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The Battle of San Jacinto

The Battle of San Jacinto lasted less than twenty minutes, but it sealed the fate of three republics. Mexico would never regain the lost territory, in spite of sporadic incursions during the 1840s. The United States would go on to acquire not only the Republic of Texas in 1845 but Mexican lands to the west after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War in 1848.

By early April, Santa Anna had divided his forces in a three-pronged attack: a northern army, under General Antonio Gaona , the central army under Santa Anna and General Joaquin Ramirez y Sesma, and a coastal army under command of General Jose Francisco Urrea.

The Texan army, meanwhile, had been in retreat since March 13, when it left Gonzales after learning of the Fall of the Alamo. On March 25, news of the massacre at Goliad led several men to leave the army to assist their families to flee before the advancing Mexican army. The resulting "Runaway Scrape" involved most of Eastern Texas, and panicked the government. Sam Houston spent the next few weeks attempting to train the recruits into something resembling a disciplined army, then continued his march toward the Sabine.

On April 16, learning that Santa Anna had isolated his army, Houston pursued him to Buffalo Bayou, arriving there at midnight on April 19, and continuing their march toward Lynch's Ferry on the 20th. That afternoon, General Sidney Sherman engaged the Mexicans in a skirmish that almost resulted in a full scale battle. Mirabeau B. Lamar's heroic actions in that conflict earned him a battlefield commission as Colonel.

The next day, Houston learned that General Martin Perfecto de Cos had crossed over Vince's Bridge with reinforcements. Houston ordered Erastus "Deaf" Smith to destroy the bridge-a move that prevented further swelling of Mexican ranks, and likewise prevented retreat by both the Mexican and Texan armies.

About 3:30 in the afternoon, during the Mexican siesta period, Houston distributed his troops in battle array, bracketing the line with the "Twin Sisters" cannon. Shielded by trees and a rise in the terrain, the Texans were able to advance with some security. Then with the cries "Remember the Alamo" and "Remember La Bahia" or "Remember Goliad" ringing along their lines, the Texans swooped down on the dismayed Mexican army, pursuing and butchering them long after the battle itself had ended.

630 Mexicans were killed and 730 taken prisoner. Texans lost only 9 killed or mortally wounded; thirty were less seriously wounded. Among the latter was General Houston, whose ankle was shattered.

Surrender of Santa Anna, by William H. Huddle

On the day following the battle, a small party discovered Santa Anna and brought him into camp, unaware at first of the importance of their prisoner. As part of his surrender agreement, the president/general ordered the Mexican troops remaining in Texas immediately to retreat south of the Rio Grande.

On May 14, 1836, the public and private treaties of Velasco, were signed by Presidents David G. Burnet and Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. They confirmed the Mexican retreat and declared an end to the war. Neither the Texas nor Mexican governments accepted the treaties, however, and a state of war existed throughout most of the Republic of Texas' existence.

General Information and some fun trivia....

Houston's military records show that he was 6 foot 2 inches when he was 19 years old. His Texas legend puts him at 6 foot 6 inches on his death. His family holds that he was a bit shorter.

Sam had a bit of a drinking problem. In his early life, he drank quite a bit, and it was certainly no secret. Later in his life, after he married Margaret (his 3rd wife), she is reputed to have "reformed" him and stopped his drinking. However, Sam still consumed 'bitters', which were considered medicinal alcohol. While Sam was a drinker, probably for most of his life, most men in Texas were drinkers of a sort as well, so he did not stand out in that respect as heavy drinkers tend to do in today's society.

Sam Houston settled in Huintsville Texas because The hills there reminded him of his boyhood home near Maryville, Tennessee.

President Houston's Official Residence, 1837

Sam was married three times. His first wife was named Eliza Allen. They were married January 22, 1829. Sam Houston's second wife was a Cherokee Indian woman whose name was Tiana Rodgers, also known as Diana Rodgers. They were married in the summer of 1830. Margaret Moffette Lea was Sam Houston's third wife. They were married May 9, 1840 and remained married for the remainder of Sam Houston's lifetime.

He was seventy years old at the time of his death on July 26th, 1863. He died at 6:15 pm.

Sam Houston
1856 photo by Frederick of New York City

Sam Was Buried in Huntsville, Texas in the Oakwood Cemetery. Houston chose this location. It was across the street from where the Steamboat House once stood. To access the Grave site, Exit right on 19th Street as you leave the park. Go to Avenue O (the first stop sign) and turn right. Continue on Avenue O until 11th Street. At 11th Street turn right. Travel six blocks to the intersection of Avenue I and 11th. Turn left and go three blocks to the grave site.

Additional Sources:

www.lone-star.net
www.tsl.state.tx.us
www.museumofhoaxes.com
www.lsjunction.com
www.cah.utexas.edu
www.ci.houston.tx.us
www.texashero.com
www.cemetery.state.tx.us
www.vic.com
www.rose-hulman.edu
www.pbs.org
www.texancultures.utsa.edu
www.neosoft.com
www.rare-maps.com

bump

State of war between Texas and Mexico seems to exist toay as well, but many people won't even acknowledge it's existence let alone try to fix the underlying problem.
The patented 'head in the sand' fix.

Interesting that they caught Santa Ana out there and had no idea who he was until they brought him into camp.
He wouldn't happen to have been sitting in a hole shivering?

G'morning Sam

On this Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on December 22:
1459 Djem Sultan son of Turks sultan Mehmed II
1515 Mary of Lorraine France, pro-French Regent of Scotland
1643 Rene-Robert Cavelier La Salle, France, French explorer (Louisiana)
1696 James Oglethorpe, England, General/author/colonizer (Georgia)
1727 William Ellery, US attorney/signer (Declaration of Independence)
1831 Robert Ogden Tyler Brevet Major General (Union Army), died in 1874
1856 Frank Kellogg, Sec of State (1925-29), tried to outlaw war (Nobel 1929)
1858 Giacomo Puccini, Lucca Italy, opera composer (La Boheme, Tosca)
1862 Connie Mack (McGillicudy) (baseball: record for managing most games [7,755])
1868 John Nance Garner, Texas, (VP-D-1933-41)
1890 Charles de Gaulle, Lille France, premier of France
1891 Edward L Bernays, Vienna Austria, 1st public relations agent
1899 Wiley Post, Texas, aviation pioneer
1902 Jacques-Philippe Leclerc, France, WW II hero (liberator of Paris)
1912 Lady Bird (Claudia Alta) Johnson (1st Lady: wife of 36th U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson)
1917 Gene Rayburn (Rubessa) (radio/TV host: Match Game)
1922 James C Wright Jr (Representative-D-TX), Speaker of the House (1987-89)
1922 Barbara Billingsley (actress: Leave It to Beaver)
1934 David Pearson (auto racer: Daytona 500 winner [1976])
1943 Billie Jean King Long Beach CA, tennis pro
1944 Steve Carlton (Baseball Hall of Famer)
1945 Diane Sawyer, Glasgow Ky, newscaster/airhead (60 Minutes, ABC Prime Time)
1949 Maurice Gibb (musician, songwriter: group: Bee Gees)
1949 Robin Gibb (musician, songwriter: group: Bee Gees)

Deaths which occurred on December 22:
1337 Daito Kokushi leader of O-To-Kan Rinzai school in Japan, dies at 54
1419 John XXIII [Baldassare Cossa] Italian Pope (1410-15), dies
1440 Bluebeard pirate, executed
1603 Mehmed III sultan of Turkey (1595-1603), dies at 37
1668 Stephen Day 1st British colonial printer, dies
1721 Nathaniel Hawes tortured & executed in England for robbery
1723 Jacques Basnage French/Dutch historian/vicar, dies at 70
1815 José Maria Morelos Mexican revolutionary priest executed by Spaniards
1828 Rachel Jackson wife of 7th US President Andrew Jackson, dies
1863 Michael Corcoran Union Brigadier-General, dies at 36
1867 Jean-Victor Poncelet French mathematician (kinematics), dies at 79
1890 Harry Pollitt chairman British communist (1956-60), dies
1899 Dwight L Moody US evangelist (Student Volunteer Movement), dies
1908 Marie Jungius Dutch teacher/fairy tale writer, dies at 44
1913 Menelik II King of Ethiopia (1896-1913), dies at 69
1939 Ma Rainey "Mother of the Blues", US blues singer/composer, dies at 53
1945 Otto Neurath Austrian/British philosopher, dies at 63
1969 Josef von Sternberg Austrian director (Shanghai Express), dies at 75
1979 Darryl F Zanuck film producer (20th Century Fox), dies at 77
1989 Samuel Beckett Irish/French writer (Waiting for Godot, Molloy, Nobel 1969), dies at 83
1993 Don DeFore actor (George Baxter-Hazel), dies of cardiac arrest at 76
1995 Butterfly McQueen actress (Gone With the Wind), dies in a fire at 84

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1964 PARKS JOE---CEDAR LANE TX.
1965 ALCORN WENDELL R.---KITTANNING PA
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 1998]
1965 CARTWRIGHT BILLIE J.---SAN ANTONIO TX.
[REMAINS IDENTIFIED 28 NOV 94]
1965 DAIGLE GLENN H.---LABADIEVILLE LA.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1965 GOLD EDWARD F.---OAKLAND CA.
[REMAINS IDENTIFIED 01/95]
1965 LUKENBACH MAX D.---TUCSON AZ.
1965 PRUDHOMME JOHN D.---TIPP CITY OH.
1967 COOK WILMER P.---ANNAPOLIS MD.
[REMAINS RETURNED 6/21/88, BURIED AT SEA FROM SHIP NAMED FOR HIM]
1967 FORS GARY H.---PUYALLUP WA.
1967 HICKERSON JAMES M.---ATLANTA GA.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1969 BURRIS DONALD D. JR.---WAYNE PA.
1969 KENNEDY JAMES E.---PINE HILL NJ.
1972 ALLEY GERALD W.---POTACELLO ID.
REMAINS RETURNED 12/88 ID'D-06/89]
1972 BENNETT THOMAS W. JR.---NATCHEZ MS.
1972 BERNASCONI LOUIS H.---NAPA CA.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1972 CAMEROTA PETER P.---GIBBSTOWN NJ.
03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1972 CONLEE WILLIAM W.---LEMON GROVE CA.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1972 COPACK JOSEPH H. JR.---CHICAGO IL.
[REMAINS RETURNED 06/89]
1972 DRUMMOND DAVID I.---WESTWOOD NJ.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1972 GIROUX PETER J.---TRUMANSBURG NY.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV INJURED, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1972 LE BLANC LOUIS E. JR.---PROVIDENCE RI.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, DECEASED]
1972 MAYALL WILLIAM T.---LEVITTOWN NY.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1972 MORGAN GARY L.---ABILENE TX.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1972 SPONEYBARGER ROBERT C.---EMMAUS PA.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1972 WILSON WILLIAM W.---CONRAD IA.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV]
1972 YUILL JOHN H.---BOSWELL IN.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 1998]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0401 St Innocent I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
0795 Leo III succeeds pope Adrianus I
1135 Norman nobles recognize Stefanus van Blois as English king
1216 Pope Honorius III delegates degree "Religiosam vitam eligentibus"
1465 Peace of St Truiden: Louis van Bourbon becomes bishop of Luik
1536 English scholar Reginald Pole appointed cardinal
1596 Ferryboat Meuniers crashes in Paris, 150 die
1642 Pope Urbanus VIII publishes degree In eminente
1688 Pro-James II, Earl of Danby occupies York
1689 Heavy earthquake strikes Innsbruck
1715 English pretender to the throne James III lands at Peterhead
1731 Dutch people revolt against meat tax
1772 Moravian missionary constructs 1st schoolhouse west of Allegheny
1775 Continental navy organized with 7 ships
1783 Washington resigns his military commission as US Army's commander-in-chief
1790 Russian troops occupy Ismail on Turks
1807 Congress passes Embargo Act, to force peace between Britain & France
1810 British frigate Minotaur sinks killing 480
1815 Spaniards execute Mexican revolutionary priest José Maria Morelos
1862 Raid on Morgan's: Bardstown to Elizabethtown KY
1870 Jules Janssen flies in a balloon in order to study a solar eclipse
1877 "American Bicycling Journal" first published (Boston MA)
1882 1st string of Christmas tree lights created by Thomas Edison
1885 Pope Leo XIII proclaims extraordinary jubilee
1886 1st national accountants' society in US formed (New York NY)
1888 Heavyweight Boxing Champion John L Sullivan challenges Jake Kilrain
1894 French officer Alfred Dreyfus court-martialed for treason, triggers worldwide charges of anti-Semitism (Dreyfus later vindicated)
1894 United States Golf Association is formed (New York NY)
1910 US postal savings stamps 1st issued
1917 Flanders declares it's independence, under Pieter Tack
1919 Government of Ireland Act of Power (Home Rule for Ireland)
1919 US deports 250 alien radicals, including anarchist Emma Goldman
1922 Belgian parliament rejects Dutch University in Ghent
1936 1st common carrier license issued by ICC, Scranton PA
1937 Lincoln Tunnel (New York NY) opens to traffic
1939 125 die in train wreck at Magdeburg Germany; 99 die in 2nd wreck at Friedrichshafen Germany
1939 Finnish counter offensive at Petsamo
1941 Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in Washington DC for a wartime conference
1941 Japan's invasion leader lands on Luzon, Philippines
1941 Tito establishes 1st Proletarian Brigade in Yugoslavia
1943 Manufacturers get permission to use synthetic rubber for baseball core
1944 Germans demand surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium
1944 Sub Swordfish departs Pearl Harbor for Japan
1947 Italian constituent assembly adopts new constitution
1952 French government of Pinay, resigns
1956 Last British/French troops leave Egypt
1958 "Chipmunk Song" reaches #1
1959 New York Ranger goalie Marcel Paille wears a customized mask
1962 1,000,000th NBA point scored
1962 Harris County voters approve all-weather stadium for Houston Colt .45s
1962 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1963 Oakland Raider Tom Flores passes for 6 touchdowns vs Houston (52-49)
1963 Official 30-day mourning period for President John F Kennedy ends
1964 Lockheed SR-71 spy aircraft reaches 3,530 kph (record for a jet)
1965 Director David Lean's "Dr Zhivago" premieres
1965 Great-Britain sets maximum speed at 70 MPH
1968 Julie Nixon weds Dwight David Eisenhower
1969 Pete Marovich sets NCAA record of hitting 30 of 31 foul shots
1970 SS Commander Franz Stangl of Treblinka, sentenced to life imprisonment
1971 UN General Assembly ratifies Kurt Waldheim as Secretary-General
1972 6.25 earthquake strikes Managua Nicaragua, 12,000+ killed
1974 Phil Esposito, Boston, became 6th NHLer to score 500 goals
1974 2nd cease-fire between IRA & British; lasts until approximately April 1975
1976 35 Unification church couples wed in New York NY
1978 Thailand adopts constitution
1980 President-elect Reagan appoints Jean Kirkpatrick (UN delegate) & James Watt (Interior)
1980 Cardinals release outfielder Bobby Bonds
1981 Argentine General Leopoldo Galtieri sworn in as president
1981 Belgium's 5th government of Martens forms
1983 Egyptian President Mubarak meets with PLO leader Yasser Arafat
1984 Bernhard Goetz shoots 4 black youths (muggers) on a NYC subway train
1987 Mötley Crue's Nikki Sixx overdoses from Heroin
1988 2 robbers wearing police uniforms rob armored truck of $3 million in New Jersey
1988 South Africa signs accord granting independence to South-West Africa
1989 After 23 years of dictatorial rule, Romania ousts Nicolae Ceausescu
1989 Cold wave: -4ºF in Oklahoma City OK, -6ºF in Tulsa OK, -12ºF in Pittsburgh PA, -18ºF in Denver CO, -23ºF in Kansas City MO, -42ºF in Scottsbluff NE, -47ºF in Hardin MT & -60ºF in Black Hills SD
1989 Chad adopts its Constitution
1990 Iraq announces it will never give up Kuwait
1990 Lech Walesa sworn in as Poland's 1st popularly elected president
1992 Libyan MIG-23UB attacks Boeing 727 at Souk al-Sabt, 158 die
1994 Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi resigns
1996 Steelers' Kordell Stewart runs quarterback record 80 yds for TD
1997 Merck baldness pill for men approved by FDA
1997 Nancy Kerring & Tonya Harding pre-record a show to air on FOX on Feb 5

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
Arab : Ashura
México : Day of National Mourning (José Maria Morelos) (1815)
World : International Arbor Day
US : Flashlight Safety Day.
International Calendar Awareness Month

Religious Observances
Wicca : Yule sabbat
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin
Third Day of Hanukkah

Religious History
1216 Pope Honorius III officially approved the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), founded in 1216 by St. Dominic. During the Middle Ages, many leaders of European thought were Dominicans; and a good number followed Portuguese and Spanish explorers to the Americas as missionaries.
1770 Birth of Father Demetrius Gallitzin, a Dutch Catholic priest. Arriving in America in 1792, he spent his remaining years as a frontier missionary, building up the Catholic church in parts of PA, MD, VA and WV. Gallitzin became known as the "Apostle to the Alleghenies."
1804 Anglican missionary to Persia Henry Martyn wrote in his journal: 'I look forward to a day of prayer; for my soul hath great need of quickening and restoration, that it may act more in the view of eternity.'
1837 Mercer University was chartered in Penfield, Georgia under Baptist support. In 1871 the college moved its campus to Macon, Georgia.
1921 The first U.S. commercial radio license assigned to a religious broadcaster was awarded to the National Presbyterian Church of Washington, D.C. Within five years, there were over 60 other licensed religious broadcasters, including KJS_Biola (L.A.), KFUO_Concordia Seminary (St. Louis), and WMBI_Moody Bible Institute (Chicago).

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"America is a place where Jewish merchants sell Zen love beads to agnostics for Christmas."

Question of the day...
What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Murphys Law of the day...
If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which something can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop
Corollary: It will be impossible to fix the fifth fault, without breaking the fix on one or more of the others

Amazing Fact #50,001...
Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

Sam Houston Bump!

Before I give myself the treat of reading all this about Sam Houston, I just want to draw everyone's attention to his "smirk!" It is the ubiquitous TEXAN smirk! I first noticed it many years ago when visiting relatives in Texas! LOL!