^f. ::^ ^ V ivv- /Coc^-$-i^ ^yC ^/cX^t-^*^ >^ > <^- ^^ i^ / ^/-/^^^ 26a2eTRFMnwT CT o ' THE BEACON BIOGRAPHIES EDITED BY M. A. DeWOLFE HOWE SAM HOUSTON BY SARAH BARNWELL ELLIOTT -4^)/i,^u^a:/i>m^y ynironouncing it the finest country, to its extent, upon the globe. . . . There can be no doubt but the country east of the Eio Grande would sustain a population of ten million of souls. My opinion is that Texas will, by her members in con- vention on the first of April, declare all that country as Texas proper, and form a State constitution. I expect to be present at the convention, and will apprise you of the course adopted so soon as its members have taken a final action. It is probable I may make Texas my abiding-place. In adopting this course, I will never forget the coun- try of my birth. ' ' After making his reports, Houston re- 44 SAM HOUSTON turned to IsTacogdoches, and, accepting tlie invitation to citizensliip, was elected to the convention called for April 1 at San Felipe. This was the second effort of the colonists to form a constitution independent of Coahuila, though re- maining one of the Mexican Confedera- tion. In March, down in Mexico, Santa Anna was elected President, and declared for the liberal constitution of 1824, promising that ^^his administra- tion should be as mild and tolerant as his own character. '^ When the convention met, Houston was elected chairman of the Committee on Constitution, and David Burnet chairman of the Committee on Memo- rial. Of course, the constitution was modelled on that of the United States, save that freedom of religion was not mentioned. Houston opposed incorpo- rating banking institutions as unwise, and displeasing to Mexico, and also con- demned the importation of negroes from SAM HOUSTON 45 Africa, which had been going on in Texas since the days of Lafitte. The convention adjourned on Aj^ril 13, hav- ing appointed Stephen Austin and two others commissioners to present the me- morial which asked for a separate organ- ization from Coahuila, for a repeal of the law prohibiting immigration, for regular mail service, for protection against Ind- ians, and for regulation of the tariff. The faithful Austin, whom Houston named the ''Father of Texas, '^ alone went to Mexico, where he found the greatest confusion. Santa Anna, hav- ing sent Almonte to inspect Texas, was resting at his estate 5 and Farias, Yice- President, was at the head of affairs. The memorial was reported to a com- mittee, ''where it slept." Cholera ap- pearing increased the confusion. Aus- tin could get no hearing ; and in Octo- ber, 1833, in despair, he wrote to the municipal council at Bexar, suggesting that the municipalities in Texas unite, 46 SAM HOUSTON and organize a State without waiting for permission. While this letter was on the way, he obtained the abrogation of the law prohibiting immigration, and in De- cember, tired and hopeless, set out for home. At Saltillo he was intercepted, taken back, and imprisoned. His letter to Bexar had been returned to the cen- tral government, and was considered treasonable. During this time there is nothing told of the private life of Houston, unless we take a passage from the diary of Mr. Featherstonhaugh (1834), who, in his Excursion through the Slave States, says : "We made an agreeable excursion in the neighborhood, calling at the little insignificant wooden town of Washing- ton, where the government land sales were holding. I was not desirous of remaining long at this place. General Houston was here, leading a mysterious sort of life, shut up in a small tavern, seeing nobody by day and sitting up all SAM HOUSTON 47 night. The world gave him credit for passing these waking hours in the study of trente et qiiarante and sept a lever '^ but I had been in communication with too many persons of late^ and had seen too much passing before my eyes^ to be ignorant that this little place was the rendezvous where a much deeper game than faro or rouge-et-noir was playing. There were many persons at this time in the village from the States lying adja- cent to the Mississippi, under the pre- tence of purchasing government lands, but whose real object was to encourage the settlers to throw off their allegiance to the Mexican government. . . . Having nothing whatever in common with these plans, and no inclination to forward or oppose them, I perceived that the longer I stayed the more they would find reason to suj)pose I was a spy upon their ac- tions, and as soon as the judge had spoken to a few of his friends we came away." 48 SAM HOUSTON How much of tliis information given to Mr. Featherstonhaugh was American humor playing upon an Englishman we do not know, but nowhere is there any sign that the colonists made any secret of their discontent or of their deter- mination to change their condition just as soon as it was possible. In May, 1834, Santa Anna emerged from his retreat, and called for a new congress to make a new constitution. In June he released Austin, but still de- tained him, knowing that anxiety for him would keep the colonists quiet. They meanwhile, angry and alarmed, had without effect petitioned for his re- lease. In October, Santa Anna at last took up the Texas memorial, and prom- ised everything except a government separate from Coahuila, but ordered a new election for governor and legislat- ure in that province. In a dispute that had arisen as to changing the capital of Coahuila from Saltillo to Monclova, he decided for Monclova. SAM HOUSTON 49 Austin, still detained, wrote, advising the colonists to accept this adjustment. Almonte making a good report of Texas, the value of that State was much in- creased in the eyes of the Mexican government. In January, 1835, the Mexican National Congress met. In the elections the Centralists had carried everything before them, save in the States of Zacatecas and Coahuila. Za- catecas, standing by the constitution of 1824, was declared in rebellion. Also, a law was passed reducing the militia, and requiring the remainder to give up their arms. This law the Texans de- clared to be despotic, especially as their weapons were needed to procure food as well as to protect them against the Indians. The lately elected governor of Coahuila had, in the mean time, illegally disposed of a large amount of Texas lands, which infuriated the colonists ; and Saltillo, willing to find anything against the government at 50 SAM HOUSTON Monclova, withdrew her delegates, and ^^ pronounced.'^ In April, Santa Anna with an army- set out for Zacatecas, sending General Cos to bring order into the disturbed government of Coahuila. Zacatecas was soon overcome ; and Cos had no trouble in Coahuila, as the Texans declined to defend a despised governor. The legis- lature dispersing hastily, the governor fled. By this time Texas was divided into two parties, one determined to establish a government of their own, the other desiring peace at any price, agreeing only in objecting to a standing army and to customs being collected at their own ports to support it j and the first movement toward war was the driving from the port of Anahuac by the war party of the Mexican troops under Cap- tain Jenorio, which recently had been sent there. The peace party promptly disclaimed this act, and forwarded the SAM HOUSTOlSr 51 prisoners to the Mexican authorities at Bexar. There were now rumors of the approach of an army. Cos, in com- mand; sent ahead circulars full of lib- eral promises j but intercepted despatches revealed that the army was to regulate and subdiie Texas. The war party issued stirring ad- dresses. The peace party sent commis- sioners to Cos, promising to keep the peace if troops were not introduced into Texas. The leaders of the war party were Travis, Bowie, Williamson, and Johnson j and in July Zavalla, governor of the City of Mexico, arrived in Texas, fleeing from Santa Anna. An order coming to arrest Zavalla and the leaders of the war party, fired the whole of Texas. The colonists were now con- vinced that a despotism had been estab- lished, and made a move for a conven- tion of all Texas, to meet at Washington on the Brazos on October 15, 1835. The people of the Eedlands had also 52 SAM HOUSTON organized, and in a series of resolutions offered by Houston in San Augustine the measures of Santa Anna were de- clared evidences of tyranny. These resolutions provided also for the organ- ization of militia, for treaties with Indians, who were in sufiicient numbers to be always a danger, and declared that all who now deserted the country should forfeit lands. In September, Austin at last returned. About the middle of September, Cos landed at Matagorda. He was to disarm the country, and to expel all Americans who had come in since 1830, driving even the conservative Austin to say, ^^War is the only resource." Events were hurrying on much faster than Santa Anna desired, and on October 2 the first armed collision took place at Gon- zales over a cannon which the Mexican authorities demanded. The town re- fused its surrender, and trooi)s were sent from Bexar to take it. Before this an SAM HOUSTON 53 armed force had come together at San Felipe with the intention of intercepting General Cos on his march from the coast ; and on the demand for the six-pounder a courier had gone from Gonzales, call- ing for help. The men at San Felipe went by forced marches. The volun- teers from the Colorado and the Brazos hurried to the point of danger. On Tuesday the force at Gonzales was eigh- teen men ; on Wednesday, one hundred ; on Thursday, one hundred and sixty- eight. They crossed the Guadaloupe, routed the Mexicans, and returned to Gonzales in the afternoon without the loss of a man. Eiders now carried the word from settlement to settlement : that fight had been won, but Ugartechea with five hundred men and artillery was marching on Gonzales ! Armed men gathered from every direction. Xo pay, no rations, nothing but their long rifles, their bowie-knives, and a firm purj^ose. San Felipe, because of a printing-press 54 SAM HOUSTON there, was looked on as the centre, and Stephen Austin as the leader. At Na- cogdoches, Houston was elected com- mander-in-chief of Eastern Texas, and by October 10 forwarded an organized company. Ugartechea paused in his purpose, and the Texans made the most of the time. Each township was called to send a delegate ; and at San Felipe a council was formed, a president chosen, and Austin was left free to go to the front. The colonists now in force de- cided that they would march on Bexar, and once for all drive the Mexicans out of the country. All men being required at the front, the convention, which had been called for October, was i)ostponed until November. In Eastern Texas, Houston had issued a proclamation. " Headquarters, Texas. "Department Nacogdoches, October 8, 1835. ^^The time has arrived when the revo- lutions in the interior of Mexico have re- SAM HOUSTON 55 suited in the creation of a Dictator, and Texas is compelled to assume an attitude defensive of her rights. . . . The priest- hood and the army are to mete out the measure of our wretchedness. War is our only alternative. . . . Volunteers are invited to our standards. Liberal bounties of land will be granted to all who will join our ranks with, a good rifle and one hundred pounds of ammuni- tion. . . . The morning of Glory has dawned upon us. The work of Liberty has begun. Our actions are to become a part of the history of mankind. Pa- triot millions will sympathize with our struggles, while nations will admire our achievements ! . . . ^^Sa:vi Houston, ^' General-in- chief of Department.^^ Adventurers, hunters, traders, farm- ers, — Austin, Houston, Travis, Bowie, Bonham, Milam, Crockett, Fannin, Deaf Smith, — these men who were making 56 SAM HOUSTON the history of Texas, who were carrying the United States out to be the keeper of the Gates of the West, w^ere, each in himself, a living romance. I^one of them knew fear, and few of them lived to see the end. Austin sent couriers to Houston to summon the Eedlanders -, and Houston writes, ^ ^ I gave to the express the only last five dollars I had to bear his expenses east. ' ' On the 13th, Austin with three hundred and fifty men marched toward Bexar, camping eight miles below the town. A few days before this a hun- dred and ten men had marched on Victoria, and fifty men had set out for Goliad. On this latter march, hiding in a mesquit thicket, they stumbled on Ben Milam, who had been imprisoned in Coahuila. Escaping, he had ridden night and day, and now, exhausted, had crawled into the thicket to rest. He promptly joined the party, and marched on Goliad. They went straight to head- SA]M HOUSTON 57 quarters, shot the sentinel, broke open the doors, and captured the comman- dant. The Mexicans surrendered with one man killed. They captured mili- tary stores, artillery, and several hun- dred stands of arms, besides cutting communication between Bexar and the gulf. Victoria had been evacuated be- fore the Texans got there. Austin waited for re- enforcements, which arrived in the shape of members of the convention — which, not having a quorum, adjourned to the army ; and, a few days later, HoiLston joined him with troops from East Texas. Austin, not being a soldier, now begged Houston to take command ; but Houston declined, declaring his perfect willingness to serve under Austin, who had been elected commander by the troops at Gonzales. Houston did not approve of the attack on Bexar, looking on it as an outpost which they would not be able to hold, and suggested, even then, the concentra- 58 SAM HOUSTOX tiou of the army behind the Guada- loupe. The leaders now realized that it was necessary to organize a government. The matter was submitted to the army, who decided that the delegates, Houston being one, should return to San Felipe. The army now advanced on Bexar. The brilliant little victory of Concepcion, led by Bowie and Fannin, was won ; and Austin and his ' ' volunteer combination of freemen, ' ' with a fresh directness that must have astonished General Martin Perfecto de Cos and his regular army, demanded the surrender of the town. Cos refused even to receive the demand, and the siege began. The Texans had come to fight, and the dull work of a siege bored them. There was no term of enlistment, no discipline. ' ' Gathered under impulse, they left at pleasure" j and, by November, Austin was uncertain if he could hold the army at all. At San Felipe the convention met in SAM HOUSTON 59 a one-roomed house ; and, no shelter be- ing provided for the delegates, they slept at night by the side of their pick- eted horses. Houston appeared in his Indian buckskin breeches and Mexican blanket, his wardrobe, doubtless, being circumscribed -, and Andrew Jackson ^^ thanked God there was one man at least, in Texas, whom the Almighty had the making of, and not the tailor." A declaration was drawn up, saying that they had risen against Santa Anna and despotism, but were still faithful to the true Mexican government and the con- stitution of 1824. This, however, did not suit the more imi)ulsive, who were anxious for an immediate declaration of independence ; and they proceeded to pass a resolution to this effect. Houston, who had drawn up the first declaration, and believed moderation to be the wiser course, made a strong speech which caused the con- vention to reconsider 5 and the first dec- 60 SAM HOUSTON laration was given to the world, where the framers hoped, and wisely, that it would gain sympathy for the colonists. The government was authorized to con- tract for a loan of one million dollars, on security of public lands, to establish postal service, to arrange treaties with the Indians, and to create a regular army of eleven hundred and twenty men. Henry Smith was elected gov- ernor J J. W. Eobinson, lieutenant gov- ernor 5 Stephen Austin, Branch Archer, and William Wharton, commissioners to the United States,- and Houston, ^Hhe man in buckskin,'' was unanimously elected commander-in-chief of the army — ^^to be raised." They adjourned on November 13, to meet again on March 1, 1836, leaving a council selected from the convention as advisory committee to aid the governor. Houston appointed his staff, drew up a plan for the organization of the army, and remained at San Felipe to push it SAM HOUSTOX 61 throngli, being sure that this was the most important thing to be accom- plished. At Bexar, Colonel Burlison was now in command of the diminishing, dissatis- fied army. They did everything pos- sible and daring to entice the Mexicans out of the town. They amused them- selves with scouting expeditions, with ^^ catching the spent cannon-balls and throwing them back, ' ' with listening to the stories of a Dr. Grant who, owning large estates in Mexico, was sure that Mexico was ready to rise against Santa Anna, and that the Texans needed only to march to Matamoras, to have all Mexico at their feet. In spite of all, the army was melting away, when some Ameri- cans, escaping from the town, told them that it could be taken by assault. It was arranged to attack at dawn the next morning. All was ready, when, sud- denly, all was postponed. A guide was missing : they were betrayed ! They 62 SAM HOUSTON were ordered hastily to abandon the siege. The men were beside themselves, and bloodshed was threatened when the guide returned. Milam came out of Burlison's tent, and cried, ^ ^Who'll fol- low old Ben Milam into San Antonio?'^ There was a shout, and three hundred men volunteered. On December 5 the assault was begun just before day. They fought from house to house, burrowing through walls, rush- ing across streets, firing from house-tops, fortifying as they went. Milam was killed in a street rush. On the 9th Cos capitulated, and on the 14th marched away ; and not a Mexican soldier was left in Texas. It was a gallant deed, and the enthusiasm in the United States was great. All over the country, from New York to New Orleans, funds were raised, and ^^ emigrants fitted out in squads, companies, and battalions. ^^ San Antonio de Bexar had been taken, and Cos had retreated j but SAM HOTJSTOIS^ 63 Houston went on with his work. Cos would return j and Houston wrote, ^ ' By the rise of grass we'll be on the march.'' On December 12 he issued a proclama- tion as commander-in-chief, calling for recruits for both regular and volunteer service. ^'The first of March next we must meet the enemy with an army worthy of our cause." But things were awry in the govern- ment. The governor and the council were at odds, and disappointed office- seekers were hampering every move. The country and army were full of ad- venturers, to whose hopes organization was death. There was discontent among the colonists, also, and some jealousy of Houston as a new-comer. There was dangerous discontent at the various mili- tary points, where the bodies of idle men had listened to and been persuaded by the stories of Dr. Grant, who had pub- lished a proclamation containing his views, — stories telling of the riches of 64 SAM HOUSTON Mexico and the certainty of the over- throw of Santa Anna, if the people were only encouraged by the advance of the Texan army to Matamoras. At headquarters the discontent of the soldiers was well known ; and a march to Matamoras, solely to prevent their disbanding, had been suggested, Hous- ton appointing Bowie to lead the expe- dition. But this was not what Grant wanted. The council was with Grant, and a regular campaign had been planned. Houston had been ordered to move his headquarters to Washington, but did not dare to leave the council until he had done his best to organize and to place troops and provisions at proper points. On December 25 he moved to Washington, where he found volunteer companies from the States, all very much disgusted with the condition of civil affairs. He writes the governor : ^^Ihad great difficulty in getting them SAM HOUSTON 65 to volunteer for any definite period. . . . To-day there has been an arrival in six days from San Antonio, which reports all quiet, but no discipline." The day after Houston removed his headquarters the council appointed him commissioner to treat with the Indians. At the same time he was criticised for not being at the front. He explained to the governor the necessity of his ^^occu- pying, until the campaign opened, a central position." But on this very day, while Houston was showing his movements to be necessary, and in the direction of order and discipline. Grant with two hundred volunteers, with all that they could take from public stores and private property, — with everything, in fact, except authority, — began the march from Bexar to Matamoras. Colo- nel Johnson next applied to the council to do likewise ; and this body acceded to the request, as ' ^ the expedition under Grant would need support. ' ' 66 SAM HOUSTON Strange to say, the old fatal dream of the ^^South-western Empire" was once more blinding men. Alliance with the Mexicans, — an empire of East Mexico and Texas ! It was the cause of this expedition. It was in the eyes of the council, of the peace party behind the council, of Grant, Fannin, Johnson. Their idea was to disown the i)rovisional government, to put this expedition under the orders of independent offi- cers, and so show the Mexicans that they were confident of Mexican co-operation. On January 6 Houston sent to the governor the report of Colonel Neill, at Bexar, as to the destitute condition in which the place had been left by Grant. Houston writes: ^' Manly and bold de- cision alone can save us from ruin. . . . The wounded and sick have been left destitute, ... by self-created officers, who do not acknowledge the only gov- ernment known to Texas. . . . Within thirty hours I shall set out for the army. SAM HOUSTO^^ 67 . . . Xo language can express my an- guish of soul. . . . Send supplies to the wounded, the naked, the sick, and the hungry, for God's sake!" On the 7th Johnson, having gone to San relii)e to have Grant's expedition legalized, declined to join forces with Fannin, who had been appointed by the council ^^ agent to raise and collect any volunteers willing to go to Matamoras," Tvith full powers in every direction. Johnson, also getting general powers, re- turned to Grant ; and they issued a proc- lamation calling on ^' all who wished to keep the war out of Texas" to join them. On the 9th Governor Smith, receiving Houston^ s letter enclosing Weill's report, sent a message to the council, denounc- ing their course, and declaring them adjourned. The council promptly re- turned the message, declaring the gover- nor deposed. The governor retained the archives, and the council did what 68 SAM HOUSTON more was possible to block the efforts of the governor and of Houston. Houston reached Goliad on the night of January 14. Everything was in con- fusion J and the troops, discontented for want of food, made difficulties about obeying orders and concentrating at Eefugio. On the 17th Houston received a message from Colonel I^eill, at Bexar, that the enemy was reported approach- ing in force. He hurried Bowie with thirty men to San Antonio, with orders to Neill to level the fortifications and bring away the guns. Houston wrote to the governor : ^^ Bowie will leave in a few hours for Bexar ; . . . and, if you should think well of it, I will remove all the cannon and other munitions of war to Gonzales and Copano, blow up the Alamo, and abandon the place. It will be impossible to keep up the station with volunteers. The sooner I can be so authorized, the better it will be for the country. In an hour I will take SAM HOUSTON 69 up the line of march for Eefugio, with a force of about two hundred and nine effective men, where I will await orders from your excellency. I do not believe that an army of such small force should advance upon Matamoras, with a hope or belief that the Mexicans will co-op- erate with us. I have no confidence in them. ... Do forward the regulars. . . . I have sent to Captain Dimit to raise one hundred men and repair to