The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-07-23
The Texan War-Massacre of Colonel
Fannin'S Command.

Tno IeXan War-MaSSacre OF Colonel
Fannin's Command.
The Louisville Courier-Journal's CORE.
spondent has interviewed Colonel James
Wood, now residing in Nelson County,
| n.y., who was a volunteer in the Texan
War for independence, member OF
Captain William p. Miller's company
from Alabama, which was captured i'm.
lmediately after landing at Capano.
Texas, and taken as prisoners to Fort
/ goliad, where the tragic events de.
4ribed took place in March, 1886. Col.
Y 1netWood's narrative is as follows:
Saturday afternoon courier arrived
from General Santa Anna with instruc.
lions to shoot the prisoners at sunrise on
the following morning. That night a
council was held by the Mexican officers
as to whether Santa Anna meant to in.
clude our command in his order or not.
Upon vote being taken bare majority
of one was in favor of awaiting further
orders. We told some of Fannin's men
what we had heard, but they did not be-
lieve us, and felt secure in the promise
that they were to be exchanged. Sun.
day morning the sun arose in splendor
of glory and looked smilingly down upon
the doomed victims of Mexican treachery
and gave no token of the terrible butch
cry about to take place. At an early
hour we were removed from our quar-
tiers to peach orchard, just outside the
fort, which overlooked the surrounding
country. White handkerchiefs were
tied around our arms to distinguish us
from Fannin's men, we were told. At
nine o'clock Fannin's men were ordered
to fall into line, and were drawn up
in double files, extending across
the yard of the fort from
the cannon at the gate to the opposite
wall. They were then divided into three
divisions, and being told that they were
required to drive a large herd of cattle
into town, the cowardly Mexicans fear
ing them even in their weakness and
without arms, were ordered to march.
The first division, as it filed out of the gate
of the fort, was marched straight for
ward, and the second division was
made to wheel to the right, and the
third division to the left, on lines at
right angles with the line of the first
division. The Mexican infantry, with
loaded muskets, as each division came
out, fell in on different sides of it in sin
gle file, and at the same time cav
alrymen, with drawn swords, fell in
parallel with each line of infantry. The
prisoners by this time began to feel
greatly alarmed. The MeXicans sud-
denly halted and began fixing bayonets,
and just as some one shouted, "Boys,
we are about to be shot!" a peal of fire.
arms, followed by dismayed and terrific
shrieks from the prisoners in the mid
die division, announced that the bloody
Dutchery had begun, and the most per-
fidious act in the annals of warfare was
about to be consummated. This OPEN
ing fire was a preconcerted signal of the
cowardly eXecutioners, who, advancing
within a few feet of the prisoners, fired
directly into their faces. To describe
the terrible scene would be impossible.
The agonizing shrieks of the wounded
as the bloody bayonet met them at every
turn. the dead and the dying, and the
demoniac yells of the inhuman butchers,
are beyond the power of mortal tongue
to depict. With that hope born of des-
peration and agonizing fear, about fifty
men made break and rushed instinct
lively toward the bank of the San Anto-
MO, pursued by the Infatuated soldiery,
by whom many were overtaken and
killed. About twenty-five men, who
had Invested themselves of their KNAPP
sacks and such articles of clothing as
they could as they ran, succeeded
in reaching the river, and plung-
ed in. But few lived to reach
the opposite shore, most OF
them being picked off in the water by
musket shots. Some of them gained the
opposite bank and concealed themselves
in the bushes and timber skirting the
river bank, only to be hunted down and
murdered by company of Mexican
cavalry, which had been posted across
the river to intercept any one who
might escape the slaughter at the fort.
A few succeeded in concealing them
selves in such manner as to evade de-
lection by crawling into the high grass
on the prairie away from the river. The
Mexicans, thinking they had extermi-
mated the entire band, passed on, and
the survivors, without hats, shoes, and
no clothing except pants and shirts, ran
for miles into the prairie until they sank
from utter exhaustion. They remained
in this position the entire day, not dar-
ING to move or speak, and at night
started on their uncertain journey, be-
wildered, half-starved, and nearly fam.
ished. The hardships of these men, and
their many hairbreadth escapes, as
told me afterward by one of the few that
ever reached home and friends, would
fiji book. After the massacre we were
taken back to our quarters, and in 60
inc to the fort saw Colonel Fannin
bound to a chair, where he was blind
folded and shot. The bodies of the
murdered soldiers were stripped naked
and piled up in a large heap and burned
bv the inhuman monsters. Colonel
Fannin's body was also stripped and
burned upon the same pile.
Colonel Wood and ten companions
subsequently effected their escape by
swimming the San Antonio River anc
taking to the woods, finally reaching
Sherman's advance cavalry after Sly
davs of terrible hardship.
One man on the Pacific slope EN-
Moved four weeks in writing SOL word:
On y postal card so that they can be reac