Texas became a separate and unique country when it declared its independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos, but it took another forty days for the Texians to finally finish off Santa Anna’s Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto. The final military event of the Texas Revolution took only twenty minutes. The Texas Army consisted of roughly 900 soldiers who changed the course of Texas history forever.
Frontiersmen Plan to Surprise the Mexican Army
If it weren’t for those few hundred ragtag, squirrel-shooting frontiersmen, Texas might still be within the boundaries of Mexico today. But after suffering defeat at the Alamo in San Antonio, Sam Houston garnered this hardy bunch and followed General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna more than 150 miles across the wilderness from Gonzales to San Jacinto. They were determined to avenge the deaths of their countrymen at the Alamo, and cleverly decided to take advantage of the Mexicans’ tradition of an afternoon siesta. Without time to form their traditional battle lines and defend themselves, the Mexicans went scrambling for cover when the Texian artillery opened fire at the top of a ridge and descended upon their camp.
A Surprise Attack during Siesta
Lamar’s Cavalry, Millard’s Regulars, Hockley’s Artillery, Burleson’s First Regiment and Sherman’s Second Regiment were advancing in a line with their famous “Twin Sisters” cannons in the middle. The only ammunition available was “musket balls, broken glass, and horseshoes” according to the Handbook of Texas. The Texians swarmed the camp with shouts of “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Goliad”. After a few minutes nearly half of the Mexican Army lay dead on the field. The remaining troops were quickly captured, and the following day their leader Santa Anna was also captured. Texas had vanquished its enemy and become a nation.
The San Jacinto Battlefield and Monument
Today, the San Jacinto battleground area encompasses at least 1,200 acres and has been designated a State Historical Park. The San Jacinto Monument is the tallest masonry structure in America, topping the Washington Monument by at least twelve feet. It is also the world’s tallest war memorial. Thousands of visitors picnic at the battlegrounds and visit the Museum each year to enjoy more than 17,000 historical objects on display as well as an elevator trip to the top of the monument.
On the base of the San Jacinto Monument there is an inscription that reads: "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."
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