rushed forward within two hundred yards of the Mexican -camp, and fire belched from the mouth of the "twins." The left wing of -infantry under Colonel Sidney Sherman began the attack. There was a cry -which split the air: "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!" and the -whole force hurled itself forward like an avalanche. - -The effect was appalling. The Mexicans half awake, dazed and bewildered -by the sudden charge, hardly tried after their first feeble volley, to -return the fire of their assailants. Within a few moments the Texans, -still uttering their hoarse watchword of vengeance, had leaped the -barricade, and were in the very heart of Santa Anna's camp. - -Too excited or too thirsty for revenge to load, they beat down the foe -with the butts of their rifles, clubbed them with pistols, slashed them -with keen-edged bowie knives. The Mexicans fled like frightened sheep, -some into the muddy morass where they were caught as in a trap, others -toward the bayou and the ruined bridge, others again to the cover of the -timber where they made haste to surrender. "Me no Alamo! Me no Alamo!" -cried many of the panic-stricken soldiers, falling on their knees before -their captors. - - [Illustration: Sidney Sherman.] - -By twilight the fleeing Mexicans were nearly all captured or killed, and -the victors had time to breathe and to count their own dead. They had -seven dead and twenty-seven wounded. Among the latter was General -Houston, who received a wound in the ankle, which caused him to limp -during the remainder of his life. - -The Mexicans lost six hundred and thirty-two killed and two hundred and -eight wounded. Seven hundred and thirty-two prisoners were taken. - -Among the prisoners were the oath-breaker, General Cos;[27] Almonte, -Santa Anna's private secretary; and Colonel Portillia, the officer who -had been in command at Goliad when Fannin and his men were shot. General -Santa Anna, riding a handsome black horse, had escaped. He was pursued -as he fled from the field by Henry Karnes, who knew from the flying -horseman's glittering uniform that he must be an officer of rank; he did -not dream, however, that he was following Santa Anna. He felt sure of -capturing the officer at Vince's Bayou, for he rode straight for the -destroyed bridge. But after a single second of hesitation on the bank, -the horse and rider seemed to rise in the air and then plunge downward. -When Captain Karnes reached the stream, the gallant animal was -floundering in the mud on the opposite side, unable to clamber up the -steep bank. The rider had disappeared. - - - 6. TWO GENERALS. - -The next morning (22nd) General Houston was lying under an oak somewhat -apart from the camp. The pain of his wound had kept him awake during the -night, and he was sleeping lightly. Suddenly an excited murmur ran -through the camp, a clamor of Mexican voices arose: "El Presidente! El -Presidente!" and some soldiers approached, having in their midst a man -dressed in soiled linen trousers, a blue jacket, a soldier's cap, and -red worsted slippers. His linen, however, was of the finest, and he wore -jeweled studs in his shirt front. - -Houston, awakened by the noise, looked up. His visitor bowed. "I am," he -said in Spanish, "General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, and a prisoner of -war, at your service." He had just been captured, hiding, miserable and -forlorn, in the long grass on the further side of the bayou. Houston -waved his hand to a tool-chest near by, and Santa Anna sat down. - -A greater physical contrast can hardly be imagined than that between -these two men now gazing steadily and silently at each other. - -The Dictator of Mexico was small and thin and not above five feet five -inches in height. His swarthy face was ill-favored almost to -repulsiveness; his small black eyes were cold and cruel. Houston was -tall and finely proportioned, with fair complexion, open forehead, and -fine blue eyes. Perhaps the one point of resemblance between the two -generals lay in a certain foppishness in dress. But on this occasion -this appeared in neither. Santa Anna had exchanged his gaudy uniform for -the disguise he wore, and Houston was ill-kempt and shabby in his old -campaign uniform. - -Almonte, who had been sent for to act as interpreter, now came up and -the interview began. Santa Anna was at first very humble; he even wept -copiously. But after swallowing some opium he recovered his arrogance, -and demanded to be treated as a prisoner of war. He wished to arrange -for his immediate release. - -When Houston dryly asked what consideration he could expect after the -bloody scenes at the Alamo and Goliad, he pleaded the usage of war for -the carnage at the Alamo. As for Goliad, he declared that Urrea had -deceived him with regard to Fannin's surrender, and pretended to -denounce his subordinate officer in bitter terms. "Urrea told me Fannin -was vanquished," he said, "and I was ordered by my government to shoot -every man found with a weapon in his hand." - -"You are yourself the government," Houston replied curtly. "A Dictator -has no superior." - -"I have the order of Congress," Santa Anna insisted, "and that compels -me to treat as pirates all who are found under arms. Urrea had no -authority to make an agreement with Fannin. He has deceived me, and when -I am free he shall suffer for it." - -Houston listened to this bluster, but declined to make terms with his -prisoner, that power belonging alone to the Texan Congress. - -He treated the unfortunate general with generous courtesy, returning to -him his tents and personal effects, and permitting him to be waited upon -by his own servants. - -An order signed by Santa Anna was carried by Deaf Smith and Henry Karnes -to General Filisola, the second in command, who was encamped near San -Felipe, to conduct the Mexican troops to the Rio Grande. - -The Texan soldiers could not understand the mercy shown to the Mexican -prisoners, particularly to Santa Anna, the cruel and heartless foe who -had tortured and put to death so many of their brave countrymen. With -dark and angry looks and open threats they swarmed about the place of -the interview. Some of the officers were in favor of a drumhead -court-martial and an immediate execution. But better counsels prevailed, -and Santa Anna was allowed to retire to his camp-bed and rest in peace. - -The night which followed the victory was one of wild and grotesque -rejoicing in the Texan camp. Huge bonfires were lighted, and by the red -glow of their flames, the soldiers danced and sang and told over and -over again the story of the great day and its triumphs. The Mexican camp -was overhauled; the victors decked themselves with the arms of their -foes, buckling about their waists two, three, or four brace of pistols, -with powder-horns, shot-pouches, sabers, and bowie knives. They rigged -out the captured mules with the gold epaulets of the Mexican officers, -and the green and red cap-cords of the grenadiers. Then, lighting -hundreds of wax candles found among the spoils, they paraded gayly -about, waking the echoes of the night with their shouts of laughter. All -this was not in very good taste, and it naturally made the prisoners -very angry. But they might well have reflected that at least it was a -better way of rejoicing over a victory than shooting prisoners in cold -blood and setting fire to their naked corpses. - -The military stores taken in the battle, the cannon, small arms, -ammunition, and mules, were kept by the government. The camp baggage was -sold at auction, and the proceeds, with the contents of the military -money-chest, were divided among the soldiers. This money, which amounted -to about seven dollars and a half to each man, was all that they -received for their service during the whole war. - -General Santa Anna's handsome silver-mounted saddle was purchased and -presented to General Houston. The jeweled dagger handed to his captors -by the Mexican General was also given to Houston. - - - 7. HOW THE GOOD NEWS WAS BROUGHT. - -On the approach of Santa Anna's army, President Burnet and his cabinet -retired from Harrisburg to Galveston Island. They were closely pressed -by the advance of the Mexican cavalry under Almonte. As the President -stepped upon the flatboat which was to take him to the schooner _Flash_, -at the mouth of the San Jacinto, he was for several moments a target for -Mexican guns. But he reached the _Flash_ in safety, and the boat sailed -across the bay to the almost deserted island. There, while the -government officials waited in great anxiety and suspense for news from -the army, they were joined by a large number of fugitives who had fled -from their homes in the general panic. The steamboat -_Yellowstone_--which had conveyed Houston's army across the Brazos at -Groce's Ferry--came down loaded with refugees from the Brazos and -Colorado. At Fort Bend it had passed the Mexican army under a hot fire. -The smokestacks were riddled with bullet holes. The Mexican cavalrymen -had tried at several points to lasso the boat from the bank as it -steamed by, but fortunately their ropes were too short. - -The _Yellowstone_ brought news that Houston's army was on the road to -Harrisburg. Burnet knew, therefore, that the long-delayed fight would -take place soon or never. Very few people had any faith left in -Houston's ability to defeat the Mexican army. Santa Anna was looked for -in Galveston at any moment. Nearly all the women and children had -already been placed on board the _Flash_, and the captain of the boat -had orders to sail for New Orleans, where they would be safe. - -General Houston's first duty, after settling affairs in his somewhat -disordered camp, was to send an express to the President with news of -the victory, and to request him to come and treat in person with Santa -Anna. - -At the battle of Concepcion Captain Robert Calder, then a private posted -in the mission tower, had given notice of the enemy's approach. This -young officer, who had also fought most gallantly in the battle of San -Jacinto, volunteered to bear the General's dispatches to President -Burnet. It is not to the young captain's discredit that the presence on -the island of the beautiful girl whom he afterward married had something -to do with his eagerness to perform this service. - - [Illustration: Thomas J. Rusk.] - -He started on the morning of the 23d accompanied by B. C. Franklin and -two soldiers detailed for the expedition. No boat was to be had except -an open and weather-stained skiff with two pairs of oars. No provisions -could be procured; the country around had been swept clean by the -Mexicans. But the little party paddled away cheerily down the bayou. -Late at night they found some food in a deserted cabin on the bank. The -next day they entered the bay. The waves were rough; it was hard rowing -and the boat leaked badly. Captain Calder had most of the work to do, -the others having given out completely. Much of the way they coasted -close to the shore, Calder wading and shoving or pulling the skiff -along. They saw but one living human being on their trip. This was a -wild African negro who had perhaps escaped from some slave-ship on the -coast. On the fifth day they crossed from Virginia Point to the -war-schooner _Invincible_, which was lying in the bay off Galveston. As -they approached, Captain Brown hailed them through his speaking trumpet: -"What news?" - -The unexpected reply, "Houston has defeated Santa Anna and captured his -whole army," caused an instant outburst of wild excitement. The wet, -weary, and hungry messengers were dragged on board and questioned by -everybody at once. Captain Brown cried to his gunners: "Turn loose old -Tom." Old Tom, the cannon, was fired three times before Captain Brown -remembered that it was the business of the Commodore to order a salute. -"Hold on there, boys," he said, "or old Hawkins will have me in irons." - -He sent Captain Calder and his men over to the flag-ship _Independence_, -where Commodore Hawkins received them with enthusiasm and ordered a -salute of thirteen guns. - -The news spread among the ships and through the fleet of small boats -that swarmed up to hear the story. It passed on to the land, where -people were running about in a wild state of alarm at the sound of the -commodore's guns. Alarm was changed to joy. The refugees hugged each -other, weeping tears of gladness, and fairly beside themselves with -delight. President Burnet received Captain Calder in his tent and heard -the story of the battle with deep emotion. - -The young captain, "having changed his clothes," as he relates, went in -search of the bright-eyed girl whom he had not seen since the war began. -As he passed, unknown, through the groups of men, he heard one man -exclaim: "What! the whole Mexican army defeated and Santa Anna taken -prisoner? No, gentlemen; these fellows are scoundrels and deserters. It -is too big a story, and they ought to be taken into custody at once!" - -President Burnet and his suite boarded the _Yellowstone_ the same day -(April 27) and steamed up to the new camp near Harrisburg, whither -Houston had removed his army. There he met Santa Anna and arranged the -basis of a treaty which the Mexican general signed on the part of his -country. - -By the terms of the treaty the Mexican army was to withdraw from Texas -soil; hostilities were to cease; American prisoners were to be released; -and all property seized during the invasion was to be returned to the -owners. Santa Anna was to be liberated at the discretion of the -Congress. - -On the 3d day of May the Mexican prisoners were placed on board the -_Yellowstone_ and carried to Galveston island, where they were kept -under close guard. - -President Burnet accompanied Santa Anna to the coast, whence it was -intended to embark the Mexican general at once for Vera Cruz. - -Soon after the battle of San Jacinto, General Houston, leaving Rusk, who -had recently been appointed brigadier-general, in command of the army, -went to New Orleans to have his shattered ankle treated by his own -physician. - -Filisola had heard of the defeat and capture of his commander-in-chief -and was already in full retreat when Santa Anna's order reached him. He -arrived at Goliad about the 20th of May. - -Here, on the 26th, Commissioners Benjamin Fort Smith and Henry Teal -found him. They had been sent by President Burnet with a copy of the -treaty between Santa Anna and the Texan congress for Filisola's -signature. He signed it, and continued his march westward to the Rio -Grande. - -On June 4 General Rusk--who had followed with the Texan army to see that -the Mexicans retreated in good faith--stopped at Goliad to fulfill a -sacred duty. This was to collect and bury the remains of the victims of -the Palm Sunday massacre. - -The charred and sun-dried skeletons scattered about the ground were -gathered together and reverently laid in a pit dug for the purpose. The -army was paraded inside the fort, and from thence, slowly and with -reversed arms, to the beat of muffled drums, the soldiers marched to the -chosen spot. With the procession walked several of Fannin's men who had -escaped death on that fatal Sunday. - - [Illustration: Map of Texas at the Close of the War of Independence.] - - Red River - Trinity R. - Brazos R. - Colorado R. - Nacogdoches - San Augustine - Old San Antonio Road - Guadaloupe R. - San Antonio - Nueces R. - Rio Grande del Norte - Presidio of San Juan Bautista - Sabine R. - Neches R. - Washington - San Felipe de Gonzales - Austin - Anahuac - Harrisburg - Columbia - Brazoria - La Vaca R. - Golita Cr. - Victoria - Goliad - Refugio - San Patricio - Matamoros - Galveston I. - Velasco - GULF OF MEXICO - Matamoros - -General Rusk began an address, the troops standing around him. "But in -truth he did not finish what he intended to say, for he was overpowered -by his feelings, and the tears rolled down his cheeks, and he had to -stop speaking. There were but few dry eyes on that occasion."[28] - -So powerful was the impression produced on the men who assisted in this -mournful ceremony that General Andrade (An-dra'da), who was bringing up -the rear of the Mexican army, was advised by Rusk that it would not be -safe for him to attempt to pass through Goliad, as he could not answer -for what his own men might do. Andrade was therefore obliged to cut a -crossing seven or eight miles long through the chapparal thickets, in -order to reach the main road. The Mexican army marched slowly westward -with trailing banners. San Antonio and other places held by Mexican -garrisons were given up. At length the Rio Grande was reached and -crossed. - -The independence of Texas was achieved. - - - - - VI. - HOUSTON. - (1836-1842.) - - - 1. ON BUFFALO BAYOU. - -The treaty between Santa Anna and the Texan Congress was concluded at -Velasco (May 14), and to the written paper was affixed the seal of the -Republic. - -The choice of this seal was the result of an accident. When the -declaration of independence was adopted at San Felipe, Governor Smith, -having no other seal, used one of the brass buttons from his coat. Its -device chanced to be a five-pointed star encircled by a wreath of oak -leaves. The Lone Star with its wreath thus became the official signet of -the Texas Republic. - - [Illustration: Flag of Texas Republic.] - -Santa Anna was conducted on board the war-schooner _Invincible_, which -had orders to convey him and his staff to Vera Cruz on the coast of -Mexico. But public feeling was so strong against setting free the arch -enemy of Texas that President Burnet was obliged to have him brought on -shore again. He was sent from Velasco to Columbia, and thence to -Orizaba, the country place of Dr. Orlando Phelps, on the Brazos River. A -plot for his release was soon afterward discovered. This caused him to -be put in irons, and to receive a small taste of the ill-treatment he -had so often accorded to others. It was not until after the return of -Houston from New Orleans in the fall that the captive general was -finally released. - -Meantime there was great dissatisfaction in the army. The soldiers, -having no fighting to do, began to remember that they were hungry and in -rags. They clamored for money which the poverty-stricken government -could not give them; and they still demanded loudly the death of Santa -Anna. - -In June Major Isaac Burton, with a company of mounted rangers on the -lookout for Mexican vessels at Copano, succeeded in decoying into port -and capturing three supply ships which belonged to the enemy. These were -the _Watchman_, the _Comanche_, and the _Fanny Butler_. The supplies, -valued at twenty-five thousand dollars, were sent at once to the army. -This timely relief and the re-imprisonment of Santa Anna restored the -soldiers to good humor. - -In September a general election was held. General Houston was made -President, and Mirabeau B. Lamar Vice-President. The new term was to -begin in December; but President Burnet, glad to lay down the burden -which he had borne wisely and virtuously, resigned his office, and on -the 22d of October Houston was inaugurated. - -The ceremony took place at Columbia. Among those present were many who -had been prominent in the revolution: Stephen