The Texas Revolution is remembered chiefly for the 13-day siege of the Alamo and its immortal heroes. This book describes the war and the preceding years that were marked by resentments and minor confrontations as the ambitions of Mexico's leaders clashed with the territorial determination of Texan settlers. When the war broke in October 1835, the invading Mexicans, under the leadership of the flamboyant President-General Santa Ana, fully expected to crush a ragged army of frontiersmen. Led by Sam Houston, the Texans rallied in defense of the new Lone Star state, defeated the Mexicans in a mere 18 minutes at the battle of San Jacinto and won their independence.
"The Texas Revolution is remembered chiefly for the 13-day siege of the Alamo and its immortal heroes. This book describes the war and the preceding years that were marked by resentments and minor confrontations as the ambitions of Mexico's leaders clashed with the territorial determination of Texan settlers. When the war broke in October 1835, the invading Mexicans, under the leadership of the flamboyant President-General Santa Ana, fully expected to crush a ragged army of frontiersmen. Led by Sam Houston, the Texans rallied in defense of the new Lone Star state, defeated the Mexicans in a mere 18 minutes at the battle of San Jacinto and won their independence."--Bloomsbury Publishing.
This fresh perspective, drawn from exhaustive examination of primary documents (claims records and land documents as well as traditional manuscript collections), portrays the Texans entering their quarrel with Mexico as a fragmented people--individualistic, divided from one community to another by ethnic and racial tensions, and lacking a consensus about the meaning of political changes in Mexico. Paul D. Lack examines, one at a time, the various groups that participated in the Texas Revolution. He concludes that the army was highly politicized, overly democratic and individualistic, and lacking in discipline and respect for property. With the statistical profile of the army he has compiled, Lack puts to rest forever the idea that the Anglo community gave an overwhelming response to the call to arms. He details instead the tensions between army volunteers and the majority of Texans who refused military service.
The starting place for research on the fledgling Texas republic. It prints several thousand important letters and documents that were printed during the revolutionary era that have never been published before in any form. Includes all letters and documents published between January 1, 1835 up to the inaugual address of Sam Houston as President of the Republic of Texas on October 22, 1836
The History of the Revolution in Texas’ can be pronounced a clear and rapid narrative of the different events which have attended that piratical outbreak. Taking the story, however, as he tells it, it is quite clear that the revolution was a naked victory of might over right. Outcasts of all kinds obtruded themselves into the province in opposition to the fundamental colonization regulations of the Mexican Government; when they increased and waxed strong, they took up arms without even colourable pretexts, and at last proceeded to open war. Besides an account of the incidents and actors in these scenes, the Texan divine draws a flaming picture of the beauties and advantages of the new state.
The first comprehensive history and analysis of the Siege of Béxar in early nineteenth-century Texas. While the battles of 1836—the Alamo, Goliad, and San Jacinto—are well-known moments in the Texas Revolution, the battle for Béxar in the fall of 1835 is often overlooked. Yet this lengthy siege, which culminated in a Texan victory in December 1835, set the stage for those famous events and for the later revolutionary careers of Sam Houston, James Bowie, and James W. Fannin. Drawing on extensive research and on-site study around San Antonio, Alwyn Barr completely maps the ebbs and flows of the Béxar campaign for the first time. He studies the composition of the two armies and finds that they were well matched in numbers and fighting experience—revising a common belief that the Texans defeated a force four times larger. He analyzes the tactics of various officers, revealing how ambition and revolutionary politics sometimes influenced the Texas army as much as military strategy. And he sheds new light on the roles of the Texan and Mexican commanders, Stephen F. Austin and Martín Perfecto de Cos. As this excellent military history makes clear, to the famous rallying cry “Remember the Alamo!” “Remember Goliad!” should be added: “And don't forget San Antonio!” “Will most likely remain for some time the standard work on this battle. Outstanding scholarship and research are reflected in the book, including on-site study of the locale. . . . This is an important military history, and as such, it should be in all Texana collections.” —Review of Texas Books “This is a significant contribution to the study of Texas history. Texans in Revolt will be the standard work on this campaign.” —Ralph A. Wooster, Associate Vice President and Regents Professor, Lamar University
