battle of san jacinto

[ElHombre]

considering that today is the 169th anniversary of the battle, i thought i might put this up for y'all.


april, 1836 opened with a bleak strategic situation for the anglo settlers and their tejano allies in the rebelling mexican state of texas. two mexican armies were advancing along roads parallel to the texas coast. mexican commander-in-chief antonio lopez de sant anna perez de lebron had stolen a march on the rebels and had retaken the old town of san antonio de bexar before the texians had even known he was coming. a thirteen day siege of texian forces trapped in the spanish mission known as the alamo had ended with the deaths of the entire defending force, approx 200 men and many cannon, being slaughtered in a 6th of march morining assault by santa anna's army.

the situation along the coast was even worse. mexican general jose de urrea had led a lightning fast advance along the atacosita road. his group had smashed every texian force it encountered. a 400-man texian force stationed at the presidio la bahia at goliad and led by col. james fannin had tried to escape to the east, but had been outmanuevered by urrea and forced to surrender after the battle of coleto creek. the men were marched back to the presidio where santa anna had ordered their execution. 382 men, twice the size of the force at the alamo, were massacred on march 27, Palm Sunday.

the twin military disasters provoked the reaction among the anglo colonists that santa anna had hoped for. they ran. in what is known as the 'runaway scape', texian women and children ran for the safety of the louisiana border. among them was the last remaining organized army the texians had left. a 1400-man army under gen. sam houston had begun an easterly retreat away from the invading armies. much of this army was made up of the texian colonists. in one of the ironies of history, most of the forces at the alamo and goliad had been made up of newcomers with a small leavaning of texian and tejano volunteers. the texian colonists had been divided among themsleves over how to deal with santa anna's threat. they were now awakended to the danger to themselves and their families by sanat anna's policy of brutality. they flocked to houston in the hope of winning independence and gaining revenge. they were to be disappointed. houston's policy of retreat angered many of them and they desterted in droves, returning to their families. a bare 500-man army remained with houston when he made camp at groce's plantation on the eastern side of the brazos river. there they spent the next two weeks recovering and drilling. at the end of the two weeks, the army broke camp and houston had them continue the retreat. his intention was to retreat as close to the border as he could, even crossing it.

but the situation for the texians was not as bleak as it seemed. santa anna had wasted the cream of his army in the alamo assault. more importantly, they were now far from their bases south of the rio grande. logistics had never been an inportant consideration to santa anna. most camp duties were performed by soldaderas. soldier's women. these were the wives, mistresses, sisters, and children of the mexican army and no soldado would dream of going on campaign without them. since santa anna did not bother to include doctors in his army, the soldaderas were the only chance a wounded or sick soldier had. most of the time it was not enough. most of the soldiers wounded at the alamo later died of their wounds. the further east the army marched, the worse the logistical situation got. another factor was the land itself. texas weather and terrain exacted a cruel punishment on the unprepared. floods and rains took their toll. by the time the mexican army reached the eastern portions of texas, logistics were near the breaking point.

the heavily wooded terrain of eastern texas also cancelled out one of the mexicans greatest strengths, its cavalry. even the texians were the first to admit that even the lowliest tejano auxilary was a far better horseman than anthing the texians could muster. the mexican infantry, while brave and capable of withstanding great punishment (witness their conduct in the alamo assaualt, not one soldado ran away, even when being hit with grape shot from the numerous cannon), was badly equipped and led. powder for the muskets was often little better than charcoal. their officers drank from expensice imported crystal while the common troops scrounged for a meal.

of far greater consequence was the disposition of the mexican army. santa anna had no idea where houston and his army might be. he had to find houston before he could crush him and return to mexico city and heroic accolades. he had spent days after the victory at san antonio dallying. houston had used this time to retreat further into east texas. santa anna split his army into 3 groups. he would lead one of these in a pursuit of the texian army. the army would reunite at Old Fort on the lower brazos river. when combined, the army would number 3,400 men-over 3 times the size of houston's force.

as the mexican army began its hunt for houston and his army, houston was having problems implementing his own plans. his army did not want to retreat. the rank and file of the army were wanting revenge for the slaughters at the alamo and goliad. houston became an object of scorn to his men. many talked of replacing him with a commander who would take the offensive. the retreat came to a halt on april 16 at a crossroads. the texian army turned away from the safety of the retreat and towards harrisburg, houston tagging along towards the rear, followed silently.

meanwhile, santa anna had reached Old Fort with the advance guard of his army. he learned that the texian interim government was in harrisburg, 30 miles away. reacting quickly, he personally led a detachment of 500 men to march quickly and attempt the capture of the rebel government. he entered harrisburg on april 15 only to find it burned and that the texian gov't had just left. the mexican cavalry took off in pursuit but just missed the texians. the government had just taken off in boats to galeston island, texas' major port and the source of the rebel supplies and manpower.

good scouting lended its hand to houston. erasmus 'deaf' smith captured a mexican courier with dispatches. reading these, houston learned of santa anna's location and the size of the force with him. santa anna had delivered to houston the one chance of victory in this war. houston lept at it. the texians raced towards Lynch's Ferry. the first ones there would get to choose the ground over which to fight. houston won and santa anna received a rude surprise in finding the 900-man texian army camped in the woods of buffalo bayou. the mexican army pitched camp about 3/4 mile away and started building breatworks around their suddenly vulnerable camp. cavalry and infantry skirmishing on april 20 accomplished nothing and both sides settled in. the texians wondered once again why didn't houston order an immeadiate attack. both armies waited for dawn the next day...

[ElHombre]

continued...


the texian army awoke to reville early the next morning, april 21st, ready to seek their immeadiate revenge. the cavalry skirmish the previous day had done nothing more than serve as a reminder that the texians were still hopelessly outclassed by their mexican counterparts. today, they were sure, things would be different. rifles were checked and made ready. knives and bayonets were sharpened. their general did not join them. exhausted from the march in which he had spent almost entirely in the saddle, houston left explicit orders not to be disturbed. the men were furious. santa anna waited with a mere 500 men barely 3/4 of a mile away. at a near panic at the discovery of the 900-man rebel army, santa anna had dispatched messengers to his army to move quickly to his aid. his troops then spent the entire evening building a makeshift barricade out of boxes and saddles in preparation for the attack which they was sure to come at first light. nothing happened. texians were wondering if their general would ever launch an attack. the time to strike was now, before reinforcements arrived to bolster the mexicans. nothing came of this and the texians could only gnash their teeth in frustration as their fears marched into the mexican camp. general cos, santa anna's brother-in-law who had lost san antonio to the rebels in december, 1835, had made a grueling, overnight march to his commander's aid with some 540 troops, bringing santa anna's total manpower to some 1200 troops. the mexican force now outnumbered the texians. adding to the frustration of the texians was the fact that more troops were undoubtedly on the way, while the texians were as strong as they were likely to get. while the texians cursed, it was all the mexicans could do to stay awake. the original force had stayed awake all night laboring on the barricades while cos's reinforcements had just completed an all-night forced march. all were dead on their feet but made ready for the coming battle that would surely arrive in the morning.

the mexican forces consisted of a number of different units. the mexican army was often divided into four different classes. the first were the Permanente units of infantry and cavalry. these were the regular troops of the mexican army, raised and paid for by the central government. they took their names from heroes of the mexican revolution against spain. the infantry permanente battalions at san jacinto carried the names of Guererro, Matatmoros, & Aldama. the next group consisted of the Activos, the territorial militia funded by the government. they would often be augmented by full-time regulars and in any case had been on active duty for so long that they had become de-facto regulars. they would take the names of their hometowns or states. the infantry battalion of Toluca had made the march with santa anna. the infantry battalions were organized along napoleonic lines. the fusilero line troops were armed with the famed british .75-caliber "Brown Bess" infantry musket. two companies of each battalion were designated as cazadores, the light troops used for skirmishing. the best marksmen among the battalions were armed with .61-caliber Baker rifles and were excellent shots with them. the infantry were dressed in either hard-worn blue uniforms with red trim and white leather belts in the napoleonic fashion, or the more practical white cotton fatigue uniform which was far more practical for the weather. there were also well-trained sappers called zapapdores, but these were not at san jacinto as they had been decimated in the alamo assault.

