The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-11

lures Of the Georgia Battalion aftea they reached the Mission del Refugio. Is condensed from two relations ona written soon after the events described by Samuel c. Hardaway late of Mont Eomery. Ala. who was a member of wards original company and luckily. In a way to be noted hereafter. escapSd the fate which befel1 most of the otn. CTS. Col. Hardaway's account of hin remarkable adventures has been print ed more than once in the pages of The Montgomery Advertiser. The other and fuller relation was written by Samuel T. Brown also member of Wards company who made miraculous es- cape from massacre at Goliad by hfdinr in the brush and swimming the San Antonio river. Browns account writ- ten shortly after the massacre for the information of MT. Thomas Ward of Sumter County. Alabama, a brother of the unfortunate Col Ward of Georgia was printed in the 'voice of sumters a newspaper published at Livingston in the issue of November 2Sth, 1888.
 on his arrival at the Mission, Ward round the place sorely beset by e large number of the enemy. a part of the army Of the Mexican General Urrea. Having barricaded the doors and wfn- dows of the church with the benches. pews and images. Colonel Ward and his gallant men held off the Mexicans for several days, killing and wounding several hundreds of them.
 On the night of tho 1Sth, Captaiu Tfcknor. with his company, made q sally from the church, surprised q camp Of Mexicans about one mile from the Mission. killed eight or ten of them. and put the rest to flight. In the mean time. Colonel Fannin had delayed his retreat from Goliad waiting for the re- turn Of the Georgia Battalion from the Mission del Refugio. At 10 o'clock on the night of the 14th an order came from Colonel Fannfn that the Georgia battalion should immediately leave the Mission and make their way to Yicto- ria. where he would join them. At midnight Ward silently led his troops from the church and they set out on the march to Victoria. After wander ing for several days over the prairies without guide, they came on the 2lst Into the vicinity of Victoria and found. to their dismay. that the town was i'm possession of the enemy. who fired upon them and drove them to the swamps of the Guadalupe River. During the night they turned southward and tried to reach Dimmit's Point, on the Law aca River. where they had heard that supplies were being landed for the Texan troops. On this night march
 
 separated from the main body and did not fall into the hands of the enemy, namely. Sergeant Richard Rutledge. Corporal Joseph B. Tatum, Privates D. Green and Charles F. Hicks. These men. fortunately for themselves, es- capped the fate that awaited their com rades by hiding themselves in the Guadalupe swamps and at last mak- ing their way to places of safety. It fa rfafr hot nA Hicks. probably all four, afterwards fought at the battle of San Jacinto in the Texas company of Captain Mosely Baker. a former resident of Montgom- cry. who had removed to Texas somo years before. It is interesting in this connection to note the fact that the late Col. Samuel G. Hardaway of Mont- gomery. who. at that time. was a mem- Der of Wards company from Macon. Ga. made his escape at the same time and in the same way.
 The next day. which was the 22nd of March, the Georgia lsattalion, or what was left of it, halted for rest about two miles from Dimmit's Point, and sent forward two men to recon noitre and find out who were in pos- session of the Point. These men were captured by General Urrea's army, which was lowering in that neighbor- :.
 
 once surrounded by a vastly superior force of the enemy. Their condition was now truly desperate. They had left Goliad with only thirty-six rounds of ammunition to the man. nearly all of which had been expended in the de- fence of the Mission del Refugio few days before. In point of fact many of the men had not a single cartridge left. The two men who had been captured. Nar rd Wf Tn fvar tance. made known to Colonel Ward the strength of the enemy's forces, and ad- vised him to surrender and make the best terms possible with General Ur- req.
 Colonel Ward. accompanied by Major and Captain Ticknor, now went forward under a flag of truce. had an interview with General Urea, and came back and reported to the men the offer of the Mexican General that. if they would lay down their arms, they should be held as prisoners of war un- til they were duly exchanged or be pa- roled and sent back to Copano, and thence to New Orleans, with the pro- viso that they should not ro-enter the Texan service. Colonel Ward address ed his men, saying that he was opposed to a surrender, that 1t was the same enemy they had beaten at the Mission, only much reduced in number, that the chance for escape was as good now as 1t was then He proposed that they should. if possible, avoid an encounter until night, and then try to pass the enemy's lines and get away. He doubt- ed, he said, the good faith and human ity of the Mexicans, and feared that. if they surrendered, they would all ba put to death. Then a vote of the men was taken. and as a large majority was in favor of surrendering on the terms proposed by the Mexican commander, Colonel Ward, Major Mitchell and Cap tain Ticknor again went to the head quarters of General Urea to arrange the terms of surrender. Two copies of the document were prepared, one in, Spanish, the other in English, and duly signed, and then the Georgia battalion their arms.
 The next morning. March 23rd. they were marched off to Victoria under a strong guard. thence on the 25th to Goliad, where they found Colonel Fan oners In the fort. Fannin, after burn- ing his supplies in the church at Co., Had, had set out for Victoria in ac- advanced hardly six miles on his march when he was surrounded by an over whelming number of the enemy, and, the same terms that had been granted to Colonel Ward.
 CHAPTER W.
 The 27th day of March, 1886. is m