Tag Archives: Texas History

Today in Texas History – May 14

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From the Annals of the Revolution – In 1836, Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna and Republic of Texas provisional president David Burnett signed two Treaties of Velasco ending the Texas Revolution.  The public treaty, signed not surprisingly at Velasco (now Surfside Beach), ceased the fighting, called for withdrawal of Mexican troops and exchanges of prisoners, but Mexico did not formally recognize Texas’ independence.  The self-styled “secret treaty” had provisions for normalization of relations after the terms of the public treaty had been met.  The still vastly superior Mexican forces in the field honored the treaty and withdrew to Mexico.  In effect, the treaty was a venal effort by Santa Anna to save his own skin as it provided for his immediate transport to Veracruz. The story of Texas might have been vastly different if Gens. Urea and Filasola had decided to ignore Santa Anna’s command to stand down.

Despite the treaties, disputes over whether the Texas/Mexico boundary was on the Rio Grande or the Nueces continued and ultimately was the provocation that started the Mexican-American War that John Polk desperately wanted.  As a result, Texas’ boundary was never finally resolved during the days of the Republic.  It was not determined until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848 at the end of the Mexican-American War.

Today in Texas History – May 13

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From the Annals of the Unlucky –  In 1865, the last battle of the Civil War was fought near Brownsville at Palmito Ranch.  Union and Confederate commanders had previously reached a local truce thinking that a confrontation in the what appeared to be the waning days of the war over non-strategic ground in south Texas would be a waste of time, ammunition and most importantly lives.  Despite this on May 11, Col. Theo. H Barrett sent 300 mostly Black troops to take possession of Brownsville.  The Union force surprised about 150 Confederate cavalrymen and quickly routed them.  However, later in the afternoon the Confederates engaged the Union in a skirmish.  The Union commanders assumed that the Confederates had received reinforcements and quickly withdrew.  On May 13, Col. John “Rip” Ford arrived with artillery and assumed command.  The Confederates opened up with the cannons and an ensuing cavalry charge.  The Union troops were quickly routed and fell back to Brazos Island.  Approximately 30 unfortunate Union soldiers were killed in the meaningless and unnecessary battle.  After capturing some Union troops, the Confederates learned of the surrender of Lee and Johnston.  This small battle is only remembered because it was the last actual battle of the Civil War.

Today in Texas History – May 12

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From the Annals of School Songs –  In 1903, “The Eyes of Texas” was sung for the first time.  As a prank, the UT Glee Club serenaded President Wilson L. Prather with a parody song based on the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” The lyrics, written by John Lang Sinclair, were based on Prather’s oft-repeated admonition to students that “the eyes of the Texas are upon you.”  Prather’s saying was based on hearing Robert E. Lee say “the eyes of the South are upon you” during his time as a student at Washington College. The song became popular with students and was adopted as the official school song and copyrighted by UT.

Today in Texas History – May 8

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Palo Alto nebel.jpg

From the Annals of the Border Wars –  In 1846, U.S. forces under the command of Gen. Zachary Taylor defeated a Mexican force in the Battle of Palo Alto near present day Brownsville.  The battle was the first major engagement of the Mexican-American War but was fought prior to the actual declaration of war against Mexico. The movement towards war had begun when the U.S. annexed the Republic of Texas as a new state in 1845.  Mexico had refused to recognize Texas as an independent country and disputed the Rio Grande as an international boundary instead claiming sovereignty up to the Nueces.  After the Texas annexation and in a move to deliberately provoke the war, President James K. Polk ordered Taylor to defend the Rio Grande border. Taylor positioned his forces along the Rio Grande. Mexican General Mariano Arista viewed this as a hostile invasion of Mexican territory, and on April 25, 1846, he took his soldiers across the river and attacked. Polk having achieved the conflict that he desperately sought asked Congress to declare war which they did on May 13. But the real fighting had already started. In the weeks following the initial skirmish along the Rio Grande, Taylor engaged the Mexicans at the battle of Palo Alto on May 8, and the next day at Resaca de la Palma.  Taylor, nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready” by his soldiers, emerged from the war a national hero ultimately becoming President in1848.  He proved to be an unskilled politician who accomplished little before dying in office in 1850.

Today in Texas History – May 7

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From the Annals of Old Mexico –   In 1824, Mexico adopted a new constitution which created the new state of Coahuila y Tejas.  The two provinces were combined into one state – an act which foretold many of the problems which would ultimately result in the Texas revolution.  The newly created state was plagued with political turmoil as factions battled over even the location of the state capital.  The original capital was Saltillo but the government soon moved to Monclova.  At one point competing state legislatures were operating in both Saltillo and Monclova.  There was even a rump movement to relocate the capital to Bexar (San Antonio). The dictatorship of Santa Anna and the deteriorating situation of the state government led to the so-called Consultation declaring Texas a separate state in 1835 complete with the formation of a provisional government – an act which presaged the ultimate independence of Texas.        

