nol answering your leller sooner. When I received your leller I had been away from home wilh a distracled mind and had been wandering about every since Lill lhree weeks ago this day we got back lo our home where we found nothing in the world worth speaking of not one mouthful of anything Lo eat, but a liltle we brought home with us. God only knows how we will make oul. I will try lo compose my mind while I give you a short history of a few months back. The American army was on our frontier. We thought prudent to stay at home and did so until Lhe General thought proper to retreat. We, being on the frontier, were compelled to go. (l speak for all) We went lo the Colorado, forty miles, there we expected Lo slay. The army camping on the same river, but after some time the General thought proper to retreat farther and of course we had lo go loo. We proceeded to Lhe Brazos River. There slopped a few days but dread and fear caused anolher start, there Mr. Sutherland quit us and joined the army. William Heard was in also with a good many more of our citizens, however, we went on for several miles and again stopped, hoping we would not have to go farther but something [one] over there that week brought in the news that the Mexican army was crossing the Brazos not more than forty miles behind us. Again we started and travelled two days then heard the army was twenly miles behind. (I wish you could know how the people aU did as Lhey kept going about trying lo get somewhere, but no person knew where he was trying to get too). Several weeks passed on without any certain account from Lhe army. All this time you could hardly guess my feelings. My poor William gone, Sutherland in the army. Me with my three little daughters and my poor Thomas wondering about, not knowing what lo do or where to go. You will guess my feelings were dreadful but even the Lord supported me and was on our side for I think 1 may boldly say the Lord fought our battles. Only to think how many thousands of musket and cannon balls were flying there over our army and so few touched. I think that seven was all that died of their wounds. Some say our army fought double their number and who dares say that the Lord was not on our side. Mr. Sutherland's horse was killed under him but Lhe Lord preserved his life and brought him back to his family. He found me al the mouth of the Sabine from
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