WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1835
313
It now seems their only course which is left to be pursued, to accomplish the object designed in the formation of a regular Army. Unless the officers are appointed at an Early day it will be impossible to have an army at the opening of the Campaign which can not, in my opinion, be delayed with Safety to the country longer than the 20th of February or the first day of March, at farthest. If only a portion of the Officers should be appointed, I apprehend the organization of the Army will be incomplete, and the intention of the Law will not be answered; the necessities of the Country seem to require a complete organ- ization. We must have an army or abandon all hope of defend- ing the Country! The letters recently intercepted from Genl Santa Anna , and the functionaries of the Central Government, are calculated to arouse every generous heart in Texas to active and obstinate resistance; an army of the enemy amounting to 10,000 men, with suitable munitions of war, must be met and vanquished or Texas will be overwhelmed for years to come. Union and confidence among ourselves, and a generous support of the Army, will achieve everything that is desirable to Freemen! Until a full complement of Officers is appointed for the regu- lar army, it is impossible that one can be raisee. I take pleasure in assuring your Excellency that I will at all times hold myself accountable for the means placed at my disposal, designed for the defences of the Country and the Success of our cause. But it must be obvious to all that in the same ratio in which the necessary and proper means are withheld from me so must my responsibility be diminished. Permit me to implore you most earnestly to give your atten- tion to the Subjects herein very respectfully Submitted. Sam Houston Comd in Chief of the Army 1 Arrny Pctpers (the original), Texas State Library. Exec11ti·ve Letter Book, No. S, ib-icl. Yoakum, History of Texas, II, 448--460. Brown, History • of Texas, II, 560-563. This copy is made from the A1·111y Pa.pers. It has been checked with the Yoakum and Brown copies, and it is found that the reports are practi- cally the same, except that both Yoakum and Brown have changed the para- graph division and the punctuation, and both omit one sentence, the first sentence of the third paragraph. 2 Henry Smith (1784-March 4, 1851), Governor of Texas during the administration o{ the Provisional Government, No-vember 1, 1835-Mnrch 1, 1836, and Secretary ·of the Treasury during Houston's first administration as President of Texas (October, 1836, to November, 1838). The most
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