Texas Nation

On April 21, 1836, the independence that had been hastily declared some eight weeks earlier – right before the fall of the Alamo – was decisively achieved.

It might not have been. There were those who wanted to continue to flee in search of a better battlefield, or even sue for peace and hope the butcher of the Alamo would show mercy.

They feared what they saw: a sorely out-numbered, rag-tag band of Texians going head-to-head against the better-gunned and professionally trained Mexican Army under the command of the “Napoleon of the West,” Antonio López de Santa Anna, Mexico’s president.

On the fields of San Jacinto, though, Gen. Sam Houston and the Texas militia exhibited a shrewd willingness to exploit Santa Anna’s mistakes while demonstrating a bold, courageous commitment to their cause.

When Houston committed to the plan, there would be only two possible outcomes: independence would be secured through victory, or lost in a disastrous defeat. There would be no draw.

So in broad daylight, with Houston himself leading the infantry, the Texians snuck up on the Mexican army. Before firing their first shots and charging on the Mexican Army, the afternoon silence was broken by men shouting “Remember the Alamo!” and “Remember Goliad!"

To simply note that the battle lasted 20 minutes doesn’t do justice to the scale of the victory. In those 20 minutes, nearly 700 Mexican soldiers were killed, another 200 were wounded and some 700 were taken prisoner (including Santa Anna). By contrast, the Texans lost just nine men and saw only 30 wounded.

What was true in 1836 is true today: victory doesn’t come in timid nibbles, but through bold actions. Never in history has liberty expanded from a gradual series of small steps over time; that’s how tyrannies take hold. Rather, liberty is secured through bold action when people are willing to lose everything rather than live as serfs.

Sam Houston and the militia at San Jacinto knew the odds and took bold action. For the Lone Star State to shine even brighter in the years ahead, we must continual re-commit to doing likewise.

For Texas!

Michael Quinn Sullivan

& the EmpowerTexans.com Team