By: Hughes S.C.R. No. 22
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Throughout the long and colorful history of Texas,
the cannon has been an important weapon in the state's fight for
liberty and independence as well as a symbol of the defiance and
determination of its people; and
WHEREAS, The very first conflict of the Texas Revolution, the
Battle of Gonzales, was fought over a cannon; on October 2, 1835,
the 150 Texian rebels at Gonzales refused to surrender their bronze
six-pounder to Mexican dragoons; they pointed instead to the cannon
and declared, "Come and take it!"; during the ensuing battle, this
memorable catchphrase and a painted image of the cannon itself were
raised on a makeshift flag that was created by the women of
Gonzales; the legendary flag has since become one of the iconic
images of the Lone Star State; and
WHEREAS, In 1836, the defenders of the Alamo boasted the
largest artillery contingent west of the Mississippi, an assortment
of 18 to 21 artillery pieces, and after the Mexican army captured
the fort, the cannons were destroyed or abandoned nearby; when the
Alamo was avenged six weeks later by the Texian victory at the
Battle of San Jacinto, the famous Twin Sisters, two six-pounders
that had been donated to the rebellion by the people of Cincinnati,
Ohio, played a decisive role in the defeat of Santa Anna's army; and
WHEREAS, A cannon featured in a memorable incident in the
early years of the Texas Republic; in 1842, Austin residents feared
that President Sam Houston wanted to move the republic's capital
from Austin to Houston, and when he sent Texas Rangers to take the
government's archives, an Austin innkeeper named Angelina Eberly
fired off a cannon on the corner of Sixth Street and Congress
Avenue, rousing the city's population and blowing a hole in the
General Land Office; and
WHEREAS, Today, vintage artillery pieces can be seen at
county courthouses, military installations, and historical sites
across Texas; two 24-pound howitzers made especially for the new
republic by Major General Thomas Jefferson Chambers in the 1830s
guard the south entrance of the Texas Capitol, while two 12-pound
field guns and a wrought iron cannon are also situated on the
Capitol grounds; a cannon reputed to be the "Come and Take It" gun
is on exhibit at the Gonzales Memorial Museum, a cannon used by
Colonel James Fannin at the Battle of Coleto Creek is displayed in a
park in Goliad, and a bronze cannon believed to have been used at
the Alamo is on permanent loan to the Shrine of Texas Liberty by the
San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy; and
WHEREAS, The firing of a cannon continues to be an honored
tradition at celebrations and commemorations across Texas; cannons
help recreate Texas history, such as the fieldpiece fired for
visitors by the "Living History" reenactors at the Fort Davis
National Historical Site; and
WHEREAS, These historic weapons serve as powerful reminders
of our state's epic struggle for freedom, and they further
highlight the unique heritage shared by all those who are proud to
call Texas home; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate the cannon as the official state gun of Texas.