scarcely had time to dress when
they were surrounded
by
Mexican soldiers and told that they were
prisoners.
The news soon spread
all over the country, and men
came
flocking toward San Antonio to drive out the
invader.
They
assembled under the walls of the Mission
Con-
cepcion, about two miles from San
Antonio. Here Gen-
eral
Somervell took command and marched against
the
city. When the Texans
arrived there they found that
Woll
had retreated and taken prisoners with
him.
Brothers, sons, fathers,
countrymen were prisoners, and
they
must be set free. Santa Anna must be taught
to
keep
his soldiers at home and to let Texans
alone.
With these thoughts
in their breasts, the Texans took
up
the line of march for the enemy's country.
The wintry
winds
from the bleak prairies howled about their
ears.
Many
of the men were thinly clad and suffered
much
from
the cold. Recent rains had turned the
prairies into
an
ocean of mud through which they toiled with
much
difficulty.
At last they reached
the banks of the Rio Grande, where
the
city of Laredo now stands. Beyond was the
land of
the
cruel Santa Anna. The men asked to be led
across
the
river at once into the enemy's country.
General
Somervell refused and ordered the
men to return to their
homes.
