Texians in Conflict
Stephen F. Austin
Empresario StephenF. Austin was a reluctant general. Following the Gonzales “Come-and-Take-It” fight, he found himself elected commander of the “Volunteer Army of the People of Texas.” He had always had a delicate constitution and his stint in Mexican prisons had further wrecked his health. Even so, he understood that none but he could provide moral authority and accepted the post. In addition to his enfeebled condition, the 42-year-old Virginia native found restraining inebriated recruits frustrating. During the Siege of Béxar, he implored provisional government officials — “In the name of Almighty God, send no more ardent spirits into this camp.”
James Bowie
There was more to James Bowie than his eponymous knife. The 1827 Sand Bar Fight darkened his reputation. Despite being seriously wounded, he still killed his opponent with his large knife. He later orchestrated shady land deals and found it expedient to transfer to Texas, where he married Ursula Veramendi, the daughter of a prominent Tejano family. Losing his family to cholera in 1833, he took to the bottle. He fell ill during the Alamo siege, but died fighting from his sick bed. Learning of her son’s death, his mother reflected, “I’ll wager they found no bullets in his back.”
David Crockett
When David Crockett (he never liked the name, “Davy”) rode into the Alamo, he was among the most recognized men in North America. Citizens chuckled at his home-spun yarns, marveled at his hunting abilities, and argued his politics. He went to Congress as one of Andrew Jackson’s “common men,” but once there turned against the president’s Indian policy. “Old Hickory” swore to destroy Crockett—and he did. Trounced in what he considered a rigged election, Crockett told his constituents they could “go to hell, and I would go to Texas.” And he did. Already celebrated, in death he became legend.
Martín and Patricia de León
The de León’s were the original Tejano power couple. Married in 1795, they founded the Victoria Colony in 1824 and launched a cattle empire. Indeed, local Indians called Martín, "Capitán Vacas Muchas" ("Captain Plenty of Cows"). In 1833, Martin died, leaving Patricia, four sons, six daughters, and an estate worth half a million dollars. Doña Patricia struggled to preserve her family amid the turmoil of the Texas Revolution. Following the war, mounting ethnic tensions forced her into exile in Louisiana. She returned to Victoria in 1844 and died in 1849. De León descendants still live in South Texas.
Lorenzo de Zavala
After serving time in a Spanish prison for openly proclaiming democratic views and then subsequently holding a seat in the Spanish legislature and in Mexico’s senate, the signature of Lorenzo de Zavala stood in familiar company on the Texas Declaration of Independence. Fluent in multiple languages, known as a consummate diplomat, a prolific writer and observer, his rise to the vice presidency of the Republic of Texas struck Texans none-so-shockingly as his rapid descent into illness. On October 17th, 1836, only five months after the signing of the Treaty of Velasco, which ended the Texas Revolution, de Zavala resigned the vice-presidency. A month later he was buried in a family cemetery on Buffalo Bayou.
Susanna Wilkerson Dickinson
Tennessee native Susanna Dickinson gained fame as the “Messenger of the Alamo.” On May 24, 1829, at the age of fifteen, she married Almaron Dickinson. Two years later, the couple arrived in Mexican Texas. In 1836, Susanna and her infant daughter, Angelina, remained inside the Alamo fort during the 13-day siege and final assault—during which Almaron perished. Santa Anna insisted that the 22-year-old widow deliver a message to her fellow Texians: All who opposed him would share the fate of the Alamo garrison. She subsequently rode to Gonzales where she confirmed the fort’s fall to General Sam Houston.
James Walker Fannin, Jr.
Sam Houston described James Fannin as an “ill-fated man.” Born in 1804, the Georgian attended West Point but dropped out. In 1834, Fannin immigrated to Texas. While he acted the plantation owner, he was actually a slave trader. In 1835, Fannin fought at the battle of Concepción. In 1836, he commanded the Goliad garrison. Completely outgeneraled by Mexican commander José Urrea, he ordered a retreat—but too late. Urrea defeated Fannin at the battle of Coleto Creek and took the Texan prisoners back to Goliad. There, on March 27, Mexican soldiers executed Fannin and most of his command.
