The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-12-30


cure separate state government. sank
Anna, The dictator, az once sent lsig,
bodies OF soldiers 10 quell the revolution
airy spirit which now showed itself. Oh
the 21 OF October the opening battle o
the Texas revolution was fought AZ Con
Zaies. On the Sth day of October. 1855,
| force Of TeNanS, under Capt. Ceilings
worth. stacked aud captured the fort 81
Gouad. On the morning of the 9Sth o.
October 3 detachment OF Texans under
| Capts. fannin aud Bowie. who were en-
| cSmped on the bank OF the San Antonio
! river neSr the Mission of Conccptlop, wa
| surrounded Snd attacked by iarge body
Of MeXioans. \ shor. but decisive sctioi
followed. in which the MeXicsns Were
completely routed, and fied leaving onC
hundred desd upon the Held. On the 3C
| day OF November, 1885, convention Of
| cclonists assembled NJ San Felipe, eleete Z
Henry Smith provisional governor OF
| Texas, and adopted declaration setting
\ forth that Texas no longer owed alle,
! glance 10 the nominal Mexican republic
| NOlunteers for the Texan army now came
in considerable numbers from the South
! eru United states. On the aoth OF No,
vember. 1888, skirmish took place near
/ San Antonio, called The grass fight, III
which the MeNicans were driven 10 theii
| entertainments with loss of fiffy men
| On the fifth day of December, 1885, the
/ GlAlNl0UNi
under command of Col. J. w. johnson
and Col. Benz. L. Milan, made a series OF
| determined assaults upon the city of Sau
Antonio, which was occupied by a large
| force Of the enemy. After number OF
| sanguinary battles, In which Sreat valoI
was disI layed on both sides, the Texan
| forces obtained complete possession OF
| the city on the tenth of December, and
General Cos. with eleven hundred sol
| diers, surrendered. In this affair the he
| role Milan WAS slain. This decisive con.
quest had the effect of exciting much ell.
| thusinsm among the colonists.
Santa Anna now determined 10 crush
| out the rebellion in Texas by one deci-
siYe campaign, aud In January, 1885, he
equipped An army of 700 pickedmen, and
placing himself NJ their head he marched
into Texas.
The fortress OF the Alamo was then gar
risoned bya force OF ls0men, commanded
by Col. W. Is. Travis They were soon
surrounded by the whole Mexican army
and summoned to surrender. This being
refused fuIIons bombardment was COM
meneed, which was continued from the
18th of February until the 9th day OF
March, 1886. On the morning of the last
named day the be,iegers made deSper.
ate assault upon the garrison.
The Texans utterly refused 10 surren-
der or to retreat, and after DESTROYING
AOOOOl Sihti LAAil.A : -OlulSIa US u result OF
their heroic defense, were slaughtered 10
Il man. The celebrated David Crockett,
who had cast bis fortunes with the Tex
ans, persisted in this massacre.
Santa Anna, with victorious amy,
marched from San Antonio towards
where the city OF Houston now stands.
Arriving at Goliad, Santa Anna encOun-
tered Col. Fannin with 500 Texans. AZ
ter & severe fight, In which the Mexican ,
lost 500, FunnIn surrendered only to he
taken out and shot with all his men, as
traitors, on the tweDty-seyenth day of
March.
On the second day of March, 1885. n
convention OF the people of Texas, at
Washington, on the BrsZus, adopted Il
Dc claratiop of independence and estab-
fished government dd interim, by elect
Ing David G.. Burnet president.
Gen. Sam Houston was now appointed
the commander-in-chief of the Texan at.
my, and his policy of retreat without
firing shot at the enemy assisted but lit
lie to dispel the gloom that had come over
the fortunes Of the Texans. 1t is not
toms policy, avoiding all conflict with
the enemy, and IL has always been the
subject of sharp criticism. The Texans
finally retreated to the San Jacinto river,
having abandoned the chief settlements
and the most eligible sections of the
young republic, and being about TO enter
tho inhospitable forests of East Texas.
1t was on the Goth OF April, 1885, that
Gen. Houston's little army reached the
San Jacinto river, and the weary men had
scarcely settled themselves In hivouac be-
fore they were confronted with the ad-
vance division of Santa Annals army, led
by the dictator himself. Whatever may
have been Gen. Houston's plans ut this
juncture, 1t is certain that his nrnn% IN
IFS ha6df ~ fe2fhs, e. 70 man
declared they would never retreat anoth-
er inch without fight, aud they resolved
to settle the fate of their republic then
and there. They redeemed this resolu-
ton, for on the Dist of April was fought
one of the most remarkable and decisive
battles recorded in the entire annals of
history. Eight hundred Texans engaged
double that number of the flower of the
Mexican troops, and when the battle was
ended $50 of the Invaders were laid dead
on the grassy plains, 20S were wounded,
made prisoners. The war was ended.
Texas was free, aud in one day an III.
dependent empire was born.
The population Of Texas now Increased
rapidly.
The first Dewspaperin Texas was estab-
lished In San Felipe in October, 1885, by
Joseph Baker and Gail and Thomas II.
DoIutu. AlLtI induy Nlclb>lluuee IL was
finally located at the city of Houston,
under the name of the Telegraph, where
the writer had the honor Of being one of
its later editors.
To continue very brief record of tbis
history, il may be added that iu septcm-
Der. 1886. Gen. Sam Houston and Mr.. NJ.
h. Lamar wero elected first constitutional
president and vice-president of the re.
public.
In October following the Grst congress
of Texas met, and in March, 1883, the
congress of the United States ackuowl-
edged the Independence of Texas.
lu October, 1889, the seat of govern
ment WAS established at the city of Aus-
tin. 1t bad previously been Grst at San
Felipe, next at Washington, next at Har-
risburg, next at Galveston, next az Vel
asco. next ut Columbia
FOLLOWING Is LIST or PRESIDENTS OF TIE RE
PpBLIc OF TEXAS: