Samuel Hamilton Walker to Mrs. Ann M. Walker, May 6, 1843

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Commander[.] [F]rom Mier we were marched to Matamoros under
a strong guard[.] [F]rom thence we took up the line of march for this
City, where 40 leagues from Saltillo at a Hacienda called the Salado[.]
[O]n the 11th of Feb about 8 oclock in the morning we attacked a guard
of superior numbers[.] [I]n fifteen minutes the victory was ours[.]
[W]e took about 180 stands of Arms & prisoners[,] about 70 horses & mules[,]
the remainder making their escape by flight[.] [W]e commenced our
march homeward and would have reached Texas had we not
unfortunately left the roads and took the mountains where we could
find no water or make very little headway on our course[.] [T]he con-
sequence was that we surrendered ourselves again as prisoners of
war[,] the men being nearly all famished for water having been five
or six days without water[.] [U]nder these sircumstances [sic] you need not
be surprised to learn that we surrendered ourselves to the Mexicans
who were guarding the only water we could get for a long time
with two pieces of Artilary [sic], and our men were so weak that few
of them were able to carry their muskits [sic][.] [T]he Mexican officers how-
ever promised our commander Capt Cameron that we should be
treated as prisoners of war before surrendering, but not withstan-
ding our situation and their promises we were tied two & two with
rawhides and in [a] few days these were exchanged for irons which
we continued to weare [sic] about forty days[.] [W]e were marched to Saltillo
where we remained 20 days and again started for this City[.] [W]hen we
arrived at the Salado, we were all formed and told that for
the offence committed at that place on the 11th of Feb that
the supreme government of Mexico had decreed that every
tenth man should be shot being prisoners of war we have to submit[.]
[O]ur fate was decided by every man drawing a bean from a cov-
ered mug[,] a white bean signifying exemption from the execution[,]
a black bean Death, and seventeen of our comrades were executed
accordingly our number being one hundred & seventysix [sic][.] [A]mongst
them was William Rowan from Apilachicola [sic] Fla & PL Shepherd

Samuel Hamilton Walker to Mrs. Ann M. Walker, May 6, 1843. Samuel Hamilton Walker Papers, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.