The Battle of San Jacinto
by Martha Rogers
Ten days from now,
Texas will celebrate her independence from Mexico won at a hard fought battle now know
as the “Battle of San Jacinto.” It is the birthplace of Texas liberty and was
one of the world’s most decisive battles. Sam Houston and his ragged group of about
900 Texan pioneers attacked Santa Anna and changed the map of North American.
The story of the
battle has thrilled Texas for well over a century and a half as it was a story of
desperate valor and high adventure, hardship, romance, as well as tragedy. That
battle established Texas, the Lone Star Republic.

“Remember the Alamo”
became the battle cry of the Texas army as they headed for the battlefield near
the coast where the Mexican army and Santa Anna were headed.
Although six years in the planning, the actual battle of San
Jacinto lasted less than twenty minutes. Besides the Alamo, disturbances at
Anahuac and the battle of Velasco set Texans on the road for independence. The
imprisonment of Stephen F. Austin in 1834 and the capture of Goliad in 1836 all
preceded the Alamo and created a fierce determination in the Texans to fight
to the death.
The Texas Declaration of Independence at
Washington-on-the-Brazos came into being on March 2, 1836 and officially signaled the
revolution was to begin.
At dawn, April 20, the Texans resumed their trek down the bayou to
intercept the Mexicans. At Lynch's ferry, near the juncture of Buffalo Bayou
and San Jacinto River, they captured a boat laden with supplies for Santa Anna.
This probably was some of the plunder of Harrisburg or New Washington.
Ascertaining that none of the enemy forces had crossed, the Texans drew back
about a mile on the Harrisburg road, and encamped in a skirt of timber
protected by a rising ground.
Because of the premature actions of Colonel Sidney Sherman who attacked a small group of the infantry with his cavalry, a major battle
almost ensued. As it was, one Texan was killed and another wounded. The
actions of one Mirabeau B. Lamar helped avert tragedy and on the next day he was
placed in charge of the cavalry.
On April 20, both sides made camp and set up barricades to protect
themselves as they prepared for the conflict sure to come the next day. On
Thursday, April 21, the Texans awakened to a clear day. They were eager to attack
as they could see Santa Anna’s flags flying over the enemy camp, and they heard the Mexican bugle calls.
General
Houston had his own plan and kept the men occupied until the middle of the
afternoon. About 3:30, the Mexican side lay quiet and still as the soldiers enjoyed their customary siesta. The Texans' movements were screened by the
trees and the rising ground, and evidently Santa Anna had no lookouts posted.
Big, shaggy and commanding in his mud-stained non-military garb, Houston rode his
horse up and down the line. "Now hold your fire, men," he warned in his deep voice, "until you get the order!"

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On May 14, 1836, Santa Anna signed the Treaties of Velasco. The treaty insured him safe travel back to Mexico on his agreement o withdraw his troops from Texan soil. There, he promised to lobby for recognition of the new republic. Two treaties were signed that day, a private treaty and a public treaty. In the private treaty, Santa Anna pledged to try to persuade Mexico to acknowledge Texas' independence, in return for an escort back to Mexico. The treaty also set the Texas/Mexico boundary at the Rio Grande River. This was one of the issues later contributing to the 1846 Mexican War. After being held for six months in prison by the United States, he was finally taken to Washington, D.C. where he met with President Andrew Jackson. He finally returned in disgrace to Mexico in early 1837.
The independent Republic of Texas now received diplomatic recognition from the United States, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Yucatan, all sovereign nations recognizing the new nation and its independence from Mexico. Even after the Republic joined the United States in 1845, Mexico maintained claims on Texas to the mid-19th century, until it was defeated in another war with the U.S. and was forced to sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.


Every year on April 21, the battle is re-enacted on the grounds where it took place. The monument houses a museum containing murals and relics saved from the battle.
Texas has a rich and colorful history and I'm proud to be a fifth generation Texan with roots that go back to the early 19th century.
Martha Rogers is a free-lance
writer and was named Writer of the Year at the Texas Christian Writers
Conference in 2009 and writes a weekly devotional for ACFW. Martha and her
husband Rex live in Houston where they enjoy spending time with their
grandchildren. A former English and Home
Economics teacher, Martha loves to cook and experimenting with recipes and
loves scrapbooking when she has time. She has written three series, Winds Across the Prairie and Seasons of the Heart and The Homeward
Journey. Book three in that series, Love
Never Fails, released in November, 2014.
Love reading about our Texas history!
ReplyDeleteSo do I, Golden. There's no other like it.
ReplyDeleteFirst time I've heard of the Battle of San Jacinto but I've certainly heard of Sam Houston. Thanks for the post. sm CA wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDelete