From the Annals of the Revolution – In 1836, the Alamo was overrun after a thirteen-day siege by a Mexican Army commanded by Gen. Santa Anna.   In the early morning assault, no quarter was given and the crumbling mission turned fortress was quickly taken. Approximately 189 Texian troops and volunteers were killed and then burned in a large funeral pyre.  The number of Mexican soldiers reported killed has varied greatly over the years.  The Texas history I learned had the defenders of the Alamo killing as many as 2000 Mexican soldiers.  That number seems highly unlikely and the actual number of Mexicans killed or wounded was probably closer to 600.  Historians have also debated whether Davy Crockett and small remnant were taken prisoner and then executed at the order of Santa Anna.  Various accounts conflict as to Crockett’s ultimate demise and the actual manner of his death will likely remain one of history’s mysteries.

From the Annals of the Republic –  In 1842, a Mexican force of at least 500 soldiers under the command of Gen. Rafael Vasquez seized control of San Antonio.  The outnumbered Texans withdrew from the City without a fight when Vasquez demanded surrender.  Vasquez quickly raised the Mexican flag and declared that Mexican law was in effect.  It is unclear how Vasquez completely surprised the City, but the invasion was short-lived as Vasquez withdrew from the City on March 7 and returned to Mexico under some pursuit.  The incursion was one of many cross-border fights between Texas and Mexico throughout the life of the Republic.

From the Annals of “Warm Piss” – In 1933, John Nance Garner of Uvalde was sworn in as Vice President of the United States.  Nicknamed “Cactus Jack” he was the first Texan to hold the position.  Garner had been Speaker of the House and a candidate for President in 1932.  Although he had considerable support at the Democratic National Convention, when it became clear that Franklin Roosevelt would get the nomination, Garner made a deal to be nominated as Vice-President.  Garner was born in 1868 in a log cabin near Detroit.  After dropping out of Vanderbilt, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1890 and moved to Uvalde, where he joined the law firm of Clark and Fuller. Garner was elected to the position of Uvalde County Judge and served as a state senator before heading for Washington as a congressman in 1903. Garner quickly rose through the party ranks. By 1909 Garner had become party whip, and he became speaker of the House in 1931. Garner was a master of congressional politics and he was influential in getting New Deal legislation enacted.  His schism with Roosevelt came over the infamous court-packing plan. Garner became a leader of the conservative Democrats. After being reelected Vice President in 1936, he worked against further New Deal legislation. His estrangement from Roosevelt probably led to his famous description of the Vice-Presidency as being “not worth a bucket of warm piss” (often euphemized as “warm spit”.) After retiring from public life in 1940, Garner spent the rest of his years in Uvalde in relative seclusion.

From the Annals of the Forgotten War – In 1899, Congress authorized the formation of the Thirty-Third Infantry Regiment which became known as the Texas Regiment.  The Regiment was formed for combatting the Philippine Insurrection – America’s forgotten war that officially lasted from June 2, 1899 until July 4, 1902 but lasted as a lower level conflict for at least another decade. The Regiment was organized at Fort Sam Houston. Approximately one third of the officers and enlisted men were from Texas. The Regiment served in the Philippines from October 27, 1899, until March 2, 1901. The Thirty-third fought in battles at Magnataram, Tirad Pass, Vigan, and Taguidin Pass.  The Regiment was mustered out of service in San Francisco on April 17, 1901.  However, some soldiers from the Regiment remained in the Philippines to serve with the Philippine Constabulary.

From the Annals of the Republic – In 1836, in Washington-on-the-Brazos, 59 delegates signed the Texas Declaration of Independence establishing the Republic of Texas as an independent country from Mexico. The Declaration was produced over one night of extended drafting. At the time, Texas troops and volunteers were under siege at the Alamo 150 miles away.

At the first meeting of the Convention of 1836 on March 1,  the convention voted to appoint 5 delegates to draft the Declaration.  The committee, consisting of George C. Childress, Edward Conrad, James Gaines, Bailey Hardeman, and Collin McKinney, prepared the declaration in record time.  It read and quickly adopted by the delegates of the convention the following day. The Declaration is certainly reminiscent of that of the United States. It outlines the functions and responsibility of government, states a list of grievances against Mexico, and concludes by declaring Texas a free and independent republic.

