For the Liberty of Texas

by Edward Stratemeyer

  CHAPTER XXXIII.

  THE VICTORY OF SAN JACINTO.

  "I reckon we are in for it now, father."

  "Yes, Dan, we shall soon see some heavy fighting, I am afraid. I trustyou come out of it unharmed."

  "And I hope you come out unharmed, too, father," added Dan, earnestly.

  The two sat under a live-oak, overlooking a wide expanse of prairie,dotted here and there with patches of timber. Behind them flowed thebroad and muddy stream, with a stretch of treacherous marsh-landseparating them from the water. The soldiers had been formed intosomething resembling companies, and Mr. Radbury had been assigned tohis old position of lieutenant, with Dan as one of the privates underhim.

  The Texans had gathered around in little knots to discuss the situationin low tones. Under one of the trees stood General Houston, clad innothing more striking than an old slouch hat, a shiny black coat, and alight-coloured pair of trousers which had long since seen their bestdays. His sword, also an old affair, was tied to his belt with bits ofa lariat. Altogether he looked anything but a general bent upon leadinga raw and undisciplined army to victory.

  "We will win!" he was saying. "We cannot afford to lose. The whole fateof Texas hangs upon our courage!"

  Amos Radbury looked at Dan, and something of a smile crossed his face."Did you hear that, lad?" he asked. "I believe our general speaks thetruth. He is not a man to fail."

  The day wore along until two in the afternoon, when severalcannon-shots were heard in the distance, and incoming scouts announcedthat Santa Anna was coming, but not with his entire army. The Mexicangeneral had divided his forces again, much to his disadvantage, as weshall see.

  A light skirmish occurred late in the afternoon, but Houston could notdraw on a general engagement, and while Santa Anna pitched his camp andfortified it, the Texans remained on strict guard all night, fearing asurprise.

  In the morning General Cos arrived with five hundred men, to reinforceSanta Anna, but the soldiers were so tired out by a forced march theycould scarcely stand, and so for the time being the Mexican general didnothing. In the meantime, the Texans called a council of war. Some werefor attacking the Mexicans, and others wanted to wait to be attacked.Houston said but little, yet by his face he showed that some plan ofaction was forming in his brain.

  The council over, the commander called two trusty scouts to him, andsent them off with axes on a secret mission, which was to cut away thebridge by which both armies had reached their present encampments. Thisdone, neither could retreat, so the fight would have to be "to afinish."

  "To arms!" came the call in the middle of the afternoon, and thesolitary drum the Texans possessed began to roll. Then, as the menformed to march, the single fifer struck up the popular tune of theday, "Will You Come to the Bower?"

  "Dan, be careful of yourself!" cried Amos Radbury, as he pressed hisson's hand. "Be careful for my sake!" And then he rushed off to leadhis men forward. Dan's face was pale, but his clear eyes shone with adetermination that could not be mistaken. He would do his duty, comewhat might.

  "Vance's bridge has been cut down!" came the cry. "You must fight nowto a finish! Remember the Alamo!"

  "Remember the Alamo!" came back wildly. "_Remember the Alamo!_ Downwith Santa Anna!" And then the long lines rushed on, straight for thebarricades which the Mexicans had erected.

  The Mexicans were taken completely by surprise, for it had grown solate that they had come to the conclusion that hostilities would be putoff until the next day. Santa Anna was taking a nap in his tent, whilehis officers lay around smoking and playing cards. The soldiers werepartaking of such food as their scanty means afforded.

  "Forward!" came from the Texan officers. "Forward! Don't give them timeto form!" And on swept the line, and crack! crack! went the rifles andpistols. Some of the Mexicans tried to return the fire, while othersfell flat to avoid the bullets.

  "The cannon!" shouted the Mexican general, Castrillon, when a bulletkilled him instantly. Some of the cannoneers were already at thefield-pieces, but they could do little, for the Texans were alreadyupon them. The smoke was thick, and the yelling upon both sidesincessant. In the midst of all was General Houston, firing his pistoland using his sword to every possible advantage, and calling to his mento remember the Alamo and not let one Mexican get away.

  Side by side Amos Radbury and Dan gained the barricade. A Mexicanloomed up before them and the lieutenant despatched him with apistol-shot. Then over the barricade went father and son, Dan using hisempty gun as a club, and the lieutenant drawing his bowie-knife, aweapon with which nearly every Texan was provided. The Texans came overat leaps and bounds, and charged straight into the heart of the enemy'scamp, striking down every Mexican that opposed them.

  Coming out of his tent, Santa Anna yelled to his men to arm themselvesand form into battle-line. But the confusion was so great that none ofhis followers paid attention to him. The Texans were aroused as neverbefore, and struck at the Mexicans with such lightning-like rapiditythat the enemy was dazed, and scores of them fell upon their kneesbegging for mercy. The shooting still continued, and now Dan washorrified to see his father go down, stabbed in the leg by a Mexicanbayonet.

  "Father!" he yelled, hoarsely, and then turned to the Mexican who haddone the deed. The fellow tried to pierce Dan with his steel, but moreby instinct than reason the youth leaped to one side. Then Dan's guncame crashing down, and the Mexican with it, his skull cracked by theforce of the blow.

