Battle of San Jacinto (1836): Texas Wins Its Independence

The Battle of San Jacinto was fought on the afternoon of 21 April 1836 near the San Jacinto River in southeast Texas, close to present-day Houston. Sam Houston’s Texian army launched a surprise attack on the camp of Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna and routed it in a matter of minutes. Santa Anna’s capture the next day forced Mexico’s withdrawal and secured the independence of the Republic of Texas.

Background: retreat after the Alamo

The Texas Revolution had begun in October 1835. In early 1836 Santa Anna led a large army north to crush it, destroying the garrison at the Battle of the Alamo on 6 March. On 27 March, on his orders, about 340 Texian prisoners captured with James Fannin were executed at Goliad.

Sam Houston had been named commander of the Texian army on 4 March by the convention that declared independence two days earlier. With only a few hundred poorly trained volunteers, he retreated east from Gonzales, burning the town behind him. Thousands of settlers fled ahead of the Mexican advance in panic, an episode remembered as the Runaway Scrape.

Houston’s retreat angered many of his men and the new Texas government, who wanted him to stand and fight. For about two weeks from late March he camped near Groce’s plantation on the Brazos River, drilling his men and absorbing new volunteers, while some companies grumbled openly and talked of choosing another commander. In mid-April the steamboat Yellow Stone ferried the army across the flooded Brazos. Houston used the time to train recruits and gather reinforcements, including two cannon, known as the “Twin Sisters”, donated by citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Santa Anna divides his army

Santa Anna, confident of victory, split his forces to chase the Texas government and trap the rebels. In mid-April he pushed ahead with a column of about 700 men, burning the town of Harrisburg and narrowly missing the capture of the interim president, David G. Burnet.

Learning from captured dispatches where Santa Anna was, Houston turned his army south-east to meet him. On 20 April both forces reached the plain near Lynch’s Ferry, where Buffalo Bayou meets the San Jacinto River. A brief cavalry skirmish took place that day, and the armies camped less than a mile apart.

On the morning of 21 April General Martín Perfecto de Cos arrived with roughly 540 reinforcements, bringing Santa Anna’s force to an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 men. The Mexicans, many tired after a night march, expected no attack that day. Houston’s scout Erastus “Deaf” Smith was sent to destroy Vince’s Bridge, cutting off a route of retreat or reinforcement for both sides.

The battle

At about 4:30 in the afternoon, Houston’s roughly 900 men advanced across the open prairie, screened by a slight rise and by tall grass. The Mexican camp was resting, with many soldiers asleep or cooking and few sentries posted.

The Twin Sisters opened fire at close range, and the infantry charged, shouting “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!” The cavalry under Mirabeau B. Lamar struck the Mexican flank. Juan Seguín’s company of Tejanos fought in the line as well; Houston had at first wanted to keep them back, fearing they would be mistaken for the enemy, and according to Texian accounts they wore pieces of card in their hats so that their comrades could recognise them. The surprised Mexican troops could not form a line, and within about 18 minutes their resistance had collapsed.

What followed was a slaughter. Many Texians, enraged by the Alamo and Goliad, killed Mexican soldiers who were trying to surrender or flee, especially at the marshes and bayou behind the camp. Officers struggled to stop the killing. Houston himself was shot in the ankle and had his horse killed under him.

Losses

According to Houston’s report, about 630 Mexican soldiers were killed, around 200 wounded and some 730 taken prisoner. Texian losses were remarkably light: about 9 killed or mortally wounded and around 30 wounded. Some historians consider the Mexican figures approximate, since the count of prisoners included men captured over the following days.

Santa Anna’s capture

Santa Anna escaped during the rout. On 22 April a Texian patrol found a man dressed as a common soldier hiding in the grass. When he was brought into camp, Mexican prisoners exclaimed “El Presidente”, revealing his identity.

Many Texians wanted him executed, but Houston, lying wounded under an oak tree, recognised that a living president was more valuable. Santa Anna ordered his remaining forces under General Vicente Filisola to withdraw south of the Rio Grande, and they did so.

On 14 May 1836 Santa Anna signed the Treaties of Velasco, one public and one secret. He agreed to end hostilities, withdraw Mexican troops and, in the secret treaty, work for Mexican recognition of Texan independence. The Mexican government repudiated the treaties, arguing that a captive could not bind the nation.

Key people

• Sam Houston (1793-1863): commander of the Texian army, later twice president of the Republic of Texas and a US senator.
• Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876): President of Mexico and commander of the Mexican army, captured after the battle.
• Mirabeau B. Lamar (1798-1859): led the Texian cavalry and became the second president of Texas.
• Juan Seguín (1806-1890): Tejano officer whose company of Mexican Texans fought on the Texian side.
• Erastus “Deaf” Smith (1787-1837): scout who destroyed Vince’s Bridge before the battle.

Consequences

San Jacinto ended the main fighting of the Texas Revolution. Houston was elected the first constitutional president of the Republic of Texas in September 1836. Mexico refused to recognise Texan independence, and border raids and disputes continued, including two brief Mexican occupations of San Antonio in 1842.

Texas remained an independent republic for nearly ten years. Its annexation by the United States in 1845 and the dispute over its southern border helped bring on the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, which ended with Mexico losing about half its territory.

The anniversary of the battle, San Jacinto Day, is still marked in Texas each year on 21 April, with ceremonies and re-enactments at the battlefield near La Porte.

Myths and facts

Myth: Santa Anna lost because he was distracted by “the Yellow Rose of Texas”. A popular legend claims that a woman named Emily West kept Santa Anna occupied in his tent when the attack began. The story rests on thin evidence and appeared in print only long after the battle; most historians regard it as folklore.

Myth: The battle was a fair fight between equal armies. It was a surprise attack on an unprepared camp, and much of the Mexican loss came during the pursuit rather than in the brief battle itself.

Timeline

• 1836, 2 March: Texas declares independence; on 4 March the convention names Houston commander of the army.
• 1836, 6 March: The Alamo falls to Santa Anna.
• 1836, 13 March: Houston begins his retreat from Gonzales.
• 1836, 27 March: Texian prisoners are executed at Goliad.
• 1836, 20 April: The armies meet near Lynch’s Ferry; a cavalry skirmish follows.
• 1836, 21 April: Battle of San Jacinto.
• 1836, 22 April: Santa Anna is captured.
• 1836, 14 May: Santa Anna signs the Treaties of Velasco.
• 1836, 22 October: Sam Houston is inaugurated as president of the Republic of Texas.

Why it matters

San Jacinto was one of the shortest decisive battles in American history. In less than half an hour it created an independent Texas, ended Santa Anna’s campaign and set in motion the chain of events that brought Texas into the United States and led to war with Mexico. The battlefield, marked by the San Jacinto Monument, is now a state historic site.