Bexar, if it should be invested. . . . Captain Pat- ton will do likewise. I would myself have marched with a force to Bexar, but the Matamoras fever rages so high that I must see Colonel Ward's men. You can have no idea of the difiiculties. . . . Better materials never were in ranks. The government and all its officers had been misrepresented to the army. ' ' At Eefugio, Houston found fm^ther disorder. Xews travelled slowly; and Houston in Washington, ordered there 70 SAM HOUSTOI:^ by the council, had not realized the full iniquity of that council until Colonel Johnson showed him his authority to command the Matamoras expedition, and told him also of the wide powers granted to Fannin. At the same time Houston heard of the adjourning of the council by the governor, and the depo- sition of the governor by the council. Neither had the power to destroy the other; but, as the council had practically superseded him, putting several com- manders-in-chief in the field, and not being willing to bear responsibility where he had no authority, there seemed to be but one course for Houston to pur- sue. He returned to Washington, and reported fully to Governor Smith; and the governor decided : '^ Your absence is permitted by the illegal acts of the council. ... In the mean time you will conform to your instructions, and treat with the Indians.'' Colonel Neill now reported that his SAM HOUSTON 71 garrison at Bexar had dwindled to eighty men, that he had no teams to move the artillery, therefore he had not destroyed the fortifications, and asked to be relieved. The governor at once re- moved young Travis from his recruiting station, causing more confusion, and sent him to Bexar ; and Travis wrote to Houston for five hundred men. He also asked for money, provisions, and clothes. But too many had been al- lowed to appropriate from the country's slender store for Houston to be able to grant the righteous demands of Travis. IV. In Mexico, meanwhile, the country had been unified by the fall of Bexar, and by the proclamation of Dr. Grant which had reached the government. Santa Anna, first sending General Urrea to Matamoras, had determined himself to lead the invading army, and set out from Saltillo February 1, with six thou- sand troops. It was nearly ^^the rise of grass'' j and, of those in Texas who had any con- ception of organization or military tac- tics, Austin had gone as agent to the United States, Bowie and Travis were shut up in Bexar, and Houston was de- tailed to treat with the Indians. The Matamoras expedition had lingered be- cause of private dissension, then because of the force of Urrea which had reached Matamoras. At this time Fannin, un- der orders from the council, was at Goliad; Johnson was at San Patricio; SAM IIOUSTOX 73 and Grant, with tlie volunteers from Bexar, was raiding the country. The governor and council were still at war. On February 18 TJrrea set out from Matamoras with more than six hundred men in search of Grant and Johnson. On the 22d Santa Anna appeared be- fore Bexar. The quick descent was un- expected ; and the garrison retreated to the Mission of the Alamo, Lieutenant Dickenson picking up his wife and child on the way, and carrying them in with him on his horse. Santa Anna demanded the surrender of the mission. Travis re- plied with a cannon-shot. Santa Anna ran up the '^blood-red flag of no quar- ter, ' ' and the siege was begun. On the 23d Travis sent to Fannin for aid. The letter reached Fannin on the 25th, and on the 28th he set out for Bexar. In a little distance a wagon broke down. They were short of teams and of provisions, and it was decided to give ui) the attempt. On the 24th 74 SAM HOUSTON Travis sent off a courier with an appeal ^Ho the people of Texas, and all Americans in the world, ' ^ — a brave appeal, ending : ' ^ Though this call may be neglected, I am determined to sus- tain myself as long as possible, and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country. Victory or death ! ^^W. Barrett Travis, ^^ Lieutenant Colonel Commanding, ^^P.S. — The Lord is on our side. When the army appeared in sight, we had not three bushels of corn. We have since found in deserted houses eighty or ninety bushels, and got into the walls twenty or thirty beeves.^' This letter was indorsed on the back by the couriers who forwarded it : — ^^ Since the above was written, I heard a very heavy cannonade during the whole day. Think there must have been an SAM HOUSTON 75 attack on tlie Alamo. "We were short of ammunition when I left. Hurry all you can forth. When I left, there were but one hundred and fifty men deter- mined to do or die. To-morrow I leave for Bexar with what men I can get. Almonte is there. The troops are com- manded by General Sesma. Albert Martin.'^ '^1 hope that every one will Een- devez at Gonzales as soon Possible, as the Brave soldiers are suffering ; don not forget the powder is very scarce, and should not be delad one moment. L. Smithers. ' ' In answer to this, thirty-two men from Gonzales, under Captain J. W. Smith, made their way into the Alamo at daylight on March 1. On the 3d Travis sent out his last appeal : ' ^ I am still here in fine spirits and well-to-do. AYith one-hundred and forty-five men I have held the place against a force vari- oasly estimated from fifteen hundred to 76 SAM HOUSTON six tliousand ; and I shall continue to hold it until I get relief from my country- men, or I will x>erish in its defence. . . . Again I feel confident that the de- termined spirit and desperate courage heretofore exhibited by my men will not fail them in the last struggle. . . . The victory will cost that enemy so dear that it will be worse than a defeat. . . . A blood-red flag waves from the church of Bexar, and in the camp above us. . . . The war is one of vengeance against rebels. . . . God and Texas! Victory or death ! ' ' On this same day J. B. Bonham, who had gone to ask aid of Fannin, returned and made his way into the Alamo. In Washington on the Brazos, on March 1, the convention met to make a Declaration of Independence and a Constitution for the Eepublic of Texas. The dispute between the governor and the council was ignored, and the inva- sion received immediate attention. On SAM HOUSTON 77 March 2 Houston^ who had returned from a successful mission to the Indians, and had been elected to the convention from Eefugio, issued an appeal to the people : — " Convention Hall, Washington, March 2, 1836. ^'War is raging on the frontiers. Bexar is besieged by two thousand of the enemy. . . . Ee- enforcements are on the march to unite with the besieging army. By the last report our force at Bexar was only one hundred and fifty men. The citizens of Texas must rally to the aid of our army, or it will perish. . . . In- dependence is declared. It must be maintained. Immediate action, united with valor, can alone achieve our great work. The services of all are forthwith required in the field. '^Sam Houston, *^ Commander-in-chief of tJie Army. *'P.S. — It is rumored that the enemy 78 SAM HOUSTON is on the marcli to Gonzales. . . . The fate of Bexar is unknown. "... Down at San Patricio on this day the commands of Grant and Johnson had been defeated and slaughtered by TJrrea, only five men escaping. On the 4th Houston was unanimously elected commander-in-chief of the re- public, as he had been of the provisional government. The organization of the militia received prompt attention. Ee- publican constitution, president, vice- president, two houses of Congress, and a government ad interim were provided, as the constitution had to be submitted to the peoi)le. David Burnet was elected president of the provisional government. On Sunday, March 6, Travis's last ap- peal of the 3d was received, and read to the convention. The excitement was intense, and a demand was made that the whole convention should march to the Alamo. Houston stopped this wild SAM HOUSTON 79 move. A handful of men against Santa Anna's army! It would be madness. The convention must complete its work. He himself set out for Gonzales. From Gonzales on the 11th Houston wrote to Fannin : — ' ^ On my arrival here this afternoon the following intelligence was received through a Mexican supposed to be friendly : . . . that the Alamo was at- tacked on Sunday morning at dawn of day, by about two thousand men, and carried a short time before sunrise. . . . I have little doubt but that the Alamo has fallen. You are therefore referred to the enclosed order. '^I am, sir, &c., ^^Sam Houston. ^^P. S. — In corroboration of the truth of the fall of the Alamo, I have ascer- tained that Colonel Travis intended firing signal guns at three different periods each day until succor should 80 SAM HOUSTON arrive. No signal guns have been heard since Sunday, though a scouting party has just returned who approached with- in twelve miles of it, and remained there forty- eight hours. ^' Santa Anna assaulted the Alamo at four o'clock on the morning of Sun- day, March 6. The troops, numbering twenty-five hundred, completely sur- rounded the Mission, bringing with them scaling-ladders, crowbars, and axes, the cavalry forming a cordon in the rear of the infantry to prevent retreat or escape. In the ghastly hour that is neither night nor day the charge was sounded ; and the Mexicans, dashing forward, were re- ceived with a deadly fire by the little garrison that had been watching and fighting since February 23. On three sides the attack failed. The columns were concentrated on the north side. Once more they recoiled ; but on the third charge they scaled the walls, and reached the convent yard, driving the Ameri- SAM HOUSTON 81 cans into the hospital and convent. Every inch of ground was fought for. Bonham and Travis fell before the last struggle in the church. Crockett met death at the door^ with his long rifle, ^^ Betsy," held like a club in his hands. Bowie, disabled by a fall, and doing deadly work from his cot, was killed by a shot through the crack of the door. ^^A wounded man fled into the room where was Mrs. Dickenson with her baby. The Mexicans killed him, raising his body on their bayonets, ^ike a bundle of fodder. ' ' ' Mrs. Dickenson, her baby, two Mexican women, and a negro boy belonging to Travis were the only sur- vivors of the massacre. After the slaughter the bodies of the Americans were burned, but about them lay five hundred and twenty- one dead Mexicans. There is a monument in Texas to the heroes of the Alamo, — young Travis and his men, — and below is written, — ^ ^ Thermopylae had her messenger of defeat : the Alamo had none. ' ' V. Up to this point, Burleson and JSTeill had been making every effort to raise troops for the relief of Travis ; and it was Houston's intention to combine these forces with those of Fannin, and march to Bexar, and he so ordered ^'in ad- vance of his arrival at Gonzales." But here he met the dreadful news, listened to the Mexican deserter, and wrote the dire tidings to Fannin, enclosing orders to blow up the defences, bring away the women and children, sink in the river such artillery as he could not move, and fall back on Victoria. The immediate advance of the enemy was expected, ^^as well as a rise of water. Prompt move- ments are therefore highly imiDortant.'