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Our Catlrolic Heritage in T exa.s
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and supplies for an invasion of Mexico. A call for militia and volun- teers was issued. The response was instantaneous: hundreds of militia marched to San Antonio, and volunteers, eager to fight against the Mexicans, flocked to Texas. Encouraged by the hasty retreat of the invaders, the militia and volunteers were eager to march into Mexico at once. Houston refused to give his consent. He called a special meeting of Congress for June 27, which promptly declared war, and, having no money, appropriated ten million acres of land to provide the sinews of war. Houston, however, was still reluctant to wage a declared war and did all he could to delay action. 28 The fears and anger of the Texans which had temporarily subsided, were again aroused to a high pitch by a second invasion. Early in Sep- tember General Adrian Woll suddenly crossed the Rio Grande at Laredo, surprised San Antonio, and held the city for almost two weeks. The first occupation by General Vasquez had not interfered with the Church, but General Woll, during his two weeks' stay, tried to restore Refugio de la Garza as parish priest of San Fernando. Before the aroused Texans could gather their forces, Woll and his men retired to Mexico, taking with him several leading citizens as prisoners.:z<J By November the enraged Texans, who--to the number of 750-had come to San Antonio to avenge the insult, set out for Laredo -under General Alexander SomerveU. 30 After a brief skirmish they captured the town on December 8. Houston refused to allow the troops to cross into Mexico. Discouraged, many of the volunteers disbanded; Somervell ordered the rest to retir~ to Gonzales. These wandering volunteers and militia became a worse scourge than the invaders. Without pay or supplies, they moved about at will, foraging at the expense of the isolated Mexican and Texan ranches, killing the cattle, and robbing all those whom they met, irrespective of their loyalties. 31 A group of three hundred refused to obey Somervell's orders and organized a group under Colonel W. S. Fisher to march against Mier. This was the origin of the unfortunate Mier expedition. Expecting little 2'Houston, "Proclamation to the Citizens of Texas," in Barker and Williams, The Writings of Sam Houston, II, 490-491. 19 For Woll's occupation of San Antonio, see J. H. Brown, History of Texas, II, 222-230. 3 °For Somervell's appointment and biographical sketch, see Barker and Williams, Writings of Sam Houston, II, 492-493. 31 0din to Timon, June 20, I842; Odin to Blanc, July 4, 1842, C. A. T.
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