Samuel Houston
Sam Houston possessed a keen sense of history—and his place in it. Teenage rebellion and a later bout with heartbreak led Sam Houston to twice leave American society and seek refuge in Cherokee communities. Living in Nacogdoches at the outbreak of revolution, Houston’s reputation as congressman and governor of Tennessee, and participation in the War of 1812 singled him out for leadership. In November 1835 Houston was named major general of the Texas army, and would lead the charge against Santa Anna and the Mexican army at San Jacinto — the final battle of the Texas Revolution. As first president of the Republic of Texas, Houston worked to ensure its recognition by the U.S. and eventual annexation.
Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar
Mirabeau Lamar—wife dead, dreams shattered—came to Texas to begin life anew. But he had to fight for that fresh start. On April 20th, 1836, Private Lamar distinguished himself in the skirmish preceding the battle of San Jacinto. Fighting on horseback, the Georgia cavalier rescued comrades that enemy lancers had surrounded. One was Walter P. Lane, a future Confederate general; the other was Secretary of War and future senator, Thomas Jefferson Rusk. Mexican cavalrymen, admirers of audacious horsemanship, applauded as Lamar rode away. He reined in, spun his charger, and acknowledged their tribute with a gracious bow. General Sam Houston promoted Lamar to colonel on the spot and the next day he led Texian horsemen to glory. His valor at San Jacinto secured his future in Texas politics.
Benjamin Rush Milam
On December 4, 1835, Colonel Ben Milam discovered the Texian army abandoning the Siege of Béxar. Milam charged into General Edward Burleson’s tent demanding explanation. Burleson had been forced to yield to the demands of the war council. But he agreed to let Milam beat for volunteers. He stormed through camp bellowing, “Who will go with Old Ben Milam into San Antonio?” Three hundred volunteers responded. The next day a five-day assault ensued. On December 7, an enemy sniper shot Milam through the head, killing him instantly. Vowing to avenge their fallen leader, Texian soldiers forced a Mexican surrender on December 10. Texians won a decisive victory. Milam, who had fought with Mexico for independence from Spain, rallied the way for Texas independence.
José Antonio Navarro
A descendant of Corsican merchants and Spanish nobility, Navarro’s practical knowledge and visionary mind provided him – and the Tejano community – with a foundation for greatness. Navarro began practicing law in San Antonio, and by 1836, his terms in the Mexican state and federal legislatures prepared him to serve on committees that authored the first Texas constitution. One of only two native born Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence, the Navarro signature lives on in San Antonio’s vibrant Tejano culture and in one of the city’s last Tejano adobe structures, Casa Navarro State Historic Site.
Erasmo and Juan Seguín
Béxar native Erasmo Seguín and his son, Juan, were among the most influential Tejanos of the Revolutionary period. Erasmo supported Anglo immigration and counseled Empresario Stephen F. Austin. During the 1835 Siege of Béxar, both sided with their American neighbors against Santa Anna’s authoritarian regime, contributing more than $4,000-worth of supplies to the rebel army. Juan was an Alamo courier. Later he commanded a Tejano company and fought at San Jacinto. During the 1836 Mexican occupation of Béxar, the 54-year-old Erasmo and his wife retired to East Texas. When they returned they found their home ransacked and their cattle scattered.
William Barret Travis
When rebellion ignited in 1835, Alabama native William Travis received a commission as lieutenant colonel — at only 26 years of age. On February 3, 1836, he reached the Alamo with thirty mounted reinforcements. He accepted command of the post when Colonel James C. Neill left on furlough. Thus, when Santa Anna’s Mexican army arrived on February 23, Travis again found himself in charge. The following day, he penned a dispatch to the “People of Texas and All Americans in the World.” During the final assault on March 6, Travis was among the first defenders to fall. In his celebrated letter he pledged to “never surrender or retreat.” He did neither.