mexican cavalry came in either permanente, activo, or two additional types, the presidio and rancheros. the presidio troopers manned the frontier forts against indian attacks, a major problem for both sides during the revolution. supplementing them were the auxiliary horsemen recruited from the cattle ranches found throughout much of tejano texas. they knew the terrain well and were one of the major reasons santa anna was able to surprise the texans back at san antonio. the regular army troopers were outfitted in brilliant red tunics trimmed in green and gold. other units made do with the more common blue-and-red outfits. all were armed with sabre, british Paget carbines, and the feared lance. mexican light cavalrymen had run down men at the alamo who had tried to escape using this lance, and the texians had learned to respect it. the regiment of Toluca cavalry, about 50 cavalry, were at san jacinto.

the final element of the mexican army was the artillery. santa anna had brought a single 12-pound brass gun with him to san jacinto. it was located in the center of the barricade and was loaded with brass grapeshot and horseshoes. it was called 'the golden standard.'

at noon, houston called for a council of war among his officers. what happened there remains a question. his supporters say that houston called for an attack. his detractors (and there were many) claimed that he had to be goaded into attacking. the truth has been debated endlessly and will most likely never be known. in any case, houston sent his most able scout, Erasmus "Deaf" Smith, and six other men to destroy Vince's Bridge. this lay 5 miles away and was the route from which any further mexican reinforcements would come. "come back like eagles, or you will be too late for the day." was houston's cryptic remark.

the battlefield is easy enough to describe. the land was part of widow peggy mccormick's ranch and was marshland for the most part. the san jacinto river ran along the east side, flowing south. buffalo bayou was located to the field's north with the texian's camp along its shore. houston had a number of barges along its length in case the texians needed to make a hasty retreat. trees ran along both of these shores. to the south lay the mexican camp with trees, marshland, and Peggy's lake to their rear, blocking easy retreat. vince's bridge lay 5 miles to the west. the two camps were separated by about 3/4 mile of tall prairie grass and a rise of the ground running east-west along the middle of the field, blocking vision.

by 4, the texian army had drawn up in two lines. in the center was the cincinnati artillery. this was a two-cannon battery of six-pound guns that were a gift from the city of the same name. they had been smuggled to the texians and had been in their possession for only two weeks. the texians were so short of powder that they couldn't even afford to test them. they were nicknamed the 'twin sisters' after two women in the steamboat which delivered them. on the far right of the line, hidden by a group of trees, was the texian cavalry under newly-promoted col. lamar. he had demonstrated such heroism the day before in the skirmish action that houston promoted him on the spot. to the east were the regular troops under col. millard. the 'twin sisters' lay on his left, followed by the 1st regiment of volunteers under col. burleson with col. sherman's 2nd regiment anchoring the left of the line along the trees of the san jacinto river's shoreline. houston mounted his horse and took his place at the head of the line.

the units themselves contained an odd assortment of men. townsmen dressed in coats and hats stood shoulder to shoulder with rough frontiersmen in their buckskins. headgear ran everything from coonskin caps to wide-brimmed felt hats to straw sombreros borrowed from tejanos. there were lawyers and doctors, educated men, illiterate men, even at least one black freedman. along the left were the 19 men of the 9th company/ 2nd regiment. these were the tejanos under captain Juan Seguin's company. houston had originally ordered them to stay behind and guard the camp. houston realized that the coming battle would get ugly and that the texians might not take time out to recogize friend from foe. seguin coldly told houston that not all his men were there. many had fallen at the alamo and goliad. they hated santanistas as much as any man in the army and were determined to get their revenge. "Spoken like a man." was houston's reply and assigned them a place in the line. a precaution was taken. houston ordered that bits of cardboard be placed in their hatbands to identify them. all were armed with a variety of rifles and muskets.

while the texians readied for battle, santa anna told his men to stand down and get some badly needed rest. if the norteamericanos had not attacked by this late in the day, his professional opinion said they were not likely to do so now. exhausted, the soldados went to their tents and went to sleep. there were few men at the barricade and no advanced pickets were sent out to watch the texians. santa anna joined them in this siesta. legend has it that he was kept 'occupied' by the attentions of Emily Morgan, a slave from a New Washington plantation that the mexicans had burned. she was the 'Yellow Rose of Texas' of legend.

