;\Ir Welles requests his companion lo send him Lhe said despalchcs, and 1 hope you will forward them lo me, for the purpose of complying with Lhe inslmctions contained in them, and lo communicate them lo the differenl divisions under my command. God and liberty. Vicente Filisola River Colorado, i\lay 2. 1836. . , [2952] [GAINES to SECRETAH Y OF WAR J Meaclquarlers, Western DcpartmP-nt, Camp Sabine, ~lay 2, 1836. Sir: Apprehending that I omitted lo send you the report of Licutrnant IJonnell, in reference lo the Caddoc lndia1;s, I do myself the honor Lo enclose it herewith; and I avail myself of the occasion to report lo you, for the information of the President of the United Stales, a copy of my letter lo the commander-in-chief of the Texas army. I, al the same time, prepared a similar letter for the commander-in-chief of the ;\lexican army in Texas. These letters. as 1 had before slated lo you, I had intended Lo send by an officer, to be accompanied by a mounted guard. The great difficulty of obtaining horses fit for active service delayed the departure of the guard until the 28th ultimo, when, as reported in my last, intelligence reached me of a decisive victory having been obtained by the army of Texas over that of Mexico, commanded by the President, Santa Anna, in person, who was taken prisoner, with his staff and most of his principal officers, and most of his troops, and residue having been killed. These reports appear lo be confirmed, as far as I could expect them to be unofficially; no official report having as yet reached me. Under these circumstances, I deemed il proper Lo suspend the movement of Lhr. volunteers called for, as well as the movement of my acting inspector general, with his escort, having been assured thal the Cherokee chief, Rowles, and others hitherto disposed Lo lw disorderly, had determined lo keep peace among the Indians. J have since added Lhr. postscripts lo the ahovc-mcntioncd letters, and shall sen cl them hy safe private conveyances.
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