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011r Catholic Heritage in Texas
Account of the Ramon Expedition. All arrangements having been completed by the viceroy for the expedition to Texas it is well now to turn to the diary of Domingo Ramon for the details of the entrada. From Mexico City, Ramon went to Saltillo soon after his appointment as com- mander, and there recruited most of the mounted soldiers that were to accompany him on the journey. In the meantime, St. Denis and Medar Jalot must have hurried down to San Juan Bautista in advance of Ramon, as there is no mention of either found in the diary until the day the expedition set out from the Rio Grande. From February 17, when Ramon started from Saltillo, until April 27, the names of the two Frenchmen do not appear. Clark, without citing his source, declares that St. Denis repaired to San Juan Bautista "to celebrate his marriage with Dona Maria," where "he had time to enjoy but a few weeks of conjugal felicity." 17 Be that as it may, Ramon began his diary the day he left Saltillo, February 17, 1716. "On this day," he declares, "I left the Villa of Saltillo with my whole company, [all] the stock, and the rest of my train." After traveling five leagues to the north he was forced to change his course and go east for eight leagues on account of a very high moun- tain, resuming then his northerly course, until he arrived at the Nacatas Bridge on February 21. Here he pitched camp to wait for part of his horses and for the arrival of the missionaries who had stayed in Saltillo.Ia The Padres had busied themselves in Saltillo in the collection of alms, in which work they spent ten days. They finally started to join Ramon at Nacatas on March 1, escorted by six soldiers left by him for that purpose. They arrived safely in camp on the 3rd. But the party was delayed further, while provisions and more horses were secured for the expedition. On the night of the 9th, there came· to the commander a mestiza named Ana Guerra, to ask him to take her with him to the Tejas, because her master maltreated her. To this petition Ramon readily acceded. 17 Clark, op cit., 20. Concerning the marriage, see chapter I, note 61. 11 The account of the expedition given here is based on two copies of the diary of Domingo Ramon and of the diary of Father Espinosa. These are to be found in Provincias lnternas, Vol. 181, pp. 54-88; 95-122; Sa11 Francisco el Grande Archive, VIII, 63-88; 92-114. Espinosa's and Ramon's diaries have been made available in English by the Texas Catholic Historical Society in its publications. Clark's account, based on a not entirely dependable copy of the diaries found in Historia, XXVII, is not as full as it should be, while that given in Bonilla's Breve Compendio is even shorter. Morfi, in his Historia, not Memorias, translated by the writer, gives the fullest account now available in English, but even this is too short to do justice to this important expedition from which dates the permanent occupation of Texas.
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