The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-08-04

ton, and the capture and cold -b]pm
ed butchcry Of Col. Tannin's cnti,
T. command at Golad. A flood of dis
+ a>tcrs seemed to threaten the DIES
t:uction OF the entire American col
oni>t. But the frlociouS tyrant ha
purchased his uiumphs 1T aco,t|
It price. While the contest WAS ar.,u
j. Gus and difficult, aud the enemy pow
:, tiul iii numbers, the l!ttlc baud q
r. c"Ioni>tS were strong in the rrctitud
j. OF their cause and in that il,lcStlurt
i ibIc inheritance of gallantry derive,
G from their ilust'ious SHES Of IT7G.
:, Gen. Sam Houston, who had bee,
I appointed by President jackson os
e tcnsibly as an Indian Agent, hut i,
! reality to obtain command of tn,
{ Texas amy, had been made comma g.,
c dcr.i chief, and was rctrcatiuy will
. his small force from the Haudal,up,
: to the Colorado. Santa Anna, flush.
| cd with victory, was pressing forward,
, to bring on general engagement,
intending to kill and Dive every
, American cQlonist ont Of the cOuu nv
} The retreat Of the Texan army was
continued, under Houston, fist to the
, Colorado, then to the brazos, and
, finally TO the San Jar;Hto. The Tax
ans were indignant at Houston for
avoiding battle. an,. lie was forced to
fight at San Jacinto or give up COM
mand Of the army, his refusal to fight
at that time would have mutiuicd
the army. Houston had a pun pose
for rctrcatin5 which was aftcrward
made known, but of which at the
time the troops were not in tie Sc
cict.
THE BATTLE or SAN JAClNlO..
On the morning of the twcnty-frst
of April, 1876, there was. an anxious
spirit lcrvading the Texan camp.
The Mexican General Cos had effect
ca a Junction with the commanders
ln-cflicf, Santa Anna, that morning
which largely reinforced the enemy.
In the afternoon of that day the Tex
an officers held a council to fix a time
to attack the enemy, whether on that
evening or the next morning, The
decision was for an immediate attack,
and in very short time the compa-
MES and regiments were prepared for
action. The Texans passed forward
in regular order in perfect silence,
reserving their fire until within less
than a hundred yards of tho encmy's
lines, when simultaneously with the
attack, most 1cfeDiny shout of ere
member the Alamo," was sent up.
Tho yell was tremendous and fearful,
and was, perhaps, more effective in
producing confusion and panic i'll
the Mexican ranks than the fire of the
Texans, as after the first discharge
the Mexican seemed to forget the use
OF their arms, and throwing them
away depended solely on tight for
safety. Santa Anna and his staff
broke from the field at the first dis
charge. For a while there was per.
feet slaughter Of Mcxicans until Just
before sunset the pursuit and slaug III
ter ceased, by Col. AlmontY hating
the terrified Mcxicans and making a
formal surrender. The action was
poorly contested on tho part of the
Mcxicans. They made but little or
no tight. Not a gun was fired after
the surrender, and tho columns of
prisoners wcro conntcrmarched to
to the Texas camp, which was reach
ed about twilight in the evening. An
hour or two aftcrward Deaf Smith,
the noted Texan spy, rode into camp
on q largo black stallion, on which
Santa Anna had fled from the battle
field. The next morning Santa An
ma was captured and brought into
camp, and Il council of war was held
over the captive President of Mexico
There sat> with his elbows on his
knees, his face bowed upon his hands,
never raising his head, tho butcher of
the Alamo, the cold blooded villain
murderer Of Goliad, who, setting
aside every law of civilized warfare,
and every instinct of humanity, had
inhumnn'y murdered, III cold blood,
upward of two hundred gallant men,
whose lives he had guaranteed under
the solemn sanction of Il treaty.
Many were for executing b,m on the
spot, and much ccnsure was attached
to the superior officers for their nc
glcct to do so. But lie was saved
from the fate he SO justly mcrited,
not so much from any mawkis| gen
crosby on the part Of his conqucrers,
as from motives Of policy. | will
take occasion to state that at the time
Of the battle of San Jacinto a portion
of the Texans wcreplaced on detached
service, and were prevented from
taking part in the fight, aud although
their names were not given in Gen.
Houston's publiIhed list, yet they
rendered important service and oc-
cupied a position for more pcrilous
than those that were in the battle.
THE RESULT OF THE BATTLE.
The event of the battle of San Ja-
cinto itself, considered as a battle
only, was of small significance but
that victory was the elimination of
the Texas struggle, the positive
achievement of her independence.
The loss inflicted on the enemy was
trihing, compared with the capacity
Of Mexico, and would have by no
means been decisive of the contest (
had the power Of Mexico been con-
trolled by an efficient and barmo-
NOUS administration. In its moral
aspect it but manifested the SUPERIOR
ity of the Ang|o-American over the
Spanish Aztec race, which moral pre-
cmiucnce forms a chief element, and
Texas was more indebted to tie RI
ralry of unprincipalcd chieftains and