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He now heard that ::Monchaca, had been bought up by the Gachupins & had abandoned the patriot standarcl. . Whilst in Washington City, he was vi:-ited by a man by the name of Toledo, a creole from Hnvanna who had been sometime in Phili- delph ia. Tola,lo heari11g of Bernardo's negociations at Washington ancl )waring also that Bernardo was going to remain there one year, re- paired thither, and offered his services to Bernardo, and proposed that Bernardo should invest him with all his powers as minister and prevail on the Govt. to receive him as such, whilst Bernardo should repair to Texas and prosecute the Revolution there. Bernardo felt that there wa~ propriety in this arrangemt in as much as it would be the means of keeping the Patriot forces in Texas constantly represented at this r:_ovt But the Seery of war, knowing the character of Toledo advised lum Bernardo to have nothing to do with him . Bernardo, failing in the object of his mission, departed from Wash- mgton 12 Febry 1812 for Natchitoches where he arrived the end of ?If ay. The US Govt. furnished him with money to travel upon. In N actichoches he raised 400 volunteers; le[f] t there & marched for Nagcogdoches where he reached 12 August, and met there Padra Sam- brano a Royalist commanding a garrison of 170 men, who surrendered a~ the first fire and most of the soldiers joining Bernardo-commenced his march for Bexar with 700 men, 400 being well armed- when he had got half way he was informed that the Govrs. Saleado & Herrere were awaiting him with two thousand men a few miles from Bexar. He also heard that La Bahia was garrison with a small force; & making forced marches to reache there before the Royalist should strengthen it, he succeeded in doing so, and captured the place be~ore the Govcrrs. heard of his being near there; He found there 3 pe1ces cannon, which he mounted anci prepared them for servise. In three cla1s the whole force of the Enemy fell upon him, and after some skirmishing, formed their army into three divisions and attached the fort with great intripiclity- After garrisoning the fort, he sallied out with the rest of his force to receive them; a terrible combat ensued; after three hours firing he Drove them back with great loss on their part and only a few wounded on the patriot part. He returned to the fort; the enemy invested the fort by three encampments in the form of a triangle, each beinu in cannon shot of the fort- The siege con- tinued in this situatio~ for four months, various encounters taking place every clay; the fort sometimes being violently assailed and at other times slight skirmishing being kept up; but in all the engagemt.s, the enemy retreated worsted. In the course of this time, the fort suf- fered greatly. Bernardo now determined to decide the matter by a general engoge- ment, to which the troops were all agreed, and accordingly on the 10th Feby 1818 he marched his forces out of the fort and taking chnrge of portion of his men he aclYancecl upon their principal guurtl which was so situated, if attacked a8 to render a general engagemt im1ispC'nsihle. This movement caused the Enemy to de~ert their C'ncumpmt with ~rl•at precipitation, and marched (as ,~•a:: expected) upon the nrnin bocly of thr pntriot forces i'tationecl near the entrnnee of the fort, who wnite1l their approach with a-rent confidence alHl r11lm1H'i;s, until they hail within proper clistan<';, the Pntriotg gnre th£'m s11<·h u wnrm 111111 un-
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