H.R. No. 1462
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, April 21, 2011, marks the 175th anniversary of the
Battle of San Jacinto, the culminating engagement of the Texas
Revolution; and
WHEREAS, After a decade of sporadic clashes between Texas
colonists and Mexican officials, the movement toward rebellion
picked up increasing momentum in the fall of 1835; Antonio Lopez de
Santa Anna, the president of Mexico, having abrogated the
federalist Constitution of 1824 and assumed autocratic power,
decided to reestablish troops at posts in Texas that had been
evacuated in 1832; as part of that plan, General Martin Perfecto de
Cos arrived in San Antonio with a battalion of infantry on October
9, 1835; an army of Texas volunteers quickly moved to lay siege to
San Antonio, in what became the first major campaign of the
revolution; General Cos finally capitulated on December 9, 1835,
and he and his troops were allowed to withdraw to Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Determined to suppress the rebellion, General Santa
Anna led an army of some 6,000 men into Texas in early 1836,
crossing the Rio Grande near present-day Eagle Pass; at the same
time, a second Mexican force, under General Jose de Urrea, advanced
into Texas farther to the east; while General Santa Anna besieged
some 180 Texas troops at the Alamo, a convention of Texas delegates
convened at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 1, 1836, and on March
2 adopted a declaration of independence; two days later, the
convention appointed Sam Houston, one of the delegates, to take
command of the Texas army; and
WHEREAS, General Houston left immediately to join Texas
troops gathered in Gonzales; when he reached that town, he learned
that the Alamo had fallen and that a division of General Santa
Anna's army was marching in his direction; given that the effective
strength of his own force numbered only 374, as well as the fact
that his men were poorly provisioned and largely untrained, he
began a withdrawal toward the northeast, playing for time; and
WHEREAS, Elsewhere, the Texans were meeting with successive
defeats; the most shocking of those was the loss of James W. Fannin
and some 400 men, who were captured and then executed on March 27 in
what became known as the Goliad Massacre; and
WHEREAS, In April, General Houston halted his retreat at the
Brazos River and spent two weeks drilling his troops; a short time
later, on April 20, calculating that the time for battle had come at
last, he staked out a position near the confluence of Buffalo Bayou
and the San Jacinto River; later that same day, General Santa Anna
and his army caught up to the Texans and established their own
position; the following morning, General Cos arrived with an
additional body of soldiers, bringing the total strength of the
Mexican army to perhaps 1,200 or more, as opposed to the
approximately 900 men under General Houston's command; and
WHEREAS, Confident that he had the Texans on the defensive,
General Santa Anna planned to launch an attack on April 22; on the
afternoon of the 21st, however, while the Mexican army was resting,
General Houston drew up his troops in battle formation; General
Santa Anna had apparently posted no sentries, and a swell of land
between the two armies hid the Texans from view; and
WHEREAS, At the given signal, the Texans advanced across a
mile of open prairie toward the Mexican army, becoming visible only
when they reached within about 200 yards of the Mexican camp; crying
"Remember the Alamo" and "Remember Goliad," they took General Santa
Anna's troops completely by surprise; the battle lasted 18 minutes,
according to Sam Houston's report, but the killing continued for
about an hour afterward; in the end, Texan losses stood at 9 dead
and mortally wounded, with 630 Mexican soldiers killed and 730
taken prisoner; General Santa Anna himself was captured the
following day; and
WHEREAS, With the Battle of San Jacinto, the long colonial
period of Texas history, stretching as far back as the 16th century,
came to an end; Texas would subsequently go on to be an independent
republic for nine years before joining the Union in 1845; and
WHEREAS, The Battle of San Jacinto dramatically changed the
course of Texas history, and the story of how an outnumbered army of
volunteers ultimately prevailed against General Santa Anna and his
troops continues to inspire a special sense of uniqueness and pride
among Texans to this day; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Battle
of San Jacinto and pay tribute to all those whose courage and
tenacity brought ultimate victory to the Texan cause.
Branch
Smith of Harris
Legler
Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison
Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison
Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr. Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr.
Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr.
