WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1854
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prior to his connection with Texas. I will not refer to his ante- cedents in North Carolina and Florida. I will pass over the early part of his history. He came to Texas, and applied for a generalship. Instead of going to fight the battles, and meet the invaders on the field of battle, an enemy who was then sweeping everything before them, he broke for the United States to get help. He did not know but that all help would be useless before he could get back; but it was a safe business to go to the United States, much safer than to meet the enemy. However, he got a generalship from authority which had no power to make him a general, 8 and he came back to Texas a general; and about the first of June, I think, he landed again at Velasco, with a few men, as a brigade. They had swelled, by accumulations in New Orleans, detachments, and otherwise, to two hundred and thirty, which he now designates as his thirty- sixth brigade. In the mean time President Burnet, the President ad interim of Texas, created by the convention which made the declaration of independence, liberated Santa Anna, under a treaty made against all reason and all honesty, which a thousand ages cannot redeem from the suspicion of corruption. Then, to shield himself, that President alleged that it was promised to Santa Anna by the commander-in-chief after the battle of San Jacinto; that Santa Anna had there been promised a treaty by the commander-in- chief and the then Secretary of War (now my honorable colleague upon this floor [Mr. Rusk], who commanded the left wing of the army, and did gallant service in that action.) My colleague will remember that, after the battle, when Santa Anna was brought in a prisoner, he proposed to negotiate for his liberation-to hold a treaty and an armistice. He was told that we had no authority to make a treaty with him. Yes, sir, in reply to his proposition, he was informed "that neither the commander- in-chief nor the Secretary of War had any power to enter into negotiations with him; that there was a Government with a Cabinet, and the subject would be referred to it." The Cabinet, to be sure, was scattered to the four winds of heaven-for I believe it took eight or ten days to collect them. They were all dreadfully alarmed, except the Secretary of ·war, who had sought the army, and acted with it, instead of running away. He staid, but the others fled. .Santa Anna was ordered by the commander-in-chief forthwith to direct his (Santa Anna's) second in command (General Fili- sola) to evacuate Texas with his troops, and to fall back to the
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