Today in Texas History – May 6

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From the Annals of the Civil War –  Color Sergeant Leopold Karpeles won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of the Wilderness on this date in 1864. Karpeles was a Jewish native of Prague who emigrated to Texas in 1849.  He worked as a merchant in Galveston.  However, his opposition to slavery and secession led him to leave Texas for Massachusetts in 1861 where he enlisted in the Forty-sixth Massachusetts Infantry.  He mustered out in 1863 and in 1864 joined the Fifty-seventh Massachusetts Infantry.  His incredible bravery at the Wilderness was rewarded with the highest military honor. At several crucial stages of the battle, Karpeles exposed himself to enemy fire by climbing up on stumps and rallying the regiment around its colors to repel an enemy advance. Of the 548 men his regiment, 262 were lost in the battle – casualty figures that are hard to fathom in this day and era.  He was later badly wounded in the Battle of North Anna, and spent the next year recovering in military hospitals.  He was discharged in May 1865 after the war ended.  In 1870 he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Wilderness.

Today in Texas History

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From the Annals of the Hail from Hell –  In 1995, a surprise and deadly hail storm struck Fort Worth  and Dallas.  The super-cell thunderstorm was characterized as the worst recorded hail storm to hit the U.S. in the 20th Century.  The storm hit on a warm Friday afternoon that had attracted many thousands to various outdoor venues and in particular the Fort Worth Mayfest.   The sudden storm caught many in the open when tennis-ball-sized hail began to fall.  Victims suffered broken bones, deep lacerations and bruises from the hail stones. The hail also caused considerable property damage in western Fort Worth.  It even disrupted air traffic throughout the country because of delays at DFW.  Seventeen people died in the storm – but none from hail.  Rather, flash flooding caused the fatalities with most of the victims being drowned after attempting to cross flooded areas in their cars.  Two people were killed when a water filled roof collapsed.  At the time, it was considered to be the costliest hail storm in U.S. history.

Today in Texas History – May 1

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From the Annals of Public Art – in 1948, the Mustangs sculpture on the University of Texas campus was dedicated. The sculptor was Alexander P. Proctor.  Proctor was contacted by J. Frank Dobie for his fried oilman Ralph Ogden who wanted to give a sculpted group of mustangs to UT.  Proctor made a 15″ high clay model of small compact group of six mustangs.  He later added a colt and the model was approved.  He worked on the sculpture throughout much of 1939 while living on part of the King Ranch where a herd of wild mustangs still roamed.  Proctor finished the plaster cast, but it sat in the Gorham Bronze foundry waiting material for casting which was delayed because of WWII.  It was presented to UT when finished.  Proctor was present for the dedication. Unfortunately, Ogden had died but his wife presented the statue in his honor.

Today in Texas History – April 30

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From the Annals of the Troubadours –  In 1933, Willie Nelson was born in Abbott.  Nelson was raised by his grandparents, wrote his first song at age 7 and joined his first band at 10.  He took the long road to success with stops in Canada, Colorado, Missouri and Nashville before settling down back in Texas in 1972.  He is frequently credited with having helped launch the progressive country era that made Austin a music landmark.

Red has seen Willie play at least a dozen times at venues ranging from his golf course outside of Austin to an Austin City Limits taping.  One of the more memorable times was at the old Bull Creek Lodge on 2222 (now the County Line on the Lake) in 1976.  Willie came out on stage with a cowboy hat and seemingly brand new short hair cut (never explained) which was among the last times the Red Headed Stranger performed without his trademark bandana and flowing locks.  Red and a buddy were out in the parking lot during a break, when we noticed a very short man with an extremely good looking woman talking heatedly to the door man.  We just thought it was someone else trying to get in for free.  Finally, the woman just shouted, “He’s with me” and the door man let them in.  Fifteen minutes later the short man was up on stage and Willie was introducing his good friend Johnny Paycheck.

Photo by Jerry Nelson Young from imgbuddy.com

Today in Texas History – April 29

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From the Annals of the Spanish Sea –  In 1554, three Spanish treasure ships ran aground during near present-day Port Mansfield. The San Esteban, the Espíritu Santo, the Santa María de Yciar, and the San Andrés had set out from Veracruz on April 9.  But a powerful storm in the Gulf of Mexico doomed most of the fleet.  The San Andrés somehow survived.  Incredibly many Spanish sailors were unable to swim and more than half of the crew of the three ships drowned before reaching the beach on Padre Island.  The survivors organized two efforts to return to Mexico.  One small group sailed in a small boat to report back and organize a relief expedition. A larger group of survivors started an overland journey to Mexico in the mistaken belief that it would be a short trip.  Local natives, however, attacked the survivors and only one Spaniard, Fray Marcos de Mena, reached Pánuco.  A salvage expedition arrived at the site of the wrecks within two months, but only recovered about half of the 1,000,000 ducats lost in the Gulf.

The remains of the three ships lay undisturbed until 1967 when a General Land Office employee discovered that a private salvage company was excavating the shipwreck site.  This set off a decades long legal battle over the right to recover artifacts in Texas coastal waters with Texas ultimately securing the exclusive rights over such wrecks.  The find was  considered a major discovery and at the time was believed to be the earliest Spanish material ever recovered from American waters.  Artifacts recovered from the wreck included a small solid-gold crucifix, one gold bar, several silver discs, cannons, crossbows, and three astrolabes.

Photo of recovered artifact from  nautarch.tamu.edu