“A new tri-color—red, white and blue, with a star on it!”
“It’s the Lone Star, boys! The Star of Texas and Liberty! Three cheers!”
In real military order, horse and foot, the company of reinforcements marched up the road. Three riders led; and the rider at the left bore, on a lance at his saddle-bow, a square pennant divided into three sections—blue, white and red. The blue was a broad band running up and down, next to the pole; the white and the red made two bands extending the other way, from the blue to the end. In the middle of the blue band was a single large white star, five-pointed.
It was a gay and beautiful flag; and the company under it marched proudly on, to report. Speedily the word spread that this was a company clear from Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou of the Galveston Bay section. Andrew Robinson was captain; A. B. Dodson was first lieutenant; Jim Ferguson was second lieutenant. The flag had been made by Lieutenant Dodson’s bride, who had been Miss Sarah Rudolph Bradley (Leo said that he knew her), out of calico, and had been presented by her to the company. Lieutenant Ferguson was the man carrying it. He and the others explained that the three colors combined the tri-color idea of Mexico (whose flag was red, white and green) with the American red, white and blue; and that the star was Texas, rising for liberty in Mexico.
The company brought copies of several circulars that had been distributed throughout East and Southeast Texas, urging the settlers to arm and hasten to Gonzales; every circular had the right ring to it: “Take Bejar and drive the Mexican soldiery out of Texas,” was the slogan. They brought word also that Sam Houston was being depended upon to raise volunteers in the United States, to help Texas; and that a general consultation of defense was still in session at San Felipe, and that Stephen Austin was anxious to get away from there and likely enough was already on the road.
The flag was much admired; but by the next morning it was forgotten. The election of commander-in-chief of the Texan army was ordered for four o’clock this afternoon of October 11, and there were as many candidates as companies! Matters seemed all mixed up, until, fortunately, at noon Austin came riding in.
This settled the quarrels and disputes. The sight of Stephen Austin, here at last, and the recollection of how he had toiled for Texas, won everybody. His name was proposed to company after company and received with cheers; and although he said that he did not want the position—he did not feel strong enough, after his imprisonment in Mexico—he accepted, as his duty, if the army would be satisfied with no one else.
Accordingly, after the election at four o’clock, Peter Grayson, the president of the board of war, informed him that he had been unanimously elected commander-in-chief of the Texan army.
“Don’t you think he’ll be a good one, Dick?” anxiously queried Ernest, seeking his trusty oracle.
“Well,” replied Dick, as if weighing the pros and cons, “we all love Austin—just natur’ly love him. But he’s not a military man, and to me he looks powerful pale and weak. When we really get ag’in a hard campaign with the Mexican regulars, my opinion is that Austin would do better organizing finances and supplies and keeping things moving at that end, which is more his training, while an Old Hickory sort of a man like Sam Houston takes the field. We Texans are a hard people to manage, anyhow. We’re so tarnation independent.”