Biography of Private Alfonso Steele (Deceased) Last Survivor of the Battle of San Jacinto, Together with Mr. Steele's Account of the Campaign and Fight, and the Official Report of General Sam Houston, With Complete Roster of the Commands Composing the Little Army.
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4ing down Buffalo Bayou on the north side. Santa Anna had gone crn the south side. When we reached Harrisburg we learned that Santa Anna had burned the town and gone on. We camped right opposite Harrisburg, and when We camped Deaf Smith dropped on our trail and captured a Mexican courier. From him we learned that Santa Anna was ahead of us. We left a guard behind at Harrisburg to protect the women and children and property, and Mr. William P. Zuber, now living in Austin. Texas, was a member of the guarding party and was thereby prevented from being in the battle of San Jacinto. We crossed the Bayou as fast as we cou'd, for we had but one little old leaky boat to cross in. There we got on Santa Anna's trail and followed it until after we crossed Vince's Bayou, marching all night. We quit Santa Anna's trail when we crossed Vince's Bayou we turning north, he east. About sun-up we were halted to get something to eat. About the time we got our fires kindled and some beeves shot down, the scouts came dashing in and said the enemy were just over the ridge. We were immediately ordered to arms and to move on. We camped on Buffalo Bayou, just above the junction of the San Jacinto river and the Bayou. Some more beeves were driven up and killed and we went to cooking and eating. There was a body of Mexicans in a little grove about 300 yards northeast of us, who kept up a constant fire on us all the time we were cooking and eating, but they did no damage. Two of our men slipped out through the grass to see if they could get close enough to shoot them. They discovered a little sail boat sailing up the bayou. They hid in the grass and waited until it got even with thef. ihey then rose up and ordered them ashore. Thev saw it was manned by Mexicans, who jumped out on the opposite side and swam ashore and left the boat. One of the men gave his gun to his comrade and swam in and steered it right up to our camp. It was loaded with flour, meal and salt. Houston placed a guard over it and 'sent the surgeons in to see if it had been poisoned. They pronounced it all right; so it was issued out to us. This was the first bread we had had in some time. We had left our cooking utensils at Harrisburg, so we had nothing to cook bread in. We made it up in tin cups and roasted it in the ashes or rolled it on sticks and cooked it that way. We feasted that day-the 20th. In the evening Sherman took what cavalry we had and gave their cavalry a little skirmish and got one man wounded. He crowded them so close that the Mexicans put their infantry out, and consequently we were ordered out in battle line. Sherman had orders to not bring on a general attack, so he withdrew. Then we rested easy until after dinner on the 21st. About sunrise on the 21st Santa Anna received about 500 additional troops under Cos. After dinner on the 21st we received orders to prepare for battle. We advanced in the following order: Houston, with artillery in the center, the cavalry on the right and Sherman on the
Steele, Alfonso.Biography of Private Alfonso Steele (Deceased) Last Survivor of the Battle of San Jacinto, Together with Mr. Steele's Account of the Campaign and Fight, and the Official Report of General Sam Houston, With Complete Roster of the Commands Composing the Little Army.,
book,
1925~;
(https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth46832/m1/6/:
accessed July 18, 2024),
University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.;
.