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After an hour's halt, we resumed the march supposing now that the enemy did not intend to obstruct our retreat, as they had neglected to avail themselves of the most suitable position for harassing us - and relying on the alertness and fidelity of our horsemen for giving us timely notice of their approach, we proceeded onward about two miles, our teams showed signs of weariness and our march was necessarily slow. We had reached a low ridge when we discovered the enemy advancing in our rear. They had just emerged from a belt of timber that skirted along this side of the creek, and consisted of two companies of cavalry and one of infantry. We halted, and a six pounder was unlimbered, from which three shots were fired at them, but as we perceived fell short. It appears that four horsemen had been left in the rear and that they instead of keeping a lookout, had, under a false sense of security, laid down, and were only aroused by the close approach of the Mexicans. They now came up full speed, one of them, and one only (a German by the name of Ehreburg) joined us. The other three, in the greatest apparent terror, passed about a hundred yards on our right, without even stopping to look at us, and under the strongest appliance of whip and spur, followed by a few hearty curses from our men. Observing one or two more bodies coming from the woods, Col. Fannin ordered his men to resume their march slowly, so not to harass the jaded oxen; saying further that the party of the enemy in sight were come only to skirmish, on hopes of making some confusion, by which they might hope to gain plunder. That Col. Horton notified by our firing, that the enemy were in sight, would immediately return and join us, and that we had only to keep ourselves cool and collected and we could easily foil such a party. The men all viewed the matter in the same light and we marched onward, cool and deliberately for about a mile further, expecting all the time to see our horsemen coming to join us. We had now come to a piece of low ground yet about half a mile from the point of timber, we were brought to a halt by the breaking of our ammunition cart. One company of the enemy's cavalry has come up abreast of us, on our right flank, and others had got a little advance on the left, and their infantry coming up in the rear. Before we could make any disposition of our broke down cart they closed around our front and began their fire, and in this way the battle commenced. Col. Fannin directed the men to reserve their fire until they were near enough to make sure shots. Soon, however, the firing became general on our side as well as on the other. I judged the enemy to be about five hundred strong at the commencement, but their troops kept continually coming up during the engagement, and by night they had not less than a thousand men opposed to us. The enemy's cavalry made numerous attempts to charge us; forming behind a little rise of the ground about four or five hundred yards off and then galloping up at full speed. But they were always so warmly received by our rifles that they were obliged to fall back. So confident were we in the beginning of the affair that Col. Horton and his men would come back and rejoin us, that in several of their charges a number of our men imagined the party to be Horton's troop and called out: "don't fire, they are our horsemen." But neither Col. Horton nor his men ever made their appearance. Our artillery did not appear to have so much effect on the enemy as we expected, and after the brave Petreswitch, who commanded it, fell, and several of the artillery men were wounded, the guns were not much used in the latter part of the fight. Our men behaved with the utmost coolness and self possession, and when it is considered that they were undisciplined volunteers this the first time (with most of them) of their encountering an enemy, their order and regularity would have reflected on veterans. The fight continued without intermission from about 3 p. m. until night caused a cessation. The enemy drew off to the timber and encamped, having us surrounded by numerous patrols. We now had time to look around and consider our situation. It was sunset and a night of impenetrable darkness, such as is rarely to be witnessed, succeeded. We were without water, and many, especially the wounded, suffering from thirst; and on further inquiry we found from some unaccountable oversight, we had left our provisions behind. Our teams during the engagement were killed or had strayed off beyond our reach. We had seven men killed and sixty wounded. About forty of whom were disabled. Col. Fannin had committed a grievous error in suffering to stop on the prairie at all. We ought to have moved on at all hazards, and all costs until we had reached the timber. We might have suffered some loss, but we could have moved on and kept them at bay easily as we repulsed them while stationary. Fannin behaved with perfect coolness