95
PAPERS OF l[IRABEAU BUONAPARTJ·: LAMAR
No. 358. HENRY C. DANCE TO THE EDITORS OF -- )!organ City Ala April 25 [ ?] 1836 )Tr EnrTOu, DEAit Sm I take the liberty of writing to you knowing the interest of the people [of the] U. S. . . . lfaded] views in their recent struggle for liberty and some of the . . . lfadedJ as there never has been a correct account of it published in your column& it may not be uninteresting to your readers [ ?] in so doing I will <lescribe nothing but what actually happened under my own observa- tion being there previous to the attack in the army there were several skirmishes I could describe. but I will onlv mention those connected with the storming When I saw the . - [fade<l] and magnifi- cence [ ?] of this place 1 was convinced it would be hard to take San Antonio is situated in a very fertile and . [faded] plain of muskete prarea through it Runs the purest River I ever saw of the same name the city is cald Bexar inhabited by three tf1ousand llexicans 500 miles west of Sabine they have a greate many cattle the finest I ever saw Raise corn sugar and a variety of fruits on the River is quantities of picans and grapes of best kind hanging on the vines in full bunches in the middle of of December there is one peculiarity be- longs to this climate I will mention you can hear more distinct par- ticular the whistling [ ?] of shot and balls and so pure is the air that you may hang beef and it will not spoil without salt . [faded] it being the 26th of November we had engaged the enimy 350 strong in the field cald the Grass fight. We were . [faded] com- manded by Genl Burleson Coins Bowie and Chesher they were de- feated and left the field 15 men left Dead on the ground and many borne upon horses while our loss was one man wounded on the shin f ?l slightly by the name of Carroll here I was amused at the Boys taking of the spurs- Blankets &c off the Dead Mexicans We also tofokl about forty mules and horses a man by the name of Sweden toke Ring of one of their fingers We continued cannonading from ½ to ¾ of a mile and skirmishing with a detached partys of the armys, this was kept up more or less until the 3rd Dec on the 1 and 2nd clay I was out of a gun and about this time our army from various causes was in a . . . [faded] situation most of the head officers left and others still leaving or resigning Burleson kept the command this eve we intercepted Genl Coss' mail and learned from its contents that Col Ugartachea was on the Rio nueces coming with a Reinforcement of 600 men aded to 1100 in the town while we only had 500 His force struck some of our army on the morning of the 4th our council met and while in sesion ther were some public horses & others taken from • the enemy an[d l not yet sent of this evening there was u general parade uncl an order for every mnn to be ready to start to Labuhar with the cannon and nmunitions for winter quarters 100 miles down the River at 7 P .M this commenced Seen of confusion I <'nnnot dis- scribe meu going every direction galloping horses I think by that time there would . . . fillegihle] been 200 men on the ground I fully expef't<'d then the cnimy would chnr~c on us with his whole forf'e but 11othing was certain we were compelcd to fight flyin~ . . . rfaclecl] about our camp more . f focll.'d] ull this tPnded to add to our present gloomy condition this wns the time to try in whose
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