Lesson 1-Houston and the Texan Army
Chapter 12-Texas Wins Independence
Lesson 1-Houston and the Texan Army
The Texans Retreat
Main Idea: General Sam Houston believed that Texan independence was still possible.
Details:
When Houston arrived in Gonzales, he found an untrained army of fewer than 400 men.
Houston ordered a retreat to gain time to train his army
Houston sent an order to James Fannin to meet him with his troops.
Houston wanted to draw Santa Anna further into Anglo Texas
The Road to San Jacinto
Event:
Moseley Baker and some of the other Texans refused to leave San Felipe de Austin after seeing the colonists fleeing.
Reaction:
Sam Houston:
General Houston told the men to stay at the Brazos and protect the ferry.
Event:
Houston and the men set up camp on a plantation, and he worked for weeks to train his army.
Reaction:
The Texan troops:
The Texans wanted to stop retreating and fight.
Event:
President David Burnet sent Secretary of War Thomas Rusk to Houston’s camp to warn him that he had to stop retreating and start fighting. Houston explained his plan to Rusk.
Reaction:
Rusk was satisfied with Houston’s plan and allowed him to carry it out.
Event:
Santa Anna was stopped from crossing the Brazos River by Moseley Baker’s men.
Reaction:
Santa Ana moved south toward Harrisburg, where the government was located at the time.
Event:
The Texan army received a surprise in the form of two cannons.
Reaction:
Houston decided it was time to engage in battle.
Lesson 2-Victory at San Jacinto
Before the Battle
Cause:
The Mexican army crossed the bridge at Vince’s Bayou.
Effect:
The Mexican army would have to cross the same bridge
Cause:
Santa Anna and his army camped on a hillside along the San Jacinto River in a location bordered on two sides by swamps and marshlands.
Effect:
Some of Santa Anna’s officers complained that the location was poor.
Cause:
Houston’s army was a mix of Texans and volunteers from all over the United States.
Effect:
The Texas army appeared tattered and savage, unlike a professional army.
Cause:
Juan Seguín had been forced to leave the Alamo before the siege.
Effect:
After the loss of the Alamo, Seguin was determined to fight Santa Anna
A Texan Victory
General Martin Perfecto de Cos arrived with 540 men.
1. Houston sent Deaf Smith and a few others to destroy the bridge and prevent more reinforcements from reaching Santa Anna.
2. Houston planned to attack the Mexicans the following day, but the volunteer soldiers were not willing to wait and voted to fight that day.
3. Houston assembled his men.
4. The Texan army approached the Mexican camp unnoticed and the cannons blew a hole in the Mexican barricades.
5. The battle ended in victory for the Texans after 18 minutes.
Santa Anna was captured and brought to Houston.
Public Treaty:
-Santa Anna would never again fight against Texas.
-Mexican troops were ordered to leave Texas immediately.
-Texan and Mexican prisoners of war were to be exchanged.
-All property seized by Mexican forces during the war was to be returned to its owners
Secret Treaty:
-Santa Anna agreed to try to convince Mexico’s government to recognize the independence of Texas.
-In return, Santa Anna was to be released by the Texas government and escorted back to Mexico
-Santa Anna would also influence the Mexican government to set the Texas boundary at the Rio Grande