A few days before close siege was laid to San An- tonio, the army being at the Mission Espada, nine miles from town, Cols. Fanning and Bowie were sent with a detachment of ninety men, many of whom were boys from fourteen to twenty years of age, to take a position within one mile's distance south of the town of San Antonio, at the Mission Conception. The Mexican commander, General Cos, learning their sit- uation and numbers, determined to attack them early the next morning. Accordingly he ordered out before daylight four hundred of his best troops, the Morales Division, called the lwvincibles of Mexico, a due pro- portion of whom were infantry, cavalry and artillery, with a six pound cannon. The position taken by Col. Fanning was upon the east bank of San Antonio river, where by a turn it makes an angle of about seventy degrees. Upon the sides of the field, made by the river, was a steep bank, between which and the water there was a skirt of timber from one to six rods wide. On the other side of the field was a morass, making the entire oppooite boundary, except a narrow opening along the river. Gen. Cos drew up his army in three divisions. One was sent on the west side to cross at the lower ford of the river below the right of our line, and planted their cannon on the bank, with the inten- tion of raking our line, as they should advance to fire. The second took a position at the upper ford, opposite the angle of the river; while the third, which was
181
Powered by FlippingBook