F. Austin, ex-Governor -Smith, Branch T. Archer, the Whartons, Mosely Baker, Sidney Sherman, -John T. Austin, William Austin, and many others. - -Santa Anna, in his guarded apartment not far away, might almost have -heard the echoes of his old enemy's voice when, at the conclusion of his -address, Houston unbuckled his sword and handed it to the Speaker of the -House, with the assurance that if his country should ever call for his -services again he would resume his sword and respond to that call with -his blood or his life. - -Stephen F. Austin was made Secretary of State in Houston's cabinet. He -had but lately returned from the United States, where he had rendered -important service to Texas during her struggle for independence. He now -saw his highest hopes realized. His beloved colonists had become a free -people. His chosen land would now blossom like a rose in the fair -sunshine of peace. - -He began his new duties with ardor. But constant anxiety and the -hardships of prison life had left him weak and delicate. The unfinished -room where he worked was without fire; he was seized suddenly with -pneumonia, and after a short illness he died (December 27, 1836). - -The Father of Texas was but forty-three years old. His life had been -noble, useful, and unselfish, and his death was a public loss. His body -was conveyed in the steamer _Yellowstone_ to Peach Point on the Brazos, -near Columbia. There, in the presence of the President and his cabinet, -the officers of the army and navy, and a large concourse of citizens, he -was buried with military honors. - - [Illustration: Mirabeau B. Lamar.] - -The first regular Congress had a hard task before it. The people of -Texas were in favor of annexation to the United States. But a strong -faction in that nation, though willing to acknowledge Texas as an -independent country, was strongly opposed to receiving another slave -state. The young Republic was therefore obliged to stand alone. - -There was a large public debt, but no money in the treasury. Mexico -still laid claim to her rebellious province, and it was necessary to -maintain an army to repel invasion, and a navy to defend the coast. The -Indians were troublesome. The civil law, in the confusion and disorder -of the war, had become almost a dead letter. - -This was a tangled skein, but Congress set to work with hearty good will -to unravel the threads. The legislature provided for the public debt and -other state expenses by issuing land scrip (government paper entitling -the holder to so many leagues of land). - - [Illustration: First Capitol of Texas. At Columbia (1836).] - -County and magistrate courts were organized; a Supreme Court was formed, -and the Spanish code of laws was displaced by the code used by the -United States. The soldiers instead of their pay received permission to -go home on long visits to their families. Some vessels were bought for -the navy, and commissioners were sent to the different Indian tribes to -make treaties of friendship. - -Congress adjourned in December. The following May it met in the new town -on Buffalo Bayou named in honor of the President. - -Monsieur Le Clère (Le Clare), a Frenchman who visited Texas about this -time, writes thus of Houston: "I cannot say that Houston is a great -city, although it is a capital. The principal street, Main Street, which -is laid out in a straight line, and handsome enough for the country, -runs down to the river. The footwalks are barely marked out. We found -the landing still blocked by enormous trunks of trees. Great southern -pines are left standing in the street. The ascent which leads from the -bayou to the city is very rough, and one stumbles over the logs that -encumber it. By the side of houses of tolerably fine appearance (though -built entirely of wood), one meets here and there with those poor houses -called log cabins. Finally, as a last touch to this picture, there stand -in Main Street and near the capitol two great tents which would do honor -to a chief of the Tartars or Bedouins. - -"The environs of Houston are not inhabited. A great number of the people -I saw in the city were going further west, but their passage gave it a -very lively appearance. They were on horseback, and almost all armed -with the terrible weapon called the bowie knife. Most of them carried -before them on the saddle that rifle, excessively long, which they -handle with a wonderful skill, and which Jackson's men used so well at -the battle of New Orleans." - -The capitol building was unfinished, and Congress was obliged to shorten -its sittings when it rained or a "norther" blew fiercely through the -shutterless windows. The President's house was a double log cabin with a -puncheon floor. But the naturalist Audubon describes President Houston -(May, 1837) as receiving his guests in this rude cabin, "dressed in a -fancy velvet coat and trousers trimmed with gold lace; and around his -neck was tied a cravat somewhat in the style of 1776." - -The same writer speaks of the members of the cabinet as men bearing the -stamp of "intellectual ability, simple, though bold in their general -appearance." - -All sorts of people from at home and abroad thronged the little capital. -Curious travelers like Audubon and Le Clère, the Frenchman, brushed -against hunters clad in buck-skin, traders with pack-mules, and -eager-eyed young adventurers from "the States." - - [Illustration: A Comanche Chief.] - -A great many Indians came into the town to see their Great Father, -Houston. One such deputation was from the hunting-grounds of the -Comanches. They came to make their treaty of peace in person. They rode -mustang ponies, and brought their squaws and papooses with them. After -setting up their buffalo-hide lodges on the prairie near the town, the -warriors marched in single file to President Houston's own residence. -They were all tall and finely formed, with very red skin, and jet-black -hair which they wore hanging in long locks down their backs. These locks -were ornamented with bands of silver. Many of the warriors wore, just -below the elbow, clumsy rings of copper or gold, from which dangled the -scalp-locks of their dead enemies. Monsieur Le Clère, who saw this -procession, says that one young Indian had two of these rings hung with -ten or fifteen heads of hair of different colors. The women wore tight -leggings of tanned buck-skin, with tunics of wolf or jaguar skins, -trimmed with beads and quills. Many strands of colored beads were strung -around their necks, and their hands were loaded with gold and silver -rings. Some of their costumes were graceful and pretty. The wearers were -nearly all old and ugly; but one young girl, the daughter of the chief, -is described as very beautiful, with liquid black eyes, softly rounded -cheeks, and red laughing lips. She wore on her head a crown made of -eagle feathers, and her girdle was a band of heavy silver discs. - -The President welcomed his red brothers gravely and kindly. The calumet, -or pipe of peace, was smoked and the treaty was made. The Indians -received presents of beads, blankets, and red cloth. The old chief when -he rode away carried the Texas flag tied to a stalk of sugar cane. "Me -big chief! Houston big chief!" he cried, striking his breast with his -hand. - - - 2. THE INVINCIBLE. - -The provisional government of 1835 provided for a navy to serve the new -Republic of Texas. It was not a very formidable navy. It consisted at -first of two vessels--the schooners the _Invincible_ and the _Liberty_. -Afterward were added the _Independence_, which became the flag-ship of -Commodore Hawkins, commandant of the fleet, the _Brutus_, and several -small sloops, including the _Champion_ and the _Julius Cæsar_. - -These ships cruised about the Gulf of Mexico, watching the coast and -doing what they could with their small guns to annoy the Mexican -war-vessels. Early in April, 1836, the _Invincible_, commanded by -Captain Jerry Brown, met the Mexican brig, the _Montezuma_, near Tampico -and fired upon her. A spirited engagement followed which lasted several -hours, and in which the _Montezuma_ was badly disabled. She drew off, -and in attempting to enter the harbor ran aground. - -The _Invincible_ sailed away unhurt, and the next day met and captured -the American brig, the _Pocket_, which was on her way to a Mexican port -with a cargo of supplies for Santa Anna's army. Captain Brown brought -the _Pocket_ into Galveston, whence the supplies were forwarded to the -army. - -The _Invincible_, lying at that time in the bay, received from Captain -Calder the first news of the victory at San Jacinto, and Captain Brown -at once "turned loose Old Tom" to express his own joy therefor. - -The _Yellowstone_ came down from the Texan camp and landed the Mexican -prisoners on the island; she then proceeded to Velasco, having on board -the President and his cabinet officers, and General Santa Anna and his -staff. - -The _Invincible_ was ordered to follow, and after signing the treaty, -Santa Anna was conducted on board, and Captain Brown received orders to -sail to Vera Cruz with the defeated general. The Texan commissioners -empowered to treat with the Mexican government were also on board. As -already related, Santa Anna was taken ashore again and placed in prison. -The _Invincible_ with the _Brutus_ was soon afterward sent to New York -for repairs. The _Liberty_ conveyed General Houston to New Orleans, and -was there sold to pay her war-expenses. - -The new Congress was without means to meet the cost of repairing and -refitting the _Invincible_ and her sister ship. They were on the point -of being sold when Henry Swartwout, the collector of the port of New -York, with great generosity provided the money from his private purse. -They were completely equipped and sent to sea the same year. - -In 1837 the entire fleet set out for a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. The -_Champion_ and the _Julius Cæsar_ were taken by the enemy on the 12th of -April. Both carried valuable cargoes, and their loss was a keen blow to -the young government. - -On the 17th of April the _Independence_ encountered near Velasco two -Mexican brigs of war,--the _Libertador_, armed with sixteen 18-pound -guns and manned with one hundred and forty men, and the _Vincedor_, with -six 12-pounders and one hundred men. The _Independence_ had but -thirty-one men. The action, in which the Texans behaved with great -gallantry, was a short and severe one. It ended in the capture of the -_Independence_. The crew were sent as prisoners to Matamoras. - - [Illustration: Old Capitol at Houston (1837). From an old Print.] - -A little later the _Invincible_ and the _Brutus_ captured the Mexican -schooners, the _Obispo_ and the _Telegraph_. Both boats were sent in as -prizes. - -In August the _Brutus_ and the _Invincible_ reached Galveston with -another prize. The _Brutus_ with the prize entered the harbor safely, -but the _Invincible_ did not succeed in passing the bar. She was -attacked the next morning (26th) by two Mexican ships. The _Brutus_ -started out to assist her, but ran aground and lay helpless on the sand. -The _Invincible_ held her own against the enemy all day; at nightfall -she struck on the breakers. Her crew were saved, but the gallant old -ship went to pieces. - -The next year (1838) a new navy was voted by Congress. Several vessels -were bought, but there was now no duty for them to perform. They were -placed in the service of Yucatan, which was in revolt against Mexico. -Some years later, when Texas was annexed to the United States, they -passed into the navy of that country. - -The _Brutus_, the last ship of the old Texan navy, was lost in a storm -at Galveston Bay as late as 1867. - - - 3. THE CAPITAL. - -One of the laws of the constitution provided that no one should be -allowed to hold the office of President for two successive terms. -Houston's term of office expired in 1838, and Mirabeau B. Lamar was -elected President and David G. Burnet Vice-President. - -The Secretary of War under Lamar was Albert Sidney Johnston. This -brilliant young soldier came to Texas just after the battle of San -Jacinto. He was a graduate of West Point, and had served in the -Blackhawk war. - -Johnston at once organized a force to act against the Indians. Lamar did -not have Houston's kindly feeling for the Red Men. He looked upon them -as dangerous enemies, and he wished to rid the country of them entirely. -The Indians, on their side, had been breaking the treaties made with -Houston. - -Mexico was too full of troubles at home to invade Texas again. But -Mexican agents were sent among the Cherokees and Comanches to stir them -up against the white settlers, and incite them to reclaim their lands. -Many homes on the frontier were burned, and their peaceable inmates -killed or taken prisoners. The Texas rangers, under General Rusk and -Colonel Burleson, finally defeated and subdued the most troublesome of -the warlike tribes, and the frontier became quiet once more. - - [Illustration: First Executive Mansion. At Houston (1837).] - -But in 1840 trouble broke out again with the Comanches. Twelve chiefs of -this tribe came to San Antonio to sign a new treaty. As usual, they were -accompanied by their women and children. They had promised to bring with -them thirteen white prisoners, but they appeared with but one, a little -girl named Matilda Lockhart, who had been carried away in a raid on her -father's house two years before. The chiefs declared they had no more -prisoners. But the child said there were others at the camp, who were to -be brought in one by one for large ransom. A company of soldiers was -ordered into the council-room, and the Indians were told that they were -prisoners until the other white captives were given up. One of the -chiefs immediately attempted to escape, stabbing the sentinel at the -door. A furious combat followed, in which the twelve chiefs were all -killed. In the plaza outside there was also a desperate fight. The -Indian women took part in this, and three of them were killed. Captain -Matthew Caldwell, who was unarmed, defended himself with stones until -his assailant was killed. Judge Thompson, who had been playing with the -Indian children, setting up pieces of money for them to shoot at, was -slain by an arrow from one of their bows. Colonel Wells came riding into -the plaza in the midst of the skirmish. A powerful Indian leaped on his -horse behind him and tried to shake him off. Unable to do this he seized -the bridle and tried to guide the horse out of the plaza. Colonel -Wells's arms were pinioned so that he could not draw his pistol, and it -was only after careering thus several times around the plaza that the -Indian was shot by a soldier and the Colonel released. The band was -finally overpowered. Thirty-two warriors, three squaws, and two children -were killed; the others were all made prisoners. This encounter is known -as the "Council-house Fight." - -Congress held its meetings in Houston until 1839. But the site for a new -capital had been chosen. It was on the banks of the Colorado River, on -the then extreme frontier. Two or three pioneer cabins already stood -there, and the little settlement bore the proud name of Waterloo. But -bands of savage Indians still roamed the hills and prairies adjacent. It -was necessary to place guards about the grounds to protect the masons -and carpenters while they were at work on the capitol building. Among -the buildings erected was a blockhouse, as a refuge for the women and -children in case of an Indian raid. The new capital was named Austin, in -grateful memory of the Father of Texas. - -Congress met at Austin for the first time in October, 1839. Among the -important acts of this session was the appropriation of fifty leagues of -land for a state university, and three leagues to each county for -schools. - -This Congress also adopted a national flag, the same now used as the -Texas state flag. - -The first Lone Star flag was made at Harrisburg, and presented to a -military company in 1835. The star was five-pointed, white, set on a -ground of red. The flag raised by Fannin on the walls of Goliad when he -heard of the declaration of independence was an azure star in a white -field. Travis and his men, ignorant of the declaration, died fighting -under the banner of the Republic of Mexico.[29] - -England, France, Holland, and Belgium in turn recognized the -independence of the Republic. Texas, in spite of many drawbacks, was -growing in strength. - -The last year of Lamar's term of office, however, was clouded by an -unfortunate affair known as the "Sante Fé Expedition." - -A scheme was set on foot for the occupation of New Mexico, whose people -were said to be anxious to join the Texas Republic. Its real object was -to divert into Texas the rich trade of Sante Fé with Old Mexico. An -expedition was organized and started from Brushy Creek, near Austin, -June, 1841. It was composed of about two hundred and seventy soldiers, -together with a number of traders and adventurers. The soldiers were -under the command of General Hugh McLeod. - -Congress opposed this expedition, but President Lamar favored it, and -sent with it three commissioners as agents of the government to treat -with the people of New Mexico. General McLeod's brass six-pound cannon -was stamped with the name of the President, Mirabeau B. Lamar. - -The journey was a long and painful one. The men suffered from thirst in -crossing those barren western plains, where water is scarce. They had -nothing to eat. "Every tortoise and snake, every living and creeping -thing was seized upon and swallowed by the famishing men."