H.R. No. 193
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, August 18, 2013, marks the 200th anniversary of the
Battle of Medina, the deadliest conflict in Texas history; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of some four hours on August 18,
1813, the Spanish Royal Army annihilated the republican army of
Texas in a sandy oak forest region south of San Antonio, an area
known as el encinal de Medina; fewer than 100 of the defeated rebels
escaped with their lives, and the rout brought to a catastrophic end
an early chapter in the history of Texas' quest for independence;
and
WHEREAS, The battle occurred against a backdrop of rising
upheaval in the New World; in 1812, with unrest roiling throughout
Latin America, adventurers organized an attempt to wrest Texas from
Spain; their Republican Army of the North crossed from Louisiana
into Texas in August and captured Nacogdoches, Trinidad de Salcedo,
La Bahia, and finally San Antonio; along the way, the army swelled
with recruits from among the Tejanos; the revolutionaries declared
independence for the "State of Texas" on April 6, 1813; and
WHEREAS, Spain would not yield Texas so easily, however, and
the Spanish general Joaquin de Arredondo set out from Laredo for San
Antonio with a body of troops; in the meantime, the leadership of
the insurgents was riven by intrigue and internal dissension that
undermined military discipline; a number of seasoned veterans left
the republican army, and its command was assumed by General Jose
Alvarez de Toledo; on August 15, 1813, as a Spanish force of about
2,000 soldiers advanced on San Antonio, General Toledo headed south
toward the encinal to engage the royalists; Toledo's army of
approximately 1,400 included more than 800 Mexicans and Tejanos,
about 300 Anglos, a few Native Americans, and one African slave; and
WHEREAS, On the morning of August 18, Spanish scouts lured
the republican troops into an ambush: while rebels commanded by
Miguel Menchaca wore themselves out struggling through deep sand in
pursuit of a single cavalry unit, General Arredondo prepared
fortifications in a concealed ridgetop position; the royalists
barraged the republicans when they came within range, killing more
than 800 on the main battlefield before chasing down the retreating
survivors; on the royalist side, only 55 perished; and
WHEREAS, The victorious general set about crushing the
insurrection, executing about 300 more rebels and taking brutal
reprisals on the general population in San Antonio and beyond; it is
estimated that more than 40 percent of Texas inhabitants perished
in the aftermath of the battle; one of General Arredondo's
lieutenants was then-19-year-old Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna,
future general and president of Mexico, who historians believe may
well have patterned his policies in the Texas Revolution on General
Arredondo's draconian measures; and
WHEREAS, This devastating battle was eventually overshadowed
in the annals of the Lone Star State by subsequent events, which it
helped to set in motion; the precise location of the battlefield was
lost to memory, but in recent years, historians have narrowed their
search while raising awareness of the importance of this epic
conflict; although the royalists won a decisive victory, the
Spanish Crown lost any remaining vestiges of loyalty in the
province, and the spirit of independence ultimately proved the
mightiest force of all; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby commemorate the 200th
anniversary of the Battle of Medina and encourage all Texans to
learn more about this pivotal episode in the history of our state.
Guillen
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 193 was adopted by the House on July
30, 2013, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House