^ A panic of dreadful grief and fear swept over the town's people. The last body of men to enter the Alamo had gone from Gonzales ; and, as in old Egypt, the Angel of Death had touched almost SAM HOUSTOI^ 83 every door. The women cried aloud, the men in groui)s spoke in gloomy whispers. It was no time for hesita- tion. Houston arrested the messenger as a spy, thus restoring a little order until he could organize the few troops at hand, and sent out Deaf Smith, Karnes, and Handy to go as near as possible to Bexar, and report to him again in three days. He reported to the government : ^^ March 13 I found upward of three hundred men in camp, without organi- zation. . . . Since then the force has in- creased to more than four hundred. . . . The enclosed order to Colonel Fannin will indicate to you my convictions that ... we cannot maintain sieges. . . . The force under my command here was such as to preclude the idea of meeting the enemy. . . . The projected expedition to Matamoras has already cost us over two hundred and thirty-seven lives ; and where the effects are to end none can foresee. Dr. Grant's party, as well as 84 SAM HOUSTOIvr Colonel Johnson, have been murdered. . . . Dr. Grant surrendered, and was tied by the enemy. '^ The three scouts met Mrs. Dickenson. Alone on horseback, with her child in her arms, she had been despatched by Santa Anna, bearing an insulting procla- mation to the Texans. Out of a thicket crept Travis's negro servant, and walked beside her horse. Meeting the scouts, she confirmed the horrible news and accentuated the particulars, warning them that the march to Gonzales had begun. Karnes was put on the best horse in the party, and posted back. His news caused the panic Houston had tried to avert, — a panic that almost reached the point of a stampede. There was no mercy to be looked for from Santa Anna ; and he was advanc- ing ! Men, women, and children, a hurrying crowd, demanded retreat ; and on horses and on foot the tragic, weeping caravan began its march across SAM HOUvSTON 85 the prairie at night, in the rain. Hous- ton's force, already small, was further diminished by men going away to bring in their families from exposed places ; and there was nothing to do but to con- duct the people to some point where Fannin could join him. There were two government wagons; but a single one brought away all the ammunition and supplies of the army ! Spies were left to watch the enemy and to burn the town, and the Texans were lighted for many miles on their journey by the flames of their homes. On the 15th Houston reported his re- treat to the government. ^^ Other im- portant intelligence arrived that the army of Santa Anna . . . was to proceed direct to Gonzales. The number of the enemy . . . was represented as exceeding two thousand infantry. Upon this state- ment ... I deemed it proper to fall back ... on the Colorado. . . . My morning report . . . showed three hun- 86 SAM HOUSTON dred and seventy- four effective men, without two days' provisions, many without arms, and others without am- munition. . . . Detached as we were, without supplies, . . . ammunition, or artillery, and remote from succor, it would have been madness to hazard a contest. ... If starved out and the camp broken up, there was no hope for the future. By falling back, Texas can rally. ... I hope to reach the Colo- rado on the morrow, and collect an army in a short time. I sent ... to Columbia this morning for munitions and supplies to be sent me immediately, and to order the troops at Yelasco to join me. . . . Our forces must not be shut up in forts where they can neither be supplied with men nor provisions. Long aware of this fact, I directed on the 16th of January last that the artillery should be removed and the Alamo blown up ; but it was prevented by the expedition upon Mata- moras, the author of all oui^ misfortunes. I SAM HOUSTON 87 . . . Enclosed you will receive the ad- dress of General Santa Anna, sent by a negro to the citizens. . . . Santa Anna Tvas in Bexar when the Alamo wiis taken. His force ... is, I think, only five or six thousand. . . . Had it not been for the council, we would have had no reverses. . . . Gonzales is reduced to ashes ! ' ' Fannin's men at Goliad were chiefly volunteers from the States, — Georgia troops under Ward and King, the Xew Orleans and Mobile ^^ Greys," the Ken- tucky ^-Mustangs," Tennesseeans under Captain Bradford, the '^Eed Eovers," and other companies fr'om Alabama. Houston's order to fall back reached Fannin on March 14. He immediately sent a courier for \Yard and King. He sent out for teams also, and began to dismount his guns. He had sent King to rescue helpless women and children ahead of Urrea's advance, and Ward to rescue King ; and now he waited for them. Dead and stripi)ed. King and his 88 SAM HOUSTON men lay on the prairie, the food of beasts and birds. At last, on the 19th, Fannin began his retreat, but only so fast as oxen could travel. Urrea had had plenty of time ; and, before the first day's march was over, Fannin and his men were sur- rounded in the open prairie, and with- out water. They made breastworks of wagons, and fought until night, — the battle of Coleta. The next day they surrendered, ^^ prisoners of war, accord- ing to the usages of the most civilized nations," and were marched back to Goliad. On the 21st Ward surrendered, reaching Goliad on the 25th. By the evening of the 26th they were all there, relying on the promises of the Mexican officials that they would be paroled and returned to the United States. There was a flute in the company, and they were singing ^'Home, Sweet Home." That night a courier ^^ex- I SAM HOUSTON 89 traordinary" came from Santa Anna. Services of four American physicians ^yere to be retained. At day- dawn on March 27, being Palm Sunday, the l^risoners were marched out in three de- tachments under three different excuses. They were going to be sent home, they were going to slaughter beeves, they were going to make room in the fort for Santa Anna ! Dr. Shackelford was in the tent of Colonel Garay ,• ^ ' In about an hour we heard the report of a volley of small arms toward the river, and to the east of the fort. ... In about fifteen minutes thereafter, another such volley was fired, directly south of us, and in front. At the same time I could dis- tinguish the heads of some of the men through the boughs of some peach-trees, and could hear their screams.'' . . . As the divisions reached their dif- ferent places of execution, they were ordered to sit down with their backs to the guards. One incident : a young 90 SAM HOUSTON fellow sprang up, crying: ^^Boys, they are going to kill ns ! Die with your faces to them, like men ! ' ' Another : two fellows waved their caps, and cried, ' ^ Hurrah for Texas ! ' ^ Some tried to escape, but were cut down by the cav- alry or shot. In all about twenty-seven got away. ^^For an hour after the first firing, the ring of intermittent shots smote on the ear, producing on the listener's mind a terrible picture of the flight and chase." The wounded who had been brought in from the battle were murdered where they were. Colonel Fannin was the last. He begged to be shot in the breast, and to be decently buried. He seated himself in the chair, and tied the handkerchief over his own eyes. He was shot in the head 5 and, like the rest of the dead, his body was stripped ; the pile — three hundred and thirty — was covered with brush that Sunday morning at Goliad, and set on fire. SAM HOUSTON 91 Goliad was an old town, dating far back into a Spanish past j and its origi- nal name had been ^'Espiritu Santo. ^^ YI. Santa Anna, now sure that Texas was conquered, divided his force into columns to occupy the country : Gaona, north to Nacogdoches ; Sesma, to fol- low to San Felipe ; Filisola, to drive the colonists out of the south. As it has heen expressed, '^the whole country was fleeing east, " — ' ^ many carts and wagons with lone families and three or four men with them" : men who should have been with Houston crawled across the prairies like black ants. Hous- ton was retreating slowly and warily, and wondering about Fannin. On the 17th he writes: ^^If you can by any means soothe the people and get them to remain, they shall have notice. . . . I shall raise a company of spies to-mor- row, to range the country from this to Gonzales. Send all the good horses you can get." The new government blundered, tell- SAM HOUSTON 93 ing the people to be quiet, Tvhile mov- ing to Harrisbiu^g. Houston marched down the east bank of the Colorado to Beason's Crossing, notice having been sent to all families west to cross to the east. On the 20th Karnes, capturing a Mexican, discovered that Sesma with the main body of the army was near the west bank of the ri^'er. Houston wrote on the 23d: ^^I am not easily depressed ; but before my God, since we parted, I have found the darkest hours of my life. My excitement has been so great that for forty -eight houi's I have not eaten an ounce, nor have I slept. I was in constant apprehension of a rout: a constant panic existed in the lines. . . . All would have been well ... if I could only have had a moment to start an express in advance of the deserters. . . . This moment an express . . . states that Fannin took up his retreat on Saturday last, and a few miles from Goliad was attacked by the 94 SAJM HOUSTOK Mexican army. . . . The result is not known. . . . Colonel AYard's command had not returned. I am at a loss to know how matters stand. . . . The re- treat of the government will have a bad effect on the troops. . . . How this news will affect them I know not." It was the intention of Houston to cross the Colorado on the night of the 27th and fight Sesma, but on the 25th there came the news of the defeat of Fannin and Ward. Afraid of a panic, Houston put the messenger under arrest as a possible spy ; but he knew that the news was true, and that any demonstra- tion on his part, even a victory, would only serve to draw down on himself the whole Mexican force which Fannin's capture had left at liberty to move in any direction. The fate of the country hung on his few men : he must wait to strike until he could strike a vital blow. It was a dreary retreat. The rains were heavy, the army was de- SAM HOUSTON 95 pressed, men demanding furloughs to go for their families, men walking off. Sullenness, ill -temper, threats of mutiny, but Houston held them together. He was patient, he was tireless, he worked at any task, — a mired wagon, a stalled team, anything to push them on and to prevent discouragement. Swearing, laughing, joking, gathering up refugees, sending out scouts, allaying distress, the intrepid leader toiled on, reaching San Felipe on the west bank of the Brazos on March 28. From heie he proceeded up the river to Mill Creek. It rained all night: there were no tents. ^'Houston spent the night sitting on his saddle with a blanket over him, and his feet on a piece of wood." But he loyally wi-ote ^ ^ Headquarters " ! ^ ' On my arrival on the Brazos, had I con- sulted the wishes of all, I should have been like the ass between two stacks of hay. ... I consulted none. ... If I err, the blame is mine. . . . For Heaven's 96 SAM HOUSTON sake, don't drop back again with the seat of government!" On the 31st the army reached Groce's Landing, where Houston seized the steamboat ^^Yellow- stone, ' ' in case of need. The next day they moved camp to the Brazos bottom. The rains continued, the river rose until the army was on an island; and here, with few tents and scant food, they remained until April 12. There were some stores in San Felipe; but the de- tachment there mistook a herd of cat- tle for Mexicans, and burned the town. From Groce's Landing, Houston writes: ^^This is the best and nearest route to Harrisburg or the Bay, . . . and will prevent the whole country passing the Trinity. . . . The re-enforcements prom- ised to our army never arriving has kept us in a mood not so enviable as could be wished for. ... Do let me know what to rely on. I must let the camp know something, and I want everything prom- ised to be realized by them. I hope I SAM H0UST0:N^ 97 can keep them together. I have thiis far succeeded beyond my hoj^es. ' ' Vice- President Zavalla and Secretary of War Rusk now joined the army. Santa Anna, with the whole population fleeing before him, felt no hesitation in pushing on, even though the haste scat- tered his forces. All the rivers were up. Filisola was at the Guadaloupe, and Sesma had put only a part of his army across the Colorado, when Santa Anna, with his staff, reached that point. Here he left General Woll to cross the artillery and forces of the belated Fili- sola, himself hastening on to San Felipe, where he arrived on April 7. Through the sines the news came as fast as horses to Houston, and he issued an order to the army. ^^The advance of the enemy is at San Felipe. The moment for which we have waited ... is fast approaching. The vic- tims of the Alamo and . . . Goliad call for cool, deliberate vengeance. . . . The 98 SAM HOUSTON army will be in readiness at a moment^ s warning. ' ' The country was in the greatest con- fusion and distress. The secretary of the navy writes : ^^Kever till I reached Trinity have I desponded, — I will not say despaired. If Houston has retreated or been whipped, nothing can save the people from themselves. . . . He must be advised of the state of the waters, and the impossibility of the people cross- ing." Santa Anna had failed to cross the Brazos at San Felipe, the crossing being held, and went down the river to Fort Bend, where Major Martin, with forty men, was on guard. Martin wrote to Houston on the 8th : ^^Two men arrived from toward San Felipe. . . . Enemy must be by this time in that town in full force. . . . One division . . . has passed above, . . . pointing for Nacogdoches . . . other column below, aiming for Mata- gorda.'