Tag Archives: Texas Revolution

Happy San Jacinto Day!

On this, the 175th anniversary of the concluding battle of the Texas Revolution.

“Houston disposed his forces in battle order about 3:30 in the afternoon while all was quiet on the Mexican side during the afternoon siesta. The Texans’ movements were screened by trees and the rising ground, and evidently Santa Anna had no lookouts posted.

“The battle line was formed with Edward Burleson’s regiment in the center, Sherman’s on the left wing, the artillery under George Hockley on Burleson’s right, the infantry under Henry Millard on the right of the artillery, and the cavalry under Mirabeau Lamar on the extreme right.

“The Twin Sisters were wheeled into position, and the whole line, led by Sherman’s men, sprang forward on the run with the cry, ‘Remember the Alamo!’ ‘Remember Goliad!’ The battle lasted but eighteen minutes…”

Remember Goliad!

FanninThe 1936 memorial to Texas militia Colonel James Fannin and his 400 men, massacred by the Mexican army in 1836, thanks in large part to their feckless commander. Nevertheless. The memorial is said to be on the site where their bodies were heaped and burned. Best version of massacre here. Worth reading.

Nine flags over Precidio La Bahia

DSCN0331On our route to and from Port Aransas every summer, we pass the forbidding walls of the old precidio. With its chapel in the background. As for those flags, let’s see now:  Spain, France, First (1812) Republic of Texas, Mexico, Second (1821) Republic of Texas, Dimmitt’s (1835) Goliad Flag, Third (1836) Republic of Texas, Confederate States of America, United States of American. Whew.

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Goliad Courthouse

GoliadCourtHouse

Remember Goliad!

It’s been eulogized, memorialized, fictionalized and historified (sic) but the Goliad massacre, 174 years ago today, still resonates for those in the know. For those who aren’t, the folks at Presidio La Bahia have done some restoration and gotten a little new publicity in hopes of drawing more visitors. Not that they’re ever likely to match the tourist trade at the Alamo, but it’s worth a try. And worth a visit. It’s quiet out there, the silence broken only by the sounds of birds, fitting for the resting place of 342 Texas patriots massacred by order of a mad Mexican general.

Scale model of the Alamo

Wow. Not just the famous chapel, with its Army-modifed facade. But the whole 1836 compound, in 25mm scale. I’d buy it in a heartbeat, if I had any place to put it.

New Orleans Greys

This evening in 1835, the New Orleans Greys assembled for the first time in the grand coffee room of Banks Arcade in the French Quarter. They were one of the few volunteer units of the Texas Revolution which could claim battle honors at Bexar, the Alamo, San Patricio, Refugio, Coleto, Goliad, and San Jacinto.

One hundred seventy-three years later, the Mexican government still has their silk "God and Liberty" battle flag, captured at the Alamo, which it has steadfastly refused to relinquish despite requests from governors and presidents. The tattered remnants are believed to be hidden in the archives of the Museo Nacional de Historia at Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City.