Talk:Battle of San Jacinto/San Jacinto rewrite draft

The Mexican constitution is overturned
General Antonio López de Santa Anna was a proponent of governmental federalism when he helped oust Mexican president Anastasio Bustamante in December 1832. Upon his election as president in April 1833, Santa Anna switched his political ideology and began implementing Centralist policies that increased the authoritarian powers of his office. His abrogation of the Constitution of 1824, correlating with his abolishing local-level authority over Mexico's state of Coahuila y Tejas (Coahuila and Texas), became a flashpoint in the growing tensions between the central government and its Tejano and Anglo citizens in Texas. While in Mexico City awaiting a meeting with Santa Anna, Texian empresario Stephen F. Austin wrote to the Béxar ayuntamiento (city council) urging a break-away state. In response, the Mexican government kept him imprisoned for most of 1834.

Colonel Juan Almonte was appointed Director of Colonization in Texas, ostensibly to ease relations with the colonists and mitigate their anxieties about Austin's imprisonment. He delivered promises of self-governance, and conveyed regrets that the Mexican congress deemed it constitutionally impossible for Texas to be a separate state. Behind the rhetoric, his covert mission was to identify the local power brokers, obstruct any plans for rebellion, and supply the Mexican government with data that would be of use in a military conflict. For nine months in 1834, under the guise of serving as a government liaison, Almonte traveled through Texas and compiled an all-encompassing intelligence report on the population and its environs, including an assessment of their resources and defense capabilities.

Cos is appointed military governor of Texas
In consolidating his power base, Santa Anna installed his brother-in-law Martín Perfecto de Cos as the governing military authority over Texas in 1835. The initial eruption of hostilities, and first Texian victory in the revolution, came on October 2 at the Battle of Gonzales when colonists refused to relinquish a cannon the Mexican government provided them in 1831 for self-defense. The following week at the Battle of Goliad, a militia composed of both Texians and Tejanos gained control of the presidio and installed Phillip Dimmitt as commander. Area land owners in Goliad, however, were angry that their properties had been confiscated and pillaged by the occupying Texians. When local area residents attempted to legally prevent a recurrence, Dimmitt declared martial law.

Cos established headquarters in San Antonio on October 9, triggering what became known as the Siege of Béxar. Austin was selected as commander of the Texian resistance forces, joined by a stream of United States volunteers. James Bowie, James Fannin and 90 militia advancing into Béxar repelled Mexican troops under Mexican colonel Domingo Ugartechea at Mission Concepción. Rebel reinforcements of 160 rancheros (Mexican ranch owners) arrived under Juan Seguín, José Carbajal, Plácido Benavides, Salvador Flores and Manuel Leal. Edward Burleson assumed command of the Texian forces when Austin was selected to join Branch T. Archer and William H. Wharton on a diplomatic mission to seek international recognition and support.

The November 1835 Consultation of Texians in San Felipe de Austin created the General Council, a provisional government based on the 1824 constitution. Although it had not been decided on whether to break away as a republic, or to remain with Mexico but push for a reinstatement of the constitution, they moved to establish a regular paid defense force initially named the Provisional Army of Texas. Sam Houston was named commander-in-chief and expected to recruit and train the men. Santa Anna temporarily stepped down from the presidency on November 28, intent on putting down the rebellion by taking personal charge of the Mexican army. On December 10, the General Council in San Felipe called new elections to choose delegates to determine the fate of the region.

After two months of trying to repel the Texian forces, Cos raised a white flag on December 9, and signed surrender terms two days later: "That general Cos and his officers retire into the interior of the republic, under parole of honor; that they will not in any way oppose the re-establishment of the federal Constitution of 1824." With the cessation of hostilities in Béxar, Burleson left for home and turned over the garrison command to Frank W. Johnson. Every military engagement of 1835 had resulted in a Texian victory. The surrender of Cos effectively removed the occupying Mexican army from Texas. Many believed the war was over, and volunteers began returning home.

In compliance with orders from Santa Anna, Mexico's Minister of War José María Tornel issued his December 30 "Circular No. 5", often referred to as the Tornel Decree, aimed at dealing with United States intervention in the uprising in Texas. It declared that foreigners who entered Mexico for the purpose of joining the rebellion were to be treated as "pirates", to be put to death if captured. In adding "since they are not subjects of any nation at war with the republic nor do they militate under any recognized flag," Tornel avoided declaring war on the United States,.

