The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-04-12
HISTORICAL RECOLLECTIONS.
BY G. WASHINGTON JONES.

In 1861, when treason manifested
itself throughout the entire South,
one OF the hottest beds outside of
South Carolina was to be found in
Texas. If any one State was bound to
the Federal Government by ties
stronger than another that State was
Texas. Purchased by the government
at great cost, taken into the family of
States, leaving to her all the public
lands within her limits; there were
many, very many reasons why her
people should have remained true and
loyal. But the reasonable tempest
which swept over the country carried
Texas out of the Union, and this, too,
in opposition to the earnest protest of
Sam. Houston, who should be termed
the Father of Texas. At the time of
which we write Houston was governor
and was requested to take the oath of
allegiance to the Southern Confed.
eracy, to call a convention the object
of which was simply to declare the
Union dissolved and to proclaim the
withdrawal of Texas. This he de-
clined to do, and a self-constituted
convention assembled at Austin, de-
clared the Office of governor to be
vacant, and inaugurated as governor,
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, willing tool
in the hands of the traitors. This
high-handed measure could not be re-.
sisted; Houston yielded and retired to
his farm Oh the Brazos, where he soon
died.
'Twiggs, a soldier in our army for
more than forty years, basely deserted
the flag of his country-that country
which had honorably rewarded his
every service-and disgracefully COM
promised the honor Of the Federal
troops, by virtually surrendering them
to the rebel power. Twiggs' apology
for SO base betrayal of his important
trust, so disgracefully compromising
the national honor and surrendering
the government stores, valued at a
million and a half dollars, was that it
was done ''to avoid the possibility of
a collision between the Federal and
State troops.' How imbecile, how
idiotic to think for single moment
that the American people would SUBJ
NIT to a dismembermenti of the Union
without striking blow in it's defence !!
For some days before this disgraceful
surrender. the rebel element in San
Antonio dared to make formal de-
mand on TWiggs for surrender, fear
ing that he might decline, and knowing
that he had a sufficient number of re-
liable and well-disciplined, troops in
the State, which, if concentrated,
could hold it against all the volunteers
which could be brought against it. In
order to urge the rebels forward,
Twiggs visited all the hotels in the
city and proclaimed it aloud that eff
any Old woman. armed with broom
stick, should demand the surrender he
would accede to the demand Thus
emboldened, the demand was made
the troops were surrendered and
ordered out of the State. Thus was
the flag humbled, trailed in the dust
by people who owed their all to the
government, of which it was the en-
blem of authority. Although this
event occurred fifteen years AGO. vet
those who were treated so outrageous
ly cannot forget it, and while Texas
gr0ans under negro and carpet-bag
rule, all we have to say to her people
is that they should not have turned
against the old flag and inaugurated
the most wicked and causeless rebel
lion ever concocted by the malice and
Vaccinations of evil men. BY the
terms of the surrender not more than
single regiment was to be concen-
trated at any one point. Indianola
was designated as the point at which
the troops were to embark on board of
transports. The Empire City brought
away part OF the Second Cavalry and
a part of the Third Infantry-in all
about one thousand officers and men.
The future was freely discussed by
the officers ON board of the steamer