53
WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1837
lenburg County, Virginia, in 1787 (See La,ma1· Papers, IV, Part 1, pp. 224-245). He immigrated to Alabama in 1815, and settled near Hunts- ville. From Alabama he immigrated to Texas in 1822 to settle in Austin's colony. He arrived at Galveston on the Schooner Re1,enge, and not being able to find transportation to San Felipe, he and other immigrants went up the San Jacinto River and settled ten miles above Lynch's crossing. There he remained for a year, then removed to the Brazos, and a short time later to San Felipe. In 1832 he moved again, this time to the Mill Creek community. While living at San Felipe, Pettus became a leading citizen of the community and from 1828 to 1832 held the position of Sindico pro- curaclor (a position somewhat comparable to that of our present-day city attorney). See The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, XXII, 78-90 passim; also, E. C. Barker, Life of Stephen F. At1stin, 352, for Richard Eilis's opinion of this man. Pettus served in the Quartermaster's department during the Texas revolution, busying himself in gathering beef cattle for the use of the army (Comptroller's Military Service Records, Texas State Library). The date of his death has not been ascertained; he was living in 1841. 4 Captain John York and his brother Allison, besides several sisters and cousins, came to Texas in 1830. They settled first on the Lavaca, later, west of the Brazos, in Austin's colony. Captain John York was one of the intrepid Indian fighters of the pioneer days in Texas, and he participated in numerous expeditions against the red-skins. He was the commander of a company in the volunteer army before Bexar in 1835, and he and all his men were among the first to volunteer to follow Ben Milam into the city of San Antonio which was strongly fortified and defended by General Cos and some 1,500 Mexican soldiers. In 1846 Captain York removed to Coleto Creek in DeWitt County, and there about his farm the pretty little village of Yorktown grew up, and today perpetuates his name. In 1848 he was in command of a company of rangers in search of a band of ambushed Indians who were making depredations west of the San Antonio River. In th:s fight, on October 10, both he and his son-in-law, James Bell, were killed. See John Henry Brown, Indian Wars and Pionee1·s of Texas, 107. William C. Binkley, Official Correspondence of the Texa,n Revolution, I, 90, 128, 347.
To DANIEL PARKERl
Columbia Texas 13th Feby 1837. Dear Sir, Your favor has reached me, and no man can regret more sincerely than I do the misfortune that has taken place. I am not mistaken in my calculation. I did not suppose that my orders wou'd be 1·eceived as too st1~ict. They now see how matters are to be managed. Where is the Fort on Trinity? Where is the Block-house? ordered to be erected by me; and the ferry? This was all done previous to the inhabitants returning to their homes. Men who do not obey the orders given, should not expect recom- pense. My heart is every day thrilled with the fruits of incaution.
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