Santa Anna takes the Alamo
The Mexican Army of Operations numbered 6,019 soldiers and was spread out over 300 mi on its march to Béxar. General Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma was put in command of the Vanguard of the Advance that crossed into Texas. Santa Anna and his aide-de-camp Almonte forded the Rio Grande at Guerrero, Coahuila on February 16, 1836, with General José de Urrea and 500 more troops following the next day at Matamoros. Béxar was captured on February 23 and when the assault commenced, attempts at negotiation for surrender were initiated from inside the fortress. Travis sent Albert Martin to request a meeting with Almonte, who replied that he did not have the authority to speak for Santa Anna. Bowie dispatched Green B. Jameson with a letter, translated into Spanish by Juan Seguín, requesting a meeting with Santa Anna, who immediately refused. Santa Anna did, however, extend an offer of amnesty to Tejanos inside the fortress. Alamo non-combatant survivor Enrique Esparza said that most Tejanos left when Bowie advised them to take the offer.

Cos, in violation of his surrender terms, forded into Texas at Guerrero on February 26 to join with the main army at Béxar. Urrea proceeded to secure the Gulf Coast, and was victorious in two skirmishes with Texian detachments serving under Fannin at Goliad. On February 27 a foraging detachment under Frank W. Johnson at San Patricio was attacked by Urrea. Sixteen were killed, and 21 taken prisoner, but Johnson and 4 others escaped. Urrea sent a company to Agua Dulce searching for James Grant and Plácido Benavides who were leading a company of Anglos and Tejanos towards an invasion of Matamoros. The Mexicans set a trap, killing Grant and most of the company. Benavides and 4 others escaped, and 6 were taken prisoner.

The Convention of 1836 met at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 1. The following day, Sam Houston's 42nd birthday, the 59 delegates signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, and chose an ad interim government. When news of the declaration reached Goliad, Benavides informed Fannin that in spite of his opposition to Santa Anna, he was still loyal to Mexico and did not wish to help Texas break away. Fannin discharged him from his duties and sent him home. On March 4 Houston's military authority was expanded to include "the land forces of the Texian army both Regular, Volunteer, and Militia."

At 5 a.m. on March 6, the Mexican troops launched their final assault on the Alamo. The guns fell silent 90 minutes later; the Alamo had fallen. Survivors Susannah Dickinson, her daughter Angelina, Travis' slave Joe, and Almonte's cook Ben were spared by Santa Anna and sent to Gonzales, where Texian volunteers had been assembling.

Legacy


When Republic President Burnet unknowingly escaped death at New Washington, Almonte had found him by following courier Mike McCormick, whose widowed mother Peggy was the owner of the land on which the battle was subsequently fought. Although she sought financial restitution from the Republic of Texas for loss of livestock and other goods during the battle, McCormick died without recompense. Decades after her death, the state of Texas purchased part of her acreage for a commemoration site.

The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The site includes the 570 ft San Jacinto Monument, which was erected by the Public Works Administration. Authorized April 21, 1936 and dedicated April 21, 1939, the 220-ton monument cost $1.5 million (equivalent to $ million in 2015). The site hosts a San Jacinto Day festival and battle re-enactment each year in April.

Both the Texas Navy and the United States Navy have commissioned ships named after the Battle of San Jacinto: the Texan schooner San Jacinto and three ships named USS San Jacinto. There has been one civilian passenger ship named SS San Jacinto.
 * Texas Navy schooner San Jacinto was commissioned in 1839 and decommissioned in 1840 after she wrecked at Cayos Arcas.
 * The first USS San Jacinto was a screw frigate launched by the United States Navy in 1850. She was in service with the Africa Squadron in 1860 when she captured the slave ship Storm King. The frigate was in service for most of the American Civil War until she wrecked in the Bahamas in 1865.
 * SS San Jacinto was a United States civilian passenger ship built in 1903 by the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works for the New York and Texas Steamship Company. The US Navy considered acquiring the civilian passenger-cargo ship, for use during World War I as USS San Jacinto (ID-1531), but never acquired or commissioned her. On April 21, 1942, the ship was sunk by a German U-boat.
 * The second USS San Jacinto was a United States Navy Independence class World War II light aircraft carrier commissioned in December 1943, and was decommissioned in 1947.
 * The third USS San Jacinto is a currently active guided missile cruiser commissioned by the United States Navy in 1988.

Possibles

 * – Jan 1836, Austin's trip with Branch T. Archer and William H. Wharton, re trip to U.S. and Texas declaring independence


 * Karanacs notes
 * Karanacs notes
 * Karanacs notes
 * Karanacs notes


 * For reference purposes, Talk:Texas Revolution/Tornel Decree is the prose and two books it can be found in. — Maile (talk) 17:13, 4 June 2015 (UTC)