3. Disaster!
Texas has declared war on Mexico! After the Battle of the Alamo saw
Texas suffer its’ worst defeat yet, thousands of Texian colonists ore
fleeing Santa Anna’s forces. The only thing standing between Santa
Anna and all of Texas is the ragtag Texas army, and its’ equally ragtag
leader General Sam Houston. All of Texas is hanging by a thread. If
these defeats continue, it is only a matter of time before…
The Revolution Ends
4. The Runaway Scrape
Five days after the fall of the Alamo, General Sam Houston arrived in Gonzales to take
command of the Texan troops there. The situation looked grim, and only became
worse two days later. On March 13, 1836, a group of Texan scouts led by Erastus
"Deaf" Smith encountered Alamo survivors Susanna Dickinson and Joe, an enslaved
person held by William Travis, on the road. It was then that the Texans learned that
the Alamo had fallen and all 200 of its’ defenders had been killed. Gonzales was
shocked, and Houston was left with a choice: Try to meet Santa Anna head-on, as the
Alamo defenders had done, or retreat to a safe place to train his army and wait for the
right opportunity. Houston chose to retreat and abandon Gonzales, a move which he
was heavily criticized for, but his army escaped the Mexican advance and headed
west. Behind them, they burned Gonzales and San Felipe de Austin to keep them out
of Santa Anna’s hands. There was no going back now. Thousands of Texan civilians
followed the army, fleeing the Mexicans. This mass exodus became known as the
“Runaway Scrape”.
5. Spotlight: Sam Houston: Part 1
Perhaps the most important figure in the early days of
Texas, General Sam Houston was a man of
contradictions. Born in Virginia in 1793, Houston ran
away from home when he was 16 and ended up living
with the Cherokee tribe, where he was adopted by the
Cherokee Chief Oolooteka and given the name Colonneh,
or "the Raven”. He joined the US Army during the War of
1812 and was nearly killed at the Battle of Horseshoe
Bend under General Andrew Jackson, earning a shoulder
wound that would never fully heal. While he was
recovering, he became a US Indian Agent assigned to
help the Cherokee, as recent US laws had ordered them
to be removed from their native lands to the American
West. However, Houston’s sympathetic attitude toward
the Cherokee and Oolooteka’s band in particular
infuriated Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, who forced
Houston to resign. Houston then entered politics, and
eventually became the governor of Tennessee in 1827.
6. Spotlight: Sam Houston: Part 2
However, Houston’s political career came
crashing down in 1829 after he married Eliza
Allen. After only eleven weeks, he and Allen
were divorced, and rumor abounded as to
what scandal had caused it. Neither Houston
nor Allen ever spoke of it, but for the rest of
his life Houston would valiantly defend Allen’s
honor if anyone tried to blame her. Amidst
public scrutiny, an exhausted Houston
resigned from office and went to Oklahoma to
live with the Cherokee, drinking so heavily
they nicknamed him “Big Drunk”. However, he
soon rebounded and helped the Cherokee keep
the peace with the American government,
earning himself Cherokee citizenship and a
marriage to Diana Rogers Gentry, a Cherokee
7. Spotlight: Sam Houston: Part 3
Houston eventually grew bored of his life
with the Cherokee, and for reasons
unknown he left his wife behind for a life in
Texas in 1832. Around this time Houston
became a slaveholder, purchasing the
enslaved man Tom Blue whom he would
keep enslaved for almost 30 years. Houston
became embroiled in the fight for Texas
Independence, representing Nacogdoches in
the Conventions of 1833 and later 1836 and
in the Consultation of 1835. After the Battle
of Gonzales, Houston was elected the leader
of the Texas Army. Following the disaster at
The Alamo, Houston found himself and his
army the only thing standing between Santa
Anna and the people of Texas…
8. The Battle of Coleto Creek
In the city of Goliad, Texan Colonel James Fannin received orders from
Houston to evacuate. He delayed, however, trying to hold the Presidio La
Bahia, which had been captured early on in the war. When he finally
retreated on March 19, he began the march to Victoria without the
necessary supplies for such a long journey, and moved at such a slow pace
that Mexican troops led by General Jose de Urrea caught up to them. The
Texans were forced to defend themselves in an open prairie, with no cover
and no shelter from the Mexican guns. The Texans formed a square
formation and attempted to hold out through the night, but by morning
they knew the situation was hopeless. Fannin, wounded during the battle
and hoping to secure good treatment for his wounded, surrendered on
March 20. The prisoners were taken back to Goliad in chains.
9. The Goliad Massacre
James Fannin and his Texans were kept in chains for weeks while the Mexican
generals debated what to do with them. General Urrea, who had taken them prisoner,
had promised to treat them well, and he tried to stood by his promise. However, when
Santa Anna heard that the Texans had been taken alive, he was furious. In his eyes,
you could take soldiers alive, but rebels, like the Texans, needed to be executed on
the spot. Urrea tried to protect the Texan prisoners, but in the end it was no use. On
Palm Sunday, March 27 1836, Lt. Colonel José Nicolás de la Portilla marched the 430
Texan prisoners out of Presidio La Bahia in three columns onto a nearby road. There,
the Mexican troops opened fire, killing most of the Texans immediately. Any survivors
were stabbed or clubbed to death. The 39 wounded Texans who could not walk were
shot back at the Presidio, while a horrified Colonel Fannin was forced to watch. Finally,
Fannin himself was executed. He asked before he died that he be shot in the heart
and given a proper burial. Instead, he was shot in the face.
10. Spotlight: Francita Alavez
Even in war, compassion can be found in unlikely places.
