Without fighting! Without
striking one blow for their
country's honor! Without
making one effort to release
the
unhappy prisoners! Was it for this they
suffered on
their
long, wearisome march? It should not be
so.
Three hundred of
them refused to go home. They
chose
Colonel William S. Fisher as their leader
and
marched down the Rio Grande till
they came to the Mexi-
can
town of Mier. Here they found the Mexican
general,
Ampudia, ready to recieve
them.
Though he had ten
men to their one, the Texans made
up
their minds to fight him. Here was their
chance. Now
they
would teach Santa Anna his lesson; they would
show
him
what it meant to interfere with the rights of
Texans.
The night before
Christmas Colonel Fisher decided to
attack the town. The night
was pitch dark and a driz-
zling
rain was falling. The men were wet to the
skin and
it
was all they could do to keep their powder
dry. Most
of
the night was spent in trying to find a place to
cross the
river. there were two fords
not far away, but they were
closely guarded by the
enemy.
At last a crossing
was found, and the little army took up
its
march. Silently, one by one, they clambered
down the
steep
bank and waded through the dark waters. They
had
scarcely reached the other side
when they were set upon
by a
body of Mexicans. "Let them have it,
boys,"