[30] They were -without guides, and the Indians hung about their camps killing their -pickets and stealing their horses. - -When they reached New Mexico they were worn out and half starved. -Instead of being welcomed as liberators they were looked upon as spies -and enemies. - -Under promise of good treatment they finally surrendered to the force -sent against them. They were at once thrown into prison. Later they were -sent, chained like criminals, to the city of Mexico. Several of them -died on the march, unable to endure the brutality of their guards. - -The survivors were held as prisoners in Mexican dungeons until the next -year, when by the intervention of the American minister they were -released and sent home. - - - 4. THE WAR OF THE ARCHIVES. - -Houston was elected President of the Republic for the second time in -September, 1841. Edward Burleson was elected Vice-President. - -The new President recommended economy to the government. There was not a -dollar in the treasury. He caused his own salary to be reduced, and -several useless offices were abolished by his advice. He favored a more -friendly attitude toward the Indians, and the establishment of -trading-posts for them on the frontier. He advised that no active steps -be taken against Mexico, though Texas, he said, should be prepared to -defend herself against that country if necessary. - -For Santa Anna, after many turns of fortune, was once more in power in -Mexico, and had declared war against Texas. - -In the spring of 1842 several incursions were made into Texas by Mexican -soldiers. One band, under Rafael Vasquez, raided San Antonio; another -swept the country about Refugio and Goliad. There was great excitement -everywhere. - -Excitement of another kind filled the new capital one day soon after -these raids. The citizens, men, women, and children, swarmed into the -streets, looking at each other with indignant eyes. The blockhouse stood -wide open, showing plainly that the Indians had nothing to do with the -trouble. - -"What's the matter?" demanded a tall hunter, who had just come in, rifle -on shoulder, from the frontier. He glanced, as he spoke, from a small -cannon in the street to a company of mounted rangers, who seemed to be -guarding some wagons in front of the Land Office. - -"Matter enough," replied a dozen voices at once. "Old Sam Houston has -changed the capital back to Houston and sent for the archives. We are -determined that the records of the Republic shall remain in the true -capital of the Republic." - - [Illustration: Texas State Seal.] - -This was true. President Houston, believing Austin in its exposed -position was in danger of Mexican raids, had fixed Houston as the place -of meeting for the next Congress. Perhaps he was not sorry for the -chance, for he had a great affection for the town named for himself. He -had also ordered the archives removed to that place. The people of -Austin had refused to allow their removal. The angry President had then -sent an armed force to take them. - -When the loaded wagons turned away from the Land Office they were -greeted by a volley of grape and canister from the little -cannon--touched off by a woman, Mrs. Eberle. No one was hurt, and in the -confusion the wagons rattled away, protected by their escort. - -The citizens armed themselves and pursued the train. They came up with -it during the night about eighteen miles from Austin. After a conference -between the leaders on both sides, the rangers agreed to carry the -records back to the capital. The whole party appeared there the next day -and were received with shouts of triumph by the people. The disputed -parchments were placed in the house of the plucky woman who had fired -the cannon, and there they remained until 1845, when the government -finally returned to Austin. This new Waterloo has come down to us under -the title of the "War of the Archives." - -Congress met at Houston in June, 1842. In September a Mexican army, -commanded by General Adrian Woll and numbering twelve hundred men, -invaded Texas. They marched upon San Antonio, captured it, and made -prisoners of nearly all the citizens and the members of the District -Court then in session. - -Upon news of this outrage the people everywhere took up arms. Two -hundred and twenty soldiers, including Captain Jack Hays' company of -scouts, left Gonzales immediately to attack Woll. They were commanded by -Colonel Matthew Caldwell. The Mexican general came out to meet them, and -an engagement took place on the Salado River a few miles from San -Antonio. General Woll had six hundred infantry and two hundred cavalry. -As they advanced the Texans received them with a rattling hail of -bullets. - -Three times the Mexican infantry charged with great spirit and coolness; -each time they were driven back. They finally retreated, carrying with -them their dead and wounded, and leaving the Texans in possession of the -field. - -This victory was offset by the defeat of a company of fifty-three Texans -on their way to join Caldwell. They were commanded by Captain Nicholas -Dawson. - -General Woll met these men in his retreat from the river Salado, and -attacked them in a small mesquit thicket where they were halted. After -an unequal contest of half an hour, Dawson hoisted a white flag. The -firing ceased, but as soon as the surrender took place, the prisoners -were set upon by the Mexican soldiers and many of them killed. Dawson -was killed after he gave up his arms. Out of his fifty-three men, -thirty-three were killed and eighteen were made prisoners. Two only -escaped; one of these, a lad named Gonzales Woods, seized the lance -thrust at him by a Mexican cavalryman, jerked his assailant to the -ground, then leaped upon his enemy's horse and galloped away. - -The morning after these skirmishes General Woll abandoned San Antonio -and returned to the west side of the Rio Grande River. His prisoners, -among whom were Judge Hutchison and ex-Lieutenant-Governor Robinson, -were sent to the Castle of Perote (Pa-ro'ta), a prison near the city of -Mexico. - - - 5. THE BLACK BEANS. - -Before the echoes of the bugles which sounded General Woll's retreat had -finally died on the air, volunteers came flocking to San Antonio eager -to pursue him, and determined to cross the Rio Grande at all hazards and -release the Texans languishing in Mexican prisons. - -On the 18th of November seven hundred men, armed and equipped for a -campaign, were assembled in the shadow of the twin towers of the old -Mission Concepcion. General Alexander Somervell, appointed by President -Houston to the command, put himself at the head of this small army; the -order to march ran down the line, and with a shout the men set their -faces toward the west. - -After several days' march they camped at Laredo on the banks of the Rio -Grande River. They expected to cross at once into Mexico and take the -enemy by surprise. But at the moment when everything seemed to them -favorable for this movement, General Somervell issued an order for his -soldiers to return to Gonzales, where they would be disbanded. - -The men were dumfounded. Three hundred flatly refused to obey the order. -The others, after much wrangling, followed General Somervell to San -Antonio. - -Captain William S. Fisher was elected colonel in command of those who -remained, and the expedition proceeded down the Rio Grande to a point -opposite the Mexican town of Mier. - -Mier was occupied by General Pedro Ampudia (Am-poo'dee-a) with two -thousand troops. On Christmas morning, before daylight, Colonel Fisher -led his men over the river. The Mexicans came out to meet them, but were -forced to retreat before the hot fire of the Texans. By daylight the -Texans had captured the enemy's cannon and cut their way into the town. -Here the fight went on, hand to hand, from street to street, from house -to house. - -But the superior numbers of the enemy enabled them to keep up the -struggle, which lasted seventeen hours. - -At the end of that time a flag of truce was sent by General Ampudia to -Colonel Fisher. Fisher had been severely wounded early in the action; he -was weakened by loss of blood and unnerved by pain; and he advised -surrender, although up to this time his men had been victorious. He knew -General Ampudia, he said, and he answered for his good faith. - -After much discussion the majority of the men agreed to the surrender. -The terms were most honorable. - -No sooner were the articles signed and the Texan arms stacked, than the -unfortunate prisoners began to suffer from the cruelty of their -treacherous foes. They were put in irons and marched to Matamoras, -thence to the interior. At the Hacienda of Salado, beyond Saltillo, they -rose upon their guards, overpowered the soldiers, seized their weapons -and horses, and escaped. But they found themselves in a strange country. -They soon lost their way in the wild mountain passes, and after enduring -great torture from hunger and thirst, they were finally recaptured and -taken back to Salado. - -On their arrival there they were met by an order from Santa Anna. Every -tenth man of them was to be shot! One of their own number who understood -Spanish was compelled to read this order to his companions. The rattle -of handcuffs, indicating the surprise of the startled prisoners, was -promptly silenced by the guards; and, amid a deadly stillness which -succeeded the reading, an officer entered the shed where they were -confined. He carried an earthen jar. The jar contained one hundred and -seventy-five beans (the number of the prisoners). Seventeen of the beans -were black, the others were white. The jar was placed on a bench and a -handkerchief thrown over it. The roll was then called. Each prisoner -stepped forward as his name was called, placed his hand in the jar, and -drew out a bean. - -The black beans in this fatal lottery meant death. - -Some of the Mexican officers grew faint as they looked, and turned away -their heads. But others bent forward eagerly, as if watching the throw -of dice in an everyday game of chance. - -It was Sunday afternoon, at the hour when the church bells were -everywhere calling the people to vesper prayer, when this fearful drama -began. Not one of the actors in it faltered or changed color at finding -in his hand the black token of death. When the ordeal was ended, the -shackles of the seventeen doomed men were knocked off. They were then -hurried to a yard adjoining the shed and shot without further ceremony. -Their comrades, crouched against the wall within, heard but too plainly -the whispered prayers, the echoing shots, and the dying groans. - -The survivors were carried to the Castle of Perote near the city of -Mexico, where they found the prisoners taken by General Woll at San -Antonio. They were immediately put to convict labor. "They were hitched -to a wagon, twenty-five to a team, and compelled to haul rocks from the -mountains to the Castle of Perote. The prisoners at no time, however, -lost their buoyant spirits, nor did they ever lose an opportunity for -fun. McFall, a powerful man, was put in the lead, and was always ready -to get scared and run away with the wagon. This was often done, and the -corners of the adobe houses always suffered in such cases. The Mexican -officers would laugh, and the owners of the houses would swear in bad -Spanish. The overseers were kept busy. They had the power of using the -lash, but they did not do this very often, as the Texans made it their -business, at the peril of their lives, to return such civilities with -ample vengeance."[31] - -Several of the prisoners made their escape. Among these was Colonel -Thomas Jefferson Green, who had been Fisher's second in command. He was -bitterly opposed to the surrender at Mier, and broke his sword across -his knee rather than hand it to General Ampudia. Mr. John Twohig, of San -Antonio, who had been carried into captivity by Woll, and several of his -fellow-prisoners made a tunnel under the prison wall, through which they -succeeded in getting out of the Castle and thence safe home again. - - [Illustration: Anson Jones.] - -Mr. Wright of De Witt County was not so lucky. He was a very large man; -after making his preparations for flight, he crawled into the tunnel, -where he got along famously until he was about half way through. There -he stuck fast, equally unable to go forward or to come back. Finally, -with a despairing effort he slid back an inch or two, then a little -further, until at last bruised, breathless, and torn, he got back into -his dungeon, glad to settle down to prison life once more. - -Among the captives was Samuel H. Walker, afterwards famous as a captain -of cavalry in the Mexican war with the United States. - -In September, 1844, these prisoners were finally released by Santa Anna, -at the dying request, it is said, of his young and beautiful wife. - -About the time the Mier expedition started from San Antonio, the capital -was again removed from President Houston's beloved town on Buffalo -Bayou; this time to Washington on the Brazos. - - - - - VII. - AUSTIN. - (1842-1861.) - - - 1. "THE REPUBLIC IS NO MORE." - -From 1842 to 1844 the Texan Congress held its meetings at Washington on -the Brazos--the spot where, a few short years before, the declaration of -independence had been adopted. - -The nation born amid the gloom and uncertainty of that stormy time now -stood forth proud in the consciousness of growing strength, free and -full of hope for the coming years. - -An armistice was signed with Mexico (1843) which left the Republic at -peace. The Indians under the wise rule of the "Big White Chief," -Houston, made but few outbreaks. Year by year more fields were fenced -in, more orchards and gardens were planted, more dooryards were set with -vine and rose-tree. - -Immigrants poured in. Many came from "the States"; but others crossed -the wide seas to find homes in that fertile Texas whose story of -struggle and triumph was in everybody's mouth. Henry Castro, a French -gentleman, who was consul-general for Texas at Paris, obtained in 1842 -large grants of land from the Republic, and brought over five hundred -families from France. These settled on the Medina River west of San -Antonio. Another important colony came from Germany under the leadership -of the Prince de Solms, and founded the thrifty town of New Braunfels on -the Guadalupe. - -The roads were white with westward-traveling wagons which stopped to -pass the time of day, as it were, with all the little towns along the -way. In those hospitable days small barrels of tar stood as a matter of -course on the sidewalks. Long-handled dippers floated in the tar, so -that the passing wagoner might help himself and ease his creaking -wheels. - -As for the wayside houses, their doors were always open to the wayworn -mover and his family. The women and girls peering out from under the -wagon cover, the boys trudging sturdily along by the driver's side, the -dog trotting in the shadow of the feed trough,--all these were to the -free-handed pioneers as welcome as kinsmen. - - [Illustration: Old Capitol at Austin (1839).] - -The newcomers were often struck with amazement at the curious contrasts -they saw on the frontier. "You are welcomed," writes one traveler, "by a -figure in a blue flannel shirt and pendant beard, quoting the Latin -poets.... You will see fine pictures on log walls; you will drink coffee -from tin cups on Dresden china saucers. Seated on a barrel, you will -hear a Beethoven symphony played on a rosewood piano. The bookcase may -be half full of books and half full of potatoes." - -But while the western border thus filling up with settlers was quiet and -unmolested, there was serious trouble over on the eastern line. A band -composed mostly of rough desperadoes from the old Neutral Ground roamed -along the Sabine River, shooting and killing innocent citizens under the -pretext of punishing theft, negro-stealing, and other offenses. They -called themselves the Regulators. An opposition band, made up of men as -reckless as themselves, undertook in turn to punish them, and to -administer justice generally. These were known as the Moderators. -Between the Moderators and Regulators, Shelby, Harrison, and the -neighboring counties were kept in a state of terror. Honest men were -afraid to venture out of their own homes; for no one could guess when or -upon whom the so-called justice of these bands would fall. Bloody -"courts" were held in the swamps, one day by the Regulators, the next, -and perhaps on the same spot, by the Moderators, both equally cruel and -lawless. Wild stories were told of certain leaders in either gang whose -victims were always shot in the left eye; of others again whose weapon -was not the rifle, but poison. - -At one time more than a thousand men were engaged in this feud. In the -summer of 1844 the Regulators and Moderators assembled under arms in -fortified camps. An active campaign was carried on for some weeks, -during which more than fifty persons were killed or wounded. Finally -President Houston ordered out five hundred militia under General James -Smith, and the two factions were disbanded. But it was a long time -before the feud died out entirely. - -In the fall of 1844 Anson Jones was elected President of the Republic. -His Secretary of State was Doctor Ashbel Smith. - -Dr. Smith, who was a learned and able man, came to Texas from -Connecticut just after the Revolution, and was made surgeon-general of -the army. During Houston's administration, he represented the Republic -at the courts of England and France. At this time all over Europe there -was keen interest in Texan affairs. - -Notwithstanding the glory of the young Republic, its people still wished -to be annexed to the United States. They felt themselves too weak to -contend against Mexico in case of another war, and too poor to keep up -the army and navy, and provide for the expense of a separate government. -But the United States again refused to receive them. Upon this, France -and England offered through Minister Smith to compel Mexico to -acknowledge the independence of Texas, provided Texas would agree not to -unite with any other country. - -This offer caused a sudden change of feeling in the United States. Her -jealousy of foreign interference was aroused; and in the spring of 1845 -the United States Congress passed resolutions admitting Texas into the -Union. - -President Jones then submitted the question to the people. A convention -met at Austin in July, 1845, to frame a constitution for the State of -Texas. In October the final vote was taken. It was almost unanimous for -annexation. - -In February, 1846, President Jones gave up his authority to J. Pinckney -Henderson who had been elected governor of the new state. This -impressive ceremony took place at Austin, where the capital had been -finally established. President Jones in his farewell address said: - -"The Lone Star of Texas, which ten years since arose amid clouds, over -fields of carnage, and obscurely seen for a while, ... has passed on and -become fixed in that glorious constellation which all freemen and lovers -of freedom must reverence and adore,--the American Union. Blending its -rays with its sister States, long may it continue to shine.... May the -Union be perpetual; and may it be the means of conferring benefits and -blessings upon all the people of the States, is my prayer. The first act -in the great drama is performed. The Republic of Texas is no more."[32] - -Many eyes must have grown dim as the closing sentence of this address -was pronounced. Memories must have crowded thick and fast upon those -veterans who listened, hearing at the same time in a dream the call of -bugles and the roll of drums, the ring of sabers, and the echo of those -daring voices which called into being the Republic of Texas! - -Sam Houston and Thomas J. Rusk were elected United States senators. -Rusk, who was a native of South Carolina, was one of the signers of the -Texan declaration of independence. He was Secretary of War under -President Burnet, and fought gallantly in the ranks at the battle of San -Jacinto. After General Houston's resignation he was made -commander-in-chief of the army. Rusk had taken an active part in the war -against the Cherokee Indians. Later he had been chief justice of the -Republic. He had devoted himself for many years with great unselfishness -to the interests of the Republic. He continued to serve the State with -the same fidelity. - -He died by his own hand in 1857. Grief at the death of his wife was the -cause of this fatal act. - - - 2. ACROSS THE BORDER. - -Mexico was indignant at seeing Texas, which she still claimed as one of -her provinces, about to enter the Union. As soon as the Annexation Bill -was passed by the United States Congress, Don Juan Almonte, formerly -aide-de-camp to General Santa Anna, now the Mexican minister at -Washington, D.C., was recalled, and preparations for war were begun on a -grand scale in Mexico. - -In the meantime, the United States government had sent General Zachary -Taylor to Corpus Christi on the Texas coast, with four thousand troops. -He was ordered to march westward and take up a position on the Rio -Grande River, the boundary line between Texas and Mexico. He was further -ordered to confine himself to Texas soil unless the Mexicans should -attempt to cross the river. - -In the spring of 1846 General Taylor began his march across the country, -"which appeared like one vast garden wavy with flowers of the most -gorgeous dyes."