Bexar County, Texas - Petition for Pension by Joseph Lopez, Jan. 24,
1873.  Document was obtained from the Texas Archives Office in Austin, Texas.

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Pension Application:  Joseph Lopez

To the Honorable
	Comptroller of Public accounts of
	the State of Texas
			Dear Sir
					I left New Orleans in
october 1834 04 1835 somewhere near that time, with the Orleans
Grays captain Breeze, first lieutenant Bough and second
lieutenant's name I forget, all numbering about sixty
men, and we proceed on a steam boat to Natchitoches in
Louisiana, where we encamped about a mile from the
town, after two weeks of preparation, which were spent
by the Captain in collecting money for our support we
commenced our march for Texas, and kept going till we
reached the Sabine river, where we received arms and
kept on our way to Nacogdoches Texas.  There the leading
men of that Town gave us a big dinner, and not long
after this, two third of our men were furnished with horses,
and started for the seat of war, while the rest had to 
wait for another supply,  I was one of those that was
left behind, and when the next lot of horses came
there was not enough for all; hence some of us had to 
wait longer still, but as Major Roth a man that kept
a Grocery Store in Nacogdoches and who after wards was
the butcher of our army during its sojourn in San Antonio
de Bejar, was about starting with a small Company,
we the rest of our company went with him, and reached
our destination three weeks before the battle commenced.
The camp was about half a mile from Town, and
it is useless to say, that in it there was niether order or
discipline, but every one acted as he pleased and the
officers were so far obeyed, as suited the whims and
caprices of the men, not a guard was kept, nor for once
where [sic] there any parade, or even the Roll called, and

Page 2

and when one evening the drum beat for volunteers to
attack the town, early next morning, the men did not
respond in companies but individually, and the
attack was made nearly in the same manner with
the exception of some orders, that could not be dispensed
with.  As I went to San Antonio with Major Roth, I
did not join Captain Breeze's company again, but
remained with the little band, and went in with
them in the fight, However after the surrender of Gen.
Cos, new companies were formed, I joined then
that of Llewellyns and with a portion of the
army went to Labdie (La Bahia) where after serving five months,
I left and came home,  This may explain the reason
why my name is not found in the list of Captain Breeze's
company, as the first one must have been destroyed
and only the last ones preserved,  But even I may state
that the list of that company had been so often modified
on account of deaths and exchanges, that not one
third of the originals could be identified, and this
statement is applicable, to all lists of the companies without
exception, for there never was greater confusion, in a 
body of eleven hundred farmers and mechanics,
than there was in those which formed the attacking
army of General Burleson.  If one man was present
at the skirmish of San't Antonio I was certainly there
and gave my aid whatever it might be worth,
till the fifth day brought the flag of truce, which
ended the hide and seek, behind walls fight and
sent General Cos home, with his three Thousand
Mexicans,'  I could mention many incidents, that
happened during these five days, but for brevety sake
I will give a slight sketch of the battle;  At about
five oclock in the morning a small party of the 
army made a feint on the Alamo, and we who

Page 3

were all ready to march, and were waiting to hear the first
gun fired, the preconcerted signal for our starting, left
camp as soon as its sound reverberated in the air, and
proceeded towards the town, with rifle and blanket on our
shoulder, we throwed our blankets on the ground when we
got near the place, and marched in silence till the head
of the column had reached the first house when two reports
reached our ears, which were from the Mexican sentinel, who
had shot deaf Smith in the wrist, so I was told, for
I was in the middle of the column, and from deaf
Smith, who shot the sentinel in both Knees,  This same
individual I saw with my both eyes when we had taken
possession of the first house and he was brought in, he
laid on a straw bed in a little stone house, fronting the
yard, that seperated the main house from it, not long 
after the reports were heard, we reached the door of the
yard, and some commenced breaking it open with
crowbars, when as they done so a Spanish officer made
his appearance, whom some of the men were going to
shoot, but a Texan officer that was there, raised the
barrel of the rifle up, and suffered the Spaniard to cross
to the mexican lines, in peace,  All the Texan Army was
now concentrated in and around the house, and the
firing commenced in earnest, many of the Orleans
Greys got on top the house, and began firing thier rifles,
while the rest of the army fired from the yard, around
the house, and any other place from which they could 
reach the Mexicans, but after a while beginning to fall
down rather faster than they wished and besides seeing
that the mexicans kept themselves concealed, they thought
best to leave thier place of exposure, and seek shelter
within the houses,  And the process of cutting port holes
commenced which in less than one hour made the houses
look like pigeon nursery, from whence flame and