^ On the 12th the Mexicans SAM HOUSTOX 99 crossed, below Fort Bend, causing Martin to retreat. On the same day Houston, who had been on the west side of the Brazos, crossed over, being sure, though he had not yet heard it, that the Mexi- cans had crossed. All East Texas was now threatened. On the 13th the acting secretary of war wrote to Houston : ^ '■ There is nothing to stop the march to this place [Harris- burg] or Galveston in twenty-four hours. . . . You have assured the gov- ernment that the enemy should never cross the Brazos, . . . but they find your pledges not verified. . . . The time has now arrived when we are to determine whether we are to give up the country." Houston stopped in the midst of the hurry and confusion to answer : '^Taunts and suggestions have been gratuitously tendered me. ... At Gon- zales I had three hundred and seventy- four men, without supplies, even powder, balls, or arms. At Colorado, with seven 100 SAM HOUSTON hundred men without discipline or time to organize. . . . T>yo days since my effec- tive force was five hundred and twenty- three men.'^ '^The Texan army,'^ in the words of Yoakum, ^^was a hasty collection of farmers, paid and fed upon promises, poorly armed, and with every variety of weapon, and up to this time without a piece of artillery. Add to this that their wives and children were homeless wanderers, flying without food or shelter, . . . and we must admire the sagacity and address that kept so many of them together so long." On the east side of the Brazos the detached troops, and the only artillery, two six-pounders, ^^The Twin Sisters," from Cincinnati, joined Houston. But no ammunition coming with the cannon, it had to be sux)plied by breaking up old horseshoes and bits of iron, and tying them up in bags. In his report, Houston, always loyal, referred to this as '^ grape and canister." Houston could SAM HOLSTOX 101 strike but once, and had reserved him- self for that blow. The vital spot would be where Santa Anna was. But now the time had come when, wisely or not, he had to strike. A column to the north, a column to the south, a column cross- ing just below him at Fort Bend ; aiMl where was Santa Anna ! In his complete security, Santa Anna had fatally scattered his army. Gaona and his column were lost in the un- known country. Urrea had gone south, and the high waters and dreadful rains were hamx)ering every move. He left Sesma to cross the army at Fort Bend, himself pushing on with seven hundred men to Harrisburg, which he reached on the loth. The town was deserted save for two men, who told him that Burnet and his cabinet had left for Galveston Island. Santa Anna burned the to^^l, and marched rapidly to Kew AVashington, where Biu^net was so nearly caught as to be under fire. From this 102 SAM housto:n^ point, Santa Anna ordered Cos to join him by forced marclies. The Mexicans were now sonth of Houston; between him and Galveston Bay, — the devil and the deep sea ! On the 15th Houston, in his turn, set out to make a forced march to Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou. The streams were at flood ; and the prairies, wet and filled with quicksands, were sloughs of despond. At Harrisburg they paused to rest ; and Deaf Smith brought in two prisoners, one bearing letters. It was dusk, and by torchlight Houston read despatches addressed to Santa Anna ! The Mexican butcher was in the army just ahead of him. On the morning of the 19th the troops were drawn up, and Houston addressed them. ''The army will cross, and we will meet the enemy. Some of us may be killed, and must be killed. But, soldiers, remember the Alamo ! the Alamo ! the Alamo ! ' ' Eusk tried to speak, but stopped : his voice failed him. SAM H0UST0:JT 103 ^^I've done!'' lie said. They crossed the brimming bayou on rafts, the com- mander working on one side, the secre- tary of war on the other. The sick were left with a guard. Then began a swift march along the south bank of the bayou until they fell down for weari- ness. A halt was called, and for two hours they rested. At dawn on the 20th they pushed on, meeting scouts who reported that Santa Anna would that day march from Isew Washington up along San Jacinto Bay to where the San Jacinto Eiver and Buffalo Bayou flowed into the bay at Lynch' s Ferry, where he would cross to Anahuac, thence to Gal- veston, and in the persons of the presi- dent and cabinet destroy the Texan government. About breakfast-time, scouts reported that the enemy was approaching Lynch' s Ferry. An advance of forty men foimd as many Mexicans there, who fled at the approach of the Texans. 104 SAM HOUSTON Eunning parallel with the bayou was a rise of ground ; and between this and the bayou, in a skirt of timber, the Texans had camped. Beyond the rise were two small clusters of timber, be- yond this the prairie. On the 20th there was skirmishing, but evening found the Texans resting. The Mexicans — with the San Jacinto marshes in their rear, San Jacinto Bay on the right, Yince's Bayou on the left, the open prairie and Houston in front — were building a flimsy breastwork of saddles and baggage, as Fannin had done. And in the exec- utive mansion, in the capital of the United States, old Andrew Jackson sat pondering, with the map of Texas before him. His finger had followed the re- treat, as far as he knew it, of the man who had been his pupil. The finger went on to San Jacinto, and paused. ^ ' Here' s the place, ' ' he said. ^ ' If Sam Houston's worth one bawbee, he'll stand here, and give 'em a fight." YII. Thursday, April 21, dawned clear. Houston had watched that night, but toward morning had fallen asleep. About nine o'clock a large body of Mexicans were seen marching from the direction of Vince's bridge. Houston, awakened, at once suggested a doubt. This was a portion of Santa Anna's army marched round behind a rise in the prairie to deceive the Texans. Then he called Deaf Smith aside, telling him to select a comj^anion and to stay within the lines. The anxious officers demanded a council of war, which Houston granted. Should they attack the enemy or await his attack? Opinion was divided. It was now Deaf Smith's tui'u, and Hous- ton gave him his secret orders. He was to take axes, which had been provided, and destroy Yince's bridge, the only escape for either army. 106 SAM HOUSTON A little after three o'clock Houston formed his line behind the rise of ground, and explained his plan of battle. The solitary fife of the Texan army struck up ^^ Will you come to the bower I have shaded for yonV^ and, in the broad light of day, those wild, ragged, starved phantoms deployed in the open prairie without shelter, and advanced in good order. Smith, riding up, reported the bridge destroyed. It was announced to the men. The advance quickened to a run. Houston, on a gaunt gray horse, tore up and down, waving his hat, and yelling curses on the men to make them hold their fire. ^^The Twin Sisters" were wheeled and fired, the line paused to deliver one deadly volley, then ^^Ee- member the Alamo !'^ ^^Eemember Goliad!'^ and the Texans sprang for- ward on their long- desired prey. On that far-spent day, Santa Anna had given up all thought of battle, and was asleep in his tent. Cos had arrived by SAM HOUSTON 107 forced marches, and liis meu T\'ere tired. The rest of the army were cutting wood, cooking, watering horses, when the Texans emerged from their ^ ' bower. ^^ There was the wildest confusion, the most dreadful dismay, orders to fire, orders to lie down. They had only time to give one feeble volley before death was on them. Clubbed rifles and bowie-knives, whose originator had been murdered in the Alamo, made cruelly short work with the struggling mass. Many pleaded, ^'Me no Alamo, me no Alamo !" But it was not the day of mercy. Houston was striking, — striking vitally. In fifteen short minutes the Mexican army was running across the prairie or sinking in the marshes, with the Texans in pursuit. Santa Anna seized a horse and fled. Almonte stuck to his post, rallied a few hundred, and surrendered. Houston's ankle was broken, and his horse wounded in the charge ; but he remained on the field 108 SAM HOUSTON until his horse fell under him. The pur- suit lasted until dark. The Texan army numbered seven hun- dred and forty men. Six were killed, and twenty-five wounded. Six hundred and thirty Mexicans were killed, two hundred wounded, and more than seven hundred were taken prisoners. Santa Anna was captured the next day by James Sylvester. Having in his flight done away with his uniform, he declared himself a private soldier, and he came into camp riding behind one of the sol- diers. Sylvester did not know whom he had captured until the Mexican prisoners murmured in awed tones, *^E1 Presi- dente!^^ Houston, suffering with his wound, and sleeping under a tree, was wakened, and raised on his elbow to find the Mexican general, a little pale man, in dirty linen trousers, a blue cotton jacket, and red worsted slippers, stand- ing before him. Santa Anna said, '^I am General An- SAM HOUSTON 109 toiiio Lopez de Santa Anna, a prisoner of var, at your service." Houston waved liis hand. Santa Anna sat down on a tool- chest, and Almonte was sent for as interpreter. The Texans drew near j and Santa Anna, trembling, almost ciying, begged for opium, after which lie was able to control himself He now demanded to be treated as a prisoner of war, and to have his release arranged for immediately. ^^That man who has conquered the Xapoleon of the \yest,'^ said the little person in the woollen slippers, ^^is born to no common destiny. He should now be generous to the vanquished. ' ' Houston answered, '^ There was no generosity at the Alamo. ' ' ^'That was taken by assault.'' ' ' And the men who surrendered under Fannin ? ' ' ' ' Urrea told me that Fannin had been vanquished, and my government had ordered that every rebel taken armed should be shot.'' 110 SAM HOUSTON '^You are yourself the government. '' ^^I have the orders of Congress/' Santa Anna declared. ^^XJrrea de- ceived me. He had no right to make terms with Fannin ; and, when I am free, he shall suffer. ' ' Houston listened, then said that the power to make terms belonged to the Texan government. An armistice was agreed to, and Deaf Smith was sent with orders to the Mexican generals to retire. Santa Anna was then allowed to have his own tent, servants, and baggage, which had not been touched. Houston also had him guarded from the indignant Texans, who were talking angrily of im- mediate execution. At Galveston Island, so great was the panic, that boats were loaded with refugees ready to sail, when the as- tounding news came that Houston had captured Santa Anna and his whole army, and desired the presence of the of&cials to negotiate terms. Houston's SAM HOUSTON 111 suggestions for these terms were : recog- nition by Mexico of Texan indepen- dence, the