Page:Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Houston of Texas (1884).djvu/648

 Authentic accounts of depredations still coming in, the Executive on the 2ist of February sent to the various frontier counties a letter authorizing the citizens of each county to raise a minute company of not more than twenty men, who should look to the next Legislature for payment; and to more effectually insure the presence of these minute companies in the field, a general order was issued on the 9th of March, by which the Chief-Justice of each county was instructed to organize immediately a minute company of fifteen men, to whom the following orders were given: "The detachments will immediately take the field, and enter upon active service, affording protection to the inhabitants of their respective counties.

"When an Indian trail is found it must be diligently followed, and if the sign indicates a larger party of Indians than he is able to cope with, he will call not exceeding ten men to his aid." The lieutenant commanding each detachment or minute company was authorized to purchase necessary supplies, and where it was possible to do so, they were sent forward by the Executive.

Under this order minute companies of fifteen men each were mustered into service in the following counties: Lieut. Scanland, Montague; Lieut. Isbell, Wise; Lieut. Cochran, Young; Lieut. Jones, Palo Pinto; Lieut. Stevens, Eastland; Lieut. Lowe, Erath; Lieut. Price, Comanche; Lieut. Nelson, Basque; Lieut. Gentry, Hamilton; Lieut. Font le Roy, Caryell; Lieut. Cowan, Llano; Lieut. Wood, San Saba; Lieut. Hughes, Lampasas; Lieut. Lewis, Mason; Lieut. O'Hair, Burnett; Lieut. Franzelin, Gillespie; Lieut. Balentyne, Bandera; Lieut. McFadden, Keer; Lieut. Kennedy, Hoalde; Lieut. Patton, Blanco; Lieut. Brown, Bexar; Lieut. Watkins, Medina; Lieut. Ragsdale, Frio.

In addition to putting this force of minute men in the field, the Executive, in order to enable the frontier citizens to more successfully defend themselves, purchased and distributed through the frontier counties one hundred Colt's revolvers, which, with a number of revolvers, rifles, and muskets, were sent" forward. Ammunition was also supplied to the minute companies. To provide for the defense of the settlement beyond San Antonio, an order was issued on the 5th of March, to Capt. Peter Tomlinson, of Atascosa County, to raise forty-eight men, to whom were assigned the range between the Frio and the Rio Grande. Captain Tomlinson was mustered into service on the 20th of March. It will thus be seen that up to this period the Executive had called into service a ranging force of 720 men, which might be increased upon an emergency to 950. The greater part of this force was then in active service, and as a result the Indians disappeared from the settlements. The monthly reports of the officers commanding the minute men now on file in the Executive office attest this fact. The minute companies of fifteen men were kept in service until the 18th of May, when, there being no longer a pressing necessity for their presence in the field, they were disbanded, subject to be called out at any moment by order of the Chief-Justice of their county.

Before, however, these forces could be brought to bear on the settlements many murders had been committed, and a large number of horses stolen. With a view of avenging these outrages, and the recovery of the property of our citizens, the Executive determined to send against the Indians a force sufficient to discover their hiding-places, and accomplish these objects.

It had long been the opinion of the Executive that the horses stolen from us