Southern Methodist University - Rotunda Yearbook (University Park, TX)

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of them came from Louisiana, others came from lVIissouri, Kentucky, Tennes- see, and states of the Old South and East. Austinis grant opened the way for other colonizers. Mexico, having failed to settle Texas from the south with its own citizens, was liberal with its grants for several years. A dozen colonies were projected, notably those of Green, De- Witt, Burnet, Zavala, Vehlein, DeLeon, Power and Hewetson, and McMullen and MCGloin. By 1836, when inde- pendence was declared, it is estimated that the territory had a population of 30,000. Racial differences and the misunder- standings and distrust generated by them were at the base of the Texas Revolu- tion. To this must be added two equally disturbing factors: first, many Anglo- American colonists, although they sub- scribed to the regulations laid down by Mexico, never really regarded them- selves as lVIexican citizens. Second, lVIeXican politics was in turmoil during this period and the national government was becoming suspicious of the political purposes of the colonists in the north. In 1829 a governmental decree freed slaves which Texas colonists had brought with them. This decree was later nulli- hed but in an effort to strengthen Mexi- cols hold on Texas, the military posts north of the Rio Grande were strength- ened. Another law ended the exemption from import and oth- er taxes which the Texans had enjoyed for nearly ten years. Another fac- tor was the join- ing of Texas with Coahuila in the State of Coahuila-Texas. Texans, whose homes lay 4.00 to 600 miles dis- tant from Saltillo, the capital, sought separate statehood for Texas. At San Felipe de Austin, headquarters of his colony, a convention in 1833 designat- ed Stephen F. Austin to take the appeal for statehood to lVIeXico City. Austin, who had been con- stant in his de- sire to create a prosperous new Mexican state, set out with no other motive than to obtain political reforms and separate statehood. But injudicious correspondence led to his imprisonment in the Mexican capital for fifteen months. By its treatment of Austin, the government of President 'Santa Anna alienated a sincere friend and convinced Austin that further eHorts to obtain re- forms by petition would be futile. He returned to Texas, where the spark of revolution had already been struck, to cast his lot with the uVVar Party? There were several minor clashes be- tween Texans and Mexican troops, but the first pitched battle of the revolution took place at Gonzales, October 2, 1835, when a Mexican force appeared to de- mand the surrender of a cannon held by the town. Hastily gathered volunteers, fighting under a crude banner whose legend read, iiCome and Take Itll, won a quick and decisive victory. News of the affair at Gonzales brought recruits hurrying to that point from all Texas. Austin was elected commander- in-chief of the hastily formed army and it was decided to take the offensive with :':13J:

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Village Ysleta. Although its population today numbers only 200, Ysleta is gen- erally accorded the distinction of being the oldest site of Civilization in Texas. Soon after, in 1685, the French Hag was raised over Texas soil by La Salle, who landed at Lavaca Bay and established Fort St. Louis. Searching for gold and for the mouth of the Missis- sippi, La Salle made several expeditions from the fort, on one of which he was murdered by a subordi- nate. His colony was soon wiped out by disease and Indian raids. Stirred by reports of the French set- tlement, the Viceroy of Mexico deter- mined to make Texas safe for Spain by establishing missions in this region. The first was erected near the present town of Crockett in 1690 and given the name, San Francisco de los Tejas. tTejas, or Texas, is an Indian word for llfriendsfw This mission was soon abandoned. French incursions from Louisiana, particularly the expedition of St. Denis in 1714, hastened the Spanish program. During the early 1700is missions were founded from the Rio Grande to the Louisiana border. Among these were posts near the present sites of Nacog- doches t1716y,San Augustine t1716l, and San Antonio t1718l. These earliest missions were built of logs and several were abandoned and fell into decay within a few years. The missions that stand today, notably the San Antonio group of five, were begun during the middle 1700is. Before 1800 only two Civil settle- ments of any importance had grown up in Texas; San Antonio in the southwest and Nacogdoches in the east. When the United States purchased Louisiana from France, in 1803, the American nation found itself bordering the huge, poten- tially promising and still practically uninhabited land that is Texas today. When, a few years later, Mexico began its series of revolts against Spain, the temptation to Ameri- can adventurers was irresistible. Several soldiers of fortune organized and led eX- peditions from Lou- isiana into Texas with the avowed pur- pose of making Texas, either alone or with Mexico, free of Spanish rule. Notable among these was the audacious exploit of Augustus Magee, an Ameri- can, and Bernardo Butierrez, a Mexican, who headed a free-lance army which captured Nacogdoches, Goliad, and San Antonio in 1813 before their force was defeated by Governor Salcedols troops. The era of American settlement in Texas really began with Moses Austin, of Missouri, in 1820. Riding horseback to San Antonio, Austin, with the aid of his friend, the Baron de Bastrop, ob- tained a permit to plant an American colony in Texas. The elder Austin died, however, be- fore his colonization plans began to take shape and the venture fell upon the shoulders of his 27-year-old son, Steph- en. Meantime, too, Mexico had rid itself of Spanish rule in 1821 and it was nec- essary for Stephen Austin to make the trip to lWeXico by horse to get new au- thorization. Under the revised agree- ments, he was to settle 300 families, who were to assume Mexican citizenship, on lands between the Colorado and Brazos Rivers in south Texas. The first of these colonists arrived the same year. Many :l:121:

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a march against San Antonio, the major Mexican stronghold. Before the siege of San Antonio got under way, however, a consultation at San Felipe set up a provisional govern- ment, named Austin, because of his dip- lomatic gifts, as one of a commission of three to seek aid from the United States and chose Sam Houston as commander- in-Chief of the army. This gathering voted against declaration of indepen- dence, demanding only the rights of stateh 20d under the Mexican constitu- tion of 1824., which Santa Anna had re- voked. Henry Smith was elected Civil head of the revolting territory with the title of provisional governor. After a period of indecision, 300 TeX- ans, under Colonel Ben lVIilam, took San Antonio in a four-day siege ending De- cember 9th, forcing the surrender of General Cos, Mexican commander in Texas, who agreed to retire below the Rio Grande. The ease of their Victory bred over- confidence among the Texans. Lack of organization and dissention within the council at San Felipe also contributed to a dangerous state of aflairs at the Alamo. The garrison dwindled and the council delayed in sending reinforcements to Colonel William B. Travis, in command, although it was known that Santa Anna himself was marching northward. When the Mexican president-general arrived at San Antonio on February 2 3rd, Travis had only about 150 men within the Alamo. Desperate appeals brought some 30 more from Gonzales. It was this little hand that held the fort for live days against 3,000 Mexicans, finally dying to the last man in the assault of lVIarch 6th after a terrific bombardment had breached the walls. The lVIeXican forces began an eastward sweep of ven- geance, determined to wipe out the revolutionists. Colonel Fanninls force, split into two detachments, was out- numbered at Goliad and Refugio. Near- ly all of Fanninls men were either slain in battle or massacred after surrender. The unprotected colonists began a panic- stricken retreat to Louisiana on horse- back, in oxearts and on foot. This was the llRunaway Scrape? In the meantime, on lVIarch 2, I836, Texan leaders, meeting at Washington- on-Brazos, had declared independence, named David G. Burnet provisional president and given General Houston undisputed com- mand of the army. Houston rushed to Gonzales, find- ing a nucleus of 400 men there. These were hastily drilled while the commander tried to get in touch with Fannin. Hearing, finally, of Fanninls disaster at Goliad, he began an organ- ized retreat east- ward, gathering