At four o'clock one April afternoon in 1836, some 900 men, unwashed, underfed, caked with mud and dressed in rags, began a
slow walk through knee-high grass. A half hour later they crested a low hill.
What they did in the next eighteen minutes made our world possible. These were
the Soldiers of San Jacinto.
They were the most dangerous group of men ever gathered on Texas soil. Not
because they were born fighters. These were farmers, lawyers, and shopkeepers.
But they had been pushed to the edge, run from their homes, their crops and houses
burned. They did not know if their families where safe. They had lost close
friends and family at the Alamo and Goliad. They were set for blood and had
nothing to lose.
The Texian victory on the plain of San Jacinto changed the entire world. That's
no hyperbole. Without the deeds of these men there would be no states of Texas,
California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada or Colorado. Take away those
eighteen minutes and there would be no superpower on the American continent.
Most historians will tell you that the Battle of San Jacinto was fought by newcomers from the United States who flooded across the border in search of land
and glory when they heard a fight was brewing. And they are wrong. J. B.
McDonald did the all the footwork, gathering bits of information from hundreds
of sources, and proved that it just wasn't so. And she did it back in 1922 when
you couldn't find out much just sitting at your desk. She did it the old
fashioned way, compiling 877 biographical entries and hand typing over 1900
footnotes. Unfortunately, her work sat buried in Austin for 78 years.
We dug it up and brought to life because it will lead to more original
historical analysis of the Battle of San Jacinto by both professional and lay
historians. It is also a boon to genealogists.
Here you get their individual stories, what could still be gathered of them,
including:
Where they came from
When they arrived in Texas
Their occupations
When they joined the army
What family they had in Texas
Whether they owned slaves, and how many
What unit they fought with
Where they settled in Texas
It also includes the
most concise account of the the battle ever published, The Battle of San
Jacinto in 900 Words, complete with maps showing how the action evolved
over those eighteen minutes. It brings to battle to life in your mind's eye and
gives you a real understanding of exactly what happened.
If you are a Republic of Texas history buff you should own this book. If you
have deep Texas roots and are interested in genealogy, it should be in your
library. But, first and foremost, buy this book because you believe what
happened on the field of San Jacinto must never be forgotten, and the men who
fought there must be remembered. This is their book.