Kio Grande as boundary, in- demnity for Texan losses, immediate withdrawal of all Mexican troops, cessa- tion of hostilities, retention of Santa Anna and his officei^ until Mexico rati- fied the treaty. He also suggested that envoys be sent to the United States to secure mediation between Texas and Mexico. Because of his wound, Houston went to New Orleans, Eusk taking command of the army and M. B. Lamar becoming secretary of war. Houston arrived in New Orleans on May 11, with his wound in bad condition. His welcome was most enthusiastic. Many pieces of bone were taken from his ankle, and his recovery was slow. As soon as possible, however, he returned to Texas, arriving at San Augustine on July 5. Yni. In the thirty years from Burr to Hous- ton the majority in the United States had been converted to the idea of ^^ ex- tending the area of freedom/^ and now looked with desire not only on the thou- sands of square miles of Texas, hut across the continent out to the far Pa- cific. The talk of annexation was open and earnest j and the important victory of San Jacinto excited others besides the old little man in E'ew York, whose mag- netic eyes could yet blaze over the suc- cess of the thing he had failed to do. Public meetings were held in various cities, and a commissioner was sent to Texas. Texas was to Houston as his own child. He had saved her. His love for her was deep, and his pride in and for her was sensitive. As a State, she would be enormous ; as an independent country, without allies, without money, SAM HOUSTON 113 with a powerful enemy on the south, a wilderness and savages on the west, on the south-east a coast that offered a safe harbor to a hostile fleet, — Houston felt that the new born republic was small, and her position an anxious one. Added to this, she was young and headstrong, with a population rendered almost un- manageable by the influx of adventurers during the revolution. But he was as patient and persistent in peace as he had been in war. If the wagon of State mired, he put his shoulder to the muddy wheel. If the political team balked, he laid his hand on the patched bridle. If his annexation artillery lacked ammu- nition, he tied up England and France in bags, and shot them into the United States Senate as ^ '■ grape and canister. - ' Keeping always a brave front to the world, he made no sign of defeat. He was too strong not to make enemies, and had too much power to fear opj^osition. He had great humor and much elo- 114 SAM HOUSTON quence ; and the known recklessness of liis masterful, passionate temper made people careful. He was too shrewd, however, not to know how and when to control his temper, which made it all the more dangerous when he did let it go ; and nothing attests more his position in Texas than that he declined to fight duels. Nor would he flatter the people. However he praised his Texas to the world, to her face he told her what he thought. He would laugh in the pres- ence of the most furious mobs, and abuse and ridicule them. Those who would follow he attached to himself with the strongest personal bonds. Those who opposed, he satirized and ridiculed ruthlessly. He remembered an affront as carefully as he did a kindness, and never failed to return either. His strongest hold over the people, however, was his love for them. They knew it, had faith in it, and returned it. ^^His sly jokes,'' says Mr. Forney, SAM HOUSTON 115 ''his winning ways, his roving habits, his battles, his escapades, and his love for the Union are still food for fireside gossip. ... In his broad- brimmed som- brero, his large cane, his ruffles and his rings, his lofty air, and extra politeness to men and women, even his vanity was a study ; and nobody complained of it." So much has been said of Houston's vanity that it is pleasant to find an English traveller in Texas, Mrs. M. C. Houston, saying, ^^Kever have I seen a man who had ^done' not alone ^the State,' but the cause of humanity such ^good service in his day,' who was so simple and unobtrusive in his manner, and who seemed to think so little of himself ' ' Sitting in front of a shop, or walking, to any it would be: ^^How d'ye do, colonel? How's madam? Bad weath- er for the ladies." Another says : ^^He generally abstained from much talking. No man could better be silent 116 SAM HOUSTON when he wished to be." Further, we are told that ^^ he carried his liquor with dignity," and seldom to any excess after his second marriage. And now he would require all his powers. Texas was in a state of mild anarchy. Putting aside the treaty, the army had detained Santa Anna, and now demanded him for court-martial. Houston sent a sharp protest, and Santa Anna ' ' embraced the bearer as one who had saved his life. " A general election being ordered to replace the provisional government, the people put aside the regular candidates. Smith and Austin, and in mass meetings demanded Hous- ton. Even his inauguration was pushed forward, so that he was installed October 22, ahead of time. He appointed his presidential competitors to places in his cabinet, and at once sent ministers to England, France, and the United States. Santa Anna was to be saved once more. Houston saw the forlorn little SAM HOUSTON 117 prisoner, who wept on the breast of his big captor ; arranged that he be invited by President Jackson to Washington ; overruled the Texas Congress, and for- warded the troublesome person. There were army, navy, judiciary, to be supported, and an empty treasury : bonds were issued to the amount of $5, 000, 000 ; a loan was to be made in the United States ; and import duties fixed. In May, 1837, Congress reassembling, Houston was able to say to them that Texas had been recognized as an inde- pendent republic j that England was friendly, and France had sent a commis- sioner. Mexico was still hostile ; but Texas was confident. They must legis- late as for a permanent system. The army he could not praise. It had be- come a menace, and he had furloughed it. Congress voted for annexation, and a special agent was sent to Washington. There the question was an exciting one. The debate was angry, the ol)jec- 118 SAM HOUSTON tion was strenuous. This really would be the addition to the South which had been feared in the Louisiana purchase. Texas threatened to be three or four States, with a great increase of Southern representation j and, instead of ^^extend- ing the area of freedom/' it would ex- tend the area of slavery. Everything that had ever been said against the people of Texas was revived. From Sam Houston, and, through him, Andrew Jackson, down to the smallest boy in the territory, all were filibusters, all were combined in a vast intrigue that would bring untold trouble and expense on the United States 5 and Yan Buren declined annexation. Texas refused, the request for annexa- tion was withdrawn ; and Houston said, Lower your import duties, make com- merce easy to France and England, and the United States must reflect, and ^ legislate as for a permanent system." Texas must be able to stand alone before SAM HOUSTOX 119 she could commaud respect. The loan, which later had to be abandoned, had not been negotiated ; and there was no demand for Texas land. The government was so poor that the public officers had no salaries, and Houston had to give his personal note in order to obtain public supplies. In spite of this, he vetoed the issue of promissory notes for $1, 000, 000, as half that amount was all that could be kept at par. ^^The record of Texas finances," Mr. Williams says, ^^was a creditable one ; and it was Houston's firm hand and sagacious judgment . . . which kept down the indebtedness, and enabled the government to carry out its operations without collapse." Not eligible for succeeding terms, Houston had to stand aside, and, free to travel, visited the United States to some purpose. In May, 1840, in Alabama he married Miss Margaret Moffett Lea, who at last gave to his wandering days a home and happiness. In Texas the 120 SAM HOUSTON contest for the second term in the presi- dency was violent. Of the three candi- dates, one was drowned, the second com- mitted suicide, the third, M. B. Lamar, was inaugurated December, 1838. The first term had been for two years. After this the term would be three years, so that Lamar would be in until 1841. And Houston, a member of Congress, saw his policy reversed, — saw once more the dream of the ^' South-western Em- pire ^ ' rise, and the effort made to annex New Mexico by sending a peaceful but carefully armed expedition to Santa Fe. Lamar's opposition to annexation fell in with Houston's policy at that mo- ment ; but, ^ ^ sitting on a back bench, whittling,'' Houston so effectively ridi- culed the whole plan of the expedition that, though they marched, Congress did not bear the expense. Do what he would, however, things went from bad to worse, until Lamar retired, sick, and Congress threatened to adjourn perma- SAM HOUSTON 121 nently. A speech of Houston's stopped this ; and in December, 1841, he was re- elected president as the only man who could save the country. He sent a sting- ing message to Congress, where he had many opponents, then set about doing all his work over again. Summing up the late administration, he showed that the Mexicans were still enemies, the Indians had been turned into enemies, the treasury was empty, the debt quad- rupled, the fate of the Santa Fe expedi- tion unknown, and ^^we are not only without money, but without credit, and, for want of punctuality, without charac- ter." He reduced his own and all other salaries one-half, useless offices he abol- ished, and all claims he postponed. To a claimant he said, ^'If it would do you any good, colonel, I' d give you half my present fortune : but my only posses- sions are a stud horse, eating his head off in the stable, and a solitary game-cock, without a hen to lay an egg. ' ' IX. In the United States, annexation was arrayed chiefly on slavery and anti-slav- ery lines ; and leaders who in earlier days had been eager for it were now against it. Though with some of these men slavery would weigh certainly, and with others possibly, it is hard not to believe that with some Andrew Jackson weighed also. France and England, who were willing to befriend Texas if she re- mained independent, opposed annexa- tion. Houston prophesied that, if an- nexation were finally defeated by fac- tions, ^^a rival power will soon be built up, and the Pacific as well as the Atlantic will be component parts of Texas in thirty years from this date. . . . All the powers which either envy or fear the United States would use all reason- able exertions to build us up as the only rival power that can ever exist on this continent.'' He fui-ther declared that SAM HOUSTON 123 the Californias and New Mexico — in fact, all that was finally brought in by the Mexican War — would be a part of this country of Texas ; ending, ^^They must come : it is impossible to look on the map of North America, and not perceive the rationale of the project." At home his policy was : Texas must keep peace with Mexico, so silencing the cry of Mexican War ; must keep the friendship of Eng- land and France, so causing jealousy in the United States. ^^So delicate and hazardous was the situation,'' says Mr. Brown, ' ^ he could scarcely take his whole Congress into his fullest confidence, lest, by some hasty action or speech, publicity might betray the necessary coquetry of Texas with these three jealous powers." And at this inauspicious moment, January, 1842, the bad news came from Santa Fe. The expedition was looked on as invasion by Mexico, and had been captured. It was maddening ; and, in the excitement, Congress passed an act, 124 SAM HOUSTOK extending the boundaries of Texas to in- clude ^'two-thirds of the territory of Mexico, with two millions of her inhab- itants/^ revealing the object of the peaceful expedition. Houston vetoed it as a ''legislative jest.' ^ It was passed over his veto, and, as he warned them, seriously affected