He said not; I told him it was my opinion the party we had skirmished with at that Rancho were the advance of Santa Anna's army and if he did send any one there, I would like to go, as I had some knowledge of the county and could make the reconnaisance without being discovered by the enemy. This upon further reflection he concluded to do, and my destination was changed to that point, and Lieut. Wood of the 2nd Dragoons was ordered to accompany Col. May to Heclionda, thence to Rancho Potosi. I performing the duty first assigned me, our party started about four o'clock P. M. and consisted of Lieut. Alston and four men, Lieut. Clark of the 2nd Kentucky Infantry, again accompanying us and we proceeded 8 miles when we met the Deserter to which Santa Anna alludes, namely, Vaddez.

He told me what I afterwards found to be the truth "tho' not accredited at the time scarcely by anyone". Santa Anna was at Incarnassion with 20,000 men. However, we turned him over to a picket guard composed of Arkansas or Kentucky Cavalry with instructions to take him to Gen. Taylor. In the meantime, we pursued our route at Tank Lavacca 12 miles this side Incarnassion. We avoided the road as far as possible believing the enemy would have a picket at least that far in advance if they were in force at Incarnassion. "This proved correct". By the time we were in five miles of Incarnassion, the light of their camp-fire was plain to be seen by its reflection. The road forked 8 miles above the Rancho. Coming together at that point, we selected the ground between the roads as best suited to our purpose. A mile and a half this side the Rancho we discovered a picket by their cigars. I gave my horse to the men to hold and succeeded in getting unobserved sufficiently high to see their lances by the gleam of the light from their cigars.

I returned to the party and we pursued our way for the enemy's army. We arrived near it without seeing any