Today is the 170th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto
-- that heroic moment when General Sam Houston and his gang defeated a napping Santa Anna over near present-day Baytown. Growing up in B-Town, passing by the San Jacinto monument on I-10 was always a sign that I was almost home as I sat in the back seat of the family station wagon. Though technically not in B-Town, it was close enough. And on top of that, our mall was named after it.
You gotta love ol' Sam. Be sure to read his biography, The Raven, by Marquis James. Fascinating character, Sam was. Ran away from home to live with Indians. Taught himself the law. Served two terms in Congress, appearing once in the House chamber dressed in full Indian regalia. And then there was the mysterious "incident" during his honeymoon after marrying a much younger woman which left them estranged forever.Anyway ... thanks to good ol' Sam, today we celebrate
the day we won our independence. (Did you know that his statue in Hermann Park points toward San Jacinto?) For those of you born in Texas, be sure to stand a little taller.
Put a little more swagger in your step.
You deserve it.
1 comment:
My favorite Sam Houston anecdote:
When he was baptized in the creek near Independence TX, the pastor announced that all of Sam's sins were washed away. Sam replied, "I pity the fish downstream."
Also related to his baptism: he baptism location in the creek had to changed slightly at the last moment as some Baylor male students had muddied the water. The folks from Independence Baptist Church moved upstream a little bit.
Post a Comment