THE AUSTIN PAPERS 839 to your .Lordship copies of my correspondence with Colonels Don- Mariano Guerra, principal Commander of Matamoras, and Don Jose Antonio :Mexia, 2 nd in command of the Division of the Liberating .A,.rmy, by which .your Lordship will perceive. that I returned to Texas, in compliance with the invitation and instances of these officers. Peace having been entirely restored in this Colony I was preparing to take my departure for Saltillo on the 14 th inst, but I received from the Alcalde of this ?ifunicipality the annexed copy of a com- ·munication he had received from the Alcalde of Nacogdoches, in- forming him -that Colonel Piedras,·threatened to gather up·the Indi- ans against the -inhabitants; •thus kindling a war of extermination. Under such •circumstances, and considering, that the security and pence of. the people,·is the first duty of the Government, its officers, or public agents, I felt under the necessity of postponing my journey, and directing my ·attention to the oi·ganizatiori. of the civil militia undei' my command, as Colonel of the Battalion of Bexar, in order to be enabled to contribute to common defence, at the same time that I tried to open a correspondence with Colonel Piedras. --For this purpose, r sent to him by an· express, a communication, a copy o:f which, goes· herein enclosed. The; express returned, after having met on the road a ·_ coui·ier from Nacogdoches, beai·ing the news of Piech·as defeat, and of the complete restoration of peace, and consti-. tutional order, in the State of Coahuila and· Texas. That Courier gave us positive information, that the inhabitants·of N acoglfochcR, called by the Ayuntamiento, and led by the Alcalde, Don E_ncarna~ cion Chirino, pronounced themselves ·in fa:vor of the plan of Vera Cruz, and on the 2m 1 inst : attacked and completely routed, Colonel Piedras; after a hot contest of 7 hours, in which the .Alcalde was killed. • Col: Piedras' troops withd1·ew, 'during the night, to the Angelina, and there pronounced the~selves in:, favor of the plan c,f Santa Anna, and arrested their Colonel.· 1'hese occurrences have so delp.y'cd _my departure, that it would be· impossible for me to arrive in time·:for the opening of the session, on the 1st of September and therefore I beg that your Lordship will be pleased to inform His Excellency" the 'Governor of the State, of all these incidents, and to transmit the same to the Honorable Congress hoping that my attendance to.the session of September will not be required. l\1y position is rather delicate: .however, none· of our actual difficulties can be charged upon me; it ·was the unconstitu- tional ·and imprudent proceedings of some military· men, and not, by any means, the wishes of the Colo~ists that hm:ried the affairs to their present state: Just as may' l)e the ·motives ·that dictated the steps made by this people, or-the p1;inciples and objects of the "Pronunciamiento" of Vera Cruz, to which they have ·adhered, I
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