83R7361 JGH-D
By: Rodriguez of Travis H.R. No. 709
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Nearly a quarter of a century before the siege of the
Alamo, an army inspired by the fervor of Don Jose Bernardo
Maximiliano Gutierrez de Lara and composed of Tejanos, volunteers
from the United States, and Native American allies made a
courageous bid to liberate Texas from the Spanish empire, leading
to the first Texas Declaration of Independence on April 6, 1813; and
WHEREAS, On September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y
Costilla and his followers seized the prison at Dolores, Mexico,
sparking a Mexican rebellion against the Spanish empire; answering
the call to freedom, Don Bernardo traveled to Washington, D.C., in
1811 to inform the U.S. government of the rebels' plans to establish
a republican government in Texas as part of the liberation of
Mexico; and
WHEREAS, In 1812, Don Bernardo and former U.S. Army officer
Augustus Magee led the Army of the North from Nachitoches,
Louisiana, into Texas; this volunteer force quickly defeated the
Spanish Royalist troops at the Battles of Nacogdoches, La Bahia,
Rosillo, and Alazan Creek; and
WHEREAS, Don Bernardo and the republican army took possession
of San Fernando de Bexar, now known as San Antonio, on the night of
April 1 and 2, 1813, and on April 6, 1813, Don Bernardo signed a
proclamation declaring Texas' independence from Spain; on April 17,
1813, acting in his capacity as president of the new provisional
government, Don Bernardo signed the first Texas Constitution; and
WHEREAS, This first bold attempt to win the independence of
Texas came to a tragic end on August 18, 1813, when the Royalist
army under General Joaquin de Arredondo defeated the Texan army at
the Battle of Medina; during the bitterly fought, four-hour-long
contest, more than 800 Tejano patriots lost their lives in their
quest for freedom; and
WHEREAS, The valiant struggle of Don Jose Bernardo
Maximiliano Gutierrez de Lara and the Army of the North to throw off
the Spanish yoke represents a significant chapter in the rich
annals of Texas history, one that is indeed worthy of remembrance on
this special occasion; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 200th anniversary of the first
Texas Declaration of Independence on April 6, 2013, and call on all
Texans to honor the memory of Don Bernardo and his comrades.