Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-09-21
VETERAN SOLDIER
VISITS BROWNSVILLE
WITNESSED THE DEATH OF
MAJOR BROWN
Major Pruyn of Baton Rouge Came
to the Rio Grande With Taylor in
1S46-Was in Fort Brown During
Bombardment.

In Major r. L. PrUyn Of Baton
Rouge, La, Brownsville has today.
as its guest, one Of the only two sur
yivors, so far as known, of the siege
and bombardment of old Fort Brown
by the Mexican forces in 1876. at
the beginning of the war with Mex
leo, sixty-six years ago.
The major came to see once more
the scene of the beginning of the
struggle that confirmed to Texas the
title to that slice of territory lying
between the Rio Grande and Nueces
rivers, and gave to the United States
California, Nevada, Utah, New Mex
leo and Arizona.
The major says that to the best OF
his recollection there was not at that
time house on the present site Of
he city of Brownsville
Considering his age-he is eighty
one years old-Major Pruyn is still
able to get around in very energetic
manner. Mr.. Pruyn came to Texas
when he was less than f,.een years
old, with General Yachts y Taylor
He was a member of the Seventh
United States Infantry, commanded
by Major Brown, after whom Fort
Brown is named, and was within
twenty feet Of the major when he
received a she'll in the leg, shatter-
ing the limb, causing its amputation
and later resulting in his death
Major Brown was within the fort
when he was struck by the she'll
Major Pruyn is also a veteran of
the civil war, having served the Con-
federacy as a member of General
Maxey's regiment, the Fourth Louis
lana. He has the honor Of being the
only man who ever left Fort Hu1
son, about twenty-five miles up the
Mississippi river from Baton Rouge,
with dispatches, who returned to the
fort alive.
A party composed of Col d. p
Gay, r. Wharton, c. H. More and
Henry Gay accompanied Major
Pruyn in an automobile to the site
Of old Fort Brown yesterday after
t.
quarter of a mile south of what is
now know as Fort Brown
Major Pruyn could hardly recog-
nize the old embankments, which
still remain intact, because Of the
almost impenetrable underground,
brush and small trees, some Of them
ten and twelve feet high. Owing to
these conditions he could not get his
bearings, except as to the location Of
the interior of the fort, where he
and his fellow warriors were during
the siege. The fort, he said, was
about $50 feet square and there was
a regiment of soldiers within i,s
walls.
At that time there were no trees
or brush and there was no difficulty
In seeing across the river The major
recalled the fact that there were two
forts on the Mexican side, both
diagonally across from the Texas
fort. The lower one was silenced by
the United States guns within an
hour and a half but the upper one
continued the siege for ten or twelve
days. Most of the shells sent in this
direction, he said, splashed into a
lagoon back of the fort, some of them
exploding and some not.
When the Mexicans were finally
forced to withdraw from their
stronghold The United States troops
advanced to Cerrogordo and to Mon
terrey, where they remained until
peace was declared.
Major Pruyn also recalled that
during the first few days of the
siege handkerchiefs were waved
from a building across the river, al
most continually. Guns were turned
in that direction, and the flirting of
the handkerchiefs soon disappeared.
Shortly after the declaration of
peace, or in 1S49, Major Pruyn
went to Baton Rouge to make his
home and has resided there since
that time. He is native of New
York city, leaving there shortly be-
fore he joined General Taylor's reg
iment.
Major Pduyn expects to remain
here week or ten days. and will
visit various points of interest dur
ing his stay. N2l. Gay will take him
over the river to see the old forts
there.