San Jacinto Monument, La Porte, Texas
Posted on 04/21/2011 12:51:46 PM PDT by Former MSM Viewer
Send this to San Felipe by Express night & day To The People of Texas and All Americans
Commandancy of the Alamo— Bejar, Fby. 24th 1836— To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world— Fellow citizens & compatriots— I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna—I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man—The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken—I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls—I shall never surrender or retreat Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & every thing dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch—The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country
Victory or Death William Barret Travis Lt. Col. comdt
Victory or Death
“...I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls—I shall never surrender or retreat...”
I just watched the 1960 movie “The Alamo” that John Wayne starred in...AND produced AND directed. Great picture. The battle scenes with President General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s army are outstanding. Highly recommended.
Also check out this Texas A&M resource about the victory over the genocidal Santa Satan Anna and his murderous Mexican thugs, forebears to the latino gangs and cartels of today.
As battles go, San Jacinto was but a skirmish; but with what mighty consequences! The lives and the liberty of a few hundred pioneers at stake and an empire won!
Look to it, you Texans of today, with happy homes, mid fields of smiling plenty, that the blood of the Alamo, Goliad, and San Jacinto sealed forever. Texas, one and indivisible!
Remeber the Alamo!
What a great lesson in courage in defense of liberty and freedom!
The 1960 film was one of the best western films ever made.
Even tho there are some historical inaccuracies in the film, most of the movie is dead on.
I appreciate the effort that went into the making of that movie.
John Wayne was truly a patriot. He was and remains even in death a larger than life icon!
Uhm - not to be mean, but the San Jacinto Monument is considered to be Deer Park. I went to high school with the daughter of the caretaker, who lived at the property, and she was most assuredly a Deer Park Deer.
I suppose the mailing address is LaPorte, but as a Deer (’88), it was always Deer Park to us.
Another interesting thing, there, surrounded by refineries, is to drift over to the USS Texas and inspect the leading edge of 19th century navel engineering. To look up into the underside of the drive pistons, with 2 foot dia. wrist pins...
bttt
\m/
I love that show. Now because you mentioned the show I have the theme music in my head.... :-)
If 150 years was a sesquicentennial, what is 175 years called? (Just wondering).
Flying my Texas flag today. The movie to celebrate today is “The First Texan” starring Joel McCrea as Sam Houston.
Sad to say that the newspaper accounts and local celebrations of Cinco de mayo and diez y seis seem to outnumber San Jacinto Day in the public forum.
A visit to the Battleground, monument, and Battleship Texas is always very nice. An interesting side note is the monument near the Battleship that lists all of the Masons that were influential in Texas independence. Both Sam Houston and Santa Anna were Masons. Perhaps the “secret handshake” at Santa Anna’s capture saved his hide. lol
We Texans are proud of our heritage!
La Porte may be the mailing address, because I’ve also seen Deer Park listed as the location. I visited the monument in 2000.
I had two relatives die at the Alamo and two participate (I use the word loosely) in the Battle of San Jacinto.
The Come and Take It cannon was buried in the Gonzales peach orchard of my ancestor, George Washington Davis. Since he and his son were horse breeders, they forged shot for the Battle for Gonzales. Cannon balls were too expensive and did too little damage. The Texians used chains, bits of metal, and shot ranging from the size of a pea to the zise of a marble. It did nasty damage.
I’ve been going to the USS Texas since I was a wee lad. I’m native born in Stink-a-dena... Went to PISD for first grade, the DPISD 2nd-12th. Lots of friends still in the area, and miss Monterrey House (different than Monterrey TexMex), but still love Don-Key. Danced at Gilley’s from when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, through I’d say 15 or so. Saw the toll bridge getting built, my PopPop worked security for them even (so I got to ride my bike down it while still “under construction”). I’ll never forget the small town feel of Deer Park, even though now I’m in a small town, it’s more of an island. The Texas is one of the reason I joined the Navy - plus my PopPop, and a few odd cousins who joined. Beautiful ship, and glad they got to restore her (semi) properly. Reminds me I need to take my kiddos out this summer.
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