Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1844-02-24
ADVENTURES IN TEXAS.
ONE OF rANNING'S RATTLEs.


ONE OF rANNrNG's BATTLES.
had been but three or four months in Texas
duct of the Mexican military authorities, symp-
toms Of d'scontcnt show ed themselves, and
several skrmishes occurred between the Anne.
rican settlers aud the sodierv. The two small
forts of Nclasco and Nacogdochcs were taken
by the former, and their garrsons and a couple
Of field officers made prisoners; soon after
which, however, the quarrel was made up hv
the intervention Of Colonel Austin on the part
of Texas, ard Col. Mciia on the part of the
Mexican authorities.
But in The year '33 occurred Santa Annals
detection from the liberal party, and the I'M
prisonmcnt Of Stephen +. Austin, the Tcxian
representative in the Mexican Congress. by
the vicc.prcsident, Gomez Faras This was
followed by Texas adopting the constitution of
l~2i, and declaring itsclfan independent state
of the Mexican Republic Finally, towards
the close of lS33, Texas threw otfthe Mexican
yoke altogether, voted itscifa free and sovcr.
cIn republic, and prepared to defend by arms
lis newly asserted liberty.
The first step 10 be taken was, 10 secure our
communications with the United States by get
ting possession of-hc sca.pOrts. General Cos
had occupied Galveston harbor, and built aud
garrisoncG block fort, nomnaIy for the pur-
pose of enforcing the custom laws, but in rcali-
" with view To cut Of our communications
with New Orleans aud the States. This fort
1t was necessary to get possession of, and my
friend Tanning and myself were appointed to
that duty by the AIca'dc, who had taken pro,
mncn, part in all that had occurred,
. Our whole force and equipment whcrewith
to accomplish this enterprise, consisted in a
sealed despatch, 10 be opened at the town of
Columbia, and a half.brccd, named Agoslino,
who acted as our guide, On reaching Coum-
ba, we called together the principal lnhabi.
tanls of the place, aud of the ncighboring
towns of Bolivar aud Marion, unsealcd the let
ter in their pre- essence, and six hours afterwards
the forces therein specified were assembled,
and we were on our way toward Galveston.
son made prisoners, without our losing a single
man.
We sent or our guide TO the government at
San Felipe with news Of our success. In nine
days he returned, bringing us the thanks OF
congress, aud fresh orders. We were to leave
garrison in the fort, and then ascend Trinity
river, and march towards San Antonio De BeX-
ar. This route was all the more agreeable 10
flaming and myself as it would bring US into
the immediate vicinity of,he hacieadaS, or cs-
tutcs, Of which we had sometime previously
obtained grant from the Texan government
aud we did not doubt that we were indebted
to our friend the Acalde for the orders which
thus concilla,cd our private convenience with
our public duty.
As we marched along we found the whole
country IN Commotion, the settlers all urmIng,
and fastening to the distant place Of rcndeA,
y1us We arrived at Trinity river one after
noon, and Immediately sent messengers ioI
forty miles in all directions to summon the in.
habilants. Al the period in question, the plan
tations in that par! of the country were very
few aud far between, bat nevertheless by the
afternoon Of the next day we had got together
lour-and-thirty men, mounted on mustangs
each equipped with rifle and bowie knife, pow
der horn and bullet bag, and furnished will
provisions for several days. With these We
started for San Antonio de Bcxar, a march 0
two hundred and fifty miles, through trackles
l prairies intersected with rivers, and streams
which, although not quite so big as the Mssis
! sippi or Potomac, were yet deep and wide c
nough to have offered serious impedment t
regular armies, But to Texan farmers an
5 backwoods-men, they were trhing obstacles
Those We could not wade through We swan