Texas Revolution - The Battle of San Jacinco - Part Four

San Jacinto Monument at San Jacinto State Park near Houston, TX

The Battle of San Jacinto took place at 3:30 on the afternoon of Thursday, April 21, 1836. Prior to that time General Sam Houston learned that Martin Perfecto de Cos had crossed Vince's Bridge with about 540 troops to increase Santa Anna's forces to 1,200. Houston ordered the bridge destroyed so that no more Mexican reinforcements could arrive. This also prevented the retreat of both the Texans and the Mexicans toward Harrisburg.

Knowing the feeling of his men in their desire to wait their attack any longer, Houston held a council of war with his officers. Some wanted to wait until Santa Anna attacked, but others wanted to attack with the enemy in position. At 3:30 Houston gave the order.

Santa Anna had no lookouts posted and most of the Mexican army, including Santa Anna, were taking an afternoon siesta. The Texan forces were hidden by trees and rising ground. The armies approached on three sides. Burleson's regiment was in the center, Sherman's was on the left wing, the infantry was to Burleson's right, and the cavalry under Lamar was on the far right. The Twin Sisters (the two cannons) were in position.

At Houston's mark the army advanced on the run with the cry, "Remember the Alamo" "Remember Goliad". The battle lasted 18 minutes. According to Houston's official report 9 of 910 Texans were killed or mortally wounded with another 30 suffering wounds less serious. Houston himself received a wound to his ankle and his horse, the beautiful white stallion Sarazan, was killed. 630 Mexicans were killed and 730 taken prisoner. A large arsenal, provisions, livestock, clothing, tents, and $12,000 in silver were captured.

Santa Anna disappeared during the battle. He was repudiated to have been in his tent with a captured Mulatto woman named Emily West Morgan. He was found the next day when he was rounded up with other prisoners. He was dirty and dressed as a common soldier. Until some of the prisoners addressed him as "el presidente" it was not know that Santa Anna was among the captured men.

The legend of the Yellow Rose of Texas (Click on this link to read the lyrics and hear the music. However, at the bottom of this page there is perhaps a more accurate account of how the song came to be.) came as a reference to Emily West. She was an indentured servant of a James Morgan and had been captured. Much lore has been written of her. A hotel in San Antonio, the Emily Morgan, is named after her. In tribute to her the song, "The Yellow Rose of Texas", was written. Other tributes are awarded this woman ... I have a document (framed and hanging on my wall), signed by then Governor George W. Bush, commissioning me Yellow Rose of Texas as a tribute for being the wife of a retired U. S. Navy officer. At his retirement, my ex-husband (and other naval officers) was commissioned into the Texas Navy. As you can tell Texans are, perhaps inordinately, proud of their heritage.

Below is one of eight inscriptions at the base of the San Jacinto Monument which further explains the significance of the the Texas Revolution that led to the shaping of the United States of America.

"Measured by its results, San Jacinto was one of the decisive battles of the world. The freedom of Texas from Mexico won here led to annexation^qv and to the Mexican War,^qv resulting in the acquisition by the United States of the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Almost one-third of the present area of the American nation, nearly a million square miles of territory, changed sovereignty."

After the Battle of San Jacinto all Texans began immediately returning to their homes and began rebuilding their lives and what would eventually become the great state of Texas.

The End ... No, the Beginning!

Resource: "Battle of San Jacinto" Handbook of Texas Online and Yellow Rose of Texas (showing a more detailed research into the Legend)