"Milvern Harrell: Survivor of the Dawson Massacre " Topic

"Milvern Harrell was born March 24,1824 near Troy in Lincoln County, Missouri, the son of William Harrell and Minerva Woods. He was the grandson of Zadock Woods who was an early Texas Pioneer that came to explore Texas in 1822. Zadock returned to Missouri enthusiastic about the vast and fertile lands of Texas and the prospects of obtaining a league of land (4,228 acres) for himself and each married man plus a smaller amount for unmarried men. Zadock Woods decided to join the Austin Colony and in October 1824 he led a group of Missouri settlers to Texas arriving about Christmas time. He presented letters of recommendation from the Governor of Missouri and filed a petition for his land grant in March 1826. Zadock first acquired land near Pledger, Matagorda county. Later, in May, 1827, Zadock was issued his league and labor near West Point, 10 miles west of LaGrange, in Fayette County, where he constructed a stockade that became known as Woods Fort. The Woods family thus became one of the "Old Three Hundred" families of the Austin Colony. Inspired by the tales of his father in law, William Harrell moved his family to Texas in 1838 and joined the Woods clan at Woods Fort in Fayette County. arrived in Texas during a period of great turbulence. Although the Texans had defeated Santa Anna's Army at the Battle of San Jacinto and declared their independence in 1836, the Mexican government refused to accept the independence of the fledgling Texas Republic and frequent clashes occurred between the two. In March 1842, the Mexican Army invaded Texas then occupied, Goliad, Refugio, and Victoria. On March 5, 1842, Brigadier General Rafael Vasquez launched a raid on San Antonio. Captain John Coffee "Jack" Hays could not recruit enough men to mount an effective defense and he was forced to retreat. Alexander Somervell assembled his militia and marched to San Antonio, arriving on March 15, 1842. The Mexicans however had already abandoned San Antonio on March 9,1842. General Edward Burleson was placed in command of the Texas Forces in San Antonio, but when the Mexicans retreated, and the threat subsided his forces were disbanded on April 2,1842

That fall the Second Division of General Isidro Reyes' Mexican Army of the North led by Brigadier General Adrian Woll, a French soldier serving in the Mexican Army, launched a second invasion of Texas during which he captured San Antonio on September 11,1842. The Texans later estimated Woll's forces at 1500 men but Woll's quartermaster, Colonel Jose Maria Carrasco, stated that the force consisted of 957 infantry and cavalry soldiers, twelve wagons of corn, 150 wagons of provisions, two artillery pieces (a six pounder and a four pounder), fifty head of cattle, 919 horses, and 213 mules. It is not known how many auxiliary forces Woll had including Texas Mexicans and Cherokee Indians. Woll who was Reyes' second in command and Commandant General of the Department of Coahuila had been instructed by General Reyes on June 5, 1842, to conduct a reconnaissance to the Guadalupe River and proceed down it's west bank to the Gonzales River. Woll was instructed not to remain in Texas for more than thirty days. Woll's forces assembled at Presidio del Rio Grande and on August 24, 1842, they crossed the Rio Grande and marched towards San Antonio through Nogal Pass and a circuitous route though the mountainous wilderness to avoid detection.

Late at night on September 9, 1842, Antonio Parez warned mayor John William Smith that a large force of Mexicans was approaching. Mayor Smith convened a public meeting the following day to discuss Parez's warnings but it was generally discredited. As a matter of caution, Mayor Smith established a company of 100 local Mexicans under the command of Captain Salvador Flores and another company of 75 locals under the command of Captain C. Johnson. Captain John Coffee "Jack" Hays, commander of the small ranger company stationed at San Antonio was placed in overall command of the three small units. Captain Hays and six of his men begin scouting the area for any signs of a Mexican advance. When Flores' Mexicans detected about 100 mounted Mexicans north of the Presidio road they assumed that this was the entire force and were most likely Mexican bandits intent on looting the area. Since they had received no reports from Captain Hay's scouts the city leaders assumed that the approach of a large force of Mexicans was merely a rumor…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Hope someone read it at all… quite interesting imho….

Amicalement
Armand

I did. I didn't know that the fighting continued after San Jacinto.
Thank you, my friend,
Mark

A votre service mon ami!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand