Day Five of the Convention of 1836
The Convention stands in recess. There is little record of what happened on March 5th in Washington other than what was reported by Colonel William Gray:
“This evening two Mexican prisoners were brought here from Goliad, charged with improper communications with the enemy, and pointing out to them a place to build a bridge over the San Antonio. One of them is an old priest, named Jose Antonio Valdez, a miserable, meagre, squalid looking creature, who is said to be a very immoral character, and yet a man of considerable property. The other is a young man named Eugenio Hernandez, a lieutenant in the late army of Cos, and on parole. They were brought under the care of Capt. Wm. G. Cooke, late of Fredericksburg, Va., who now commands the New Orleans Greys, and stands high in the army of Texas. Poor Cooke was very badly off for a wardrobe, and Waller and myself were happy in supplying him with such of ours as we could spare, which he received with thanks and without any false shame.”
The New Orleans Greys were a unit of two companies of volunteer soldiers that formed in New Orleans to support the Texas Revolution. Totaling roughly 120 men, Greys served in the Siege of Bexar, the Battle of the Alamo, the Goliad Campaign culminating with the Goliad Massacre, and the Battle of San Jacinto. They were commonly seen passing through Washington and were mentioned more than once by Col. Gray.
Pictured is a portrait of Colonel William Fairfax Gray (https://www.tshaonline.org/…/entries/gray-william-fairfax).