[33] Then came a desert-like waste in which there was -neither water nor any growing thing. "The sand was like hot ashes, and -when you stepped upon it, you sank up to the ankles."[33] - -But the region beyond the desert was fertile and inviting. At the Sal -Colorado, a stream thirty miles east of the Rio Grande, some Mexican -soldiers appeared. They insisted that all the country west of the -Colorado belonged to Mexico, and declared that if the Americans -attempted to cross that stream they would fire upon them. General Taylor -paid no attention whatever to their threats. He led his troops over the -Sal Colorado without further trouble and continued his march toward the -Rio Grande. - -There the war began in real earnest. The first battle was fought at Fort -Brown (now Brownsville), opposite Matamoras. The Americans were -victorious. Two other successful engagements, Palo Alto and Resaca de la -Palma, took place on Texas territory. Then General Taylor, having -received large reinforcements, entered Mexico and marched upon Monterey, -the great interior city of northern Mexico. - -About this time Santa Anna, who had been in exile and disgrace, returned -to Mexico, and was immediately made commander-in-chief of the Mexican -army. - -Texas furnished her share of men for the war upon her hereditary foe. -Governor Henderson himself entered the campaign as a major-general of -volunteers; ex-President Lamar and Edward Burleson served upon his -staff. Albert Sidney Johnston commanded a regiment. "Jack" Hays and -George T. Wood, afterward governor of Texas, were also in command of -regiments. Ben McCulloch carried into the war a company of rangers. - -The Texans were in the van in every battle. At the storming of Monterey -they especially distinguished themselves by their daring and high -courage. A participator in the siege of the city says: "In order to -dislodge the skirmishers from the housetops, the Texans rushed from door -to door, breaking through buildings and inside walls; and, mounting to a -level with the enemy, picked them off with their rifles. Meanwhile those -in the streets charged from square to square amid sweeping showers of -grape, cheered on by Lamar, Henderson, and Jefferson Davis of the -Mississippi regiment." The next day "the artillery on both sides raked -the streets, the balls striking the houses with a terrible crash, while -amid the roar of cannon was heard the battering instruments of the -Texans. Doors were forced open, walls were battered down, entrances were -made through stone and brick, and the enemy were driven from point to -point, followed by the sharp crack of the Texan rifles." - -General Ampudia, who had so basely betrayed the trust of the Texans -after their surrender at Mier in 1843, was in command of the Mexican -forces. After three days of desperate fighting he surrendered the city -of Monterey to General Taylor. - -The officers commissioned by Taylor to draw up the articles of -capitulation on the American side were Generals Worth and Henderson -(governor of Texas) and Colonel Jefferson Davis. - -Texas furnished above eight thousand soldiers for this war, and the -"murderous ring of the Texan rifle" was heard on almost every field. - -In New Mexico, where there was considerable fighting, the cannon taken -from General McLeod in the fatal Sante Fé expedition in 1841 was -discovered by the American soldiers, where it had been hidden in the -mountains. "It is," says the record, "a six-pounder, bearing the 'Lone -Star' of Texas and the name of her ex-President, Mirabeau B. Lamar." The -Americans adopted it as a favorite, and used it in firing their morning -and evening signals. The Lone Star, they declared, brought them good -luck. - -The war ended in the storming and capture of the city of Mexico by -General Winfield Scott, commander-in-chief of the United States army. -Santa Anna, once more defeated and humbled, hid himself with the remains -of his army in the mountain passes of Mexico. - - [Illustration: Benjamin M^cCulloch.] - -In one of the last battles of the war Colonel Samuel H. Walker was -killed. This dashing young Texan, had been again and again selected by -General Taylor for dangerous service, and his gallantry was a by-word in -the army. He had been one of the unfortunate Mier prisoners, and was -among those who overpowered the guard at Salado and escaped, only to be -recaptured. In the death-lottery he had drawn a white bean, and had -afterward endured the miseries of the Castle of Perote. In the -neighborhood of that prison he fell mortally wounded, but flushed with -victory, and soon afterward expired. "Few men were more lamented. When -the cry 'Walker is dead' rang through the company, the hardy soldiers -burst into tears."[34] - -Mexico signed at Guadalupe, Hidalgo, a treaty with the United States -(February 2, 1848), and abandoned forever all claim to Texas. - -The governors who succeeded Henderson in Texas from 1847 to 1859 were -Governors George T. Wood, Hansborough P. Bell, Elisha M. Pease, and -Hardin R. Runnels. - -Early in Governor Wood's administration a disagreement arose between -Texas and the United States over Sante Fé and the surrounding country. -This had been a part of Texas, but was ceded in 1848 by Mexico to the -United States with New Mexico. When the United States took possession of -it Texas protested, and much ill-feeling followed. For a time it seemed -as if the state which had just got into the Union would march out again. - -But the question was settled during Governor Bell's term of office. The -disputed territory was bought by the United States from Texas for the -sum of ten million dollars. - -During these years Texas grew in prosperity; all boundary questions were -settled, and the public debt was paid. Settlements sprung up to the very -border. This, however, caused fresh trouble among the Indians, who from -time to time fell upon isolated settlements, burning the houses and -killing the settlers or carrying them into captivity. As late as 1847 -two hundred Lipans on the war-path swept the western frontier. In 1848 -the Indians in Texas killed one hundred and seventy persons, carried -twenty-five into captivity, and stole six thousand horses. - -The Texan rangers were ordered out by Governor Wood to protect the -frontier. The Comanches, the fiercest of the western tribes, were -finally defeated by the rangers under Colonel John S. Ford. Their chief, -Iron Jacket, was killed in a desperate hand-to-hand combat with Captain -S. P. Ross. The chief's tall form was found, after death, to be encased -in a fine coat of scale armor, supposed to have belonged to some -Spaniard in the days of the conquest of Mexico. Hence his name, Iron -Jacket, and the belief that he could not be killed by the bullet of the -white man. Iron Jacket's little son Noh-po was carried to Waco, where he -was raised by the Ross family. During the administration of Governor -Pease, the legislature gave the Indians twelve leagues of land and built -for them several new trading-posts along the frontier. Later they were -all removed to the Indian Territory. - -Two million dollars were set aside by the state for a permanent school -fund; and a quantity of land was voted for the support of the deaf and -dumb, the blind, the orphan, and the insane. - -A new state capitol, a Land Office, and other public buildings were -erected at Austin. - -In 1857 there was an uprising of Texan wagoners against the Mexican -cartmen, who were engaged in hauling goods from the coast towns to San -Antonio. Mexican labor was much cheaper than any other, and a large -number of these teamsters, who were honest and reliable, were employed -by merchants and planters. The Texan wagoners, failing to drive out -Mexican cartmen by threats, raided them on the roads, drove off their -oxen, broke up their carts, and in some instances killed the drivers. - -Governor Pease, by ordering out a company of rangers to protect the -Mexican teamsters, finally put a stop to the "Cart War," as it was -called. - -No other trouble marred this bright period. "Our inhabitants," said -Governor Pease, in his message to the legislature in 1855, "are -prosperous and happy to a degree unexampled in our former history." - - - 3. DYING RACES. - -The Indian tribes who possessed the fair land of Texas when the white -man first set foot on its soil were rapidly dying out. Some were already -extinct, having left hardly a trace to show where their villages and -wigwams had once stood. The Cenis, that noble nation which welcomed La -Salle and nursed him tenderly when he lay for months "sick of a fever" -in their midst, and who sheltered the fleeing fugitives from Fort St. -Louis,--these had entirely passed away. So had the kindly Coushattis, -the friends of Lallemand's colonists; and the Orquisacas, the -Nacogdoches, and all those gentler tribes by whose help the Franciscan -friars had built the earliest missions. Gone were the music-loving -Wacoes from the banks of the Brazos; and from the Trinity the -corn-growing Tehas. - -The fierce Carankawaes, once the terror of the coast and long believed -to be cannibals, and the Kiowas, called the _red-eyed_, had melted -before the coming of the pale-faces, as the snow melts under the April -sun. - -But remnants of the warlike western tribes remained. The Comanches, the -Apaches, and the Lipans still hovered like dark clouds about the -frontier. They called themselves _Nianis_ (live Indians); and though -they were taken away by the government from their hunting-grounds and -penned up in a Reservation (that is, upon lands reserved or set apart -for them), they continued every now and then to swoop down upon their -old haunts, where every rock and bush and hillock was familiar to them. -Even within the past twenty years the borderman dared not be too far -from his rifle. - -But the Texas Indian was passing. His tribes were dying out, as the -Mohicans, the Powhatans, and the Alabamas had died out before them. - -With the Red Man, another race, as wild, as noble, and as free as his, -was as slowly drifting to its end. - -When La Salle sailed up a certain pleasant stream in 1685, he called it -_Les Vaches_ (the cows), from the number of buffalos grazing on its -banks. They roamed the vast prairies and the shaded timberland, from the -utmost verge of the country on the north and west to the salt waters of -the Gulf. The herds were so large that the thunder of their hoofs -startled the air and their trampling shook the ground. - -As the Indian retreated westward, the shaggy buffalo followed his -moccasined foot; as the savage warriors, who were as the sands of the -seashore for numbers, dwindled away, so dwindled the buffalo herds. - - - 4. THE TEXAS RANGER. - -The daring and ever-watchful foe of the Texas Indian, the dashing and -ever-ready hunter of the Texas buffalo, was the Texas ranger. He, too, -is passing away before the march of civilization, and fast becoming a -memory only; but a memory which will live forever in song and story, -with the brave, the generous, and the noble of all times. - -The first company of Texas rangers was formed in 1832; but it was not -until the administration of President Burnet (1836) that this arm of the -service was regularly organized and put into the field. - -They became at once a power, and they have since played an important -part in the history of the state. Mounted upon a swift horse, with a -_lariat_ (rope) coiled about the high pommel of his saddle and a blanket -strapped behind him; with his long rifle resting in the hollow of his -arm, and the bridle held loosely in his hand; erect and graceful, the -brim of his slouch hat hiding the sparkle of his keen eyes,--the Texas -ranger is a striking and picturesque figure. But he is more than that. -For fifty years and more he has been the terror of Indian and intruding -Mexican, of thief and desperado, of lawlessness and crime. - -The rangers are subject to the call of the government. "But no tap of -spirit-stirring drum or piercing fife, no trumpet call or bugle sound -was heard on the border," in those early days. A rider passed from -settlement to settlement, from home to home; there would be wiping of -rifles and moulding of bullets. Oftener than otherwise it was the wives -and the sisters and the sweethearts who moulded the bullets and packed -the wallets, while the men ground their knives and saddled their horses. -Then with a hurried good-bye, the rangers were mounted and away; now on -the bloody trail of the Comanches, now tracking the fierce Lipans; -to-day protecting a lonely frontier cabin, to-morrow helping the Mexican -teamsters in the cart war. - - [Illustration: A Texas Ranger.] - -The rangers, during the war of the United States with Mexico, were noted -for their courage and gallantry. "I have seen a goodly number of -volunteers in my day," a war correspondent wrote of them at that time, -"but the Texas rangers are choice specimens. From the time we left -Matamoras until we reached this place (Reynoso), the men never took off -their coats, boots, or spurs. And although the weather was rainy and two -fierce northers visited us, there was not a minute when any man's rifle -or pistol would have missed fire or he could not have been up and ready -for an attack."[35] - -Another writer describes the rangers in camp: "Men in groups, with long -beards and mustachios, were occupied in drying their blankets and -cleaning and firing their guns. Some were cooking at the camp-fires, -others were grooming their horses. They all wore belts of pistols around -their waists and slouched hats, the uniform of the Texas ranger. They -were a rough-looking set; but among them were doctors, lawyers, and many -a college graduate. While standing in their midst I saw a young fellow -come into the camp with a rifle on his shoulder and a couple of ducks in -his hand. He addressed the captain: 'Ben,' he said, 'if you haven't had -dinner, you'd better mess with me, for I know none of the rest have -fresh grub to-day.' - -The "captain" was Benjamin McCulloch, famous in the annals of the -rangers. He is thus described by Samuel Reid, one of his own men: - -"Captain McCulloch is a man of rather delicate frame, about five feet -ten inches in height, with light hair and complexion. His features are -regular and pleasing, though from long exposure on the frontier they -have a weatherbeaten cast. His quick, bright blue eyes and thin -compressed lips indicate the cool and calculating, as well as the brave -and daring, energy of the man." - -McCulloch was a Tennesseean by birth. His father served under General -Jackson during the Creek war. Ben followed the trade of a hunter until -he was twenty-one years old. In those days the settlers depended chiefly -on bear meat for food. If a man were a poor marksman he sometimes went -without his breakfast. But young McCulloch was a fine shot; he often -killed as many as eighty bears in the course of a season. - -He came to Texas with David Crockett. A fortunate illness kept him at -Nacogdoches until after the fall of the Alamo, where Crockett perished. -He served in the artillery at the battle of San Jacinto, and was one of -the first to join the "ranging service." He was in almost all the -expeditions of his time, and engaged in nearly all the fights. - -The most noted ranger of this period, however, was Colonel John Coffin -Hays, familiarly known as "Jack" Hays. Samuel Reid says of him: - -"I had heard so much of Colonel Hays that I was anxious to meet the -commander of our regiment. On this occasion I saw a group of gentlemen -sitting around a camp-fire. Among them were General Mirabeau Lamar, -Governor Henderson, and General McLeod, all distinguished men of Texas -whose names are enrolled on the page of history. As I cast my eyes -around the group, I tried to single out the celebrated partisan chief; -and I was much surprised to be introduced to a slender, delicate-looking -young man who proved to be Colonel Jack Hays. He was dressed quite -plainly, and wore the usual broad-brimmed Texas hat and a loose open -collar, with a black handkerchief tied carelessly around his neck. He -has dark brown hair and large, brilliant hazel eyes which are restless -in conversation and speak a language of their own not to be mistaken. -His forehead is broad and high. He looks thoughtful and careworn, though -very boyish. His modesty is extreme." - - [Illustration: John Coffin Hays] - -Colonel Hays was also a Tennesseean. He emigrated to Texas when but -nineteen years of age. His talent as a leader showed itself early; and -at the age of twenty-one (1840) he was placed in command of the -frontier, with the rank of major. He soon became famous as a fighter of -the Indians, by whom he was both feared and admired. "Me and Blue Wing," -said a Comanche chief on one occasion, "we no afraid to go anywhere -_together_, but Captain Jack _great brave_. He no afraid to go anywhere -_by himself_." - -His regiment of rangers which included McCulloch's company was foremost -in every battle of the war with Mexico. His word was law with his men. -Off duty he was a gay and pleasant companion; the rangers called him -Jack, but there was something about him which kept them from taking any -liberties with him. - -The rangers continued to serve the state after peace was made with -Mexico. In 1862 the legislature passed a law for the protection of the -frontier. This law provided for the raising of ten companies of rangers -of one hundred men each. Each company was to be divided, and the two -detachments stationed about one day's ride apart, just beyond the -settlements. - -The command of this regiment was given to Colonel J. H. Norris. He went -at once to the frontier. He distributed his soldiers from the Red River -to the Rio Grande, with orders for each company to send a scout every -day from one station to the next, the scout to return the following day. -This plan gave a patrol scout from Red River to the Rio Grande every -day. In addition to this, each company kept out a flying scout all the -time. - -"This," remarks an old ranger (E. L. Deaton), "was a busy year for both -rangers and Indians." - -On the 8th of January, 1864, five hundred rangers, under Captains -Gillentine, Fossett, and Totten, met and defeated two thousand Comanche -Indians on Dove Creek in what is now Tom Green County. This was one of -the last pitched battles fought with Indians on Texas soil. - -In later years the rangers have served as a sort of state police. Many a -stronghold of cattle thieves has been raided by them; many a nest of -desperadoes has been broken up; many a bitter neighborhood feud has been -settled. - -At the present time (1896) there are about two hundred rangers in the -service. They furnish their own horses, and receive forty dollars a -month; their rations and their arms being supplied by the state. - -Some of those noted for steady nerve and daring courage among the ranger -captains of earlier and later times are Colonel "Rip" Ford, Lawrence -Sullivan Ross (since governor of Texas, and called by his old comrades -"Sul" Ross), Colonel "Buck" Barry, Lieutenant Chrisman, Sergeants J. B. -Armstrong and L. P. Selker, and Captains Tom Wright, Jesse Lee Hall, and -L. B. McNulty. - - - 5. A CLOUD IN THE SKY. - -In the spring of 1848 there appeared on the streets of Austin a young -man wearing a costume which attracted much attention. It was composed of -gray stockings and knee breeches, with a black velvet tunic and -broad-brimmed, gray felt hat. The rather dashing-looking stranger was -evidently French, but he called himself an Icarian. He was, in fact, on -his way from New Braunfels, where he had been living, to Icaria, a new -settlement near the Cross Timbers in Fannin County. - -This settlement was founded by Etienne Cabet (Ca-ba), a Frenchman who -dreamed of establishing a community where nobody would be rich and -nobody would be poor, but all money and other property would be held in -common. Devotion to women and children, honesty, and the ability and -willingness to work for the good of the brotherhood were the chief rules -of the fraternity. They numbered in France in 1847 many thousand persons -of all classes. - -Cabet obtained from the Peters Immigration Company in 1847 a million -acres of land in North Texas. The land was given to him on condition -that a settlement should be made upon it before the 1st of July, 1848. -In January, 1848, the first cohort, numbering sixty-nine persons, -embarked at Havre, France. They arrived at Shreveport, Louisiana, the -following April. From there they marched on foot to their chosen home in -Texas, carrying firearms, household goods, and provisions. - -"Oh, if you could see Icaria!" they presently wrote back to the -brotherhood in France. "It is an Eden. The forests are superb; the -vegetation rich and varied. We have horses, cows, pigs, and chickens in -abundance.... Many Texans come to see us. They are good-natured and very -honest. We camp and sleep out of doors. We lock up nothing and are never -robbed."