430
TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
No. 422
1836 .Aug. 1, UNITED STATES TELEGRAPH, WASHINGTON, [D. C.]. "l\IASSACRE OF FANNIN'S CO1\Il\IAND" 2 • MASSACRE OF FANNING'S COMl\IAND. From the N. Y. Evening Star. Among the passengers in the ship Mexican, from Vera Cruz, was Mr. Joseph H. Sphon, a native of New Orleans, who was with Colonel Fanning at Goliad, and made his escape, his services as a Spanish interpreter being required during the whole progress·of that bloody affair.· Mr. Sphon states tbe particulars of his joining a vol• unteer corps under Captain Breeze, on the Red ·river, in November last, and proceeding to Bexar, and assisting to capture that place; of his joining the Mobile Greys under Captain Burke, and marching for Goliad with Dr. Grant, Colonel Johnson, and Major l\Iorris, and then uniting with Colonel Fanning and his command of three hundred men, with the Georgia Battalion and Alabama Greys. After detailing all the events of the skirmishing and scouting parties-the destruction of Grant-the evacuation of Goliad, and the attach on Fanning's command by the cavalry of the Mexican army-many of the particu- lars having been already published-Mr. Sphon proceeds as f-ollows: The action continued for two hours, we forming a compact square, presenting a face on each side, making hasty ramparts with our bag- gage and provision wagons, and· our artillery peeping from between _them. At the commencement of the action, they fought at long shot, but continued closing slowly, until our fire beco~ing too hot for them, they returned to the woods, leaving their dead and wounded on the field, placing picket guards around us, out of the reach of musket shot. We remained in our position till morning; the wounded sixty-four in number, suffering terribly from thirst. We had lost seven· in the action. In the morning, at daylight, we could see them carrying off their dead and wounded, and observe the arrival of reinforcements and their artillery. At ten o'clock they fired a shot directly over us, when we secured ourselves behind an entrenchment which we had formed by digging up the earth and throwing·it over our knapsacks, empty ammunition boxes, &c. In a little time two shots were again fired over us, whilst they displayed a white flag on the border of the wood. A consultation was held among the officers, and a flag of truce sent out to meet them, which they accepted. The commanders of the op- posite forces then met, .at an equal distance between the two armies, and came to the following terms to the great discontent of the majority of the men. ,ve were to surrender ourselves prisoners of war, delfrer !}ll arms and _military provisions, but private property was to be respected, and we were to be treated according to the rules and regu- latioM of war, adopted by the most civilized·nations of the earth. A Colonel in the Mexican army, who, I believe was a Germon, rode up to our works, and in good French ordered us to stack our arms outside of our ditch, at the same time giving bis word and honor that we should bo treated as well as their own ,nen, and to be under no
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