The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1909-07-16
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CAPTURE OF SANTA ANA.
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CAPTURE OF SANTA ANA.
Twas one of detachment of thirty
or forty men, commanded by Colonel
Burleson, which left the encampment
of the Texas army at sunrise of the
morning after the battle of San ia
cinto to pursue the fugitive enemy,
says the Houston Post, quoting Joel
w. Robinson. Most of us were
mounted on horses captured from the
MeXicans. We picked up two or three
cringing wretches before we reached
Vince's bayou, eight or nine miles
from our camp. Colonel Burleson
gave them a few lines in pencil, stat
ing that they had been made prison
ers by him, and sent them back to
our camp without guard
Colonel Burleson, with the greater
part of our detachment, went up
Vince's bayou, but six of us, to wit
Sylvester, Miles, Vermillion, Thomp-
forgotten, and myself-proceeded a
short distance further down the
bayou, but not finding any Mexicans
turned our course toward camp.
About two miles east of Vinces bayou
the road leading from the bridge to
short distance below its source. AS
we approached this ravine we discov-
cred man standing in the prairie
near one of the groves. He was
dressed in citizens clothing, a blue
cottonade frock coat and pantaloons
I was the only one of the party who
spoke any Spanish. 1 asked the pris-
oner various questions, which he an
swered readily. In reply to the ques-
ton whether he knew where Santa
Ana and Cos were, he said he pre-
sumed they had gone to the Brazos.
He said he was not aware that there
were any of his countrymen concealed
near him, but said there might be in
the thicket along the ravine.
Miles mounted his prisoner on his
horse and walked as far as the road
about mile. Here he ordered the
prisoner to dismount, which he did
with great resistance. He walked
slowly and apparently with pain.
Miles, who was a rough, reckless fell
low, was carrying a Mexican lance
which he had picked up during the
morning. With this weapon he occa-
sionally slightly pricked the prisoner
to quicken his pace, which sometimes
amounted to a trot. At length he
stopped and begged permission to
ride, saying that he belonged to the
cavalry and was unaccustomed to
walking. We paused and deliberated
as to what should be done with him.
I asked him if he would go to our
army if left to travel at his leisure.
He replied that he would. Miles in
sisted that the prisoner should be left
behind, but said that if he were left
he would kill him.
At length my compassion for the
prisoner moved me to mount him be-
hind me. I also took charge of his
bundle. He was disposed to converse
as we rode along; asked many ques-
tions, the first of (which was, did
General Houston command in person
the action of yesterday" He also
asked how many prisoners were TAX
en- and what we were going to do
with them. When, in answer to an
inquiry, I informed him that the
Texan force in the battle of the day
before was less than 500 men, he
said I was surely mistaken-that our
force was certainly much greater. In
turn, I piled the prisoner with divers
questions. T remember asking him
why he came to Texas to fight against
us, to which he replied that he was a
private soldier and bound to obey his
superiors. I asked him If he had a
family. He replied in the affirmative,
but when I inquired, do you expect
to see them again." his only answer
was a shrug of the shoulders.
We rode to that part of the camp
where the prisoners were kept in or
der to deliver our trooper to the
guard. What was our astonishment
as we approached the guard to hear
the prisoners exclaiming, eel Presi-
dente! Ell Presidente! (the President,
the President) by which we were
made aware that he had unwittingly
captured the Napoleon of the West. "
The news spread almost instantan-
eously through our camp and we had
scarcely dismounted ere we were sur
rounded by an excited crowd. Some
of our officers Immediately took
charge of our tllustrious captive and
conducted him to the tent of General
Houston.