[36] - -Houses were built and fields ploughed and planted. By midsummer the -Icarians in their cosy hamlet were on the lookout for the second cohort -of colonists. But before it arrived the cholera broke out in Icaria. -Many of the settlers died; nearly all those who were left abandoned -their homes in a panic and returned to New Orleans, where Cabet himself -joined them with several hundred recruits from France. A new and more -fortunate Icarian settlement was finally made in Missouri. - -A few years later (1853) a procession, also composed of French -emigrants, passed along Main Street in Houston. They had just landed -from the steamboat _Eclipse_ on the bayou at the foot of the street. At -their head walked a tall gentleman in a velvet coat and three-cornered -hat. He carried a drawn sword in his hand, and the tricolored flag of -France floated above his head. His long white hair streamed over his -shoulders. The whole company, men, women, and children, sung the -Marseillaise hymn as they marched along. - -The tall gentleman was the Count Victor Considerant. He had come with -his followers from France to Texas to found a Phalanstery, a community -much like that already attempted by Cabet. His watchword was "Liberty -and Equality." The faces of the emigrants lighted with joy as they -traveled away over the prairies, following this beautiful vision. - -They founded their town on the east fork of the Trinity River, in Dallas -County, and called it Reunion. But the brotherhood soon fell to pieces. -The emigrants scattered over the country, finding it pleasanter to own -homes in a land of true liberty and equality, than to live by the -count's fine theories. - -Many descendants both of the Icarians and of Count Considerant's -colonists are to be met with in North Texas. - - -Sam Houston succeeded Runnels as governor in 1859. When he took his seat -at Austin, clouds from more than one quarter were gathering in the clear -sky of Texas. Roving bands of Indians from the Territory came across the -border and murdered in cold blood a number of families. At first they -stole in, made their raids, and dashed back in a single night. But they -grew more and more bold and insolent, until the governor was obliged to -send the rangers to their old work of watching the frontier. - -Lawrence Sullivan Ross, afterward governor of Texas, was at this time a -lieutenant in the ranging service. He was a gallant and dashing soldier. -During a raid on the Indians, on Pease River (1860), he rescued Cynthia -Ann Parker, a white woman, who had been carried away by the Comanches, -when but nine years of age. She had been a captive twenty-four years and -had forgotten her native tongue. She was the wife of Peta Nocona, a -Comanche chief, and the mother of several children. Lieutenant Ross -returned her to her kindred with her little daughter Ta-ish-put (Prairie -Flower). But she was not happy among these long-unknown white people; -she pined for her dusky adopted kinsmen; and four years after her rescue -she died, little Ta-ish-put soon following her to the Happy -Hunting-grounds. Inanah Parker, one of her sons, became a Comanche -chief. - -During this period a Mexican bandit named Cortina crossed the lower Rio -Grande into Texas at the head of four hundred men. Their object was -plunder, and in their forays a great many innocent people were killed. -The governor appealed to the general government at Washington for -protection along the Mexican border. - -The War Department in response ordered Colonel Robert E. Lee (afterward -famous as commander-in-chief of the Confederate States army), then -stationed at San Antonio, to attack the bandit and drive him out, -crossing the Rio Grande, if necessary, in pursuit. - -Some United States troops, with several companies of rangers, were at -once put in the field, and Cortina's band was soon broken up. - -These troubles were light, however, compared with those which were about -to follow. - -The two sections of the United States, the North and the South, had for -some years been drifting apart. Their views differed widely on several -important questions, particularly the question of states' rights, and -there seemed to be no chance of a mutual agreement. In 1860, at the time -Abraham Lincoln was elected President, the Southern States determined to -withdraw from the Union. They believed that each state had a right to -withdraw or secede from the Union whenever that Union became for any -reason undesirable to it, as the individual members of a family may -leave the paternal home if they wish to do so. But the Northern States -did not agree to this. They believed that the Union should be preserved, -and that the states should be held together--even by the power of the -sword. - -South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union. Texas, on -hearing of this news, was filled with excitement. Military companies -were formed all over the state; the air was thick with the flutter of -secession flags; the ground echoed the tramp of awkward squads drilling -under the eyes of officers as awkward and inexperienced and enthusiastic -as themselves. - -Governor Houston, as well as some other patriotic and true-hearted -Texans, was bitterly opposed to secession, but his voice was lost in the -loud clamor of public feeling. - -A convention was held in Austin in January, 1861. A declaration of -secession was drawn up and submitted to the people (February 23). Texas -by a large majority voted herself out of the Union, which she had -entered fifteen years before. - -There was wild rejoicing over the state. The capitol at Austin was -brilliantly illuminated, bonfires were lighted, bells were rung, the -Confederate flag was run up on all public buildings, and the work of -mustering troops into the Confederate States army instantly began. - - [Illustration: Confederate Flag.] - -All state officials were required to take the oath of fealty to the new -government. Governor Houston, true to his convictions, refused to do -this. When the day came for the ceremony (March 16), the hall of -representatives was filled to overflowing. "The presiding officer, amid -a profound silence, called three times: 'Sam Houston! Sam Houston! Sam -Houston!' but the governor remained in his office in the basement of the -capitol whittling a pine stick, and hearing the echo of the noise and -tumult above his head. Houston was declared deposed from his office, and -Edward Clark, the lieutenant-governor, was installed as governor."[37] - -Houston left Austin and retired to his place near Huntsville. To the end -of his life he continued to declare that, although opposed to the war of -the States, his sympathies were with Texas. "My state, right or wrong," -he said. One of his sons entered the Confederate army with his consent -and approval. - -He died July 26, 1863, at the age of seventy years. His last words, -whispered with dying lips, were: "Texas! Texas!" - -And Texas, forgetting all her differences with him, and remembering only -his ready and gallant services in her hours of need, mourned his loss as -that of a well-beloved son. - - - - - VIII. - GALVESTON. - (1861-1865.) - - - 1. A BUFFALO HUNT. - -The early months of the year 1861 in Texas were like one long holiday. -The country was dotted with white tents where the recruits were -encamped, and where, amid bursts of martial music and in all the glory -of brand new uniforms, the untried volunteers received their mothers and -sisters, and showed them with pride "how soldiers live in time of war." - -Every few days one of these camps would be broken up, the tents and camp -baggage would be loaded on wagons, and the "boys" would march to the -nearest town. There the whole population would be gathered to greet -them; a flag would be presented to them by the hand of some bright-eyed -girl, loud cheers would echo on the air, and the company would tramp -steadily away to take its place in the fighting ranks of the Confederate -States army. - -Many of these soldiers carried their negro body-servants with them; all -had abundant stores of clothing and bedding, and of those little -comforts and luxuries that only mothers know how to provide. Their young -faces were eager, their eyes were sparkling, and if there were sobs in -their throats as they said those last good-byes, the sobs were smothered -in the ringing cheers which mingled with the notes of "Dixie" or "The -Bonnie Blue Flag." - -They were soon to learn in many a tentless camp, on many a foot-sore -march, on many a bloody and hard-fought field, how soldiers really live -in time of war. - -But the days as yet were like one long holiday, although mother-hearts -ached in secret dread, and the scarred veterans of the Texan revolution -and of the Mexican War were filled with inward forebodings for the -future. - - -People along the frontier had been talking for some time about a great -buffalo hunt which was to take place that winter in the Pan Handle. John -R. Baylor, a noted hunter and scout, had, it was said, raised more than -a thousand men to go on this hunt, and a great many scouts and Indian -fighters had joined him. Among them was Ben McCulloch, who had done such -gallant service in Mexico under General Taylor. - -The buffalo hunt did not take place; but Colonel Ben McCulloch, with the -buffalo hunters, a thousand or more strong, appeared in San Antonio on -the 15th of February (1861). - -General David E. Twiggs, United States army, was at that time in command -of the troops in Texas. San Antonio was the most important of the United -States army posts in the southwest; a large amount of military stores -was in the arsenal, and soldiers were kept there ready to march at need -to the relief of the frontier forts. - -Colonel McCulloch, acting under orders of commissioners from Austin, -demanded the surrender of all military posts and supplies in the State -of Texas. General Twiggs on the 18th of February made a formal surrender -of the department. The United States troops were paroled and marched to -Indianola on the coast, where the _Star of the West_, an unarmed United -States steamer, was waiting to take them home. - -But when they reached Indianola (18th of April) the _Star of the West_ -and the gunboat _Mohawk_, which had been guarding her, had both -disappeared. The officer in command was in a quandary. He did not know -what to do. At length he placed his troops on two schooners and sailed -across the Matagorda Bay to the Gulf. - -In the meantime, on the 12th of April, at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, -the first gun of the Civil War had been fired. The struggle between the -States had begun. - -General Earl Van Dorn, of the Confederate army, was at this time in -command of the military department of Texas. His headquarters were at -Galveston. The island which the pirate Lafitte had left lone and -deserted when he sailed away in the _Pride_ now teemed with a busy and -prosperous people. The huts of Campeachy were replaced by stately -mansions, and beautiful gardens bloomed where sandy wastes had been. - -Several companies of soldiers were encamped without the city, awaiting -marching orders. General Van Dorn entered the camp one day, and after a -brief speech called for volunteers for an expedition which he was about -to undertake. The Galveston Artillery, the Island City Rifles, and an -Irish company called the Wigfall Guards, at once stepped forward, eager -for duty. - -The next night (17th of April), about midnight, the steamboat _General -Rusk_, with these volunteers on board, drew up alongside the _Star of -the West_, lying in the Gulf of Mexico, off Indianola. Captain Howe, of -the United States steamer, hearing himself hailed, came on deck, and -supposing these to be the United States troops he was expecting, he -politely ordered the _General Rusk_ to be made fast to his own boat. In -a twinkling the Confederate soldiers were aboard of the _Star of the -West_ demanding its surrender. - -"To what flag am I asked to surrender?" asked the astonished captain. -Ensign Duggan of the Wigfall Guards displayed the Lone Star flag of -Texas, and in his richest brogue exclaimed: "That's it! Look at it, me -byes. Did ye iver see the Texas flag on an Irish jackstaff before?"[38] - -Captain Howe, having neither arms nor soldiers, surrendered, and the -_Star of the West_ followed the _General Rusk_ to Galveston. - -This was why the United States troops the next morning (April 18) found -no steamer to carry them away. The two schooners upon which they -embarked were also captured several days later, having on board eight -hundred officers and men, with three hundred fine rifles and a large -quantity of camp supplies. - -But the Confederacy had no means of protecting the long stretch of Texas -coast. In July a blockading squadron--that is, a fleet of armed vessels -to prevent ships from entering or leaving the harbor--was stationed in -the Gulf off Galveston, and in a short time the whole coast was closely -guarded. - -In the fall of 1861 Frank R. Lubbock, who has been called the "war -governor" of Texas, was elected governor. By the close of his term -ninety thousand Texan soldiers were in the Confederate army. - -Early in 1862 a Texas brigade, under General Sibley, was defeated by the -Union forces in New Mexico, and forced to retreat to San Antonio with a -loss of five hundred men. - -In October of the same year the Confederates, unable to hold Galveston, -surrendered that place to Commodore Eagle of the blockading squadron, -and withdrew to Virginia Point on the mainland about six miles distant. -Many of the citizens of the town also left their homes; and amid a -silence almost as profound as that in which Lafitte landed on the island -nearly fifty years before, several hundred soldiers stepped ashore from -their boats and took possession of the place. The United States flag was -hoisted on the Custom-house; the soldiers settled into their quarters on -one of the wharves; the imposing vessels of the Federal squadron filled -the bay and the harbor. A mournful cry echoed throughout Texas: -"Galveston has fallen!" - - - 2. THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. - -The holiday look had long since disappeared from Texas. No battles had -been fought within her borders, but the blood of her brave sons had dyed -the sod of many a battlefield elsewhere. For the deadly conflict was -raging. The North and the South, fighting as brother against brother, -were pouring out their kindred blood day by day; the smoke of their -hostile guns darkened the very heavens. Many heroic deeds were done on -both sides--deeds which to-day thrill us with wonder and admiration. - -But there were frightful gaps in the ranks of those who had marched away -from Texas to the tune of "Dixie" or "The Bonnie Blue Flag." The gallant -lads who had showed off their brave uniforms in the holiday camps were -tramping about, barefoot, ragged, and hungry, in Virginia, in Tennessee, -in Georgia,--wherever there was an enemy to be attacked or an outpost to -be held. - -Their mothers and sisters at home were making lint and cartridges, -weaving and wearing homespun, making their own shoes and gloves, and -cheering the far-away "boys" with letters and with home-made gifts, and -praying, praying always. - -There were few able-bodied men left in the state. The women with the old -men and boys, aided by the negroes who remained loyal and trustworthy, -made the crops. As the war went on the prices of everything rose. Old -bills show that forty dollars a yard (Confederate money) was paid for -calico for a little girl's "best" dress; and seventy-five dollars was -paid for a boy's first pair of boots. A war-time arithmetic has among -its examples the following: - -"A cavalryman paid 200 dollars for his pistol and 4000 dollars for his -horse; how much did both cost him?" - -"At 20 dollars a pound, how much coffee can you buy for 40 dollars?" - -"If one hat costs 120 dollars, how much would eight hats cost?" - -Coffee and tea were replaced by drinks made of parched potatoes, or -burnt peas, and sassafras roots. The real articles which were brought -into the country occasionally by blockade-runners were known as -"blockade" coffee and tea, and were kept for the use of the sick. - -The blockade-runners were very daring and confident. Captain Henry -Sherffius of Houston, among others, was noted for his skill in slipping -through the line of big ships on watch along the coast of Texas. Once, -when he was leaving on one of his trips, he was so sure of himself and -his boat that he invited his friends to come to his wedding on a certain -day some weeks later. He came back at the appointed time, bringing with -him his wedding-cakes, baked in Vera Cruz, Mexico. - -The Mississippi River rolled, a wide barrier, between the two parts of -the Confederacy. Its banks were lined with Federal sharp-shooters, and -its yellow waters were dotted with Federal gunboats. It was difficult to -get news from the eastern side, where the greater part of the fighting -was done, and terrible were the times of waiting between the first -rumors of a battle and the receipt of the lists of the killed and -wounded. A noble and patriotic citizen of Houston, E. H. Cushing, -rendered a priceless service to Texas in this matter. He was at that -time and had been for years the editor of the _Houston Telegraph_. His -energy and his devotion to the Confederate cause were unceasing. He -established a pony express between the seat of war--wherever that -chanced to be--and Texas. His messengers somehow managed to get through -the lines when no one else could do so. They went and came, carrying and -bringing papers and dispatches, and above all, precious letters from the -boys in gray. Mr. Cushing's express also "ran" to Brownsville. - -At the close of the war this true patriot supplied money from his -private purse, not only to broken-down and crippled home-coming -Confederate soldiers, but to the home-going Federal prisoners from Camp -Ford.