[3481) [RUSK to BURNET]
Head Quarters Victoria 20th June J 8~6
Dear Sir
As rumors with his ten horns and tongues is busyto prop up some and puU down others and that without regard to theirmerits or demerits and was such as 1 shaU have no time lo refute· slanders· or to accumulate any thing else for my Family but what little reputation I have may have left after being desecrated as I shall be from the fact of standing before the community in the light I now do I may be excused from the charge of vanity in stating to you some of the leading facts and circumstances which have led me into colision with Lhe Cabinet of the present Government of Texas and in doing this I desire that at present the facts stated shall be confined Lo the circle of a few very friends in your town I will no doubt be charged with having left Harrisburgh and gone lo the Army at the time l did from a desire on · my , part to gain distinction this charge is tltterly groundless. l saw the Country in an uproar. Houston was abused by the people to a very considerable extent. I had sustained Houston and was the subject of complaint for so doing in the Cabinet- I saw that a few more strides of the Mexican Army and the Country was gone and to sustain the Country and aid so far as I could with my feeble abilities was the sole object of my going to the Army When the victory was obtained I was in favor ofjumping the enemy at once while they were frightened and while we could easily have destroyed their army Santa Anna however was to smart for our leading men and induced them to commence negotiations with them and permitted him to give orders to the Mexican Army which was then on their retreat and when overtaken by our advance of Cavalry consisting of forty men, three hundred of their men with eight pieces of cannon would have surrendered to our forty men but they were under orders not to molest them The Cabinet negotiated for fifteen days and the Army lay still and got discontented the plunder taken was divided amongst them and produced more disorganization amongst the men fears were entertained that the Army would break up and the Cabinet finding it difficult to find a man who could keep them together appointed me Brig Genl I refused to accept it stating my reasons which they
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