Page 4

lead poured out as fast as the men could load and fire
Thus things went on for a few hours, when the officers
set some of the men to digging trenches for the purpose
of taking possession of other houses, While others were
sent around the place, picking the dead and wounded,
among those that they brought in mortally wounded
was a man that had on him a green blanket coat,
he was shot through the side of the head, and laid on
his back keeping up a species of snoring, which sounded
so peculiar that one could not help noticing it,  It was
on that first morning, that a little doctor came out with
a lady's basket on his head, and as he danced and capered
in the yard, while the balls were flying all over his head,
told the men that they were going to have a fandango
there that night,  On the second day a large gun
was placed in the rear of the house, which being pointed
towards the church steeple, made that portion of
the edifice tremble, inspite of its being built of stone,
and dislodged those rascals, that from that place
were picking our men, one at a time with thier
muskets, yet notwithstanding all this, on the third
day in the forenoon, and in that same yard
just under the arch way, a distinguished colonel was
shot through the temples, the ball coming as near out
on the other side, that it made a swelling and was cut
out with a razor,  I had been looking at him a few minutes
before as he stood there dressed in a white Blanket coat,
but my attention being attracted around, and when I 
looked towards the place again I saw him streched at
has whole lengt [sic], he never new what hurt him a moment
afterwards the man next to me was also shot down,  Several
outside batteries were playing now on the Mexicans, and the
process of digging trenches had progressed so far, as to enable the

Page 5

Texans to take possession of several houses from which
the fired as fast as they could, but they could produce
little or no effect on the mexicans, who were behind shelters
some ways off, and well furnished with ammunition.
they kept up a hail torm of balls at a distance, that
could not be reached with the firles,  They made an
attack on our Comp one day, and fired so steady that
the men there had to hide behind Trees, but though
there was not twenty men in the place, the mexicans
dared not come to a hand to hand attack, and atlast
returned to thier batteries,  It was the fourth day, that
the night attack was planned for the taking of the Plaza,
where the mexicans were in stength, second to what 
they were att the Alamo,  The Mobile Grays were
selected for the enterprise, and they done thier
part so well, that they took possion of the houses
fronting the Squar, and as they opened thier fire
on the mexicans, produced such a panic,
that from the Alamo thier friends fired upon
them, and on the next morning more than a hundred 
laid there dead shot by thier own companions,
This brought a flag of truce to us, and the terms
being arranged, General Cos departe, and left us
in possession of the place,  I often thought how it was
that they yeilded [sic] the place so eayly, when I considered
how well it was fortified, and what quantity of ammunition
they had, and how much they exceeded us in number
Thy being three Thousand, and we eleven hundred
which on the fifth day had not two loads of pwoder
to each man, so short was the Texans of ammunition
The town of Sant Anton was then small, built of
stone houses one story high, and so placed as to form
a square before the Church, the street commencing at each

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of its Corners, While each one of those streets was well
fortified, at the end towards the public square, anda 
Cannon placed there, that could cut up any body
of men to pieces, had they attempted to come that
way,  Nothing but the [duguporrat??] process enabled
the Texans to gain the victory, for had they attacked
openly, they would have been shot down to the last man
but those that led the Texans knew well what they were
about, after the battle I took a promenade along the
river which is a very small stream, and visited
the several quarters of the town, but oh, such a 
stink the surroundings were full of dead horses and mules
they having been shot during the battle, one thing
I noticed, that though in the midst of winter
we never had a cold day, the weather was as
warm as summer nor was there any rain, during 
the whole time we were in Sant Anton, Wether these are
permanent conditions, or accidental, is more than I
am enable to state, all I know is that I was in my
Shirt Sleeves the biggest part of the time.  I end my 
description, which is a truthful representation of facts
as near as I can remember them after so long a
time having elapsed since tier occurence.
	By appealing to the generosity of those in power
in Texas, that they may be induced to do me justice
and remunerate me for five months service and for
my participation in the battle of San Anton, during 
which I laboured many times digging trenches, while
the balls flew rather faster than I wished them, and
had many a hair bredth escapes, I am now an
old may of sixty, half blind with every propects of
becoming entirely so before long, hence a little aid
from those that can extend it will never do them any

Page 7

harm if it would do them no good,  I had a discharge
given me after the battle of Sant Anton, signed by
General Burleson and major Roth & which was
afterwards signed by Captain Llewellyn and Major
Robertson, on my leaving the army at Labady
(La Bahia) after serving five months, but on comming home
having to waid through the river bottoms, where
the waters was up to my middle, it was redused
to shreds, and I throwed it away,  And since the
government of Texas had declared its intentions of
giving lands & to soldiers, I made an affidavid
before a Texas Commissioner, which was attested by
two of my Company it appears that this document
has been lost, But now not one of them is to be seen
they are either dead or gone away

		Your humble Servent

			Joseph Lopez

Sworn to & subscribed
before as true and
correct, this 24th
day of January, 1873

		John Cain, 4" J.P.
New Orleans, January 24, 1873