410
WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1836
300 Barrels of flour, 250 Kegs of powder and much property- and sunk, a big war ship of the enemy, which had many Guns. Sam Houston Colonneh Camp on Brasos 13th Apl. 1836 [Addressed]: To Colonel Bowl Great Chief of the Cherokee3 Texas By Mr. Johnson [Endorsed]: 1836 To the Bowl 1£ama1· Papers, I, 352.
To DAvm THOMAS 1
Headquarters, Camp at Groce's 2 April 13, 1836.
To David Thomas, Acting Secretary of War Sir: This moment yours of yesterday has reached me. I have the honor to remark, that ~aunts and suggestions have been gratuitously tendered to me ; 3 and I have submitted to them without any disposition to retort either unkindness or imputation. What has been my situation? At Gonzales I had three hundred and seventy-four efficient men, without supplies, even powder, balls, or arms. At Colorado with seven hundred men, without discipline or time to organize the army. Two days since, my effective force in camp was five hundred and twenty-three men (aggregate). I had authorized Captain Martin- 1 to detain a force there of at least two hundred men. I had sent to the bot- tom opposite San Felipe one hundred and fifty men; and had reason to expect the attack would be made, and an effort made to cross the river at San Felipe, or at the point at which I was, as the prairie, at the latter point, approached nearer to the river, and the bottom was better than at any other point on the river. The cannonade was kept up at San Felipe until yesterday morn- ing; and as the river was very high, and it was_reported to me that the enemy were preparing rafts at that point, I had every reason to suppose that they intended to cross there, if possible. On the previous night, in consultation with the secretary of war, we concluded to pass the river to this side. At ten o'clock, A. M., yesterday, I commenced crossing the river, and from that time till the present (noon) the steamboat and yawl (having no ferry-boat) have been engaged. We have eight or ten wagons, ox-teams, and about two hundred horses, belonging to the army; and these have to 'pass on board the steamboat, besides the troops, baggage, &c. This requires time; but I hope in one hour to be
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