The friendly intentions of the Council towards the Volunteer Army in framing the ordinance of which you enclose a copy, meets our gratitude; but as you will see by the enclosed document presented to me by the Captns. of the Companies who Volunteered to stay for four months, in the principle of being commanded by the officers of their own election, subject only to the Governor & Council in accordance with the decree of the Genl. Council for the formation of a regular Army, in which it is speciffically stated that they are to be subject to their own Commander in Chief, unless they shall invite the_Com. in Chief of the regular Army to take the command-it is utterly impossible to induce the Army now here to become auxiliaries [to] the regular Army, or to subject them to the Comr. Chief.-At the same time they have willingly submitted to a system of due subordination & discipline as citizen soldiers- and they are ready & anxious to enter the field against the common enemy of our liberties-to sustain the principles of the declaration of the people of Texas, and otherwise to submit themselves in every respect to the dispositions of the provisional Governor & Council with the reserve of the right granted to them by the Genl. Council as above alluded to.- Their conduct hitherto in the field is but a slight specimen of what you may expect from them if the principles under which they were organized are respected and I fell persuaded that they will give new days of glory to Texas so soon as an opportunity is offered them of meeting the enemy.- 1 will make immediate arrangements for an expedition against Matamoras as we are fortunate enough to receive your reccommendation to take such a step. It will however be necessary to wait the arriveal of reinforcements on the road, to enable me to leave a sufficient garrison at the important point. The difficulty which presents itself does not consist in a lack of volunteers for such an expedition, but on the contrary in persuading a sufficient number for garrison duty to remain behind-All-All wish to achieve new victories & to raise the glory of the Army of Texas, as well as to assist the friends of liberty in the interior in throwing off the yoke of tirany.- To those worthy members of the council & Government who have befriended the only legitimate form of a free
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