[39] - -The _Telegraph_ came out daily throughout the war, some of its later -numbers being printed on coarse yellow, red, and blue paper. - -Amid all the anxiety and hardship there was no thought of giving up. The -men of the South believed themselves to be fighting for a just cause; -the Northern soldiers were equally sincere in their convictions. And so -the war, grim and terrible, went on. - - -In the fall of 1862 General Magruder, Confederate States army, assumed -command of the Trans-Mississippi (that is, west of the Mississippi) -Department. He determined at once to attempt the recapture of Galveston. -He went to Virginia Point, where the Confederate troops were camped, and -there with great caution and secrecy made his plans. - -At the head of Galveston Bay, the _Neptune_ and the _Bayou City_, two -small steamboats, were bulwarked with cotton bales, mounted with cannon, -and manned with sharp-shooters from the Confederate States cavalry and -artillery. The _Lady Gwinn_ and the _John F. Carr_ were detailed to -accompany these vessels as tenders. This crude fleet was commanded by -Captain Leon Smith who had served in the navy of the Texas Republic. - -About midnight on the 31st of December, the boats moved down the bay to -a position above the town, where they quietly awaited General Magruder's -signal gun. - -Magruder had already crossed his troops to the island. They marched -swiftly through the deserted streets of the city, and, by the light of a -waning moon, planted their batteries. At five o'clock on New Year's -morning, 1863, the attack began. It was a complete surprise to the -Federals. - -The ships of the blockading fleet, under the command of Commodore -Renshaw, were nearly all within the bay. The _Harriet Lane_, commanded -by Commodore Wainwright, was lying near the wharf. At a little distance -was the iron-clad _Westfield_, Commodore Renshaw's flag-ship, attended -by the _Owasco_; still further out were the armed vessels, the _Clifton_ -and the _Sachem_, and the barges the _Elias Park_ and the _Cavallo_. - -The war-ships answered the fire of Magruder's batteries with a terrific -hail of iron; once the Confederate gunners were driven from their guns. -But the _Neptune_ and the _Bayou City_ steamed up to the _Harriet Lane_ -and attacked her at close quarters, pouring a hot fire into her from -behind the rampart of cotton bales. - -The _Neptune_ with a hole in her hull made by a cannon-ball soon sank in -shallow water. The _Bayou City_ was also disabled. The Confederate -sharp-shooters leaped on board the _Harriet Lane_, and, after a bloody -fight on her deck, captured her.[40] Commodore Wainwright was killed -early in the action. First Lieutenant Lea was mortally wounded. - -The Union infantry made a gallant resistance to the land attack, but -they were finally obliged to surrender. - -The _Sachem_, the _Clifton_, and the _Owasco_ stood out to sea and -escaped. The _Westfield_ ran aground and was blown up to prevent her -capture. Commodore Renshaw and his officers had left the vessel, but -their boats were too near when the explosion took place prematurely, and -they perished with her. The _Harriet Lane_ and the barges, with several -hundred prisoners, remained in the hands of the victors. - -The loss in this battle on the Confederate side was twelve killed and -seventy wounded. The Federals lost one hundred and fifty killed and many -wounded. - -Among the mortally wounded were two young soldiers, the story of whose -death even yet stirs the heart to pity. One fell fighting under the -starry cross of the Confederacy. The other dropped on the bloody deck of -the _Harriet Lane_ under the shadow of the stars and stripes. The -Confederate was Lieutenant Sidney Sherman, son of the gallant veteran, -General Sidney Sherman, who led the infantry charge at San Jacinto. The -lieutenant was hardly more than a boy. The blood oozed from his wounds -as he lay dying, but the smile of victory parted his lips. Suddenly his -blue eyes grew soft and tender; "Break this gently to my mother," he -whispered. These were his last words. - -The young Union soldier was Edward Lea, first lieutenant of the _Harriet -Lane_. His wounds were also fatal. But as his life was ebbing away he -heard his name spoken in a tone of agony. He opened his eyes. His -father, Major Lea of the Confederate army, was kneeling beside him. -Father and son had fought on opposite sides that dark New Year's -morning. The pale face of the young lieutenant lighted with joy; and -when a little later the surgeon told him he had but a moment to live, he -answered with the confidence of a little child and with his latest -breath, "My father is here." - -The two lads cold in death rested almost side by side on their funeral -biers that day,--brothers in death, brothers forever in the memory of -those who looked upon their calm young faces. - -Lieutenant Lea and Commodore Wainwright were buried with military honors -from General Magruder's headquarters, Major Lea reading the service for -the burial of the dead. - -The body of young Sherman was carried to his beloved mother, who in her -home on the bay had listened with a beating heart to the cannonading of -the battle in which her son's brave young life had ended. - - - 3. HOME AGAIN. - -A small earthwork called Fort Griffin had been built by the Confederates -on the Texas side of Sabine Pass at the mouth of the Sabine River. It -was protected by five light guns and garrisoned by the Davis Guards, a -company from Houston commanded by Captain Odlum. The first lieutenant of -the company was Dick Dowling, an Irishman but twenty years of age. - -Fort Griffin, though small, was a place of much importance. Sabine Pass -was a sort of outlet for the pent-up Confederacy. Blockade-runners, in -spite of the Federal ships stationed in the Gulf, were always slipping -out of the Sabine River, loaded with cotton for Cuba or Europe, and -stealing in with arms and supplies from Mexico. - - [Illustration: Richard Dowling.] - -Soon after the battle of Galveston, Major Oscar Watkins, Confederate -States navy, was sent by General Magruder with two cotton-clad -steamboats, the _Josiah Bell_ and the _Uncle Ben_, to annoy the -blockading fleet at Sabine Pass. After a skirmish and an exciting chase, -he succeeded in capturing two United States ships, the _Velocity_ and -the _Morning Light_ (January 21, 1863). - -The United States then determined to take Fort Griffin and land at -Sabine Pass a force large enough to overawe that part of the country. -Twenty-two transports carried the land troops, about fifteen thousand in -number, to the Pass. Four gunboats, the _Sachem_, the _Clifton_, the -_Arizona_, and the _Granite City_, accompanied them, to bombard the fort -and cover the landing of the soldiers. The expedition was under the -command of General Franklin. - -When this formidable fleet appeared at Sabine Pass, Captain Odlum was -absent and Lieutenant Dowling was in command of Fort Griffin. His whole -force consisted of forty-two men. He ordered the "Davys," as they were -called, to stay in the bombproofs until he himself should fire the first -gun. Then, hidden by the earthwork, he watched the approach of the -gunboats. - -The _Clifton_ steamed in and opened the attack from her pivot gun, -throwing a number of shells which dropped into the fort and exploded. -The _Sachem_ and the _Arizona_ followed, pouring in broadsides from -their thirty-two-pound cannon. - -No reply came from the fort, which seemed to be deserted. The gunboats -came nearer and nearer. Suddenly a shot from the fort clove the air and -fell hissing into the water beyond the _Arizona_. The fight at once -became furious. The _Clifton_ and the _Arizona_ moved backward and -forward, vomiting huge shells which tore the earthwork of the fort and -filled the air with dust. Ships and fort seemed wrapped in flame. The -_Sachem_ meanwhile was stealing into the Pass toward the unprotected -rear of the fort. But a well-aimed shot from Dowling's battery struck -her, crushing her iron plating and causing her to rise on end and quiver -like a leaf in the wind. She was at the mercy of the fort, and her flag -was instantly lowered. The _Clifton_ kept up the fight with great skill -and bravery. But she soon ran aground in the shallows, where she -continued to fire until a shot passed through her boiler, completely -wrecking her. A white flag was run up at her bow, and the battle was -over. The _Arizona_ and the _Granite City_ steamed out to the -transports, whose men had watched the fight with breathless interest. - -The fleet at once retired, leaving the _Sachem_ and the _Clifton_ to the -"Davys."[41] - -Three hundred Union soldiers were taken prisoners. Captain Crocker of -the _Clifton_ came ashore with a boat's crew, and, mounting the parapet, -asked for the commanding officer. Lieutenant Dowling, covered with the -dust of the fort, presented himself as the person sought. - -The gallant Federal in his handsome uniform could hardly believe that -this dirty little boy was his conqueror, or that the handful of men -before him comprised the force which had so calmly awaited a hostile -fleet and defeated it.[42] - -Eight months afterward the United States gunboats, the _Granite City_ -and the _Wave_, were captured at Sabine Pass. - -In November and December, 1863, General Banks took possession of the -Texas coast, protecting it with a land force from Brownsville to -Indianola. Within a short time, however, he withdrew his troops, leaving -only a garrison at Brownsville. But the cruel war was fast drawing to a -close. The Confederate army, thinned in ranks and in need of food, as -well as of powder and of shot, could no longer be maintained. There were -no men to take the place of those who fell in battle; the untilled -fields gave no harvests; the coasts were so guarded that the most -reckless blockade-runner, could no longer get in with supplies. On the -9th of April, 1865, General Robert E. Lee, commander-in-chief of the -Confederate army, surrendered to General U. S. Grant at Appomattox Court -House in Virginia. - -Before this news reached Texas the last skirmish of the war had taken -place near Brownsville (April 13) between some of Banks' soldiers and a -party of Confederates. The scene of this skirmish was the old -battlefield of Palo Alto. - -On the 30th of May Generals Kirby Smith and Magruder went on board the -United States ship _Fort Jackson_ at Galveston and made a formal -surrender of the Trans-Mississippi Department. - -On the 19th of June General Granger, United States army, took command at -the island and announced the freedom of the negroes. - -The great Civil War was over. - -Several thousand Texans lost their lives in the Confederate States army -during the four years' war. Among the distinguished dead were General -John Gregg, first general of Hood's brigade, Colonels Tom Lubbock and -Tom Green, the famous scout Ben McCulloch, General Granbury, Colonel -Rogers, and many others. To these may be added General Albert Sidney -Johnston, always claimed by Texas as her son, and who in death rests -upon her bosom. - - -The war was over. The ragged, foot-sore, hungry soldiers who had so -proudly worn the gray began to come home. Many who had gone away -round-faced boys came back lank and hollow-eyed men. Many were maimed -and crippled; many were sick; all were forlorn and discouraged. They saw -with despair their weed-grown fields, their dilapidated houses, and -rotting fences. The wives and mothers, whose husbands and sons had laid -down their lives for a lost cause, looked at the more fortunate wives -and mothers whose husbands and sons had been spared to them, and wept. -And all wondered how they could ever take up their ruined lives again. - -But time is merciful. The gloom did not last always. The Blue and the -Gray clasped hands before many years had passed, and once more the Lone -Star of Texas blazed in a cloudless sky. - - - - - IX. - A FLIGHT OF YEARS. - (1865-1900.) - - -The time indeed came when the Blue and the Gray joined hands, and the -Lone Star shone once more in a cloudless sky. But that time was not yet. -The years which followed the Civil War were bitter and sorrowful ones -for Texas. - -After the surrender General Granger continued to hold military -possession of the state. - -Before his arrival Pendleton Murrah, who had succeeded Lubbock in 1863, -had left his office in the hands of the lieutenant-governor Fletcher S. -Stockdale, and gone to Mexico. - -Andrew J. Hamilton was appointed provisional governor by President -Johnson. He arrived at Galveston in July (1865), and at once assumed the -duties of his office. - -He ordered an election of delegates to a convention which was called for -the purpose of framing a new constitution. - -But no man was allowed to vote who had borne arms against the United -States. The majority of Texas men had fought against the Union; they -therefore took little interest in an election of delegates for whom they -could not vote. - -The convention met (February, 1866), the new constitution was drawn up -and submitted for ratification to such of the people as were "loyal to -the United States, and none others"; and in June James W. Throckmorton -was elected governor. - -A few months later the United States government decided to place the -state again under military rule. Louisiana and Texas were constituted a -Military District with headquarters at New Orleans. General Philip -Sheridan was placed in command, and General Charles Griffin was ordered -to Texas with several thousand troops to enforce military rule (March, -1867). His headquarters were at Galveston. - -All elections except those under control of his officers were forbidden -by General Griffin. An oath, known as the "iron-clad oath," was required -of all voters. The newly freed negroes were for the first time placed on -juries and encouraged to vote. - -It was during this time that the remains of the great soldier General -Albert Sidney Johnston were removed from New Orleans to Austin for final -burial. - -At Houston, when the funeral train rolled into the station, it was met -by a procession of five hundred ladies and little girls. The coffin was -borne to the old Houston Academy, where for a day and night it lay in -state, amid the mournful tolling of bells. - -In July Governor Throckmorton, upon reports made by General Griffin, was -removed from office by General Sheridan, and E. M. Pease appointed in -his place. - - [Illustration: General Albert Sidney Johnston.] - -In September, 1869, Governor Pease, vexed and wearied by the strife and -discord around him, resigned his thankless office. For a time there was -no governor, a military adjutant performing the duties of the place. - -In 1870 Edmund J. Davis was inaugurated governor and held the office -four years. He was succeeded in 1874 by Richard Coke, with Richard B. -Hubbard as lieutenant-governor. - -The dark and stormy period from the surrender to the close of Governor -Davis' term of office has since been known in Texas as the -"Reconstruction Time." - -At the time of Governor Davis' election, the military was finally -withdrawn from the state, the citizens were restored to their civil -rights, and Texas was readmitted to the Union. During his administration -a Homestead Law was passed, a one-per-cent tax was levied for the -building of schoolhouses, and the growth of railroads was encouraged by -liberal grants of land. - -But there was still a great deal of trouble and discontent, and it was -not until Governor Coke took his seat that the state, so long shaken by -contention, began once more to breathe freely and to put forth the -strength within her. - -Governor Coke served from 1874 to 1876; in 1876 he was elected to the -United States senate, and Richard B. Hubbard became governor -(1876-1879). - -The governors who guided the Ship of State from 1879 to 1895 were Oran -M. Roberts (1879-1883), John Ireland[43] (1883-1887), Lawrence S. Ross -(1887-1891), and James S. Hogg (1891-1895). - -In 1894 Charles A. Culberson became governor, and in 1896 he was -returned by a large majority to the same office. On his election by the -legislature in 1897 to the senate of the United States, he was succeeded -by Joseph D. Sayers, who was the chief executive of the great state of -Texas at the close of the nineteenth century. - -These years have been marked by many wonderful changes in Texas. Not the -least of these changes has been the growth of the great public school -system. The first free school in Texas was opened at San Antonio in -1844. A state public school system was organized in 1870. From these -imperfect beginnings to the admirable system of to-day, when an army of -earnest and gifted men and women are banded together in the noble work -of teaching, and countless multitudes of children pass daily in and out -of the schoolroom,--from that gray dawn to this blazing noontide, what a -change! - -The cause of education has indeed been ever in the minds and hearts of -the people. - - [Illustration: The Sam Houston Normal Institute.] - -An Agricultural and Mechanical College was founded at Bryan, and opened -in 1876. - -In 1879 a State Normal School for teachers, called the Sam Houston -Normal Institute, was established at Huntsville, Governor Houston's old -home. A few years later the Prairie View, a normal school for colored -teachers, was established. - -A State University was founded in 1881. The fine group of buildings -crowning one of Austin's green hills was finished and thrown open to the -young men and women students of the state in 1883. - -The first president of the University Board of Regents was Doctor Ashbel -Smith. After his services to the Texan Republic, Doctor Smith devoted -himself to scientific study and to the free practice of the medical -profession. In 1861 he enlisted in the Confederate States army. He was -elected a captain in the second Texas regiment of infantry, and was -promoted to the colonelcy on the battlefield of Shiloh for personal -bravery. He was in command of the post of Galveston at the time of the -final surrender. He was chairman of the committee sent from Galveston