col. sherman advanced the 2nd regiment below the bluff and among the trees of the san jacinto river. the reast of the line advanced towards to sleeping mexican army. they were concealed by the fold of ground and the tall grass. the cavalry began a feint on the maxican's left flank, hoping to draw their attention. at 4:30, the 2nd regiment emerged from the trees and found themselves at the mexican camp. the rest of the army advanced to within 2-300 yards before the alarm was raised. surprise was total. the 'twin sisters' took up position and began firing, advancing to within 70 yards of the mexican line. col. sherman took up the cry: "Remember the Alamo! Remeber Goliad!" the regulars and the 1st regiment fired one careful volley at houston's orders. as he ordered them to reload, Seceratary of War Rusk rode ahead and said, "Don't stop now, boys! Give 'em hell!" the texians charged.

the mexican cannon fired two rounds before the texians were over the barricade and captured it. mexican officers tried to organize their men, but there was no time. texians were overrunning the camp. many soldados ran. a few put up a valiant resistance. General Castrillon stood at the cannon directing its crew, but they were soon killed by rifle fire. as the rest fled the field, they called on their commander to join them, but he refused. "I have been in forty battles and never showed my back. I am too old to do it now." he then turned to face the onslaught. rusk started to knock away the rifles aiming at the general, trying to spare his life. other rifles barked their reply and castrillon, riddled with rifle fire, fell dead.

the battle was over in 18 minutes. the slaughter then began. fleeing soldados ran for their lives. ones caught in the camp were killed, including women and children. more than a few troops were scalped. those fleeing to the south ran into peggy's lake. texians catching up to them then began to pick them off as they were unarmed in the water. here and there, some texians tried to stop the slaughter, but to no avail. the texians were mad with bloodlust and thirsted for vengeance. even tejanos were affected. one mexican officer pleaded with a tejano acquaintance from san antonio. his answer was a cold glare and a command to his anglo comrades to fire.

approximately 650 mexicans died, most in peggy's lake. 700 more escaped and were captured over the next two days. texian casualties were 9 dead and 30 wounded. houston had lost two horses and taken a brass cannister round from the mexican cannon in his ankle. santa anna had grabbed a horse dresssed only in his nightshirt and had abandoned the army which he had led to its doom. houston ordered his army to round up prisoners. santa anna had not been among the captured and without him, the whole battle would be for naught. the rest of the mexican army was still out there. the texian army would still not be able to fight them off. this concerned him to such an extent that when a group of prisoners were brought up, houston at first thought it was the rest of the mexican force. the next day, sgt. james sylvester found a ragged soldado in the swamp. the prisoner was rounded up and brought back to the texian camp. as he passed by other captured soldiers, they started to salute and call out, "El Presidente!" santa anna, the Napoleon of the West, had been caught. the victory was complete.

fearing for his life, santa anna was brought before the wounded houston. many wanted santa anna hung from the nearest tree. houston had other ideas. the politician in him realized that santa anna alive could end the war. santa anna dead would just be another corpse. houston made santa anna a bargain. in exchange for his life, santa anna would dispatch orders to the rest of his army to retreat across the rio grande. santa anna agreeed.

at Old Fort, the rest of the mexican army received word of santa anna's defeat. the officer commanding, vicente filisola called a council of the generals. most wanted to renew the attack, but filisola realized the mexicans were already beyond the end of their rope. supplies were running out. the texas navy prevented any more from reaching them by sea. commanche indians had made off with stockpiles made on land. he would retreat closer to victoria and renew the campaign after a short rest and refitting. they never had the chance. during the retreat, texas weather struck. the roads turned to mud, it rained constantly. men became sick and without proper medical help, died. the amry became a disorganized mob. recognizing this, filisola retreated all the way to matamoros. aside from raids, no mexican army occupied texas again.

it is a mistake to think that texas won its independence on april 21st, 1836. santa anna's bungling began the downward spiral that eventually caused texas, california, and new mexico to be annexed by the US. if anything was to be learned, it was the importance of logistics, a subject which santa anna could not seem to understand. by the 1830's, mexico was beginning to lose control over its northern half. those from the US were more than happy to take it over.