273
PAPERS OF :MIR.ABE.Au BuoN.AP.ARTE LAM.AR
-The sea was heavy and the Pilot refused to go over the bar, when our Brig through my request was willing to attempt the bar,-The Liberty & the prize, called the Pelican was to follow- -The Liberty was fortunate as well as our Brig-b~t the Prize was stranded The flour which composed the principal part of the cargo was principally saved -which had sustain [sic] the army at a time that necessity had the ascendency- . -On my landing I recd information that Col Fannin had been de- feated & the Enemy with their thousands were about taking possession of Matagorda when I recd orders to take up my march for Head Quar- ters on the river Colorado & had made some three days march when by express I was ordered to change my march for Columbia on the Brasos river, where or near it was supposed that the army would make a decided stand-on my arrival at Columbia I met with orders to proceed to Brazoria for the purpose of defending that place, but be- lieving that the Enemy would not dare to attempt the extensive botoms of the Brazos &c, & belivng [sic] that a general battle would have been fought first by the main army,-visited Major Parrot at Brazoria & requested that I migh have permission to go direct to Head Quarters, which was not complied with, but permitted me to dispatch a courier to Genl Huston & at the same time my comd should remain at Colum- bia, untill the return of the express-accordingly I dispatched Capt L. Cook, who returned on the 9th · of april, with orders that I should reinforce Capt W. Martin at Fort Bend-The order having been recd in the Evening I gave orders to the flying & unfortunate families to cross the river without delay-but on the following morning I recd intelligence that the Enemy were crossing at Fort Bend and Capt W. Martin had moved above, However I prd [pressed] onwards & my spies reported that the enemy to some thousands had possession of the communication to the army of Texas- -I encamped some 18 miles below the comd of Genl Cos-Genl Santa Ana having passed to the Town of Harrisburg which he burnt-Infor- mation I recd that Genl Houston was on his march to the river Trinity and finding that my little band of 150-were surrounded by some four thousand of the enemy with Santa Ana at the head-- concluded that the only salvation for them was to give Genl Cos a fight who had some 600 men under his comd at Fort Bend- -When should I effect My wishes which was some 4 or five to one I could be able to have access to the Texian ·army-Yet entirely in the dark when I should find the same, as I had not communications from Genl H. save by the Husband flying in pursuit of his family-who repeatedly gave me information that Genl H. was undoubtedly beyond the river Trinity- -I gave orders that all should be in readiness at sun set with a suffi- ciency of rounds to attack Genl Cos on the following morning and agreeable to the same my comd save some of the C.itizens who held out the idea that it was a slaughter pen & I was too desperate a man & utter destruction would be the event but all the volunteers & ·many of the brave citizens were in readiness at the appointed hour and -about sun set on the 29 of April we took up the line of march, about 11 o'clock we halted for the purpose of receiving information from our
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