Allen Gooden Murphy Allen Gooden Murphy
Allen Gooden Murphy
Alonzo Guillen Naishtat Alonzo Guillen Naishtat
Alonzo Guillen Naishtat
Alvarado Gutierrez Nash Alvarado Gutierrez Nash
Alvarado Gutierrez Nash
Anchia Hamilton Oliveira Anchia Hamilton Oliveira
Anchia Hamilton Oliveira
Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr
Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr
Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto
Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto
Aycock Harless Parker Aycock Harless Parker
Aycock Harless Parker
Beck Harper-Brown Patrick Beck Harper-Brown Patrick
Beck Harper-Brown Patrick
Berman Hartnett Paxton Berman Hartnett Paxton
Berman Hartnett Paxton
Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena
Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena
Bonnen Hilderbran Perry Bonnen Hilderbran Perry
Bonnen Hilderbran Perry
Branch Hochberg Phillips Branch Hochberg Phillips
Branch Hochberg Phillips
Brown Hopson Pickett Brown Hopson Pickett
Brown Hopson Pickett
Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts
Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts
Burnam Howard of Travis Price Burnam Howard of Travis Price
Burnam Howard of Travis Price
Button Huberty Quintanilla Button Huberty Quintanilla
Button Huberty Quintanilla
Cain Hughes Raymond Cain Hughes Raymond
Cain Hughes Raymond
Callegari Hunter Reynolds Callegari Hunter Reynolds
Callegari Hunter Reynolds
Carter Isaac Riddle Carter Isaac Riddle
Carter Isaac Riddle
Castro Jackson Ritter Castro Jackson Ritter
Castro Jackson Ritter
Chisum Johnson Rodriguez Chisum Johnson Rodriguez
Chisum Johnson Rodriguez
Christian Keffer Schwertner Christian Keffer Schwertner
Christian Keffer Schwertner
Coleman King of Parker Scott Coleman King of Parker Scott
Coleman King of Parker Scott
Cook King of Taylor Sheets Cook King of Taylor Sheets
Cook King of Taylor Sheets
Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield
Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield
Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton
Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton
Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson
Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson
Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris
Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris
Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant
J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee
J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee
S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons
S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons
Deshotel Lavender Strama Deshotel Lavender Strama
Deshotel Lavender Strama
Driver Legler Taylor of Collin Driver Legler Taylor of Collin
Driver Legler Taylor of Collin
Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston
Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston
Dutton Lozano Thompson Dutton Lozano Thompson
Dutton Lozano Thompson
Eiland Lucio III Torres Eiland Lucio III Torres
Eiland Lucio III Torres
Eissler Lyne Truitt Eissler Lyne Truitt
Eissler Lyne Truitt
Elkins Madden Turner Elkins Madden Turner
Elkins Madden Turner
Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
Farrar Margo Villarreal Farrar Margo Villarreal
Farrar Margo Villarreal
Fletcher Marquez Vo Fletcher Marquez Vo
Fletcher Marquez Vo
Flynn Martinez Walle Flynn Martinez Walle
Flynn Martinez Walle
Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber
Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber
Gallego McClendon White Gallego McClendon White
Gallego McClendon White
Garza Menendez Woolley Garza Menendez Woolley
Garza Menendez Woolley
Geren Miles Workman Geren Miles Workman
Geren Miles Workman
Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler
Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler
Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas
Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1462 was adopted by the House on April
21, 2011, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison
Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr.
Allen Gooden Murphy
Alonzo Guillen Naishtat
Alvarado Gutierrez Nash
Anchia Hamilton Oliveira
Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr
Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto
Aycock Harless Parker
Beck Harper-Brown Patrick
Berman Hartnett Paxton
Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena
Bonnen Hilderbran Perry
Branch Hochberg Phillips
Brown Hopson Pickett
Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts
Burnam Howard of Travis Price
Button Huberty Quintanilla
Cain Hughes Raymond
Callegari Hunter Reynolds
Carter Isaac Riddle
Castro Jackson Ritter
Chisum Johnson Rodriguez
Christian Keffer Schwertner
Coleman King of Parker Scott
Cook King of Taylor Sheets
Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield
Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton
Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson
Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris
Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant
J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee
S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons
Deshotel Lavender Strama
Driver Legler Taylor of Collin
Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston
Dutton Lozano Thompson
Eiland Lucio III Torres
Eissler Lyne Truitt
Elkins Madden Turner
Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
Farrar Margo Villarreal
Fletcher Marquez Vo
Flynn Martinez Walle
Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber
Gallego McClendon White
Garza Menendez Woolley
Geren Miles Workman
Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler
Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas