272
TEXAS ST.\TE LIBRARY
No. 276
1835 Dec. 25, F. W. JOHNSON TO J. W. ROBJ1 'SON
Privnte
San Antonio de Bexar Deer. 25th 1835
.Tam~s W. Robin on E£qr.
Dear Sir
! have the satisfaction to acknowl<>dge thE' re- ceipt of your letter of the 15th Inst. to my predeces or Genl. Burle- son, which I opened as it was not marked private on the cover.- Jo appoloj?y is Tequired by such a friend as you have proved to be to the Volunteer Army of Texas,for giving such hint as may appear to you conducive to the general good and to the succes of the cause in which we are eni?aged.-On the contrary such hint would be grati:ifully received had they come from a person who had no ·influence on our movements and much more of course from one who has so immedfa.te a share in their control.- The expedition which you propose against Matamoras can be undertaken speedily with every rational prospect of success and every man in this Garrison would willingly Volunteer to proceed to the interior, but as the position which we.occupy is all important to maintain, it will he desirable to wait the arrival of considerable re- infol1!ements now on the road to have a sufficient number to answer ,other purposes, and in the mean time every neces ary pr('paration of suitable Artillery, Amn. and Stores can be made, all the animals re- quired to convey the same procured,.-An expedition of this nature you point out has occupied our attention for some time, and a smali division of observation leaves this place to day for the N\1eces to occupy the attention of the enemy at Riogrande and Lorado, to open and keep up a communication with the liberals on the frontier- arid above all to procure positive information of the forces at each point, their condition and every other particulat that can serve to guide u in our future operation .- Accord,ing to the la t accounts from Iatamoras the force of the enemy consisted of 200 men very little inclined to support the cau. e of Centralism, or desirous of opposing the favorer of the Fed- eral Con titution. The frontier town of Tamaulipa wN·e nrmi:lg to throw off the Yoke, and a movement was even attempted by the inhabitants of l\latamoras agains the Military which from being immaturely made was soon suffocated.-'\ hat bears particularly on the question of an attack on our part ar<> the bodi(' of troop col- lecting at Loredo and Riogrande, which may be ufficicnt to oppcsc a con. iderable force-and-frustrate an nttempt of our. with less than 500 men, a number which I hope to unite in n frw dn.vs; leaving 100 and 50 men here :-a suffici('nt 11111nbcl' in my opinion, as W(' will naturally draw their attention in the other direction.- Wc ran C:Jl- culate with certainty on our liberal . now that the Council hn vc 11111<1r 5-0 explicit a dcc1nration of our present intentions nrHl victory m11:t <'Crtainly be our. by following the or·dinnry maxims in such en. s.- Wc will then carry the war out of 'l'cja. and not only npport our-
Powered by FlippingBook