themselves at all into our ranks, and then retire with a full knowledge of all that was important to their success and our defeat. The third grand mistake was in our commander vouching for General Ampudia as a man of honour, and that his promises would be carried out, &c. These, however, I look upon as the mischances of war, and believe that no severer reflection should be made. I have never questioned the personal bravery of those who advocated the surrender, and certain it is that those who have expressed doubts upon this subject are not justified in so doing by a life of boldness, especially in Colonel Fisher, which has signalized him among the foremost in our revolution.

The evening after the battle, General Ampudia informed Colonel Fisher and myself that he would send his cavalry out to our camp upon the east side of the Rio Grande to bring in the balance of our men, horses, camp furniture, &c.; and, to prevent the farther effusion of blood, he would advise us to write to the men in camp to surrender and come in. We replied that we were prisoners, and they were [114] free; we could not, therefore, undertake to give such advice. I requested permission of the general for one of our men to accompany the cavalry, and to secure my baggage, the most important part of which was my journal, and the manuscript maps of the roads, rivers, and the parts of the country through which we had travelled. Having obtained the permission asked for, I sent Sailing-master Lyon, with a knowing wink, to our boys in camp. The cavalry approached the river to within a few hundred yards, halted, and sent Lyon and a few men to "Halloo across, and order our men to bring over the boats!" Lyon being an indifferent Spanish, and the Mexicans with him worse English scholars, anglicized the above order thus: "Boys, we are all prisoners, and several hundred cavalry are close by in pursuit of you. Take all the good horses and put!" This advice was promptly acted upon, and all our camp-guard reached home in safety, with the exception of our lamented countryman, Major George W. Bonnel.

Major Bonnel, than whom Texas did not possess a purer patriot or braver man, in company with Dr. Watson and Mr. Hackstaff, when the army crossed the river the day previous to attack General Ampudia, then a mile below, were cooking our dinner, which consisted of a fat sheep, with a stick run through it, the ends of which rested upon the sides of a large canoe, with the fire in its bottom. We expected to have warm work with Ampudia, and [115] ordered these gentlemen to float the canoe down opposite the battle-ground, hitch it to a bush, come up, take a hand, and then we could relish our dinner the better. As we have before explained, when we arrived in sight of the Mexican army, they retreated to the city at right angles from the river, leaving my friends and my dinner behind, they having no alternative then but to join the camp-guard. After the latter retreated, as Lyon advised them, some miles, Major Bonnel and one other man returned to camp for more of our horses, and was captured. Poor Bonnel was murdered, as his companion reported, who made his escape. Major