and in June, Johnston obtained a furlough and again returned to Kentucky.

The excitement attendant upon the threatened invasion called for a reappraisal of the defense mechanism of the country and caused the government not only to be concerned with bringing the militia to complete organization but also to try to improve its relations with the various Indian tribes. Brigadier General Edward Burleson, commanding the First Brigade, sent out instructions for the organization of the battalions and regiments of the brigade.[43]  The organization of the militiamen up until then had been wholly or partially neglected in the counties of Brazoria, Fort Bend, Austin, and Washington, and in the upper and eastern portion of Matagorda County. Those portions of the counties of Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Austin, west of the Brazos River, were to form the First Regiment, with the companies from Brazoria constituting the First Battalion and those from the other two counties the Second Battalion. Those sections of Washington and Milam counties lying west of the Brazos, along with the county of Bastrop, were to form the Second Regiment, with the companies from Washington and Milam counties constituting the First Battalion and those from Bastrop the Second Battalion. The counties of Matagorda, Colorado, and Fayette were to form the Third Regiment, with the companies from Matagorda County comprising the First Battalion and those from the counties of Colorado and Fayette, the Second Battalion. The companies from the counties of Jackson, Victoria, Goliad, and Gonzales were to form the Seventh Battalion and those from Béxar County the Eighth Battalion. These two battalions were not organized into a regiment. Elections for field officers of the regiments were set for June 15 at the seat of justice of each county.