The Battle of San Jacinto occurred at the junction of Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River (Houston, Texas area) on the afternoon of April 21, 1836.  On that day, as 1,500 Mexican soldiers took their customary mid-day siestas, three-quarters of a mile away, General Sam Houston disposed his forces in battle order.  After the order, the Texan soldiers quietly crept closer to the Mexican camp, shielded by trees and a rise in terrain.  After the command of “advance” was issued, the Texans shouted “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Goliad” as they charged into the Mexican camp.  The battle lasted 18 minutes, but reports say the Texans pursued and killed the retreating Mexicans for hours more.  After the smoke cleared, nearly 700 Mexicans were slain, with another  730 taken as prisoners.  Only nine of the 900 Texans were killed or mortally wounded.  The next day, Mexican General Santa Anna was captured and the battle for Texas was won.  According to the inscription on the base of the monument, “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 and to the Mexican War, 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.

From the Baytown Sun –  Compiled by: Jeff Scheldt

November 3, 2013

I have found out recently there was “The Second Battle of the Alamo.”  It seems on October 3, 1839, in Mier, Mexico, Santa Anna, after the loss of  Texas, fights to stay in power.  Along the Rio Grande, Mexican rebels rally to form their own nation and Texans crossed the border to help.  Flying the Lone Star flag, 231 Texans joined the Mexican rebels to push the government troops out of Mier.  In hot pursuit, the rebels catch the centralists outside of town at the Alcantro, or Alamo River.  After a fierce battle lasting two days, the centralists give in – surrendering not to the Mexicans, but to the Texans.  At the battle of the Alamo River, Santa Anna’s troops lost 150 men, the Texans only two.  Texans won the Mexican battle of the Alamo 174 years ago, this month in Texas history.  There is more information at “savetexashistory.org. 

kommonsentsjane