WRITINGS OF SAJ\l HOUSTON, 1836
392
December 3, 1855. It tells that Captain Ross never received any pay for the services he rendered as Captain of the Yellow Stone, and that his widow was petitioning the State of Texas for a league and labor of land. Houston wrote across this letter: "Poor Widow: Hope deferred maketh the Heart sick. Sam Houston (Rubric)" Another enclosure within this same source is as follows: "Galveston Oct. 27th 1855. "Mr. E. Stockbridge Dear Sir: In reply to your note of Yesterday, I would state, That at the time the Texian Army under the command of Genl. Sam Houston was encamped on the bank of the Brazos in the Spring of 1836, the Steam Boat "Yellowstone" under the command of John E. Ross came down the river where the Army lay; and was detained by the order of the Com- mander in Chief for the purpose of crossing the Army over the river, and that, I was ordered to take charge of said boat for that purpose. I there- fore certify that Captain John E. Ross did cross the Texas Army on said boat, under my directions. S. Sherman Late Col. 2d Regmt, Texas Vol. Also see 2nd Vol. of Yoakum's History of Texas, 115, 116, and 120." 2 An enclosure filed with the letter to be found in the "Presidents Mes- sages," Pape1·s of the Congresses, gives a roll of the Yellow Stone's crew and officers as follows:
A List of the Crew of the Steam Boat Yellow Stone
John E. Ross --------------------------------------------------------Master James H. West --------------------------------------------------·-----Clerk Lewis Ferguson ------·-------------------------------------------------Engineer
Thomas Lubbock ) John McKinney ) Dyer Horton
) ------------------·-·-·------------------------------------- -Deck Hands
Robert Hall James Ferns
) )
) ) ) -·-··-------- -------- -
William Cooke M. M. McLain Martin Shackles Ira Tate Thos. Smith
_____________________________ Firemen
) )
Robert Mosely and Wife______________________________________________Steward Ira Armstrong _________________________________________Second Steward Benjamin Chees Sherman ·- - - - - _____________________ _____________Cook
Brasos River, April 2, 1836
(Signed) John E. Ross
Columbia, April 10, 1837 the foregoing instrument is a true copy taken from the file in my office J. W. Moody Auditor
Auditor's Office I certify that original now on
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