Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-09
"reminiscences of Early Days, as
Related by One of the Actors.
An Account of the Life of Moses Austin
Bryan, One of the Sturdy Pioneers
Of the Lone Star State.
bis Connection with stephen F. Austin and
the Early History Makers-IncidentE
That Can't Help but Interest.
TContinued from March 81

w. Johnson, having command OF oV1
men in two divisions. After fighting four
days aud nights Gen. Cos, in command
of the Mexicaus, capitulated-surren-
dered with about 400 troops on the 10th
of December. 1885. Ger. BurlisOn gen.
erously allowed the MexIcans some am
munition and arms to protect them from
the Indians on their way back to Mexico.
Milan was shot on the morning Of the
9TH, and Col. johnson Immediately took
command. 1t is said that when Milan
planned the advance on a Antonio he
went through the camp calling out:
''Who will go into Sal Antonio with old
Ben Milan in the morning?" Three
hundred volunteered. After the sur
render of Cos the colonists returned to
their homes, with the exception OF a few
left under command or Col. Neil. VIM.
Barrett Travis was afterWard sent by the
provisional government to take com
msnd. On the 23d of February, 1886,
the advance of Santa Anna army of
invasion entered San Antonio. Travis
and his band retreated to the Alamo and
Santa Anna made a demand for their
surrender. Travis swere the COM
mand by a am shot. Travis had
made up his mind neither to retreat nor
surrender. On the 80 of March thirty
two volunteers entered the Alamo from
Gonzales, to reinforce Travis. With this
increase his force amounted to ISL men.
Travis, in the two or three letters he
wrote while in the Alamo and which he
sent by express, stated hat he feared
if be surrendered or retreated Texas
would lee overrun by the MeXlcans. On
the 9th of March. after fighting eleven
days and nights, the men perfectly FIX
hausted, having lived on nothing but
beef aud parched corn, they were oil
killed except Mrs. Dickinson and daugh-
ter and Travis body servant, who es-
corted Mrs. Dickinson and daughter to
Gonzales, where the colonists had
collected. A number of Santa
Annals men having been killed and
wounded in the siege his march was de-
Iayed two weeks. On the 18th, after
the arrival OF Mrs. Dickinson giving an
account of the fall Of the Alamo, Gen.
Houston, who, as before mentioned, had
taken command of the army at Gonzales,
reiterated toward the Colorado river and
crossed March II. There / TejOiued the
army. The next day G6th) there was a
reorganization of Capt. Mosely Bakers
and l was, without my knowl-
edge or consent, elected third sergeant.
About the oath Gen. Sesma arrived on
the opposite sioe of the river with a force
of cavalry and some infantry. e
Smith ana Carnes crossed the river and
captured two MeXicans and brought them
TO Gen. Houston. Gen. Houston sent
for me TO act as his Spanish interpreter,
and to question them, which l did but
learned nothing of Importance from
them. On the 26th the army moved
onto the prairie three or four miles on
the road to San Felipe, SO that their
horses. could get grass. On the 9th
the army marched for a Felipe, and
on the 2Sth camped in the neighborhood
of that town. On the 29th of March
Gen. Houston detailed Capt. Mosely
Bakers company TO keep the enemy
from crossing the river, and the company
took up q position on the east bank OF
the Brazos river opposite San Felipe.
Deaf Smith and spies went out on the
road to the Colorado, and came a and
reported they saw the advance Of the
Mexican army crossing the Bernardo
proved to be q mistake. However, when
Smith made the report Capt. Baker or
dered me to take six men and burn the
town of San Felipe. l asked him to eX-
cuse me as l did not wish to have a hand
in destroying the first town LAID of by
uncle il the wilderness OF Texas. Capt.
Baker then ordered Edward o. Pettus
and he burned the town. This was done
by Baker at Gen. HOuston's command.
When the news reached the army the
-,,- rr.par,1v rad Of fha hmm
ing, the enemy not having appeared. A
report came to our company that Gen.
Houston denied having ordered San Fee
lipe burned on the approach of the
enemy, and Capt. Baker wrote to Gen.
Houston TO know if he denied having
given the order. Gen. Houston replied
TO Capt. Bakers letter (and l saw Hous-
ton IS reply) and said be was perfectly
satisfied with everything he (Baker) had
done while IL command Of Ghat post,
without saying whether he bad ordered
the town burned or not. The spies must
have seen a herd of cattle which they
mlstook for Mexicans and mis-
taken the horns of the cattle for bayo-
nets. Erastus Smith after reporting to
Moselv Baker went up to report to Gen.
Houston, who, with the main army, had
marched up the west side of the river
bottom TO a fresh water lake opposite
GTOCe's plantation. The Mexicans APP
peared at San Felipe three days
later and opened fire with cannon
on Capt. Bakers company. That
fire cut off a great many branches
of trees, but did little or no other dam
age. They kept up their fire about two
days. Houston sent three companies
down to reinforce Capt. Baker. After
three days the enemy marched down the
BrHzos towards Richmond; Capt. Baker
with his TeinfoTcements was ordered to
join the main army near where the town
of Hampstead COW is. These movements
occurred about the 18TH or 18th of April,
and arrived about the l4th or 18th. On
the 10th of April the army marched to-
wards Harrisburg on Buffalo bayou.
Many thought we were bound for Rob-
inson's ferry on the Trinity. However,
when re anne to the fork in the road
the ARM took the road TO Harrisburg.
In the afternoon of the 18th of April we
reached Harrisburg. The town had been
burned by the MeXicaus and was still
smoking. Deaf Smith aud KaInes of the
spy company, who had preceded the
army had ornsca6 ovpr tha havOu and