Head Quarters Novem^r 1^st 1835

To Col^o James Bowie & Captⁿ Fanning,

Your communication of this
morning was received and is satisfactory in every respect
to myself & all others—

I sent in a demand today for a Surrender
Gen^l Cos stated that his duty would not permit him to receive
any Official Communication and of course it was returned unopened
unopened, --He in a Short time after Sent out Padre Garza
with a flag to Say to me, verbally, that he had absolute orders
from his Government to fortify Bexar & hold it at all hazards
& that as a military man his Honor and duty required obedience
to these orders, & that he would defend the place until he died, if he
had only ten men left with him—

This all that has passed between us—
I approached on this Side to day within cannon shot—they fired
four at us.—One shot (Ball) passed over our heads and one of grape
fell in the lines but fortunately injured no one—

From every information the fortifications are much Stronger
than has been Supposed and the difficulty of Storming of Course
much greater, [rest of line heavily crossed out]
[crossed out]—The system of alarms will be Kept up as much
as possible night & day and the place invested as closely as
practicable—For this purpose I expect to station the Adjutant
General with a Competent force at the old mill, a Short distance
from town—

I have no information yet of Travis—
A report reached Camp this afternoon through a person
from Bexar that an Express had just been received there,
Stating that Savariego had escaped from S. Felipe & had reached
the Irish on the Nueces, and in union with the troops at
that place had attacked Goliad—It is however only a report

The enclosed paper is from a confidential Source—
I had forgotten to mention that the Adjutant General
made a demonstration on the other Side with a Detachment.
[crossed out heavily]

S.F. Austin