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TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
municipality of Gonzales Detained the Seargeant & his men under pretence that we couia not let the cannon be taken away without the consent of their Political Chief (Wiley Marton Esqr) who keeps his office at St Felepe De Austin, This detention was for 3 or 4 days, during which time one of the Soldiers have been dispached by his officer to Bexar with a letter from the ~~lcalda to Coln- Ugartechea & the Political Chief to the above effect; This movement was made bv the Citizens who had held a meeting for the purpose of adopting ~eans of defence untill the people from the Colorado & Elsewher [ e could?] rendezvous at Gonr.ales for which the Stratgem of .detaining them (Soldiers) was used, runners having been sent to Bass Trop & Moons on the Colorado & also to H Philip D Austin;- Af the Close of the third day from the time the Mexican Soldier had been despached the Citizens of that village (Gonzales) concluded that there was about to b-e a desent of solderly upon that place & 4 men with one or two Guns marched across the river and made priRoners of four soldiers and taking from them their arms Horses & Military Equipage, one of which was sent after their horses mounted the Horse with-out saddle or Bridle or anything to eat and thereby made his escape, and ther appearing to show a disposition not to surrender untill they saw their Determined resolution they concluded positively that there would be an engagement before long having heard that there was about 3 or 4 hundred soldiers at Bexar ano. that Genl Coss was on his way to that place with a reenforcement: On three da:vs after these Soldiers had been made prisoners about 9 oclk in the m·orning the few Citizins who remained in Town (The rest were a moving their Families to the swamp & other safe places) were mustering & we heard but with no astonishment from their Spies who had been dispaehed the same day the soldier had made his Escape for the purpose of speying around the Town of bexar & finding out their numb€r these spies were four in number and took different roads so that if the enemy should be on the march they should not miss them & not let them cross the Gudaloope River at the Caporta crossing about 25 miles above Gonzales that from 180 to 200 cavalry were within 4 miles of the village and a[bout] 18 men all told, to defend it; But they the True Sons of Mars built a brestwork at the crossing of the river and bid defience to the host in the Course of ½ an hour their Van Guard arrived at the river and expressed their desire to cross but the ViHageers were too smart for them they had secreted the ferry boat in a Bayou above 50 yards above on the contrary side of the river from them and told the Officer in Command that he Could not Cross, but if he had any dispaches that one of his men Could swim oYer unmolested with them which was immediately; The dispaches were immediately read by one of the Gentlemen who was quite conversent with the Spanish Language and pe_!ceived the con- tents to be persuasion Yet preemtory and that if the Cannon was not delivered over peacebly to take it by force- After having understood t:be Tenor of the officers orders (Leiut. Coln. Castinado) ; The officer of the Van Guard was immediately told that the Alcalda was out of town and would be in on the nex day in the evening at which time the few Citizens ther [e J expected to have reenforcements from the Colorauo and fortunately gulled them & caused them to take their encampment
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