Meredith Toungate

Participant at Battle of San Jacinto

Powder Mill Participant

Biographical Sketch

Migration

Born in Illinois 1818
Married
- children
- Arrived in Texas 1832
- Left for Austin
- Resided in Travis County at least from ~18 Thru xxx

Meredith Toungate @ The Battle of San Jacinto 1836

An Excerpt From The Narrative of Robert Hancock Hunter 1860

The following excerpt is taken from an extensive historical website at the following address

https://www.sonsofdewittcolony.org/hunternarrative.htm#bexar

"General Houston ordered Sant Annas tent to be put up, & it was put in a bout 10 or 12 feet of Houstons tent. There was a large tree had bloed up by the roots, Houston tent was on one side of the log, & Sant Anna tent was on other of log. I & Merdith Tunget, stud by that log & garded Sant Anna. It come to our lot to gard him several times.

General Wool from the Mexican Army at Richmond come under a flag of truce to Houston & to see Sant Anna. Houston told Wool that he had made a treaty with Sant Anna. Wool said you cant make a treaty with a prisoner, Sant Anna is a prisner. Houston said I have & it shall stand. General Wool stade that night, & next morning a bout 9 or 10 oclock in the morning he left for Richmond in Fort Bend Co, & the next day a bout 3 oclock in the evening the Mexicans baggae took fire. The baggae was all geathered up & piled all in one big pile, saddles, blankets, & all kind of clothing gun powder, araphahoes or pack saddles. Thare was small Boy looking at the pistols & snaping them, & the gard told him that he mite do some damage & to leave. The Boy said that they were not loaded, & one went off a moest the guns. The powder was scatered all over the ground. He was snaping the pistole in a mongst a pile of guns & set the hole pile a fire, & it was for a few minutes like a little battle. Tunget & myself was on gard that day, & we were garden Sant Anna. We were by the log that was bifore Sant Annas door when the firing comenced on the hill, & Sant Anna broke for the doore. We jurked up our guns, & presented them at his brest, & tolde him to halt. He got within 2 feet of the door, & stopt, & looked up strate in our eyes. We had our guns cocked on him. In a minute we seen what it was. Every body jumpt for his gun, caws we thought that Col Ugawtechea & General Fillasola, & General Wool had come from Richmond & had attacked us. We did not know what Wool & Sant Anna had talked a bout from the time that Wool left the morning before, at 9 or 10 oclock in the morning & 3 in the evening when the fire took place, would make it about 28 or 30 hours, which wold give them plenty of time to come from Richmond, a bout 30 miles. There is one thing a bout it, I know we were pritty badley scared."

Toungate Participation

Seventeen miles northwest of Austin on Cypress Creek, two miles from its junction with the Colorado river, was another powder mill. It was known as Anderson Mill, because Thomas Anderson previously had erected a grist mill at the site. On the records of the Military Board it was known as the Travis Powder Company. The powder mill was built in the early part of 1863, The records indicate- that saltpeter and sulphur were furnished the mill on March 2I of that year, apparently when it was ready to start operations.

Thomas Anderson, the owner of the land, was the first superintendent. But on June 14, 1864, an agreement was signed between the Military Board and Nichols Hays, superintendent. The agreement also was signed by 'W', H. D. Carrington, principal owner. It was agreed that the company was to make rifle powder for the state, except such as the Board might authorise it to sell for necessary articles to carry on the work. It further was agreed that the Board was to pay one dollar per pound for the powder, payment to be in specie. All articles furnished by the Board were to be paid for in powder. Concerning the Travis Powder Company, the Military Board reported: "Mr. H. D. Carrington and his associates are now erecting a powder rnill, and the Board have entered into contract to supply them with a certain amount of saltpeter and sulphur to be repaid in powder of approved quality, at the -rate of $1.75 per pound."

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