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The Battle
of San Jacinto
April 21, 1836
by Murray
Montgomery |
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San
Jacinto Monument
Photo courtesy Texas Parks & Wildlife |
Saturday,
April 21, 2001, will mark the 165th anniversary of the Battle of San
Jacinto. Because of the eventual consequences of this encounter, the
battle is considered, by many historians, as one of the most important
in world history.
After spending weeks retreating from Mexican troops in an attempt
to buy some time to train his "rag-tag" army, General Sam Houston
had finally found the right place and time to fight the superior forces
under the command of the Mexican dictator, Antonio Lopez de Santa
Anna. The fierce confrontation was destined to take place on a
grass prairie near the Texas gulf coast; a place we know today as
Houston, Texas.
The events that led to the battle at San Jacinto actually began at
Gonzales, Texas,
in March of 1836. General Houston had arrived at Gonzales just
in time to receive the news of the disaster at the Alamo.
He immediately made an attempt to form military units within the army.
After he had accomplished some sort of organization to his little
militia, Houston decided that he must retreat. He knew that his group
would be no match for Santa Anna's disciplined troops and his only
hope was to withdraw and lure the Mexican forces deeper into Texas.
He hoped to lengthen their (Mexican) supply lines and make it difficult
for them to move rapidly. |
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San
Jacinto Monument
Photo courtesy San Jacinto Museum of History |
As
the Texas army retreated east and sometimes northeast in a zigzag
sort of way, many of the soldiers became disgruntled and were tired
of running-some deserted, most of them just wanted to fight. But,
"General Sam" had a plan. A plan he shared with no one.
When the Texans arrived at the Colorado River, Sam Houston's
army was at its peak strength. It is estimated that he had anywhere
from 1000 to 1500 men at this time, but to the chagrin of many of
his soldiers and Texas government officials, he continued to retreat.
Everyone felt sure that Houston would make his stand at the Colorado
and when he did not, some thought that he should be relieved of his
command and indeed this might have happened if there had been a qualified
replacement. Sam Houston overcame these difficulties in his same determined
way and the exhausted little army moved on toward the plain at San
Jacinto.
When the Texas army reached the Brazos River, General Houston
turned it toward the north and Groce's Landing. Again, the
men started the angry talk about their commander. They were tired
of running! Heavy rain was constant and having to trudge through the
mud day after day was beginning to take its toll. |
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Mexican
soldier reenactors at Goliad
Photo courtesy Jerry Tubbs |
While
camped at Groce's, Houston continued to drill and train his men. He
began to mold his volunteers into a fighting unit. Jared Groce
had a fine plantation and he gave all he could to the Texans, including
lead to make ammunition. He also gave them vegetables from his garden
as well as, a supply of meat from his vast herd of cattle. It was
at this time that the Texans received another; much needed gift -
two cannons from the citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio. They were
promptly named, "Twin Sisters."
After playing his game of "cat and mouse" with the Mexican army
for more than a month, Sam Houston was finally ready to spring his
trap. Although the odds still favored the Mexicans, Houston must have
felt that this was the best chance he had to secure a victory and
better yet, possibly capture Santa Anna. At approximately 4:30 p.m.
on April 21, 1836, some 800 Texans began their assault against 1300
to 1400 Mexican soldiers. The book Battles of Texas, describes
the Texans' charge as follows: "Incredibly the Texans reached within
two hundred yards of the Mexican barricade before they were seen ....
The "Twin Sisters" roared and muskets barked and men cursed
furiously and suddenly all was bedlam."
General Sam Houston had two horses shot out from under him during
the battle. He was shot through the ankle. Santa Anna grabbed a horse
from one of his men and fled. The Mexican army was caught completely
off-guard and the Battle of San Jacinto was over in less than 18 minutes.
The battle had been won, but the killing continued. Thirsty for revenge,
emotions ran wild among the Texans. They shot, clubbed, and stabbed
the Mexicans as they attempted to escape. Some of the enemy soldiers
were even scalped, before the Texas army officers finally restrained
their men. It has been estimated that 650 Mexicans were killed and
700 captured. General Santa Anna was taken captive the next day.
The Alamo and
Goliad
had been avenged. Texas independence was secured.
Lone
Star Diary
April,
2001 Column
Published with author's permission. |
Battle of
San Jacinto - Related Articles
San
Jacinto Day by Archie P. McDonald
News of the fall of the Alamo on March 6, 1836, and the execution
of Texians captured at Goliad three weeks later, produced the terrible
Runaway Scrape, a mad flight of refugees who scrambled eastward
to escape a similar fate at the hand of General Antonio Lopez de
Santa Anna’s armies. In the midst of these troubles, one man, Sam
Houston, rode west...
Baker
Talk
by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales")
"In modern times, battles begin with precision air strikes.
In the 19th century, battles began with stirring speeches. Sometime
in the early 1900s, the Beeville Picayune published the talk Captain
Mosley Baker supposedly gave to the men of his company at San Jacinto
on April 21, 1836..."
The
Top Ten Facts About The Construction of The San Jacinto Monument
San
Jacinto Monument by Mike Cox ("Texas
Tales")
"Most people think the towering star-topped limestone monument,
built during the Texas Centennial in 1936, is the only San Jacinto
monument. Actually, it’s only the biggest."
Alfonso
(Alphonso) Steele - Last Texas survivor of the battle of San
Jacinto, and a State Park dedicated to him
The
Last Hero by Bob Bowman ("All Things Historical"
)
The last surviving veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto on April
21, 1836, lies in an almost forgotten cemetery in deep East Texas
The
Treaty of Velasco by Archie P. McDonald ("All Things
Historical" )
General Sam Houston, and later Interim President David G. Burnett,
chose negotiation instead of revenge for the massacres at the Alamo
and Goliad.
Survivor's Account of the Goliad Massacre by Murray Montgomery
("Lone Star Diary")
"There is a day in Texas history that quite possibly could
be considered one of the most tragic. On that day, March 27, 1836,
General Santa Anna ordered the execution of some 380 Texas army
soldiers - they were prisoners of war. ....."
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