and self possession throughout, and evinced no lack of bravery. He was wounded in the thigh, and had the cock of his rifle knocked off by a musket ball while in the act of firing. His former experience in fighting Mexicans had lead him to entertain a great contempt for them as soldiers, and made him neglect to take such precautionary measures as were requisite from their great numerical superiority. On leaving Goliad I had taken my spare clothing and papers, and rolled them up in my blanket, which I slung on my shoulders as a knapsack, and at the beginning of the action, finding that it embarrassed my motions, I took it off and threw it into the middle of the square. Now on looking for it, it was gone, and I saw no more of it. On account of the excessive darkness and our having no lights, I found no chance of attending to the wounds of our suffering men, to any extent. The want of water was most severely felt, for all had become thirsty, and especially the wounded, whose misery was greatly aggravated by it. It was determined by the officers to wait until morning, before any further action was attempted; indeed it was impossible to do otherwise under all circumstances. In addition to the excessive darkness, the air was misty, and not a breath of wind, and it wold have been impossible to keep together or follow a straight course for two hundred yards. Wearied and supperless I lay down on the bare earth, without any cover, in order to obtain some repose, but the coldness of the ground soon benumbed my limbs and roused me from an unsatisfactory slumber, to seek some further warmth in some exercise. This was supplied by an order to make an entrenchment. During the fight, while drawn up order of battle, which was a hollow square, we occupied about an acre of ground. When the firing ceased we had left the line and congregated in the center where we laid down. The entrenchment was made around us as we then were, and did not enclose a fourth part of the ground we occupied in that battle. We went to work with our spades and dug a ditch, two or three feet in depth. Our carts were then drawn up and disposed upon the breastwork so as to aid in our protection, and the carcasses of two horses (all that we had along with us) and two or three oxen, were piled up for bastions. Thus the night wore away. The enemy's patrol keeping up incessant music with their bugles to regale us; while the shrill and discordant scream of "Sentinel Alerto" which afterwards became so familiar, then first jarred upon my ear. I worked with the spade until fatigued, then lay down for a little troubled sleep, until the chillness of my limbs forced me to seek for warmth by using the spade again; and in such alternations, the dismal night wore away, and day at last dawned upon us. Sunday, March 20th - Early in the morning and before it was quite light, perceived a reinforcement of three or four hundred men coming to the enemy, accompanied by a hundred pack mules. They brought up two pieces of artillery and a fresh supply of ammunition, and directly commenced the business of the day by treating us to a few rounds of grape and canister. The enemy now being well supplied; their force so superior to our own; having at least thirteen hundred men in good order, while we, exclusive of our wounded could only muster about two hundred, and they worn down with the toils and exertions of the previous day, left our situation perilous in the extreme. The question was now agitated: Should we surrender?" Monday, March 21 - Carts came out and took in a portion of our wounded men, attended by the other surgeons, while I remained on the ground with those left. This day while dressing the wounds of our men, some of the soldiers stole my pocket case of instruments, and thus deprived me of the power of properly attending to them. Tuesday, March 22 - Carts came again to-day and took in the remainder of our wounded men. Captains Dusangue, Frazer and Pettus, and two or three other men left with me on the ground, and now we went along with the last of the wounded. At Minahuilla creek, we met Gen. Urea, with about a thousand men going to Victoria. We made a short halt and then proceeded on. The Captain of the escort seemed a very gentlemanly man, and endeavored to cheer up our spirits. Finding that Captain Dusangue could speak Spanish, he engaged him in a lively and cheerful conversation, dismounting and walking with us for several miles. We certainly were inspired with more confidence by his lively and cheerful manners. It was dark when we reached the San Antonio river, which we waded, it being about three feet deep. Perceiving some disorder among the carts which had not yet crossed, our Mexican Captain went back to them and guard halted a moment on the east side. Captain Dusangue now remarked in a very serious tone, that contrasted strangely with the cheerful voice in which he had been conversing: "I am now ready for any fate." The words and his manner stuck us with surprise, and he was asked