File:The magazine of American history with notes and queries (1877) (14768867012).jpg

Identifier: magazineofamericv4stev (find matches)
Title: The magazine of American history with notes and queries
Year: 1877 (1870s)
Authors: Stevens, John Austin, 1827-1910. ed. cn DeCosta, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1831-1904. ed. cn Johnston, Henry Phelps, 1842-1923, ed. cn Lamb, Martha J. (Martha Joanna), 1829-1893. ed. cn Pond, Nathan Gillett, 1832-1894 ed Abbatt, William, 1851-1935, comp
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Publisher: New York : A.S. Barnes
Contributing Library: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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ving his ownopinion. That of the majority has the fault of allowing the enemy timefor farther reinforcements. One was as much as could be prudently letinto the slaughter-pen. This was the first council of war solicited orheld during the campaign. There was that morning a revival of the olddistrust in the ranks because more had not been done the day before,and the discontent of the men probably suggested the request made bythe officers. But Houston a few hours later showed that he was morein harmony with the former than the latter. Five or six miles above, where the two armies were encamped,Vinces bayou runs into the Buffalo on its right side. The branch,which was almost unfordable from its depth of mud, was crossed bywhat was known as Vinces bridge, over which both armies had passedin their downward march ; and it had now just been crossed by Cos andhis reinforcement. Over it was the only road from either camp to theBrazos. After the council was dismissed, Houston sent two of his best
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338 THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO scouts, one of whom was Deaf Smith, a man of local fame, with ordersto burn Vinces bridge. It was promptly done, and reported to the Gen-eral just before the impending battle began. It was one of Santa Anasoversights that the safety of that bridge was not guarded, but not, as Ibelieve, an oversight of Houston that the burning was not done sooner.As he is charged with too much forecast, he would hardly have neg-lected to have it done the night before, had his object been to impedethe arrival of the first reinforcement; and the man who did the burning,a confidential scout, would hardly have allowed the precaution to beforgotten, for he had an eye and brain as wary as his ear was defective. After the council, Houston had directed some of his officers to ascer-tain the disposition of the men in regard to offensive operations, andfound it favorable. He soon after took a more effective mode of sound-ing them himself. Approaching a spot near the bayou, where a c

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