From the Annals of South Texas –  In 1917, John Connally was born in Floresville.  Like so many other prominent politicos, Connally’s start in politics began with LBJ – who persuaded him to serve as a key aide. Connally had close ties with Johnson before his navy days and maintained them until LBJ’s death in 1973.  As an attorney, Connally secured two key clients – Sid Richardson and Perry Bass.  Connally likely made his fortune when he was appointed as co-executor of Richardson’s estate.  Connally served a short term as Secretary of the Navy under John F. Kennedy (at LBJ’s insistence).  He left that post in December of 1961 to run for Governor of Texas.  He was elected in 1962 and again in 1964 and 1966.  During his first race he made a point of criticizing his opponent Jack Cox for having switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP.  His time as Governor was likely the highpoint of Connally’s career.  Of course, he is most famous for having been wounded during the assassination of JFK while riding in the same car as the President.  Still a Democrat, he was picked by Richard Nixon to serve as Secretary of the Treasury.  Connally allegedly insisted that Nixon also appoint George H.W. Bush to some position – a move that likely saved Bush’s career.   Connally switched parties in 1973 and in 1979 declared himself to be a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.  After spending $11 million during the campaign, Connally secured the support of only a single delegate.  Connally’s remaining years were devoted to business with his partner Ben Barnes.  The Barnes-Connally firm collapsed in bankruptcy and scandal amid the S&L crisis.

From the Annals of Segregation –  In 1946, Heman Sweatt accompanied by NAACP representatives met with University of Texas President Theo Painter to present his request for admission to the University of Texas School of Law.   Sweatt met all of the qualification for admission to the school – except for one minor detail – he was Black.  The Texas Constitution, Art. VII, Section 7 provided that “Separate schools shall be provided for the white and colored children, and impartial provision shall be made for both.”  The first part of the constitutional requirement was a fact – the second part was a joke.  His request was denied leading a long court battle.  Sweatt claimed that the Texas Constitution violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.  He sought mandamus to order Painter to enroll him.  The case was continued to allow the State to establish “The School of Law of the Texas State University for Negroes” in an old house north of the Capitol.  Based on the now discredited “separate but equal” doctrine, the state court denied Sweatt relief.  The case ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court  which held that the equal protection clause required that Sweatt be admitted into UT Law School.  The case did not completely invalidate the separate but equal doctrine but it was a major step in the right direction.

From the Annals of the Revolution – In 1836, Col. William B. Travis issued a call for help on behalf of the Texian defenders of the Alamo.  The troops in the crumbling mission turned fort included regular Texas Army soldiers and a variety of volunteers with Davy Crockett being the most famous.

Travis was in command of troops in the recently captured city of San Antonio de Bexar.  His military capability has been much debated.  His troops were surprised by the arrival of the leading forces of the army of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana on February 23 even though they had been marching from Mexico for over a month. Travis and his troops took shelter in the Alamo, where they were joined by a volunteer force led by Col. James Bowie.

The mission was quickly surrounded by Santa Ana’s 5,000 troops.  When Santa Ana called for Travis and his men to surrender, they answered with a bold shot from one of the Alamo’s cannon.  Furious, Santa Ana began a 13 day siege. Travis recognized his predicament and sent out several messages via couriers asking for reinforcements. Addressing one of the pleas to “The People of Texas and All Americans in the World,” Travis stated that the Alamo was surrounded by more than a thousand Mexican troops and that it had sustained 24 hours of bombardment without loss of life.  He proclaimed “I shall never retreat or surrender” and signed off with the now-famous “Victory or Death” knowing that it almost certainly would be death.  Only 32 valiant men from the nearby town of Gonzales responded to Travis’ call for help slipping through a gap in the Mexican lines that Santa Ana had purposefully left open hoping to lure more Texians to an almost certain tragic fate.

From the Annals of Reconstruction –  In 1874, the Texas Senate confirmed the election of former slave Walter Moses Burton. Burton was 21 when he was brought to Texas in 1850 as the slave of Thomas Burke Burton, a Fort Bend farmer. His owner taught Burton how to read and write, skills which Burton put to great effect. After emancipation, Burton became one of the wealthiest and most influential blacks in Fort Bend County. In 1869, Burton was elected sheriff and tax collector of Fort Bend County. In 1873 Burton was elected to the Texas Senate, where he served for seven years over two terms.  In the Senate he championed the education of blacks and is perhaps best remembered for the bill that established Prairie View Normal School (now Prairie View A&M University). When he left the Senate in 1882, Burton was given an ebony and gold cane as a tribute.  He remained active in state and local politics until his death in 1913.