Sam Houston by Bill O'Neal

Author:Bill O'Neal [O'Neal, Bill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Historical
ISBN: 9781681790374
Google: onhsjwEACAAJ
Publisher: Eakin Press
Published: 2016-02-17T00:41:22+00:00

Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the self-styled “Napoleon of the West.” Courtesy Alamo Museum – DRT Library, San Antonio.

Santa Anna quickly agreed to order the withdrawal of all Mexican troops from Texas, to recognize Texas independence, to agree to an enormous expansion of Texas borders, and to make other generous concessions.

Houston wrote that he “had great difficulty in preventing his assassination,” but he “saved his soldiers from themselves”—and in the process saved the Revolution. With Houston “suffering excruciating pain from his wound, he was moved into Santa Anna’s marquee. Santa Anna was moved eight feet to the tent of General Cos, where an eight-man “Santa Anna guard” was on duty twenty-four hours per day.17

Santa Anna’s orders promptly were delivered to General Vicente Filisola, now the ranking Mexican officer in the field, and encamped just twenty-five miles away. Filisola dutifully gathered 2,900 soldados and headed south, collecting other contingents along the way. He marched back into Mexico with 4,600 men, enough to have overwhelmed the Texas Army, had there been some way to supply the soldados. Meanwhile, volunteers for the Texas Army now arrived in large numbers. But Houston was too ill and too agonized to command an army, and he asked that Thomas Rusk be appointed to succeed him. M. B. Lamar replaced Rusk as Secretary of War.

When Houston left the army he was too weak and feverish to address the men, so on May 5 he dictated farewell remarks that were read to the soldiers. “In taking leave of my brave comrades in arms,” began the last paragraph, “I can not suppress the expression of that pride which I so justly feel in having had the honor to command them in person . . . At parting my heart embraces you with gratitude and affection.”18

Dr. Alexander W. Ewing, Surgeon General of the Army, insisted that Houston travel to New Orleans for more sophisticated medical care than was available in Texas. President Burnet and his cabinet had made their way to San Jacinto, where their jealousy and hatred of Houston was ill-concealed. Secretary of Navy Robert Potter proposed removing Houston from command because he had distributed the $12,000 in silver to the soldiers instead of turning it over to the government. By the time this spiteful idea was rejected, Burnet and the others were preparing to take Santa Anna to Galveston on the Yellow Stone.

Dr. Ewing insisted that his patient start his journey to New Orleans, but Burnet vindictively refused General Houston permission to leave the army! Captain John Ross of the Yellow Stone refused to depart without Houston, but when Dr. Ewing accompanied his patient, Secretary of War Lamar dismissed him from the army (he was reinstated a few months later by President Houston).

After reaching Galveston, General Houston was refused passage on the Texas warship Liberty, which was headed to New Orleans for repairs. At last Houston made his way to New Orleans aboard the trading schooner Flora. Having received no pay as Commanding General, Houston was forced to persuade the schooner’s captain to extend him credit for his ticket.

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