to -New Orleans to escort to Texas the remains of General Albert Sidney -Johnston. - - [Illustration: The University of Texas.] - -His wise counsels were of great service during those troublous times. -The joy and pride of this truly great man's declining years was the -University of Texas. He lived to see it answer to his highest hopes; and -his memory should be eternally associated with its fame. - -In 1895 the Board of Regents was authorized to manage all lands -belonging to the University; at the same time the office of president -was created. - -A number of charitable and other public institutions have been added to -those already in existence. The new Penitentiary at Rusk (1877), a State -Orphan's Asylum at Corsicana (1881), and two Insane Asylums, one at -Terrell (1883) and one at San Antonio (1890), are among these. In 1891 -the John B. Hood Camp of Confederate Veterans at Austin was taken under -the kindly care of the state, and its name changed to the Texas -Confederate Home. - -Many state questions of importance have been considered; new laws have -been made and old ones improved. - -The public debt has been reduced. A new constitution has been adopted by -the people (1875). - -The state revenues have been materially increased by the introduction of -wiser and better regulations. The school tax has been raised. -Arbitration laws have been passed, greatly to the advantage of -disputants; and anti-trust laws have been enforced. - -In 1895 suit was brought by Texas, in the Supreme Court of the United -States, for Greer County, a body of land on Red River claimed both by -the United States government and by Texas. The decision of the Supreme -Court (April, 1896) awarded the county to the United States. - - [Illustration: The Old Alamo Monument.] - -A new court, called the Commission of Appeals, was created in 1881; the -same year an admirable quarantine system was established, with a special -station at Galveston. - -A memorable feature of the year 1895 was the extra session of the -legislature called for the purpose of making prize fighting illegal in -the state of Texas. The brutal and degrading sport was promptly declared -a felony, and a law was passed prohibiting it on penalty of confinement -in the Penitentiary. - -On the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898 Texas furnished more -than her quota of eager and determined volunteers to the United States -army; the sons of the men who wore the gray donned the blue uniform and -wore it proudly and worthily throughout the campaign. - -A railroad commission was formed in 1891. In 1891, also, the United -States government began at Galveston the building of jetties to improve -the entrance to the harbor. These jetties, which are a double line of -gigantic stone walls, reach out from the land into the Gulf. The action -of the tides within this artificial channel washes out the sand, and -thus deepens it. The channel, though damaged by the great flood of 1900, -was not materially injured. Similar jetties were built at Sabine Pass -and at Aransas Pass. - -In 1881 the old capitol at Austin was burned, and with it many priceless -relics of the earlier days of Texas. Among these was the old monument -dedicated in 1857 to the heroes of the Alamo. It was built of stones -from the ruined fortress and stood on the porch of the capitol. It was -inscribed with the names of Travis and his men; and the four sides of -the shaft bore the following inscriptions: - - _North._ "To the God of the fearless and the free is dedicated this - altar, made from the stones of the Alamo." - - _West._ "Blood of heroes hath stained me. Let the stones of the Alamo - speak that their immolation be not forgotten." - - _South._ "Be they enrolled with Leonidas in the host of the mighty - dead." - - _East._ "Thermopylæ had her messenger of defeat, but the Alamo had - none." - -A new monument, upon whose summit stands, rifle in hand, the statue of a -Texas ranger, has been placed in the capitol grounds. - -The legislature which met soon after the burning of the old capitol -provided for the erection of a new one. Three million acres of public -lands were set aside to meet this expense. The new building was finished -and dedicated in 1888. - -The historic old church of the Alamo was purchased by the state in 1883. -The battlefield of San Jacinto has also become the property of the -state. This beautiful spot, consecrated by the blood of heroes, is -guarded by the same encircling trees, which, clad in the green of -spring's livery, looked down upon the birth of freedom on that long-past -21st of April. May the coming centuries see them still standing, mute -witnesses to the bravery of men who had no peer! - - - - - X. - THE NEW CENTURY. - - -The last year of the nineteenth century witnessed in Texas a calamity -which wrapped the state in gloom and stirred the entire country to -instant and generous sympathy. This was the Great Flood at Galveston. - -Earlier in the same year (April 7) the city of Austin had suffered a -severe loss through water. The wonderful barrier of granite--the largest -dam in the world--which imprisoned the waters of the Colorado River -between the wooded hills on either side, thus forming an artificial lake -thirty miles long, had suddenly given way; the mighty torrent set free -had poured through the gap, carrying ruin with it and leaving havoc -behind. - -In August, 1899, there had been a flood of unusual magnitude in the -Brazos River. An angry sea had swirled down from the Red Lands above; -the long and fertile valley of the Brazos was laid waste; several lives -were lost, and much valuable property was destroyed. But these floods -were dwarfed in importance by the tidal wave from the sea which on -September 8 and 9, 1900, beat against the Gulf coast and fell with -special violence upon the Island of Galveston. - -A blinding storm of rain fell ceaselessly throughout the whole of the -first day; a furious wind drove the salt spray across the island from -Gulf to bay. By nightfall the streets were submerged; the lower floors -of many dwellings were under water. During the night of horror which -followed, the railroad bridge connecting the island with the mainland -was swept away, and the city lay isolated and helpless at the mercy of -the hurricane. As the hours passed the people huddled together in their -rocking houses, climbed to the upper stories and out upon the roofs, -with the savage flood climbing after them. Thousands were swept to death -from these insecure places of refuge. Whole blocks of buildings crumbled -like so many sand houses into the waters; the foamy waves were strewn -with a mass of wreckage: shingles, beams, furniture, household goods, -animals dead and dying, human beings battling for their lives in the -darkness or drifting stark and stiff with the storm. - -Many stories of heroism, of self-sacrifice, of pathetic devotion, are -told of that awful night; many strange incidents are related. Strong men -perished, while frail and delicate women survived unhurt; skilled -swimmers succumbed; helpless babes floated to safety. One little child, -torn from its mother's arms by the gale, drifted through the débris, -across the island, across the bay, and was found the next day, quite -unharmed, nested like a bird in the limbs of an oak tree on the -mainland! - -When the morning dawned, pale and wan, a ghastly spectacle met the dazed -eyes of the survivors. The waters, receding sullenly, exposed masses of -ruins; thousands of corpses strewed the uneven sands; not a sound from -the outer world penetrated the dismal silence. There was a single moment -of paralyzed despair; then, with a splendid courage, almost without -parallel, the stricken people took heart and set life in motion again -for themselves and for their beloved city. Help poured in from every -direction: money, provisions, clothing, doctors, nurses; best of all, -words of sympathy and cheer, which lightened the task. In an incredibly -short time almost all traces of the Great Flood had disappeared, and the -lovely island lay serene and smiling, as before, on the bosom of the -Gulf. It is believed that from six thousand to seven thousand people -perished in the storm. - -In September, 1901, a sea wall, planned for the protection of the island -against such storms, was begun; this enclosing wall, which is to cost -one and a half million dollars, will be when finished sixteen feet broad -at the base, sixteen feet high, and five feet in breadth at the top. - -The dawn of the twentieth century was marked by the discovery of -petroleum in vast quantities in southeast Texas. In the earliest days of -Lone Star history, certain of the incurving bays west of the Sabine -River were known as the Oil Ponds, because they offered upon their -smooth surface a secure refuge from the stormy Gulf outside to all -manner of sailing craft. The meaning of their strange quiet was -undreamed of until the first well on Spindletop Heights near Beaumont -shot its geyser of oil hundreds of feet in the air. The oil wells at -Beaumont and elsewhere now number many scores; their rich output seems -inexhaustible. - -Long-continued droughts and the appearance of the boll weevil, an insect -very destructive to the growing cotton, marred the splendor of this -opening year. Vigorous measures have been taken to exterminate the boll -weevil, and despite all drawbacks the crops of cotton, corn, and rice -have steadily increased in size and in value. - -In 1903 S. W. T. Lanham was inaugurated governor. - - - - - XI. - TEXAS. - - - FROM THE DOME OF THE CAPITOL. - -On the 16th of May, 1888, there was a mighty gathering of people at -Austin. They had come--men, women, and children--from every quarter of -the great state: from the Pan Handle and from the coast; from the wide -prairies of the west, and the wooded hills and valleys of the east. -There was a throb of pride in every heart and a sparkle of joy in every -eye; for Texas was about to give a housewarming, as it were, and her -children had met together to have a share in the home feast,--the new -capitol was to be dedicated. - -The beautiful City of Hills was bathed in a flood of golden sunshine. -The air was sweet with the breath of roses blooming in the gardens. A -thousand flags and pennons and banners fluttered from housetops, floated -from tall flag-poles, and waved from open windows. There was music -everywhere, and everywhere the tread of moving feet and the gay noise -and confusion of a happy crowd. - -From the crest of its long sloping hill the new capitol, vast and -majestic, looked down on all this life and color. Its massive walls -arose like the facade of some proud temple; its pillars of rosy granite -reflected the light; its great dome soared into the blue sky. No wonder -the people burst into shouts of delight on beholding it! - -The dedication ceremonies took place at noon in the presence of an -immense throng of citizens and soldiers. Among the orators of the -occasion was Temple Houston, a son of General Sam Houston. The day was -one long to be remembered. At night the noble building was illuminated, -and the lofty halls and corridors were filled for hours with the best, -the bravest, and the fairest of the sons and daughters of Texas. - - [Illustration: New Capitol at Austin (1888).] - -In the old days when the world still believed in fairies and gnomes and -elves and water-sprites, it was thought that each country had its -guardian spirit, or genie, who watched over it and protected it from -evil. If the poets of those far-away times were now alive, they might -picture the Genie of Texas standing, invisible, on the huge dome of the -capitol, looking out over her beloved state, and saying, "All is well -with my people." They might imagine her describing the scene under her -eyes to the guardians of other states in words like these: - -"I see around me, widespread and beautiful, the free State of Texas. -Below me, clad in flowers and bathed in mellow light, lies Austin. -Crowning the hills, on which fifty years ago the Red Man dwelt in his -wigwams and hunting-lodges, are stately government buildings, mansions, -and churches. The enclosing gardens, rich in the herbs and blossoms of a -semi-tropical region, are fair under the over-arching blue sky. In their -midst, crowning its own hill-tops, stands the University planned by the -Republic in 1839. Here the young men and the young women of the state, -alike eager in effort and high in achievement, move about the hushed -halls, or pass, book in hand, through the academic grove without. - -"To southward, beyond prairies threaded by the crystal waters of the -rivers San Marcos and Guadalupe, I see San Antonio, that old town filled -with memories of heroic deeds. The Alamo, treasured by my people, still -stands on the plaza once dyed by the blood of Travis and his men. But -how the gallant St. Denis would stare if he could come riding up and -look from the brow of his favorite hill into the valley he loved! The -village has become a great city. The streets are alive with traffic, -handsome houses line the river-banks almost to the old Missions of -Concepcion and San José. The United States army post is there as of old, -with the stars and stripes proudly waving over its fine buildings. - -"To east and southeastward are Goliad and Gonzales, sacred in the pages -of Texas history; and the river La Vaca, up which La Salle and his men -sailed to build ill-fated Fort St. Louis; and the San Jacinto, washing -the reedy edge of the famous battle-ground. There are Houston and -Columbia, whose streets in the early days were trod by the fathers of -the Republic. There is Nacogdoches; and there is the Old San Antonio -Road, which is still a traveled highway; and many a town which played -its part in the stirring scenes of past times. - -"Northward and westward lies the newer Texas with thriving cities, such -as Dallas and Fort Worth, Sherman and Denison; and Waco on the site -where half a century ago stood the village of the music-loving Wacoes. - -"A wonderful network of railroads binds all these towns and cities -together--a network which has been woven as if by magic. In 1852 the -_Sidney Sherman_, the first locomotive engine west of the Mississippi -River, ran out of Harrisburg on a short stretch of railroad. Now there -are nine thousand miles of railroad in the state. - -"Every year vast fields of grain lie golden and ripe for the harvest, -where a short time ago plover and partridge hid in the prairie grass. -Along the coast the rich plantations of sugar cane wave and rustle in -the breeze, and the smoke of the sugarhouses at grinding-time is black -against the sky. - - [Illustration: Ashbel Smith.] - -"In Stephen F. Austin's day there were little patches of cotton about -the cabin doors of the settlers. To-day Texas grows one-third of the -cotton raised in the world. No fleece so white, no stalks so weighted -with bursting bolls, no fiber so strong and yet so delicate, as that of -the cotton of Texas. - -"I see," the Genie might continue, "I see orchards of fruit trees, and -vegetable gardens, and rose bowers, making green and glad the face of -the country. - -"I see at Galveston and Sabine Pass the largest ships now sailing with -ease, where in 1863 the _Westfield_ and the _Clifton_ grounded in mud or -on a sand-bar. - -"A mighty bulwark, sprung up as if by magic, stretches its arms around -the Island City and guards it from any fury of the sea. - -"The mysterious and limitless pools and lakes which lie far below the -surface of Texas soil have been forced into service. I see artesian -wells spouting their sturdy columns of clear healing water in hundreds -of places; and reservoirs of oil, whose fountain-head no man knows, -yield their priceless gifts to the hand. - -"Herds of cattle swarm about the great ranches of the west; while in the -vast unfenced solitudes soft-eyed antelopes, and other wild creatures of -the forest, still rove in primeval freedom. - -"Libraries spring up; new institutions for the afflicted arise; smiling -homes invite to comfort and repose the thinning ranks of the veterans of -the Southern Confederacy. - -"Last, and best of all, wherever there is a quiet hamlet or a growing -town or a busy city, I see a schoolhouse. It may be but a rude cabin, -where through the unchinked logs the children may watch the birds -building their nests, or it may be a stately building which glorifies -the memory of some generous giver, like the Ball and Rosenburg Schools -at Galveston; it may be a crowded little place where the boys kick their -heels against time-worn benches, or it may be the handsome University of -Texas. But big or little, stone building or log cabin, there is always -the schoolhouse; and within it the school children, the future men and -women of the state. Upon them, even more than upon railroad or cotton -crop, depend the prosperity and welfare of the state. I breathe a prayer -for all who tread this free and unfettered soil to-day; but chiefly I -call down blessings upon the school children of Texas. - -"All is well with my people." - -So might speak the Genie of Texas from the dome of the capitol. - - - - - PRONUNCIATION. - - - Acequia (Ah sa' kee ah) - Adaes (Ah dah' ess) - Aes (Ah' ess) - Aguayo (Ah gwah' yo) - Aimable (A mah bl) - Alamo (Ah' lah mo) - Alazan (Ah' lah zan) - Almonte (Al mon' ta) - Alvarez (Al' vah ress) - Ampudia (Am poo' dee ah) - Anahuac (An' ah wak) - Andrade (An drah' da) - Arredondo (Ar ra don' do) - Anastase (Ah nas taze') - Barbier (Bar bee a) - Beaujeu (Bo zhuh) - Benevidas (Ba na vee' das) - Belleisle (Bel eel) - Bexar (Bair) - Bustamente (Boos ta man' ta) - Cabet (Ca ba) - Castenado (Kas ta nah' do) - Champ d'Asile (Chon dazile) - Coahuila (Ko ah wee' lah) - Colito (Ko lee' to) - Cordero (Kor da ro) - De Pagès (Pa jess) - Desloges (Da loj) - Duhaut (Du ho) - Elisondo (El ee son' do) - Espiritu Santo (Ess pee' ree too) - Filisola (Fee lee so' lah) - Garza (Gar' ssa) - Grand Terre (Gron Tair) - Guadalupe (Gwah dah loop' a) - Gutierrez (Goo tee a' ress) - Herrera (A ra' rah) - Indios Bravos (In' dee oss Brah' voss) - Indios Reducidos (Ra doo see' doss) - Joli (Zho lie) - José (Ho sa') - Joutel (Zhoo tel) - La Bahia (Lah Bah ee' ah) - Martinez (Mar tee' ness) - Mier (Mee' ah) - Mina (Mee' nah) - Moragnet (Mo rah nya) - Musquis (Moos keess') - Natchitoches (Nak ee tosh) - Neches (Na' chez) - Nika (Nee kah) - Orquisacas (Or kee sah' kass) - Ory (O ree) - Pedro (Pa' dro) - Perez (Pa ress) - Perote (Pa ro' ta) - Piedras (Pee a' drass) - Plaza (Pla' zah) - Presidio (Pra see' dee o) - Refugio (Ra foo' jee o) - Saget (Sah ja) - Saltillo (Sal tee' yo) - San Felipe (Fa lee' pa) - Santa Fé (Fa) - St. Denis (San De nee) - Toledo (To la' do) - Tonti (Ton tee) - Ugartechea (Oo gar ta cha' ah) - Urrea (Oo ra' ah) - Zacetacas (Zah ka tah' kas) - Zavala (Zah vah' lah) - - - - - FOOTNOTES. - - -[1]Called by the Spaniards, La Vaca. - -[2]Now Dimmitt's Point on the La Vaca. - -[3]L'Archevêque afterward returned to America and settled in Santa Fé, - New Mexico, where he married and died, and where his descendants - still live. See A. F. Bandelier's _Gilded Man_. - -[4]La Salle never married. His title was inherited by his brother, - numerous descendants of whom are living in