if he ascertained by anything that the Captain had said, that treachery was meditated. He said: "No." but repeated his former remark. The idea struck me that here was a chance to escape by silently dropping into the water while the guard and their Captain were on the other side, and from the darkness he could not see me; in two or three minutes I would have floated beyond their reach and being a good swimmer could then easily escape. I stopped to consider the matter more fully, and directly the Captain and his guard were along side of us, and thus by indecision in a critical moment lost the chance. After events frequently called this matter to mind, and made me bitterly regret not having acted on my first impression. It was late when we reached the fort, and we were sent into a Church, where we found all the prisoners were put, and crowded up in a very uncomfortable manner and strictly and strongly guarded. Wednesday, March 23 - My first effort was to see Col. Fannin, and if, by any possibility through him, get hold of some of our surgical instruments and hospital dressings, for wounded, we having been robbed of everything of the kind. Most of such articles had belonged to individuals, and Col. Fannin, at my request addressed a letter to the Mexican Commandant, in which he claimed sundry instruments and other articles, not only as private property, according to the terms of the capitulation, but from the necessity of the surgeons having them for the benefit of the wounded Mexicans, as well as of the Americans. This application was of no avail, and I should not mention it, except to show that the terms of capitulation had been appealed once by Col. Fannin, which of course, he never would have done had there been no capitulation. This day all the prisoners, except the wounded were removed from the church and placed on the west side of the fort. The church being still too small, the American wounded were removed to the cuartels of the west wall. Thursday, March 24 - We had been politely requested by the Mexican officers as a favor that we should attend to their wounded, as their surgeons had not yet arrived, which were not to be outdone by them in politeness, told them we would with the greatest pleasure. We however found that we were not permitted to visit or own wounded until we had attended to all of theirs. We remonstrated against their arrangement, but to no purpose. A Mexican had at length arrived, but we had no assistance from him. It took us nearly the whole day to get through with the Mexicans before we could be allowed to see our own men; and then we had so little time that we could only dress some of the severest wounds, and leave the rest altogether; some of them up to this time had not the first dressing. We resolved to refuse attendance of altogether on the Mexicans, at all risks, unless we could be allowed time enough to properly attend to our men, at least once a day. But all this time Major Miller, with seventy men who had come from Nashville Tennessee, and who had landed a Copano, were brought in; Major Miller immediately tendered services to us as a medical aid, as did some of his men, by which our labor was much lightened, and we thenceforward managed to get along without coming to a rupture with our task masters Friday, March 25 - Col. Ward and the Georgia battalion were this day brought in as prisoners. After their retreat from the Mission del Refugio, they had kept around by the coast endeavoring to get to Victoria. They had expended all their ammunition in their last fight and had been about ten days in getting to the Guadalupe river, in the vicinity of Victoria. They had been in hearing distance of our guns of the 19th, but were unable to reach us. They had suceeded ion getting across to the east side of the Guadalupe when General Urea came upon them with superior force and offered them the same terms of capitulation that had been granted to Col. Fannin. Wearied out, dispirited, with no ammunition or provisions they had no other alternative but surrendered, and were conducted back to Goliad. Saturday, March 26 - Col. Fannin, who with his adjutant, Mr. Chadwick, had been sent to Copano, returned this day. They were placed in the small room of the church which had been appropriated to the surgeons and their assistants, and guard; rather crowded, to be sure but we had become accustomed to that. They were in good spirits and endeavored to cheer us up. They spoke of the kindness with which they had been treated by the Mexican Col. Holtzinger, who went with them, and their hopes of our speedy release. Fannin asked me to dress his wound, and talked about his wife and children, with much fondness, until a late hour. I must confess that I felt more cheerful this evening than I has since our surrender. We had reiterated assurance of a speedy release, it is true, by the Mexicans, though we placed little reliance on them. Yet we had at last got our wounded men in and they could be attended to each day, which was very