all diplomatic re- lations. Santa Anna, now realizing that peace would forward annexation, sent in March an expedition against San Antonio. This was just as Houston, all things seeming favorable, had renewed the proposition for annexation ; and he, see- ing through Santa Anna's policy, for- bade pursuit of the Mexican army, who after two days' plundering had retired. But Texas flew to arms, demanding invasion of Mexico. An extra session of Congress was called. Houston ex- plained the enormous cost of such an expedition, and the poverty of the country. As answer. Congress voted SAM HOUSTON 125 him head of tlie army with unlimited powers, and ten million acres of land for expenses. Houston vetoed the bill. The people were furious, his enemies declaring his veto ^^ Indian cunning," — he had made the people offer him dictative powers, that he might decline them ,• and assassination was threatened. A larger expedition coming to San Antonio in the autumn, the people again demanded invasion. Houston sent an army. The Mexicans retreated. The Texans demanded to follow ; and, from the strange, wandering route which the commander pursued, it is shrewdly sus- pected that the president had ordered the earliest possible dissipation of the war ardor. The latest application for annexation had been refused ; and in 1843 Houston ordered the Texan minister to with- draw it absolutely, as Texas now felt herself safe in the friendliness of the European powers. Mexico now declared 126 SAM HOUSTON openly that annexation would be con- sidered a declaration of war. President Tyler begged Houston to renew the ap- plication. Houston hesitated. Would the United States protect Texas during negotiations? The answer was, ^^The majority of the Senate were in favor of the treaty." Houston asked the same question of the United States agent in Texas, who answered that no interfer- ence would be permitted. Houston sent a secret message to the Texan Congress, explaining, and asking for appropria- tion to send a special agent to Washing- ton 5 and J. Pinkney Henderson was sent. In February, 1844, Houston wrote to Andrew Jackson : ^ ^ Now, my venerated friend, . . Texas is presented to the United States as a bride adorned for her espousal. But if, now so confident of the union, she should be rejected, her mortification would be indescribable. Were she now to be spurned, . . . she SAM HOUSTON 127 would seek some other friend. . . . She could not ponder long. ... To postpone it to make a President, ... let them beware.'' A Presidential election was pending in the United States. The two applicants for nomination, Clay and Yan Buren, both opposed annexation ; and they had influence enough to cause the treaty to be rejected. Texas heard the news with ^inexpressible chagrin," Mexico with joy and threats. For the moment Texas was without a friend, England and France having pro- tested against annexation. To private assui-ances of the inevitableness of annex- ation, Houston answered, ^^ Texas is free from all involvements and pledges ; and her future course, I trust, will be marked by a proper regard for her true interests. My decided opinion is that she should maintain her present posi- tion, and act aside from every consider- ation but that of her own nationality." The Texas minister was recalled from 128 SAM HOUSTON Washington ; and England and France at once made a i^roj^osition that^ on Texas pledging herself not to unite with any other nation, the powers would compel Mexico to keep the peace. This roused the United States. Van Buren was dropped by the Democratic party, Clay was once more defeated, and Polk elected on the cry of Texas. Houston's term ended December, 1844. He could not again be elected j but the people elected his candidate, Anson Jones. Houston, setting out on a jour- ney, ^^came into my room," wrote Ashbel Smith, ^^ booted, spurred, whip in hand. Said he, ^Saxe Weimar piis horse] is at the door, saddled. I have come to leave Houston's last words with you. If the Congress of the United States shall not by the 4th of March pass some measure of annexation which Texas can with honor accede to, Houston will take the stump against annexation for all time to come.' Without another word, embracing after his fashion, he left." SAM HOUSTOX 129 Houston's rigid economy and absolute honesty rendered Texas soheut. He had not only paid his own way, but had paid the debts of the preceding adminis- tration. In his last speech as president, he once more advised that they legislate as for a permanent system. Houston has been accused of being a filibuster to annex Texas, then of ha\ang been ^^ bought by British gold'' to stand against annexation. He could see both visions ; and his patron, Andrew Jack- son, had heard at first hand the dream of Aaron Burr. Houston was too practical, however, to follow dreams, though at the last he was not quite sure that the United States would be the best home for Texas. The joint resolution for the annexa- tion passed the House in February, 1815, and the Senate on March 1 ; and on the same day Tyler affixed his signature. In Texas a convention was called for July 4, to decide the issue. On June 2 130 SAM housto:n' the British charge in Texas presented preliminary articles signed by Mexico, acknowledging Texan independence if she would abjure annexation. On June 4 a proclamation was issued that Texas now had the choice of guaranteed inde- pendence or of becoming a State of the American Union. The convention de- cided for annexation ; and on December 22, 1845, the Eepublic of Texas ceased to exist. One of the first acts of the Texas legis- lature was to elect Houston and Eusk senators, putting on record that, knowing all, they pinned their faith to ^^ Old Sam Jacinto.^ ^ His advent to the Senate of the United States caused much com- ment. An eye-witness, Mr. Dyer, de- scribes him: ^^He was large of frame, of stately carriage and dignified de- meanor, and had a lion-like counte- nance, capable of expressing the fiercest passions. . . . The conspicuous features of his dress were a military cap and SAM HOUSTON 131 a short military cloak of fine blue broadcloth ^ith a blood-red lining. Afterwards I occasionally met him, vhen he wore a vast and picturesque sombrero and a Mexican blanket. . . . [In the Senate] he would sit and whittle, and at the same time keep up a mutter- ing of discontent at the long-winded speakers, whom he would sometimes curse for their intolerable verbosity. . . . He had a chivalrous regard for women. ... It was a matter of common jocose remark that, if ^ Old Sam Jacinto should ever become President, he'd have a cabinet of women.' General Houston impressed me as a lonely, melancholy man.'' All this whittling was making toys, still preserved, for his own and other people's children. He allied himself with the old Union Democracy of Jackson, and held extreme views as to incorporating Mexican terri- tory, longing by some method to divert the lightning of the slavery storm. He 132 SAM H0UST0:N" voted for the compromise of 1850, op- posed violently in 1854 the Kansas- Nebraska bill doing away with the Missouri Compromise. ^^ Abrogate or disannul it," he said, ^'and you exas- perate the public mind. . . . My word for it, we shall realize scenes of agitation which are rumbling in the distance now. . . . Sir, if this repeal takes place, I will have seen the commencement of this agi- tation ; but the youngest child now born, I am api)rehensive, will not live to wit- ness its termination. " Houston was al- ways the friend of the Indian, and his utterances on this subject are worth reading. In 1856 there was talk of Houston for the Presidency, but it was not seriously considered. His great sor- row was the widening gulf between the North and the South. He said: '^Let the gentlemen of the North cease to agi- tate the subject of our Southern institu- tions. They are ours, they were theirs. . . . Will you throw our slaves back SAM HOUSTON 133 again into barbarism, or will you turn them loose ou the South! . . . Slavery has descended to us.'' . . . His opposi- tion to the extreme Southern party brought down on him much harsh criti- cism, and lost for him the election as governor of Texas in 1857. The old man wanted it, but only as taking him home. Under promise to his wife, he went every Sunday to the Baptist church, wearing his blanket and whit- tling through the whole service, making afterward a careful summary of the sermon and sending it to her. At last a sermon on the text, ^^ Better is he that ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city, ' ' finished his conversion ; but he waited until he got home to make his public profession. Superseded in the Senate by a se- cessionist, Houston found himself called to lead the Union party in Texas. He was nominated for governor by acclama- tion. The old war-horse sniffed the battle from afar; and then followed a campaign that must have delighted his heart, — once more with the breadth of the prairies all about him, once more leading a forlorn hope among his own people. Great questions were at stake, great principles involved. His people's hearts were burning with a sense of injustice intended ; and he was called upon, as never before, to exert all his powers to keep them still until they had time to consider. He canvassed the State from end to end, carrying every- thing before him. ^^Two things would always bring out the Texas people, a circus and Sam Houston." And now party combinations, newspapers, public SAM HOUSTON 155 men, were swept out of sight by his impromptn eloquence, his caustic, con- temptuous invective. Of a personal follower who had forsaken him he said : '^ Don't be too hard on him. I was always fond of dogs, and he has all the virtues of a dog except his fidelity." Senator Wigfall, who followed him about in this campaign, he called always ''Wigtail," which pleased the people wonderfully. He turned the Union minority into a triumphant majority, which elected him ; and nothing could have proved more clearly a man's power than to have been elected Union governor of an excited Southern State in secession times. He was inaugurated in December, 1859, and found himself facing the storm he had prophesied. In 1860 there were four tickets in the Presidential field, conflicting and confus- ing. The excitement in Texas was in- creased by the burning of barns, towns, cotton-gins, and mills, believed to be 136 SAM HOUSTOI^ instigated by Abolition emissaries among the negroes. The people were alarmed and angry ; and meeting after meeting was held, for and against secession. In September, Houston got out of a sick- bed, to address a Union mass meeting in Austin. ^^I come not here to speak in behalf of a united South against Lin- coln," he said. '^I would rather appeal to the great soul of the nation than to the passions of a section. . . . The error has been that the South has met sectionalism by sectionalism. . . . But, if through a division in the ranks of those opposed to Mr. Lincoln he should be elected, we have no excuse for dissolving the Union. The Union is worth more than Mr. Lincoln ; and, if the battle is to be fought for the Constitution, let us fight it in the Union and for the sake of the Union. ... If Mr. Lincoln administers the government in accordance with the Constitution, our rights must be re- spected. If he does not, the Constitution provides a remedy." SAM HOUSTON 137 He strove with all his power against secession, and in Virginia it was de- manded that the traitor Houston be tarred and feathered, while in Georgia it was suggested, ^^Some Texan Brutus may arise to rid his country of this old, hoary-headed traitor." Lincoln's election was the signal for secession ; and Houston at once called an extra session of the legislature January 21. The lieutenant governor, however, called a convention to meet on the 28th, the legislature passing an act recogniz- ing the secession convention as repre- senting the people. Houston vetoed the act, the retort being an