245
PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BuoNAPARTE LAMAR
on the mound in the Center of J\Irs DeWitts League when they & their movements could be _viewed from the thicket on the opposite side of the river the mound being in the center of a beautiful Lead[?] praire and their to remain untill the citizens of Basstrop 60 in number reached there who were received with great warmth of feeling & National pride comon among the sons of the Heores of 76. The next day we were re- enforced & organized regularly by Electing a Chief Coln & Lieut Coln. (Moore & Wallace) those last recruits made _their number nearly equal to that of the enemy; the day after they made several Faints as though they intended crossing the river and make an attact on the Village & the day following the Brave Castinado took up the line of march fol' Williams place 7 miles from Gonzales and pieked out the most secure place for his encampment he could find destroying any thing fences &c and killing the hogs & cattle of Willia-ms then to await the further orders of Coln Ugartichea during that day they mounted the 61b peice on a pr of cart wheels and about 8 oclk crossed the river and encamped at Mrs De Witts House and about 12 or one oclock after having held a Council of War & having listened to a Patriotic address of the Revd Doct. Smith took up the line of march for the enemies camp expecting to surprise them but was disappointed in that by a little Dog that fol- lowed the little army which kept a continual barking at the Howling of the Wolfes which are quite numerous about that· section of country thereby causing their Van guard to be observed and fired upon by their picket guard, (Enemies) . They then moved into the edge of the timber and remained there until near sun up next morning. then took up the line of march and expcting the enemy to be charging on them opened up fire from their cannon which was not returned but found that it was only their Picket Guard that were [reviewing?] their lines which could not have been done to any advantage on account of the Fog which was so thick that the sun did not appear untill near 9 oclk. At about the time the sun appeared they began opning the Fence of l\Ir Williams farm for the purpose of preparing to give them another round when the exclamations; dont shoot! dont; shoot was hearil in their rear which proved to be a doctor by the name of Smithers who had been a surgeon for the Mexican garrison ·at Bexar ( an American) coming with a positive assertion that Coln Castinado would not fight that he was not told to fight but the little band could not believe that after having read his orders but he as Mexicans generally expected to keep them off untill he could receive a reenforcement which afterwards 1m- derstood to be on the march at that time after having secreted the Men the Coln & Leiut Coln Moore & Wallace aggreable to a request of Coln Castinado met him half way and after a few moments conversation and not agreeing upon the particular point Coln Moore & Wallace said to him there is the cannon-(Pointing to it about 2 hundred yards) Come and Take it to which he said I will not surrender at discretion nor fight then Coins Moore & Wallace observed them [sic] that they would open a fire on them immediately which was done as soon as each party could reach their proper stations and the first round of [steel?] that was thrown at them the head,: of the horses-and no doubt without great reluctance took up a flighty March for St Antonio De Bexar with the Hussas; of Americans vibrating in their ears, the same day they
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