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TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
Mexia's expedition to Tampico in November 1835 was for the pur- pose of proclaiming the federal principles, which Texas had already proclaimed. They have accused him of securing volunteers in New Orleans to go to Texas; but this is not true. Mr. Christy was the person who secured them, telling them that they were going to sus- tain the same cause that the Texans were upholding, but that they were going to disembark at some point on the coast South of Texas. The expedition of Mexia was well arranged, but he had the misfortune of being wrecked upon entering the Port of Tampico on the night of Nov. 14th, and so it was impossible to surprise the garrison that had been prepared to receive him, because he had been on the bar twelve hours, and everybody knew of his being near the City. Also some persons have wished to take the credit of having contributed to this expedition, but this is not true; the funds for the expenses were furnished by :Mexia alone and his frfand Colonel Peraza. He himself assured a friend of mine. of this fact and also stated that he could prove it against any one saying the contrary. The Count Moctezuma a native of Spain, but .a descendant of the old Emperor of Mexico, escaped from :Madrid in 1821 in order to come and proclaim the Independence of the Country of his forefathers, act- ing on the .advice of Zavala. But while. in France hearing that Itur- bide had done so already, he stopped his march and came afterwards to live in New Orleans where he committed suicide on account of family troubles. When General Lopez de Santa Anna was prisoner in Texas, I was at that time Secretary of War in which capacity it was my fortune, good or bad, not to be in accord with the majority of the cabinet with respect to the question of what should be done with the distinguished captive. Some were in favor of making a treaty of peace adjusting the boundaries of Texas and recognizing her independence; while the rest opposing this policy contended that in place of considering Santa Anna a prisoner of war, he should he judged an assassin and as such be condemned. Those who are familiar with the history of Texas, will remember the fate of Colonel Fannin and his brave companions who were sacrificed for the vengeance of Santa Anna in spite of the terms under which they had surrendered to a superior force after a well fought battle. The conditions of the surrender were, first that their lives should be spared and second that in ten days they should be set frl:)e and he would permit them to leave for New Orleans, but instead of this being carried out in good faith, they were executed by order of General Santa Anna in opposition to the supplications of several of his officers. For this atrocious act so full of treachery and opposed to all the laws of warfare and of civilized nations, some of the members of the cabinet were opposed to treating with the prisoner under any considerations and insisted that he ought to be punished as a criminal. Among those who held this opinion, I was one, and in an official document I stated the reasons that compelled me to the decision which I had taken. When Santa Anna saw the light in which I viewed his conduct and character and how unfavorable and unpropitious were my sentiments toward him on account of that atrocious crime, he manifested a desire
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