satisfactory all around. Our fare had been of the hardest, being allowed no rations but a little beef or broth. Now we had been able to purchase from the camp followers some coffee and bread, more grateful to me than any luxury I had ever tasted, and after sleeping on the ground without a blanket, from the time of our capture, I had a last succeeded in getting an old, worn out one, upon which I had laid down to rest this evening with more pleasure and happier anticipations than I had before allowed myself to indulge in. Sunday, March 27 - At daylight Col. Garey, a Mexican officer came to our room and called up the doctors. Doctor Shackelford and myself immediately rose. (Dr. Field was at a hospital outside the fort) and went with him to the gate of the fort, where we found Major Miller and his men. Col. Garey, who spoke good English here left us, directing us to go to his quarters (in a peach orchard three or four hundred yards from the fort) along with Miller's company and there wait for him. He was very serious and grave in countenance, but we took little notice of it at that time. Supposing that we were called to visit some sick or wounded, at his quarters, we followed in the rear of Miller's men. On arriving at the place, Dr. Shackelford and myself were called into a tent, where two men lying on the ground immediately covered up, so that we could not see their faces, but supposed them to be the patients that we were called in to prescribe for. Directly a lad came in, and addressed us in English; we chatted with him some time, he told us his name was Martinez, and he had been educated at Bardstown in Kentucky. Beginning to be a little impatient that Col. Garey did not come we expressed an intention of returning to the fort, until he would come back, but Martinez said that the direction for us to wait there were positive, and the Col. would soon be in and requested us to be patient a little longer, which was in fact all that could be done. At length we were startled by a volley of fire arms, which appeared to be in the direction of the fort. Shackelford inquired: "What's that?" Martinez replied, that it was some of the soldiers discharging their muskets for the purpose of cleaning them My ears had however detected yells and shots that were in the direction of the fort which although at some distance from us I recognized the voice of my countrymen. We started, and turning my head in that direction I saw through some partial openings in the trees several of the prisoners running with their utmost speed, and directly after some Mexican soldiers in pursuit of them. Col. Garey now appeared, and with the utmost distress depicted in his countenance said to us, "Keep still gentlemen you are safe; this is not from my orders, nor do I execute them." He then informed us that an order arrived the preceding evening to shoot all the prisoners, but he had assumed the responsibility of saving the surgeons and about a dozen others under the plea that they had been taken without arms. In the course of about five or ten minutes we heard as many as four distinct volleys fired in as many directions and irregular firing that was kept up an hour or two before it ceased. Our situation and feeling at this time may be imagined, but it is not in the power of language to express them. The sound of every gun that rang in our ears, told out too terribly the fate of our brave companions while their cries that occasionally reached us, heightened the horrors of the scene. Dr. Shackelford, who sat by my side suffered perhaps the severest anguish the human heart can feel. His company of Red Rovers that he brought out and commanded were young men of the first families in his own neighborhood - his particular and esteemed friends who had volunteered with him, his eldest son, a talented youth, the pride of his father, the beloved of his company was there; and all, save a trifling remnant were indiscriminately involved in the bloody butchery. It appears that the prisoners were marched out of the fort in three different companies, one on the Bexar road, one on the Corpus road, and one toward the lower ford. They went one-half or three-fourths of a mile, guarded by a file of soldiers on each side, when they were halted and one of the files passed through the ranks of the prisoners to the other side, and then altogether fired upon them. It seems the prisoners were told different stories; Such as they were to go for wood, to drive up beeves, to proceed to Copano, etc., and so little suspicion had they of the fate awaiting them, that it was not until the guns were at their breasts that they were aroused to a scense of their situation. It was then - and I proudly record it - that many shrewd instance of the heroic spirit that had animated their breasts through life. Some called to their comrades to die like men, to meet death with spartan firmness, and others waving their hats, sent forth their death cries in huzzas for Texas. Col. Fannin, on account of his wound, was