As I said to your Excellency in my first despalch, dated 25th lasl month, his Excellency the presidc11t passed over lo the left bank of the river Brazos, by the place called Old Fort, on the 15lh of lhe same month, and afterwards marched on to Harrisburg with the ballalion of Matamoros, the permanent companies of Guerrero, first regular militia of Mexico and Toluca, a six-pounder, and seventy chosen dragoons, having advised me lo despatch general Cos with 500 men and two pieces of artillery against the fort at Velasco. On the 17th I received an order from his Excellency, that the force which was to go wilh J\'lr. Cos should only consist of 200 men: and on the 18th another order, in which he advises me that .Mr. Cos should be sent to joi11 him with 500 infantry and fifly boxes musket cartridges; which was done on thal day, with the remainder of Guerrero, Toluca, the baltalion of Aldama, and two companies of the regiment Guadalaxara. His Excellency promised himself to give the finishing touch lo his work, because the complete occupation of Texas appeared to be already carried to pure and due effect. The army had taken the fort of the Alamo, bealen and destroyed the greater part of the forces which the enemy called of the line, taken a considerable number of artillery, guns arid munitions, passed three large rivers, and was animated in the midst of hunger and nakedness with a burning zeal in favor of sustaining the integrity of their country's soil; a little more calm, would undoubtedly have crowned their heroical efforts and sufferings with success. On the afternoon of the 23d, I was concluding the operation of sending across the river the section with which general Gaona was to march to Nacogdoches, when a soldier of the frontier dragoons presented to me a small piece of paper, written with pencil, by colonel Mariano Garcia, first aid of Guerrero, in which he informed me of the unfortunate occurrence of the afternoon of the 23st; a short Lime after some fugitives arrived, and amongst them D. Miguel Aguirre, captain of the regiment of Tampico, wounded in the action in the thigh by a rifle ball, who said that the defeat had been complete, a11d that the existence of the president was al least doubtful; such news made me immediately suspend the continuation of Lhe passage of Lhe river by the force Lhat was Lo have gone wilh Mr. Gaona, and Lo commaud ~• picket of cavalry in the direction of the batlle ground, as much to acquire information of the Lruc fate of Lhe prcside11t, as to protecl the fugitives who might have escaped; bul the enemy
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