TITLE: Honoring Hendrick Arnold for his contributions to the struggle for Texas independence and to the development of the republic and the Lone Star State.

SUMMARY: Honoring Hendrick Arnold for his contributions to the struggle for Texas independence and to the development of the republic and the Lone Star State.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Hendrick Arnold, a noted early Texas scout and guide, earned a lasting place of honor for his significant service to the cause of Texas independence; and WHEREAS, Born to Daniel and Martha Ann Holly Arnold in Kentucky in 1806, Hendrick Arnold moved to Texas with his family in the mid-1820s; Daniel Arnold settled on the Brazos River, in Stephen F. Austin's first colony, and later located his headright on the site of present-day Navasota; and WHEREAS, In 1831, Hendrick Arnold married Maria Ignacia Saucedo, the stepdaughter of Erastus "Deaf" Smith, and settled in San Antonio; in October 1835, he was engaged in manufacturing lumber on the Medina River, near present-day Bandera, for sale in San Antonio; when he received word there that Stephen F. Austin and an army of Texas volunteers were marching on San Antonio to confront General Martin Perfecto de Cos, who had just arrived with a force of several hundred soldiers to reassert the authority of the Mexican government, he assembled his men and set out to join the Texas troops; and WHEREAS, During the ensuing siege of Bexar, the first significant campaign of the Texas Revolution, Hendrick Arnold and his father-in-law served as scouts and guides for the Texas army; on October 28, they took part in the Battle of Concepcion, in which the Texans successfully repelled an attack from Mexican forces sent out from San Antonio; a week later, on December 3, the Texans chose to postpone an attack on the Mexican troops in San Antonio because Mr. Arnold was away at the time, and several officers refused to advance without him; after his return, an attack on the town was set for December 5, and Hendrick Arnold guided one of the two divisions that entered Bexar and that ultimately compelled the Mexican forces there to surrender on December 9; in the official report following the battle, the commanding Texas officer singled out Mr. Arnold for particular praise; and WHEREAS, Anticipating a Mexican invasion in response to the defeat inflicted on General Cos, Hendrick Arnold moved his family to safety at his father's home on the Brazos and then returned to San Antonio; while General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna laid siege to the Texas troops in the Alamo, Mr. Arnold, who remained outside the fort, helped to sustain those within by supplying them with corn and beef; afterward, he served as a spy for General Sam Houston, a role he continued to perform through the Battle of San Jacinto; and WHEREAS, In March 1842, when Rafael Vasquez and some 700 Mexican troops occupied San Antonio for several days, Mr. Arnold served as a scout for an opposing force of Texas Rangers led by John C. Hays; and WHEREAS, Following the revolution, Mr. Arnold received land in Bandera County in compensation for his military service, but he seems not to have ever settled there; by 1843, he and his family were living in a Mexican settlement at Castroville, where he made cypress shingles for sale in San Antonio; his business interests in San Antonio apparently also included at one time a wool-washing mill, which he built near Mission San Juan in about 1836; in addition, he negotiated to buy half an interest in another mill near the same mission before his death from cholera on November 9, 1849; and WHEREAS, Mr. Arnold had three children, Mary Ann, Margaret, and Napolean, with his first wife, who died in 1839; he remarried and also had several children with his second wife, Martina Fuentes; in 1893, his daughter Mary Ann Adams and her daughter, Sarah D. Adams, were among the first to join the Daughters of the Republic of Texas; and WHEREAS, Hendrick Arnold was laid to rest in the Arnold Cemetery, located on the Straus-Medina Ranch in Bexar County; in 1936, in conjunction with the Texas Centennial, a grave marker noting his service in the Siege of Bexar was erected in his honor; and WHEREAS, Held in high esteem by the men with whom he served, Hendrick Arnold is indeed deserving of recognition in 2011, the 175th anniversary of Texas independence, for the vital role he played in that watershed event; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Hendrick Arnold for his notable service in behalf of Texas liberty and for his contributions to the development of the republic and the Lone Star State. McClendon Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1318 was adopted by the House on April 13, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House