406
TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
Congress-About 80 [men 1)- have arrived at Galve ton be sent -0n as soon as pos[si]ble- in great haste Yours &c David G Burnet [rubric] Genl Au~tin writes to you at my side- [Addressed) [Endorsed]
an[d w]ill '
To
Letter from Burnett Jwne 1836
:Major General
~Iirabeau B Lamar Brasoria
No. 393 1836 June 27, l\f. B. LAMAR. ORDERS 8 ~
Orders, I sued on the 27th June 1836, on the prospect of an inva ion from the Mexicans. Soldiers of Texas;- On assuming the glorious re ponsibility of leading you to the field of battle, I am deeply impres ed "·ith gratitude for the tru t confided; and feel most vividly, that to command an army of heroes in the cause of freepom is the highest of all privileges, antl to conduct it to victory i the most exalted and enduring honor. The enemy who so recently retired terrified from our borders, are . about to conntermarch upcn us with reinforcements, formidable in count, but feeble in spirit and puissance. They come for the helli h purpose of desolating the lovelie t of a thou and lands, and staining our luxuriant fields with the blood of the cultivators. Conodent of' numbers, they Jtope to gain by overwhelming force that which they cannot achieve by valor. They boast that they will retrieve the late inglorious defeat of their arm., or perish in the attempt; that they will drive us beyond the Sabine, or give us a grave this ,ide. You, Soldiers know the futility of their vain-gloriou boa ting , as well as the fcrociou character of their warfare. Their cruelty and perfidy were sufficiently exemplified in their horrid mas acre at Goliad and Bexar, whilst their shameful rout and di ccmfiture at San Jacinto, stand as a perpetual monument of their unexampled pu ilanimity and <la tardly condu('t. A udaciou. monsters I That they have the willing- ness to murder is apparent-the ability to conquer they have never- shewn. Their numbers shall avail them nothing; and their threats of extermination, in tcad of intimidating, only invigorate the nerves of the bold and free. Let them come. Their return is hailed with joy by every manly voice in Texn . It afford us a·nother opportunity to vindicate our rights and avenge our wrongs. 'l'hc greater the force, the richer the harvest. Thou h every blade of gra on the bank of the Bravo bristle into a bayonet, it hall not ave them. Fly or fall
•copy in Lamar's hand. In No. 361.
Powered by FlippingBook