Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/181

Rh of Mexico were seldom, if ever, felt in Texas, which was far from being true. His aim evidently was to draw Mexicans to settle in Texas.

In 1835 the Texans appointed committees of safety, and resolved upon having a separate government, the war-cloud was darkening and foreboding ill. Large bodies of Mexican troops were crowding into Texas with the evident purpose of subjugation. The Texans, on their part, were resolute, and soon began to show their spirit in a series of assaults on Mexican garrisons, which met with success. I give in a note the main particulars of these encounters. The first one was at Gonzalez on the 2d of October, 1835, when Col Moore defeated a body of Mexicans, and drove them to flight towards San Antonio de Béjar, leaving behind their dead and wounded. Six days later — Oct. 8th — the fort at Goliad was attacked and taken by the Texans. The next encounter was on the 28th of the same month, near the Concepcion mission, when Bowie and Fannin routed a large body of Mexicans, killing about 100 and capturing their field-pieces. Kennedy's Texas, ii. 105-9, 11722; Crockett, Life of, 369-70; Holley's Texas, 337-56. After the last affair no fighting worth record occurred till December. Gen. Burleson with 800 men of the federalist army, in two divisions, under Col F. W. Johnson and Benjamin R. Milam, between the 5th and 10th of that month, compelled Gen. Cos, who had with him 1,250 men at San Antonio de Béjar, to surrender on the 11th with upward of 1,100 and all his arms, the rest of his men having been kiiled in the results. Milam was killed. Burleson's official report, Dec. 14, 1835, in Foote's Texas, ii. 161-75; ''Thrall's Hist. Texas'', 222-9. Moffitt's report on this affair seems to be exaggerated. He makes Cos and 1,300 Mexicans surrender to 400 Texans. ''Thompson's Recoll. Mex., 174-5; Mayer's Hist. Mex. War'', 47. On the 15th of December, Cos and his followers, under the terms of their capitulation, began their march to the interior, and in a few days there was not a Mexican centralist soldier to be seen between the Sabine and Rio Grande. ''Willson's Am. Hist''., 646-8. Bustamante speaks of a letter published in Mexico from Colonel Ugartechea of October 28th from Álamo recounting the defeat by 300 Mexican cavalry of twice that number of Anglo-Americans, of whom 78 were killed and a large number wounded. He next alludes to Cos' surrender, adding that he behaved honorably; for the cause of the revolt was that he had endeavored to check the governor and deputies who were selling the fine public lands at nominal prices. Voz de la Patria, MS., x. 168-9.

On the 3d of November, 1835, the delegates chosen the preceding month to a general consultation met at