New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-02-15
DAILY CRESCENT.
THE MONTEZUMA /;

The success attendant upon the early efforts
in arms Of the reyoutionists; the result Of the
first outbreak at Anahuac the capture of Go
lad by Major Collingsworth together with the
reduction of the town Of San Antonio and the
fortress Of the Alamo, by the combined forces
Of the Texans and the company Of NcwOrleans
Greys under Milan, didused quiet, compla-
cent Joy throughout the republic, which, by tho
calm dignity that accompanied its expression,
clearly evinced that, although highly gratifying,
it only justified their anticipatons Of the issue
Of a conflict between two nations 50 powerfully |
contrasted, not physically only, but in those
intellectual cudowments which enabled the |
weaker force to know their rights and to sus-
tain them in their struggles against arbitrary |
and tyrannical power, which could marshal ar |
mics of immensely superior numerical strength |
Therefore the early victories Of the republic
over the armies Of Santa Anna occasianed no
ostentatious outbursts, no great public demon
strations Of joy.
The boys knew the Mexicans.
A few short years before, when that arch
hypocrte, Santa Anna, endeayored to establish
the Federal Constitution of 1924 by the over
throw Of the Central Government, he called for
aid to the settlers of Texas, who, deeming politi
cal liberty a cause worthy of their assistance, as
sons of American freemen, promptly answered
his CALL and were, no doubt, principal element
Of his success.
Old men and boys throughout all Austin's
Colony, but more particularly from the Brazos,
| fiocked to his standard, and. armed only with
rifles, planted four-inch palisades within rife
shot Of the guns of the Fort of Veasco, under
the command of Ugartechea of the Centralist
forces, and, after sharp but short and decisive
action, forced the enemy to acknowledge their
proves by surrender.
| l said, 50 the boys knew the Mexicans - they
did knotc them. They knew them both for their
treachery and their cowardice, and now in the
ranks of the Texan army, battling against the
perfdious Santa Anna, whom in by-gone times
they had assisted to elevate to the head Of the
Government, in the vain hope that he would ad
minister it in liberal and republican manner,
were to be found the Mimms, the Sweeneys,
| the McNeils and others, men who carried upon
their persons the scars of wounds received in
the cause of the vile wretch at Yelasco, scars,
the remembrance Of which but served to new
string their nerves in the present contest with
him.
While all things went thus prosperously on
land, a great annoyance existed from be pres
ence in the G ulf of two Mexican armed vessels,
which were the daily cause of interruption to the
commerce of the country, by keeping the two
, ports of Brazoria and Matagorda in an almost
perpetual state of blockade, cutting off all sup
: plies, raising outward freight on cotton to fou,
= dollars per bale, and preventing the possblit,
of obtaining insurance. Hourly and anxiousl,
k was the appearance Of the new Texan fee
: prayed for.
In this sketch, l have only to deal with tn
Montezuma, which certainly would not dignif
d by the appellation of man-of-war
For some years anterior to the Texan war
independence she had been playing certain mys
terious tricks in the Gulf which were clearl
"a without her province.
One Of her little affairs off Tampco will n
doubt be familiar to the memory of many il
this city. On the occasion to which | allude
while playing dolphin, securing about the Gul
devouring small things, her lookout espied
top-sail schooner, to which the Montezuma mad
chase, the stranger standing very uuconcern
$, edly on his course. Reaching striking distanc
ID and finding her signals disregarded, she con
: menced the recreation Of pitching shot at hei
. Sudden and great was the surprise of SenC
Meiicano, when in an instant he found that W,
agame at which two could play. The strange
70 was no other than the revenue CUTTER Ingham
vino returned the compliment after so warm
= fashion as to shock the modesty of the g MOI
- tezuma,'' and to cause her Immediately to tur
tail, making tracks as fast as the nature of Il
he case would admit, for Tampico bar, Hard IN
u I fast upon her heels few the ayenger of hi
#. country's insulted flag, with the determinatio
of chastising the insolent perpetrator of IL
"a outrage Fortune, however, denied the sati
faction The Mexicans thinking that if he ha
no time for further exchange of compliment
surely had none to wait for pilot, ran his ve
rs rs, sci upon the bar, where the "Ingham,' sati.
ma ma fed with the revenge she had taken, hauled he
wind and left her.
Turn we now to the " Montezuma," in col
Nv Nv necton with the Texan war.
..s Ii was on a day near to the middle of Decen
led Der, 1885, that news arrived in Brazoria fro
md Veasco, that the '' Montezuma" was outside IL
:, bar, lying "off and on
:. This insult proved too much for the equanin
j ity of the Brazorians, who accordingly COZ
.S .Si menced instant and active preparations for
lac senting it. The schooner San Felipe, load
pee, with cotton, for NewOrleans, was then the on
ks KS vessel at the landing in Brazoria, upon whic
hey armed with knives and pistols and taking wi
n. them long twelve, bored to carry an eighte
6E, pound shot, some forty-fye or fifty-about {
sold remaining in town-embarked for the purpo
in .
and of laying her alongside and carrying the Mo
es tezuma by 3" boarding"
1 Arriving at the mouth Of the Brazos, til
as found to their disappointment that the Mont
suma had disappeared but fan from any idea
""' abandoning their intentions, the San Fell
- o. kept away to the westward in pursuit, it bei
then nearly dark. Unfortunately for the {
terprise, at two bells in the morning watch,
81 officer in charge of the deck being arunk,
n San Felipe was run bows on, hard upon Ma
~ gorda Peninsula News had been received
DDS Matagorda of the starting of the expedit
80, from Brazoria, and much anxiety was evint
sms on the next day, when at l p NJ. short c,
aad nonading was heard off the peninsula.
! de- A party, numbering in all nineteen perso
saii under the Hon. Judge Chambers and Judge