not marched out from the fort with the other prisoners. When told he was to be shot he heard it unmoved, but giving his watch and money to the officer who was to superintend his execution, he requested that he might not be shot in the head, and he might be decently buried. He was shot in the head and his body stripped, and tumbled into a pile with the others. The wounded lying in the hospital was dragged out into the fort and shot. Their bodies with that of Col. Fannin, were drawn out of the fort about a forth of a mile and there thrown down. We now went back to the hospital and resumed our duties. Col. Garey assured us that we should no longer be confined, but left at large, as soon as the wounded got better that we should be released and sent to the United States. We found Dr, Field and about a dozen of Fannin's men had been saved. The two men that were concealed under their blankets in the tents were two carpenters by the name of White and Rosenbury, who had done some work for Col. Garey the day before that pleased him so much that he sent for them in the night and kept them there until the massacre was over. We continued on attending the wounded Mexicans for about three weeks. The troops all left Goliad for the east the day after the massacre, leaving only seventy or eighty men to guard the fort and attend the hospital. Major Miller, by giving his parole that his men would not attempt to escape, obtained leave for them at large. I mist not here omit to mention Sinora Alinez, whose name ought to be perpetutated to the latest times for her virtues, and whose action contrasted so strangely that of her countrymen, deserves to be recorded in the annals of this county and treasured in the heart of every Texan. When she arrived at Copano with her husband who was one of Urea's officers, Miller and his men had just been taken prisoners. They were tightly bound with cords, so as to completely check the circulation of blood in their arms, and in this way had been left for several hours when she saw them. Her heart was touched at the sight and she immediately ordered the cords to be taken off and refreshments to be given them. She treated them with great kindness and when the night before the massacre, she learned that the prisoners were to be shot, she so effectively pleaded with Col. Garey, (Whose humane feelings revolted at the barbarous order,) that with great personal responsibility to himself and at great hazard in thus going counter to the orders of the then all powerful Santa Anna, he resolved to save all that he could, and a few of us were in consequence left to tell of that bloody day. Besides those that Col. Garey saved, she had by connivance of some of the officers, gone into the fort in the night and taken out some that she kept concealed until after the massacre. When she saw Dr. Shackelford a few days later and heard that his son was among those sacrificed, she burst into tears, and exclaimed: Why did I not know that you had a son here. I would have saved him at all hazards." She afterwards showed much kindness and attention to the surviving prisoners, frequently sending messages and presents of provisions to them from Victoria. After her return to Matamoras, she was unwearied in her attention to the unfortunate Americans confined there. She went on the city of Mexico with her husband, who there abandoned her. She returned to Matamoras with out any funds for support but she found many warm friends among those who has witnessed and heard of her extraordinary exertion in relieving the Texas prisoners. It must be remembered that when she came to Texas she could have considered its people only as rebels and heretics, the two classes of all others, the most odious to the mind of pious Mexican. That Goliad, the first town she came to, had recently been destroyed by them, and its Mexican population dispersed to seek for refuge where they might, and yet, after everything occurred to present the Texans to her view the worst and most abandoned of men, she became incessantly engaged in contributing to relieve their wants and preserve their lives. Her name deserves to be recorded in letters if gold among those angels who have from time to time been commissioned by overruling and beneficent Power to relieve the sorrows and cheer the hearts of man, and who have for that purpose assumed the form of helpless woman, that the benefits of the boon might be enhanced the strong and touching contrast of aggravated evils worked by friends in human shape, and the balm poured on the wounds they make by a feeling and pitying woman. During the next three weeks we could learn but little of what was being done by the Mexican army, save the news that came in general terms that Santa Anna was ravaging the whole country and the Texans flying before him to the Sabine, that Matagorda was taken and that San Felipi was burned by its own citizens and abandoned on the approach of their enemy.
On to APRIL
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