Sam Houston by William R. Sanford

Author:William R. Sanford [Sanford, William R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4645-0999-5
Publisher: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2013-03-11T04:00:00+00:00

For Texans, life under Mexican rule was becoming harder to bear. In June 1832, blood was shed in a clash between settlers and army troops. To avoid further conflict, a convention met in April 1833 at San Felipe. Sam’s neighbors sent him to speak for them. At that time, Texas was part of the state of Coahuila. The delegates voted to ask Mexico to make Texas a state in its own right. Austin carried the request to Mexico City. President Antonio López de Santa Anna, newly risen to power, turned him down.

Sam’s old shoulder wound still pained him. Soaking in the mineral baths at Hot Springs, Arkansas, restored his health. When he returned, angry Texans were cursing Santa Anna. Sam counseled patience. If war broke out, he said, Mexico would win. The Texas militias would be no match for a modern army.

In 1835, a Mexican officer jailed two Texas traders. The arrest started a new round of trouble. Led by William Travis, a makeshift force of Texans freed the traders. Santa Anna sent General Martín Cós to tame the settlers. Stephen Austin called on Texans to prepare to fight. In Nacogdoches, Sam took command of the town militia. “The morning of glory is dawning upon us,” he told his men. “The work of Liberty has begun.”

At Gonzales, settlers guarded a small brass cannon. When a Mexican force came to seize the gun, the Texans stood firm. A volley of rifle fire forced the troops to retreat. A bigger triumph followed at San Antonio. After a short siege, General Cós surrendered the city. The easy victories did not fool Sam. The Texans had been facing troops who were poorly led and badly equipped. Battle-tested regulars would soon take over the fighting.

A new convention met at San Felipe. Still trying to avoid a fight, its leaders again asked for statehood. Santa Anna’s answer was to lead his army northward. Faced with this threat, the convention asked Sam to serve as commander-in-chief of the Texas forces. Sam said he needed five thousand men. Because the army relied on volunteers, the goal was never met. When he tried to unite his scattered forces, his orders often were ignored.

In January 1836, Sam ordered William Travis to leave the Alamo. But Travis refused. He believed the fortress could withstand a siege. In the end, the courage of the Alamo’s defenders was not enough. All the Texans died during the battle on March 6 or soon afterward. At Goliad, James Fannin also ignored Sam’s orders. Trapped there by Mexican troops, he was forced to surrender. Santa Anna’s men shot Fannin and another four hundred prisoners on March 27.

Sam had turned forty-three on March 2, the same day Texas declared its independence. Now it was up to Sam and his men to finish the job. In the weeks that followed, he pulled back as Santa Anna advanced. His soldiers grumbled and complained. Some quit the army. At last, on April 21, Sam found a field to his liking. In the smoke and flames of San Jacinto, the Republic of Texas won its freedom.

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