THE AMERICAN CONFLICT. VOLUME II. I. TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO. THE frontiers of Texas, Mexican from New Orleans to San Antonio, and savage, were guarded, prior to and assigned to the command of the the outbreak of Secession, by a line of department, it was doubtless underforts or military posts stretching from stood between them that his business Brownsville, opposite Matamoras, to in Texas was to betray this entire the Red River. These forts were force, or so much of it as possible, located at average distances of one into the hands of the yet undevelhundred miles, and were severally oped traitors with whom Floyd was held by detachments of from 50 to secretly in league. Twiggs's age 150 of the regular army. San Anto- and infirmities had for some time nio, 150 miles inland from Indianola, excused him from active service, unon Matagorda Bay, was the head-til this ungracious duty-if duty it quarters of the department, whence can be called-was imposed upon the most remote post-Fort Bliss, on and readily accepted by him. Withthe usual route thence to New Mex- in 90 days after his arrival' at Indiico was distant 675 miles. The anola, he had surrendered' the entire whole number of regulars distributed force at and near San Antonio, with throughout Texas was 2,612, compri- all their arms, munitions, and supsing nearly half the effective force of plies, to three persons acting as our little army. "Commissioners on behalf of the Committee of Public Safety," secretly appointed' by the Convention which had just before assumed to take Texas out of the Union. The When, soon after Mr. Lincoln's election, but months prior to his inauguration, Gen. David E. Twiggs was dispatched by Secretary Floyd 'December 5, 1860. 'February 18, 1861. He immediately and openly declared that the Union could not last 60 days, and warned officers, if they had pay due them, to draw it at once, as this would be the last. 'February 5, 1861. 2 Feb. 1. The Convention met this day at Austin, and at once passed an ordinance of Secession, subject to a vote of the people at an election to be held on the 23d inst.; the ordinance, if approved, to take effect on the 2d of March. Texas was therefore still in the Union, even according to the logic of Secession. betrayal was colored, not fairly | ate service, recently a captain in our cloaked, by a slim display of military force in behalf of the sovereign State of Texas, Col. Ben. McCulloch, an original and ardent Secessionist, having undertaken and fulfilled the duty of raising that force and posting it in and around San Antonio, so as to give countenance to the demand for capitulation. It was fairly stipulated in writing between the contracting parties, that our troops should simply evacuate Texas, marching to and embarking at the coast, where their artillery and means of transportation were to be given up, while they, with their small arms, should proceed by water to any point outside of Texas; but these conditions, though made by a traitor in Federal uniform with fellow-traitors who had cast off all disguise, were shamefully violated. Col. C. A. Waite, who, after the withdrawal of Floyd from the Cabinet, had been sent down to supersede Twiggs in his command, reached San Antonio the morning after the capitulation, when all the material of war had been turned over to the Rebel Commissioners, and 1,500 armed Texans surrounded our little band, in the first flush of exultation over their easy triumph. Unable to resist this rapidly augmenting force, Waite had no alternative but to ratify the surrender, dispatching, by permission, messengers to the frontier posts, to apprise the other commanders that they were included in its terms. Collecting and dispatching his men as rapidly as he might, he had some 1,200 encamped at Indianola ready for embarkation, when they were visited by Col. E. Van Dorn, of the Confeder "April 17, 1861. army, who had been sent from Montgomery with authority to offer increased rank and pay to all who would take service with the Rebels. His mission was a confessed failure. A few of the higher officers had participated in Twiggs's treason; but no more of these, and no private soldiers, could be cajoled or bribed into deserting the flag of their country. 6 5 Col. Waite was still at San Antonio, when news reached Indianola of the reduction of Fort Sumter; and Col. Van Dorn, with three armed steamers from Galveston, arrived with instructions from Montgomery to capture and hold as prisoners of war all Federal soldiers and officers remaining in Texas. Maj. Sibley, in command at that port, had chartered two small schooners and embarked thereon a part of his force, when he was compelled to surrender again unconditionally. Col. Waite was in like manner captured at San Antonio, by order of Maj. Macklin, late an officer in our service, under Twiggs; Capt. Wilcox, who made the arrest, answering Waite's protest with the simple words, "I have the force." Waite, and a few officers with him, were compelled to accept paroles not to serve against the Confederacy unless regularly exchanged. Of course, the forces at the several posts protecting the frontiers of Texas, being isolated and cut off from all communication with each other, or with a common head-quarters, fell an easy prey to the Rebels. A part of them were commanded by officers in full sympathy and perfect understanding with the Texas conspirators for Secession, who, by means of the se |