After the Battle of Coleto Creek, the Mexican Army
marched their prisoners back to the Presidio La Bahia in
Goliad. Captain Telesforo Alavez, one of the Mexican
officers, brought his wife, Francita, along during their
occupation of the fort. Francita helped care for the
wounded Texans and fought for them to be treated well.
When she heard that the prisoners at Goliad were to be
executed, she teamed up with the Mexican Colonel
Francisco Garay to arrange for 20 Texans to be spared
so they could work as interpreters and doctors for the
Mexicans. When she could save no more through legal
means, she snuck into the presidio the night before the
Goliad Massacre and rescued several more Texan
soldiers, hiding them until the Massacre was over. For
her incredible bravery and compassion she became
known as “The Angel of Goliad”, and years later was
welcomed when she returned to Texas to live out the
rest of her life.
11. Fallout of Goliad
When news of the Goliad Massacre reached the Texas Army, all heck
broke loose. Houston was accused of being a coward for abandoning
Fannin and his men in order to retreat. In Washington-on-the-Brazos,
President David Burnet and the Consultation packed up and fled town,
making for the island of Galveston on the Texas coast. Thousands of
Texan citizens followed them. Houston knew that his troops were
undisciplined, so as they marched he made a point of spending as
much time as possible training them. As they retreated, Houston’s army
finally began to learn discipline. But they had to learn fast- on March 29
Santa Anna’s army finally left San Antonio to chase Houston down.
12. Harrisburg
On April 15, Santa Anna’s army entered the city of Harrisburg to begin
a brief occupation. Houston saw an opportunity in this, as his army was
looking much more disciplined and might just be prepared to take on
Santa Anna. On April 18, Houston’s army arrived outside Harrisburg. As
they did, Deaf Smith managed to capture a Mexican courier carrying
information on Santa Anna’s plans. Houston was thrilled to learn that
Santa Anna’s forces were much smaller than he had expected. As Santa
Anna’s army began to depart Harrisburg, Houston quickly called his
men together and gave a short but rousing speech before leading his
army in pursuit. However, Houston’s words would ring in the ears of his
troops for many years to come: “Remember the Alamo. Remember
Goliad!”
14. The Battle of San Jacinto
On April 20, 1836, Santa Anna stopped his army near the San Jacinto
River and told his army to make camp for the night. The position was
exposed, and bordered on one side by a marsh and by woods on
another. When Houston saw this, he immediately knew the Texans had
a chance. Two small skirmishes occurred overnight, and in the morning
of April 21 General Martín Perfecto de Cos arrived with troops to
reinforce Santa Anna. A battle was inevitable, and even though the
Texans were outnumbered by 1,200 Mexican troops to 800 Texans (3
to 2), Houston believed the Texans held the tactical advantage. At 4:30
in the afternoon, the Texans opened fire with the Twin Sisters, two
cannons donated by the city of Cincinnati. The Battle of San Jacinto had
begun.
15. The Battle of San Jacinto
Almost immediately after the Twin Sisters fired, the Texan ranks lost all of
their hard-learned discipline as they charged randomly at the Mexicans,
shouting “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!” The Mexican troops
were caught off guard by the randomness of it, and Santa Anna and his
officers began shouting orders that contradicted each other. The battle
became absolute chaos as the Texans chased the Mexican troops across the
battlefield into the marsh. Mexican soldiers panicked and, trying to escape
from the vengeful Texans, drowned in the marsh. The battlefield rang with
cries of “Me no Alamo!” as cornered Mexican soldiers begged for their lives.
Houston tried to get control of his men, but it was no use. The Texan
soldiers slaughtered hundreds of retreating Mexicans as they took their
revenge for the Alamo. During the chaos, Santa Anna escaped.
17. The Capture
In the late hours of April 21, Sam Houston, who was recovering from a
slight wound to his ankle, was horrified to see hundreds of Mexican
soldiers streaming into his camp. He cried that all was lost, but one of
his men quickly corrected him- these men were prisoners of war. It was
then that Houston learned that the Battle of San Jacinto had been won
by the Texans. However, Santa Anna was still missing. Meanwhile,
Texan soldiers had captured a man dressed in the uniform of a Mexican
Private. However, when they brought him to the other Mexican
prisoners, the prisoners began saluting him, much to the exasperation
of the “Private”, who was actually a disguised Santa Anna. The Mexican
dictator had been captured at last.
18. The Capture of Santa Anna. Houston lays on the ground, wounded, as Santa Anna is
brought before him.
19. The Treaties of Velasco
Santa Anna was kept prisoner for weeks, as Texas gradually began to
recover from the war. President David Burnet left Galveston and joined Sam
Houston in negotiating a full Mexican surrender from Santa Anna. The
surrender was finalized in The Treaties of Velasco. There were two
treaties, one public and one secret between Santa Anna and Texas. The
public treaty stated that Santa Anna would never fight against Texas again
and that all Mexican troops would leave Texas, returning all Texan property
they had confiscated to its’ rightful owners. The secret treaty said that
Santa Anna would be returned to Mexico in exchange for convincing the
Mexican government to recognize Texas’ Independence and its’ border at
the Rio Grande River. Santa Anna returned to Mexico with his troops,
escorted by the newly created Texas Navy.
20. The Beginning of Texas
For a time, Santa Anna was true to his word. He tried to convince the
Mexican Government to recognize Texas’ independence, but they
refused. They also rejected the claim that Texas’ southern border was
the Rio Grande River, claiming it was instead the Nueces River to the
North. Both of these failures would lead to more conflict between Texas
and Mexico in the future. However, for now Texas was free. The
Constitution of the Republic of Texas went into effect, creating a formal
national government. Texas was officially its’ own country.
