army passed the night in a pond without havi11g a place to sta11d on that was not covered with water; on the following day 1 continued the march to the second rivulet, the troops bei11g up Lo their knees in water the whole distance; when I came up to it I found that it was not fordable, as the rain had swollen it so much, and the guides assured me that il would take at least eight days to go down, and that afterwards it was necessary to pass through a forest for five leagues, full of reeds and high grass, which, on account of the storm, would be very difficult lo get out of. For this reason, as I ought nol to lose a moment to insure a passage to the Colorado, I determined to make for the place called Atascosilo. On the same afternoon I received the gratifyi11g news of the existence of the president, which 1 had the honor to send to your Excellency a copy of; but as the moveme11t commenced was the result of the condition of the army, I continued it on the 29th, when 1 encamped near the same rivulet that I had passed on the 27th; although about three leagues above is the road for the passage called Atascosito. All the land comprised between the rivers Brazos and Colorado, is of such nature, that with little rain the roads and fields are impassable, so much so that the animals sunk up to their breasts; for this reason we again passed the night buried in the mud. On the 30th I once more commenced the march, and from morning till night we advanced scarcely one league. The baggage mules were so immersed in the mud, that they could not move; the wheels of the wagons were buried above their axles, and the horses a11d men could not step because they had 110 foot hold. The night was horrible; artillery, cavalry, sick, baggage mules, every thing that accompanied the army was a confused mass, without any distinction and without being able to move from the place where they were caught. With immense trouble it was hardly possible to assemble the grigades of infantry aud form them in a place what appeared less miry; but the weight of the me11 very soon made us know that the surface of the ground was all the same, and the soldiers sunk up to tlieir knees: tu hc:ig:1tc11 vUI mi.:;ery theic -wa!> not a single splinter of wood to make fire for cooking, and consequently less for watch-fires. This want made me fear yet greater evils, a11d that the soldiers would, without distinctio11, lay hold of trunks or ammunition boxes lo warm themselves, tha11ks to the zeal of the generals, chiefs and officers, and to the unparalleled endurance of
262
Powered by FlippingBook