180
THE AUSTIN PAPERS
It will be impossehle for Me to Comply with your Orders Contained in yours of the 12th Inst. farther than that of defending the place because we have but a verry Jew more Men than you order to remain 2 and no Muni- tions of war which could possibly be Spared and besides if I were to dis- patch the Surplus twenty, I entertain great fears that Many others would leave and we Should immediately be left with a trifling force. That you May be fully informed of the true State of the arsonal when this place was Captured, that you May see My inability to furnish aid therefrom, I .inclose you a correct Statement made by our quarter Master and Commissary, every Specis of arms which could be made usefull and Efficient have been put in requisition, for the purpose of arming our [own] Men and Some Mexicans of this place ... [com]manded by Padilla and Placidore the Alcalde of Guadaloupe Victoria who have Volunteered in our cause. The Mexican Volunteers are not included [in] our Numbers to Make the hundred and Twenty [men], because we know Not as yet how far they may be relied upon in as Much as Some of them are the prisoners who were captured here, who have been released at the request and by the desire and on the pledge of Padilla-It _Seems to be the General opinion among the intelegent Mexicans here that Coss will Make a desparate Effort to regain this place. How far this is correct I am Not prepared to Say. They be- lieve this because they Conceive it lo be the Connecting link between Bexar and all the Coast. Supplies of provisions are Scarce but every exertion will be Made to Secure a Sufficient quantity in order to enable us to Stand a Siege Annexed to the Statement of arms·etc you will find a Statement of Men and arms at Bexar as taken from public documents, here and suppose by other testimony which is Conceived to be entitled to Credit, you will dis- • cover from that Statement that the Number is Much greater than was an- ticipated by any of us though the last 500 Named are admitted to be Ex• teremly inefficient In my communication of yesterday you were informed that Guadaloupe. and this place had voluntarily declared in favour of the Constitution of 24 and against Centralism, The walls of the -fortification here is in a perfect recked State and re- quires considerable repairs to Make it in any way tenable but we Shall use all posseble exertion to put it in a cituation for defence and Should they Make an attact upon us we will defend it to the last Moment but I presume they will attempt to Starve us out for with a large force they can cul off
2 Austin ordered 100 men to remain.
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