ordinance of secession. A '^Declaration of the Causes of Secession" was sent out. A committee of safety secured the United States posts and arms ; and on Febru- ary 4 the convention adjourned to meet again on March 2, the twenty-fifth anni- versary of Texan independence, the day on which the ordinance of secession was 138 SAM HOUSTON to take effect, if ratified, and Houston's birthday. The vote stood almost three to one for secession. A committee was sent to tell the governor that by the will of the people Texas was again ^^a free sov- ereign and independent State/' and the 16th the day appointed for all State offi- cers to take oath to the Confederate government or vacate their offices. *With two or three exceptions, every secessionist in that convention" wished Houston to remain in office. Mr. Will- iams telb us that, ^' when the day came to take the oath, the presiding officer of the convention called three times, ^ Sam Houston, Sam Houston, Sam Hous- ton ! ' " He did not answer, he did not come J and the lieutenant governor — as Houston expressed it, ^ ^ the man who had ridden into office on his coat-tails — took his place." ^^The whole thing," says Mr. Brown, '^was accomplished without the least apparent friction ; and I SAM HOUSTON 139 a few days later Governor Hou5tx)a re- tired with his family [wife and eight children] to his home in Independence. ' ' It has been said that Houston would have accepted armed aid to keep Texas in the Union. There is an official letter from Houston to the United States com- mander at Indianola. ^^ Allow me most respectfully to decline any such as- sistance of the United States govern- ment, and to most earnestly protest against the concentration of troops in Texas, and request that you remove all such troops out of the State at the earli- est day practicable." To the people, Houston said : ^ ' I love Texas too well to bring civil strife and bloodshed upon her. To avert this calamity, I shall make no endeavor to maintain my authority as chief execu- tive. ... I protest . . . against all the acts of this convention, and declare them null and void. . . . Think not that I complain. ... It is perhaps meet that 140 SAM HOUSTON my career should close thus. I have seen the statesmen and patriots of my youth gathered to their fathers, and the gov- ernment which they had reared rent in twain, and none like them left to re- unite it. I stand almost the last of a race who learned from them the lesson of human freedom." He refused a commission as major- general offered by President Lincoln. His ^ ^ State, right or wrong. ' ' He loved his section, his people, and fitted out his son for the Confederate service, though, earlier in the excitement, he told his son that, instead of wearing his secession cockade over his heart, he should wear it on the inside of his coat- tail ; and, when it came to a question of Federal coercion, he threw himself wholly on the side of the South. The loves of Houston's life were Texas and the Union. He had found Texas a home in the Union : he had carried the Union out to the Pacific. He had spent the SAM HOUSTON 141 best years of liis life in this work, had endured obloquy and physical suffering in the doing ; and now, old and poor, — for, to his honor be it said, he had neither made nor saved one penny, — he was put aside to wateh while his work was undone. He was still feared, however, and was accused of plotting with the Federal government, and also of medi- tating the rehabilitation of Texas as a republic ; and the Governor of Texas wrote to President Davis to this effect. Times were dangerous, and more than once Houston's friends felt it necessary to arm themselves and be at hand when he was speaking during the secession excitement ; but the old man had faced too many dangers to flinch now, and he spoke as fearlessly to the excited crowds that opposed him as ever he had spoken to admiring friends. It is hard to believe that any one in Texas would have raised a hand against him. Martial law being established, an 142 SAM HOUSTOI^ official demanded Houston's pass. The old man answered ^^San Jacinto/' and went on his way. His last speech was made in March, 1863. His ankle, broken at San Jacinto, had given way : the wounds from the battle of Horseshoe Bend, which had never healed, were troubling him ; and he went on a crutch and a stick. ^^ Ladies and fellow-citi- zens," he said, ^^with feelings of pleas- ure and friendly greeting I once more stand before this, an assemblage of my countrymen. As I behold this large assemblage, who from their homes and daily toil have come once again to greet the man who has so often known their kindness and affection, I can feel that even yet I hold a place in their high regard. ... As you have gathered here to listen to the sentiments of my heart, knowing that the days draw nigh unto me when all thoughts of ambition and worldly pride gave place to the earnest- ness of age, I know you will bear with SAM HOUSTON 143 me, while with calmness and without the fervor and eloquence of youth I express those sentiments which seem natural to my mind in the view of the condition of my country. I have been buffeted by the waves as I have been borne along time's ocean, until, shattered and worn, I approach the narrow isthmus which diWdes it from the sea of eternity beyond. Ere I step forward to journey through the pilgrimage of death, I would say that all my thoughts and all my hopes are with my coun- try.'' ... When Yicksburg fell in July, 1863, Houston succumbed ; and on the 26th of that month he died at Huntsville, Texas. He had said in 1860 : ^^My sands of life are fast running out. As the glass be- comes exhausted, if I can feel that I leave my country prosperous and united, I shall die content. ' ' But this was not granted him. He died haWng heard of the fall of Yicksburg, and he knew bet- 144 SAM HOUSTON ter than most what that portended. He died leaving his eldest son wounded and a prisoner. BIBLIOGRAPHY. After the year 1832 a study of Gen- eral Houston's life is, more or less, a study of the history of the United States. "Not only so, but the search for causes could take one back rather indefinitely. It could include all the dealings of the United States government with the Indians. It necessarily touches on the whole question of expansion, of slavery, of secession. For the history of Texas, H. Yoak- um's Sistory of Texas (!N'ew York, 1856 : Eedfield), where there is to be found much important official correspondence, and the History of Texas, by J. H. Brown (St. Louis, 1893 : L. E. Daniel), would be necessarily read ,• for General Houston himself, the Life and Literat-y Remains of Sam Houston^ by W. C. Crane (Philadelphia, 1884 : J. B. Lip- pincott & Co.), where are gathered Houston's speeches in the Senate of the 146 BIBLIOGEAPHY United States, Ms public letters and Indian talks. Sam Houston and the War of Independence in Texas, by Alfred M. Williams (Boston and New York, 1893: Houghton, Mifllin & Co.), is a most careful study and an interesting biography. Sam Houston and his Eepub- lic, by C. Edwards Lester (New York, 1846 ; Burgess, Stringer & Co. ), Bem- iniscences of the Texan Eepttblic, Ashbel Smith (Galveston, 1876: Printed by Historical Society), Sam Houston, by Henry Bruce, in the ^^ Makers of Amer- ica '^ series (New York, 1891: Dodd, Mead & Co.), must also be considered. In connection with these : — I. Political Sketches of Eight Years in Washington. By E. Mayo. (Washington, 1839 : Garrett Anderson. ) II. Excursion through the Slave States. By G. W. Featherstonehaugh, P.E.S., F.G.S. (New York, 1844: Harper & Brothers.) BIBLIOGRAPHT 147 III. Abridgment of Debates in Congress. By Thomas H. Benton. (New York, 1851 : D. Appleton & Co. ) lY. Annals of Congress. Gales and Seatx)n. (Washington, 1852.) V. Life of Sam Houston. (New York, 1855: J. C. Derby.) YI. Life of Aaron Burr. By James Parton. (New York, 1858 : Mason Brothers. ) YII. Life of Andrew Jackson. By James Parton. (New York, 1860 : Mason Brothers.) VIII. Memoirs of John Quincy Ad- ams. (Philadelphia, 1874 : J. B. Lip- pincott & Co.) IX. Texas Scrap Book. By D. W. C. Baker. (New York, 1875: A. S. Barnes & Co.) X. Anecdotes of Public Men. By John W. Forney. (New York, 1881 : Haj^er & Brothers.) 148 BIBLIOGEAPHY XI. Eeminiscences of Fifty Yeaes IN Texas. By J. J. Linn. (Kew York, 1883: D. & J. Sadlier.) XII. Memories of World-known Men. By Mrs. M. C. Houston. (Lon- don, 1883 : F. Y. White & Co.) XIII. Field of Honor. By Ben C. Truman. (Kew York, 1884: Fords, Howard & Hulbert.) XIY. Henry Clay. By Carl Schurz. (American Statesmen Series.) (Boston and l^ew York, 1887 : Houghton, Mif- flin & Co. ) XY. Tennessee. By James Phelan. (American Commonwealth Series. ) (Boston and Kew York, 1887 : Hough- ton, Mifflin & Co.) XYI. History of the Pacifio States and Texas. By H. H. Ban- croft. (San Francisco, 1889 : History Company. ) XYIL Great Senators of the i BIBLIOGRAPHY 149 United States. B}^ Oliver Dyer. (Xew York, 18S9 : Robert Bonner's Sons.) XYIII. Texas under Six Flags. By M. E. M. Davis. (Boston, 1897 : Ginn & Company. ) The beacon BIOGRAPHIES. M. A. DeWOLFE HOWE, Editor. The aim of this series is to furnish brief, read- able, and authentic accounts of the lives of those Americans whose personalities have impressed themselves most deeply on the character and history of their country. On account of the length of the more formal lives, often running into large volumes, the average busy man and woman have not the time or hardly the inclina- tion to acquaint them?elves with American bi- ography. In the present series everything that such a reader would ordinarily care to know is given by writers of special competence, who possess in full measure the best contemporary point of view. Each volume is equipped with a frontispiece portrait, a calendar of important dates, and a brief bibliography for further read- ing. Finally, the volumes are printed in a form convenient for reading and for carrying handily in the pocket. SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY, Publighers, 6 BiACON Strmt, Boston. [OVM.] The beacon BIOGRAPHIES. The following volumes are issued : — Phillips Brooks, by the Editor. John Brown, by Joseph Edgar Chamberlin. Aaron Burr, by Henry Childs Merwin. Stephen Decatur, by Cyrus Townsend Brady. Frederick Douglass, by Charles W. Chestnutt. David G. Farragut, by James Barnes, Nathaniel Hawthorne, by Mrs. James T. Fields. Sam Houston, by Sarah Barnwell Elliott. "Stonewall" Jackson, by Carl Hovey. Robert E. Lee, by William P. Trent. James Russell Lowell, by Edward Everett Hale, Jr. Thomas Paine, by Ellery Sedgwick. Daniel Webster, by Norman Hapgood. The following are among those in preparation: — Louis Agassiz, by Alice Bache Gould. John James Audubon, by John Burroughs. Edwin Booth, by Charles Townsend Copeland. James Fenimore Cooper, by W. B. Shubrick Clymer. Benjamin Franklin, by Lindsay Swift. Ulysses S. Grant, by Owen Wister. Alexander Hamilton, by James Schouler. Father Hecker, by Henry D. Sedgwick. Thomas Jefferson, by Hon. Thomas E. Watson. Henry W. Longfellow, by George Rice Carpenter. S. F. B. Morse, b\ John Trowbridge. J. G. Whittier, by Richard Burton. THE WESTMINSTER BIOG- RAPHIES. The Westminster Biographies are uniform in plan, size, and general make-up with the Beacon Biographies, the point of important difference lying in the fact that they deal with the lives of eminent Englishmen instead of with those of eminent Americans. They are bound in limp red cloth, are gilt-topped, and have a cover design and a vignette title-page by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. The following volumes are issued: — Robert Browning, by Arthur Waugh. Daniel Defoe, by Wilfred Whitten. John Wesley, by Frank Banfield. Many others are in preparation. SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY, PubUshers, 6 Beacon Street, Boston. IJC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY mill iiiijiii iiiiiMiiiiiiiiii "irii 'iiiiii B 000 013 700