  A crowd was now rushing that way, a score of Mexicans pursued by fullyas many Texans, and Dan had his hands full to keep his parent frombeing trampled upon. There was a strange humming in the boy's ears, andhe seemed to be lifted up as though walking on air, while he panted forbreath.

  "Keep off,--he is my father!" he screamed, and hurled one of theMexicans to one side. Then another came to take his place, and man andboy rolled over on the prairie--grass close to the wounded lieutenant.The Mexican had Dan by the throat when a Texan, rushing forward, kickedthe enemy in the head, rendering him partly unconscious.

  Leaping up, Dan tried to collect his confused senses. Texans andMexicans were running in every direction, but at a glance he saw thathis own side had the best of the battle, and a prayer of thankfulnessburst from his lips. Then he saw General Houston go down, struck in theankle by a bullet. Yet the staunch commander kept to his post. Hishorse was also shot several times.

  At last the Mexicans were in full retreat. Paralysed with fear, some ofthem sought the open prairie, where they were shot down by the Texansharpshooters, while others ran frantically for where the Vance bridgehad been located. Here the banks of the river were high and rocky, andbut few escaped to the opposite side.

  The battle had been fought and won, but the end was not yet. On theprairie, one of the Mexican commanders tried to make a stand, but theTexans shot down the line almost as quickly as it was formed. Then theMexicans began to throw down their firearms, and the officers held uptheir swords, handles to the front, as a token of surrender.

  "It's too late to surrender!" cried a number of Texans. "Remember theAlamo!" Meaning, "Remember how you butchered our soldiers!"

  "Me no Alamo! Me no Alamo!" shrieked many of the Mexicans. "GoodAmericano! Me no Alamo!" They wished the Texans to understand that theywere not responsible for the cold-blooded slaughter at the mission. Atlast Colonel Almonte gathered together nearly four hundred of thedefeated and made a formal surrender, and to the everlasting honour ofTexas be it said that these prisoners were not maltreated.

  The night that followed was one never to be forgotten. Santa Anna hadescaped, and while some ran around crying, "Santa Anna! Hunt down SantaAnna!" others procured from the Mexicans' store a number of candles,which they lit, and then formed a grand procession through the live-oakgrove and across the prairie, dancing and yelling like a lot ofIndians. The victory had been so long delayed that now, when it wasreally theirs, they were intoxicated with joy.

  The contest had been a remarkable one in many ways. The Texan ar
mynumbered exactly 743, of whom eight were killed and thirty wounded.Santa Anna's force numbered over sixteen hundred, and of these, 630were killed, two hundred wounded, and 730 made prisoners. The enemy hadlost, in killed and wounded, more men than the Texan army contained,and at the end of the battle the Texans had more prisoners than theyhad men in the ranks! Besides prisoners, the Texans took over athousand firearms, two hundred sabres, four hundred horses and mules,and about $12,000 in silver. Part of the money was divided among thesoldiers, each man receiving $7.50, and that was his entire pay for thecampaign.

  The Texans were bound to find Santa Anna, and scouts went out in alldirections in search of him. On the following day he was discovered inthe long grass near the edge of a ravine, on the other side of theriver. He tried to hide in the grass, but was compelled to crawl outand surrender. At first he claimed to be a private, but his jewelsbetrayed him, and then he said he was one of Santa Anna'saides-de-camp. But no one believed him, and he was taken into the Texancamp without delay. Here there was a most dramatic scene betweenGeneral Houston and his noted prisoner. Houston, exhausted and coveredwith the dirt of battle, lay at the foot of a tree, where he had justtaken a nap after having his ankle dressed.

  "I am General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, President of the MexicanRepublic," said that individual, as he bowed low and flashed his jewelsand military decorations before Houston. "I claim to be a prisoner ofwar at your disposal."

  General Houston regarded him in utter silence for several seconds, asilence in which each man measured the other thoroughly. Plainly SantaAnna was disconcerted, and he looked around nervously, as if expectingthat at any moment he might be shot in the back. Then Houston waved himto a seat on a near-by box of ammunition.

  An interpreter was called up, and Santa Anna asked for a piece ofopium, saying he was suffering much pain. The opium was given him andthis quieted his nerves.

  "That man may consider himself born to no common destiny who hasconquered the Napoleon of the West," went on the Mexican general,bombastically. "It now remains for him to be generous to thevanquished."

  Again Houston looked at him, a look that made Santa Anna quail.

  "You should have remembered that at the Alamo," said the Texancommander.

  "I am not to blame--I acted under the orders of the government ofMexico," cried Santa Anna, hastily, and tried to explain that there wasa law which held that prisoners taken with arms must be treated aspirates. But Houston cut the interpreter short when translating thewords.

  "Who is the government of Mexico?" he exclaimed. "You, and you alone,and you are responsible for the law that made the slaughter at theAlamo possible. And you are likewise responsible for the massacre atGoliad!" went on Houston, with great intensity of feeling.

  "No, no, you are mistaken," answered Santa Anna, and then tried toexcuse the massacre of Fannin and his men in various ways. He wanted totreat for peace and for his release, but Houston told him that only thegovernment of Texas had jurisdiction in the matter. Then Santa Anna wasplaced in a tent, given his private baggage, and a strong guard wasset, that some of the more headstrong of the Texans might not kill him.