Louisiana. - -[5]Charles II. - -[6]The name more probably was derived from the Tehas Indians, a tribe - whose central village was built on the present site of Mound Prairie. - -[7]_Alamo_, cottonwood. - -[8]These Spanish and Indian builders were called "The Children of San - José." - -[9]A Mexican dance. - -[10]Salcedo, the Spanish commander at Monterey, said that if "he had the - power he would stop even the birds from flying across the Sabine." - -[11]Nolan afterward claimed to have made this map for the benefit of the - United States government in case of a war with Spain. He wrote, upon - the eve of this journey: "Will we have a war? At all events, I can - cut my way back and you can rely upon me." (Letter to General - Wilkinson, June 10, 1797.) - -[12]Ellis Bean's diary. - -[13]Burr at this time was suspected of a design to separate the - southwestern states from the Union and found a new government. - -[14]Charles IV. and Maria Louisa of Parma. - -[15]Natchitoches is about forty miles from the Sabine River in a direct - line. The Neutral Ground, therefore, was about thirty-three miles - wide. It extended southward to the mouth of the Calcasieu River. The - choice of the Arroyo Hondo as a boundary was the revival of an old - compromise. The French and Spanish commandants, as early as 1719, - agreed upon the Arroyo Hondo as a convenient boundary between - Louisiana and New Spain. This agreement was observed until 1762, when - the whole of Louisiana west of the Mississippi was ceded to Spain. - The Sabine River, by a state treaty (1819), was finally fixed as the - boundary. - -[16]Baron de Bastrop had been an officer in the army of Frederic the - Great. - -[17]_Texas Scrap Book._ - -[18]Benjamin Milam was a native of Kentucky. He fought in the War of - 1812 against Great Britain. In 1823 he received from the Mexican - government, for services rendered in the deposition of Iturbide, one - million of acres of land in Texas, which he sold to Baring & Co., - London. - - He also obtained from the government of Coahuila and Texas the - exclusive right to run steamboats on the Colorado River. He was - unable, however, to avail himself of this right. - -[19]Robert Calder. - -[20]General Burleson had remained in camp during the storming of the - city. He entered on the 9th. (Official Report.) - -[21]Horseshoe Bend. - -[22]A man named Rose, who escaped by leaping from the wall. - -[23]This battle, called by the Mexicans the battle of the Encinal del - Perdido, began at one o'clock P.M. - -[24]Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, the father of Hal Ripley, was a - brigadier-general in the United States army, and greatly - distinguished himself in the war with Great Britain in 1812. He was - afterward a member of the United States Congress from Louisiana. - -[25]Colonel Garay was a native of Greece. - -[26]Houston left Gonzales, March 13. Reached Burnham's Crossing, on the - west bank of the Colorado, March 17. Crossed to the east bank of the - Colorado and marched down to Beason's Crossing, March 19. Reached San - Felipe on the Brazos, March 28. Marched up the Brazos (west bank) to - Mill's Creek and Groce's Landing. Remained at Groce's Landing until - April 12. Crossed the Brazos (April 12) to Groce's Plantation. - Marched on the 14th; reached Buffalo Bayou, opposite Harrisburg, on - the 18th. Crossed the same day in pursuit of Santa Anna. Occupied the - battlefield of San Jacinto, April 20. - -[27]Cos was Santa Anna's brother-in-law. - -[28]Moses Bryan, in _Texas Scrap Book_. - -[29]Thrall. - -[30]G. W. Kendall. - -[31]Quoted by Yoakum from a narrative by one of the prisoners. - -[32]Anson Jones died at the Old Capital Hotel in Houston on the 7th of - January, 1858. A short time before his death he remarked to one of - his friends: "Here in this house, twenty years ago, I commenced my - public career in Texas, and here I would like to die." - -[33]Diary of Captain Henry, U. S. A. - -[34]Frost's _History of Mexico_. - -[35]G. W. Kendall. - -[36]_Cabet at ses Icariens._ - -[37]Williams' _Life of Houston_. - -[38]Scharf's _History of the Confederate States Navy_. - -[39]Camp Ford, where the Federal prisoners were confined during the war, - was situated near Tyler, in Smith County. - -[40]The bell used on the _Harriet Lane_ is now in the museum of the - Houston (Texas) High School. - -[41]Jefferson Davis, in his _Rise and Fall of the Confederate - Government_, says of this engagement: "The success of the single - company which garrisoned the earthwork at Fort Griffin is without - parallel in ancient or modern war." - -[42]Scharf's _History of the Confederate States Navy_. - -[43]Ireland died March 15, 1896. - - - - - INDEX. - - - A - A Bold Rider, 14. - A Buffalo Hunt, 154. - A Cloud in the Sky, 148. - A Fatal Venture, 29. - A Hurried Ride, 40. - A Treacherous Shot, 46. - A Voice in the Wilderness, 48. - Acequias, 22. - Across the Border, 136. - Adaes, Mission of, 18, 29. - Aes, Mission of, 21, 22, 29. - Agricultural and Mechanical College, 170. - Aguayo, Marquis de, 21, 23. - _Aimable_, The, 2, 4. - Alamo, The, 18, 27, 71, 81, 82, 103, 176. - Almonte, Colonel, 86, 101, 103, 136. - Along the old San Antonio Road, 14, 25, 27, 30, 180. - Alvarez, Senora, 95. - Ampudia, General, 128, 138. - An Unexpected Meeting, 56. - Anahuac, Fort, 38, 61. - Anastase, Father, 7. - Andrade, General, 110. - Annexation, 113, 135. - Anti-trust Laws, 172. - Apaches, The, 19, 24, 30, 142. - Arbitration Laws, 172. - Archer, Branch T., 59, 74. - Archives, War of the, 124. - Arredondo, General, 39. - Arroyo Hondo, 36. - Artesian Wells, 182. - Asylums, 141, 172. - Aury, Luis d', 42. - Austin, Bursting of Dam at, 175. - Austin City, 122, 126, 132, 135, 141, 148, 150, 152, 178. - Austin, Moses, 50. - Austin, Stephen F., Character and Appearance, 51. - ---- Contract with Martinez, 52. - ---- Arrival with Colonists, 52. - ---- Journey to Mexico, 53. - ---- Return from Mexico, 55. - ---- Imprisonment in Mexico, 60. - ---- Release from Prison, 62. - ---- In Command of Volunteers, 66. - ---- Commissioner to United States, 69. - ---- Secretary of State, 113. - ---- Death and Burial, 113. - Austin's Colonists, 52. - - - B - Banks, General, 165. - Barbier, Sieur, 6, 7. - Barry, "Buck," 148. - Bastrop, Baron de, 50, 55. - Battle of the Alamo, 82. - ---- of Colita, 91. - ---- of Concepcion, 67. - ---- of Galveston, 160. - ---- of Mier, 128. - ---- of Palo Alto, 137, 165. - ---- of Resaca de la Palma, 137. - ---- of Rosillo, 38. - ---- of Sabine Pass, 164. - ---- of Three Trees, 43. - ---- of Velasco, 54. - Bay of Bernard, 3, 11, 12. - ---- of Matagorda, 3, 156. - Baylor, John R., 155. - Bean, Ellis P., 31, 32, 33. - Beaujeu, 3, 4. - Bell, Hansborough P., 140. - _Belle_, The, 2, 6. - Belleisle, 11, 12. - Benevidas, Placido, 81. - Bexar, Duke de, 18. - Bienville, Sieur de, 12. - Blackburn, Ephraim, 35. - Blanco, El, 32. - Blockade-running, 159. - Blue, The, and the Gray, 167, 168. - Blue Wing, 144. - Bolivar Point, 46, 48, 53. - Bonham, James, 81, 83, 87. - Bowie, James, 66, 79, 83, 86. - Bowie, Rezin, 43, 80. - Bradburn, Juan Davis, 58. - Brazoria, 55, 85. - Brazos, Flood in, 175. - Brazos River, 52, 74, 87. - Brown, Captain Jerry, 107, 118. - Brownsville, 137, 165. - _Brutus_, The, 117, 118, 119, 120. - Buffalo Bayou, 91, 97, 98, 99, 111, 115. - Burleson, Edward, 65, 69, 73, 124, 138. - Burnet, David G., 59, 87, 98, 105, 107, 108, 112, 120. - Burton, Isaac, 112. - Bustamente, 57, 61. - By the Brazos, 74. - - - C - Cabet, Etienne, 148. - Calder, Robert, 67, 106. - Caldwell, Matthew, 122, 126. - Canary Islands, 23. - Cannon at Concepcion, 67. - ---- at Gonzales, 62. - ---- at San Jacinto, 99, 100. - Capital, The, at Austin, 120, 138. - ---- at Columbia, 112. - ---- at Houston, 115, 126. - ---- at San Antonio, 50, 56. - ---- at Saltillo, 56, 60. - ---- at Washington, 130. - Capitol, Dedication of, 178. - Carankawaes, 5, 10, 42, 43, 77, 142. - Cart War, 141. - Cash, Mrs., 95. - Castenado, Captain, 63. - Castle of Perote, 127, 129, 139. - Castro, Henry, 132. - Cenis, 5, 6, 10, 142. - Champ d'Asile, 44. - Chrisman, Lieutenant, 148. - Clark, Edward, 152. - Clère, Le, 115. - Coahuila, 9, 59. - Coke, Richard, 169. - Colita, Battle of, 92. - Collingsworth, George A., 64. - Colonists, 23, 24, 52, 53, 55. - Colorado, Flood in, 175. - Colorado River, 52, 122. - Columbia, 111, 112, 113, 180. - Comanches, 9, 19, 24, 30, 121, 140, 142, 147. - Concepcion, Battle of, 67. - ---- Mission of, 20, 67, 127. - Confederate States, The, 151, 166. - Congress, The Texan, 105, 113, 115, 122, 126, 132. - Considerant, Victor, 150. - Cordero, Antonio, 55, 59. - Corpus Christi, 137. - Cortina, 151. - Cos, Martin Perfecto de, 61, 66, 72. - Cotton, Captain, 147. - Cotton, Texas, 181. - Council-house Fight, 121. - Coushattis, 45, 142. - Cowl and Carbine, 16. - Crocker, Captain, 165. - Crockett, David, 83, 86, 145. - Culberson, Charles A., 169. - Cushing, E. H., 159. - - - D - Davis, E. J., 168. - Davis Guards, 163. - Davis, Jefferson, 138. - Dawson, Nicholas, 127. - Declaration of Independence, 78, 87. - Dedication of Capitol, 178. - De Leon, Alonzo, 9, 10, 15, 77. - De Nava, General, 31, 32. - De Pagès, 29. - Desauque, Captain, 91. - Desloges, 4. - Dickinson, Lieutenant, 83. - ---- Mrs., 87, 89. - Dimitt, Captain, 78, 79. - Dimmitt's Point, 4. - Donna Maria, 15. - Dorn, Earl Van, General, 156. - Dowling, Dick, 163. - Duggan, Ensign, 156. - Duhaut, 7. - Dying Races, 142. - - - E - Eberle, Mrs., 126. - Education, 123, 141, 169, 182. - Edwards, Hayden, 55. - Elisondo, General Y, 39. - Espiritu Santo, Mission of, 18, 77. - Evans, T. C., 86. - - - F - Fannin, James W., 67, 76, 81, 85, 89, 91, 96. - Farias, Gomez, 60. - Fight, The Grass, 68. - Filisola, General, 97, 108. - First Bloodshed, 4. - ---- Marriage, 6. - Fisher, William S., 128. - Flag, The Texas, 123. - Ford, John S., 140, 148. - Fort Defiance, 87, 89. - ---- Griffin, 163. - ---- St. Louis, 1, 5, 10, 13. - Fosset, Captain, 147. - France, 1, 11, 12, 21, 25, 35, 44, 135, 148. - Franciscans, 16, 17, 18, 20, 28. - Franklin, B. C., 166. - Fredonian War, 56. - From the Dome of the Capitol, 174. - Fronténac, Count de, 1, 2. - - - G - Galveston, Battle of, 160. - ---- City of, 156, 160, 166. - ---- Flood at, 175. - ---- Island of, 41, 44, 46, 98, 105, 118, 120, 156, 167. - ---- Sea Wall at, 176. - Garay, Colonel, 95. - Garza, Governor de la, 55. - Genie of Texas, The, 179. - Gil Y Barbo, Captain, 30. - Gillentine, Captain, 147. - Godoy, Manuel de, 33. - Goliad, 18, 38, 45, 48, 77, 79, 89, 90, 103, 108. - Gonzales, 62, 85, 97. - Grand Terre, 41, 47. - Granger, General, 166, 167. - Grant, Doctor, 78, 81. - Green, Thomas J., 130. - Greer County, 172. - Griffin, General, 168. - Guadalupe River, 63. - Gutierrez, Bernardo, 37, 39, 40. - - - H - Hall, Captain Lee, 148. - Hamilton, A. J., 167. - _Harriet Lane_, The, 161. - Harrisburg, 97, 98, 105. - Hawkins, Commodore, 107. - Hays, John Coffin, 138, 146. - Henderson, J. P., 135, 137, 140. - Herrera, General, 35, 36, 39. - Hogg, James S., 169. - Home Again, 163. - Houston, City of, 115, 122, 149, 180. - Houston, Sam, Delegate to Convention, 59. - ---- With the Army at La Espada, 66. - ---- Biography, 74. - ---- Commander-in-Chief, 74, 87. - ---- Resignation, 80. - ---- Retreat, 96. - ---- At San Jacinto, 100. - ---- Interview with Santa Anna, 103. - ---- President of Republic, 112, 124. - ---- At Houston, 115. - ---- United States Senator, 136. - ---- Governor of Texas, 150. - ---- Death, 153. - How the Good News was Brought, 105. - Hubbard, Richard B., 169. - - - I - Icaria, 148. - In Church and Fortress, 82. - In the Name of France, 1. - ---- of Spain, 9. - ---- of Oblivion, 12. - Inauguration, Houston's, 112. - Independence, Declaration of, 78, 87. - Indians, Texas, Adaes, 30. - ---- Apaches, 19, 24, 30, 142. - ---- Carankawaes, 5, 10, 42, 43, 77, 142. - ---- Cenis, 5, 6, 10, 142. - ---- Comanches, 9, 19, 24, 30, 31, 121, 142, 147. - ---- Coushattis, 45, 142. - ---- Kiowas, 142. - ---- Lipans, 11, 140, 142. - ---- Nassonites, 5, 142. - ---- Naugodoches, 29. - ---- Orquisacas, 142. - ---- Tehas, 10, 30, 142. - ---- Wacoes, 142, 180. - Indios Bravos, 23, 24, 25. - ---- Reducidos, 24. - Inscriptions on Alamo Monument, 174. - Institute, Sam Houston Normal, 170. - Ireland, John, 159. - Iron Jacket, 140. - Ironclad Oath, 168. - - - J - Jetties, The, 173. - Johnson, Frank W., 71, 72, 79, 81. - Johnston, Albert Sidney, 120, 138, 166, 168. - _Joli_, The, 2. - Jones, Anson, 134, 136. - ---- Randall, 40, 54. - Joutel, 7, 8. - - - K - Karnes, Henry, 72, 102. - Kemper, Captain, 38, 39. - King, Captain, 89. - - - L - La Bahia, 18, 38, 45, 48. - La Espada, Mission of, 23, 66, 68. - La Harpe, Bernard de, 12, 21. - La Salle, Robert, Cavalier de, 1, 9, 12, 49, 143, 180. - La Vaca, 4, 176. - Lafitte, Jean, 40, 44, 46, 157. - Lallemand, General, 44. - Lamar, Mirabeau B., 120, 123, 139. - Lanham, S. W. T., 177. - Las Almagras, 20, 25. - Lea, Edward, 162. - Lee, Robert E., 151, 165. - Les Vaches, 4, 143. - _Liberty_, The, 117. - Lincoln, Abraham, 151. - Liotot, 7. - _Lively_, The, 117. - Lockhart, Matilda, 121. - Long, David, 40, 46. - ---- General James, 40, 46, 49, 77. - ---- Mrs., 40, 46, 48, 53. - Lubbock, F. R., 157. - - - M - Magee, Augustus W., 27, 28, 49. - Magruder, John B., 160. - Martinez, Governor, 50, 53. - Massacre at Goliad, 95, 103. - ---- at San Saba, 20, 25. - Matagorda Bay, 3, 156. - Matamoras, 78, 137. - McCulloch, Benjamin, 138, 155, 166. - McLeod, General Hugh, 123, 139, 166. - Messengers of Distress, 77. - Mexico, 9, 24, 27, 42, 53, 55, 61, 74, 82, 111, 120, 124, 128, - 132, 144. - Mier, Battle of, 128. - Milam, Benjamin, 64, 70, 72. - Military Rule, 167. - Mina Xavier, 42. - Mission of Adaes, 18, 21, 29. - ---- of Aes, 18, 21, 22, 29. - ---- of Concepcion, 20, 67, 68, 127. - ---- of Espada, 23, 60, 68. - ---- of Nacogdoches, 18, 29, 48. - ---- of Nuestra Senora del Pilar, 22. - ---- of Orquisacas, 10, 22, 25. - ---- of Refugio, 91. - ---- of San Francisco, 9. - ---- of San José, 18, 23, 28, 180. - ---- of San Saba, 20, 25. - Missionaries, 17. - Missions, Building of, 17. - Mississippi River, The, 1, 11, 12, 36, 159. - Moderators, 134. - Monclova, 9, 15, 23. - Monterey, Siege of, 138. - Moragnet, 7. - Mother Ditch, The, 22. - Murrah, Pendleton, 167. - Musquiz, 32. - Mustangs, 30, 34. - - - N - Nacogdoches, 18, 29, 32, 35, 38, 46, 48, 56, 58, 180. - Nassonites, 5, 142. - Natchitoches, 12, 20, 22, 27, 35, 39, 40, 46. - Navy, The Texas, 117, 120. - Neches River, 7, 9. - Neill, Colonel, 71, 80. - _Neptune_, The, 160. - Neutral Ground, The, 35, 39, 55, 134. - Nika, 7. - Nolan, Philip, 31, 49. - Norris, Captain J. H., 147. - - - O - Odlum, Captain, 163. - Oil Ponds, 177. - Oil Wells, 182. - Old San Antonio Road, The, 14, 25, 27, 30, 180. - On Buffalo Bayou, 111. - _Only Son_, The, 53. - Orders and Disorder, 56. - Orquisacas, Mission of, 18, 22, 25. - Ory, 4. - Out of a Mist, 65. - _Owasco_, The, 161. - - - P - Palm Sunday, 91. - Palo Alto, Battle of, 137, 165. - Parker, Cynthia Ann, 150. - Pass, Sabine, 163. - Pease, E. M., 140, 141, 168. - Perez, Colonel, 46. - Perote, Castle of, 127, 129. - Perry, Colonel, 42. - Philippines, The New, 16, 22. - Piedras, Colonel, 58. - Plaza de las Islas, 23, 69. - Plazas, 21, 23, 27, 33, 69. - _Pocket_, The, 118. - Portilla, Colonel, 101. - Prairie View Normal School, 170. - Presidios, 10, 14, 16, 17. - _Pride_, The, 41, 47, 157. - Prize Fight, Stopping of, 173. - - - R - Railroad Commission, 173. - Railroads, Texas, 159, 181. - Reconstruction Time, 169. - Red House, The, 40, 46. - Red Rovers, The, 76. - Refugio, 80, 90, 91. - Regulators, 134. - Renshaw, Commodore, 161. - Resaca de la Palma, Battle of, 137. - _Revenge_, The, 53. - Ripley, Harry, 92, 96. - ---- Eleazer Wheelock, 92. - Roberts, O. M., 169. - Rose, Moses, 85. - Rosillo, Battle of, 38. - Ross, Lawrence Sullivan, 150, 169. - ---- S. P., 140. - Runnels, Hardin R., 140. - Rusk, Thomas J., 87, 89, 108, 110, 130. - - - S - Sabine Pass, 63. - ---- River, 21, 34, 37. - Saget, 7. - Sal Colorado, The, 137. - Salado, Battle of, 126. - ---- Hacienda of, 128. - Sam Houston Normal Institute, The, 170. - San Antonio, 14, 18, 21, 23, 39, 45, 50, 56, 82, 83, 155, 180. - San Bernard, Bay of, 3, 12. - San Felipe de Austin, 50, 56, 62, 65, 69, 74, 76. - San Fernando Church, 24. - San Francisco, Mission of, 10. - San Jacinto, Battle Ground, 174. - San José, Mission of, 18, 23, 28, 180. - San Patricio, 55, 81. - San Pedro River, 83. - San Saba Mission, 20, 25. - Sandoval, Colonel, 65. - Santa Anna, 58, 60, 83, 87, 96, 97, 102, 108, 124, 129, 131, - 137, 139. - Santa Fé Expedition, 123, 139. - Sayers, J. D., 169. - School, Prairie View Normal, 170. - School Tax, 172. - Schools, Texas, 123, 141, 169, 182. - Scott, General Winfield, 139. - Seal, The Texas, 111. - Secession of Texas, 152. - Shackleford, Doctor, 76, 95. - Sherffius, Henry, 159. - Sheridan, General, 167. - Sherman, General Sidney, 100. - ---- Lieutenant Sidney, 162. - Sibley Expedition, 157. - Slave Ships, 43. - Smith, Ashbel, 134, 171. - ---- Benjamin Fort, 108. - ---- Deaf, 98, 99, 100. - ---- Henry, 74, 75, 76, 111. - ---- James, 134. - ---- Rev. W. T., 64. - Somervell, General Alexander, 127. - Spain, 9, 11, 21, 25, 28, 33, 35. - Spanish-American War, 173. - St. Denis, Juchereau, 14, 20, 25, 49, 180. - _St. Francis_, The, 2, 3, 9. - St. John the Baptist, Presidio of, 15, 27. - _Star of the West_, The, 155, 156. - Stephenson, Rev. Henry, 49, 76. - Stockdale, Fletcher S., 167. - Storming of San Antonio, 71. - - - T - Taylor, General Zachary, 137. - Teal, Henry, 108. - Tehas, The, 15, 30, 142. - Texas Ranger, The, 143. - The Blue and the Gray, 167, 168. - The Capital, 120. - The Champ d'Asile, 44. - The Disputed Boundary Line, 33. - The Grays, 68. - The _Invincible_, 107, 117, 119. - The _Pride_, 41, 47, 157. - The Priest's House, 69. - "The Republic is no more," 132. - The Telegraph, 159. - The War of the Archives, 134. - Thirty Years, 167. - Three Trees, Battle of, 43. - Throckmorton, James W., 167. - Toledo, General, 39. - Tonti, Chevalier de, 1, 7, 8. - Totten, Captain, 147. - Travis, William B., 58, 66, 81, 83, 85, 87. - Treasure, Lafitte's, 47. - Twiggs, General David, 156. - Twin Sisters, The, 97, 100. - - - U - Ugartechea, Colonel, 58, 72. - United States, The, 36, 42, 46, 56, 57, 69, 113, 120, 135, 136, - 139, 144, 152, 166. - University, 172. - University, The Texas State, 120, 170, 182. - Ups and Downs, 52. - Urrea, General, 81, 82, 90, 92, 103. - - - V - Vasquez, Rafael, 125. - Velasco, Battle of, 58. - Villescas, Governor, 15. - Vince's Bridge, 100. - Virginia Point, 107, 161. - - - W - Wacoes, 142, 180. - Wainwright, Commodore, 161. - Walker, Samuel H., 131, 139. - War, The Civil, 155, 166. - War Time Arithmetic, 158. - Ward, Colonel William, 75, 90. - Washington on the Brazos, 87, 131. - Wharton, William H., 59, 66. - Wilkinson, General, 31, 35. - Williamson, R. M., 61, 63. - Woll, General, 126, 130. - Woods, George T., 138, 140. - ---- Gonzales, 127. - Wright, Captain Tom, 148. - Wyatt, Captain, 76. - - - Y - _Yellowstone_, The, 105, 108. - - - Z - Zacetacas, 17. - Zavala, Lorenzo D., 87. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Under Six Flags: The Story of Texas, by -M. E. M. 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