Bill Text: TX HR193 | 2013 | 83rd Legislature 2nd Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Medina.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-07-31 - Reported enrolled [HR193 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HR193-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 193 | ||
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| WHEREAS, August 18, 2013, marks the 200th anniversary of the | ||
| Battle of Medina, the deadliest conflict in Texas history; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the course of some four hours on August 18, | ||
| 1813, the Spanish Royal Army annihilated the republican army of | ||
| Texas in a sandy oak forest region south of San Antonio, an area | ||
| known as el encinal de Medina; fewer than 100 of the defeated rebels | ||
| escaped with their lives, and the rout brought to a catastrophic end | ||
| an early chapter in the history of Texas' quest for independence; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, The battle occurred against a backdrop of rising | ||
| upheaval in the New World; in 1812, with unrest roiling throughout | ||
| Latin America, adventurers organized an attempt to wrest Texas from | ||
| Spain; their Republican Army of the North crossed from Louisiana | ||
| into Texas in August and captured Nacogdoches, Trinidad de Salcedo, | ||
| La Bahia, and finally San Antonio; along the way, the army swelled | ||
| with recruits from among the Tejanos; the revolutionaries declared | ||
| independence for the "State of Texas" on April 6, 1813; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Spain would not yield Texas so easily, however, and | ||
| the Spanish general Joaquin de Arredondo set out from Laredo for San | ||
| Antonio with a body of troops; in the meantime, the leadership of | ||
| the insurgents was riven by intrigue and internal dissension that | ||
| undermined military discipline; a number of seasoned veterans left | ||
| the republican army, and its command was assumed by General Jose | ||
| Alvarez de Toledo; on August 15, 1813, as a Spanish force of about | ||
| 2,000 soldiers advanced on San Antonio, General Toledo headed south | ||
| toward the encinal to engage the royalists; Toledo's army of | ||
| approximately 1,400 included more than 800 Mexicans and Tejanos, | ||
| about 300 Anglos, a few Native Americans, and one African slave; and | ||
| WHEREAS, On the morning of August 18, Spanish scouts lured | ||
| the republican troops into an ambush: while rebels commanded by | ||
| Miguel Menchaca wore themselves out struggling through deep sand in | ||
| pursuit of a single cavalry unit, General Arredondo prepared | ||
| fortifications in a concealed ridgetop position; the royalists | ||
| barraged the republicans when they came within range, killing more | ||
| than 800 on the main battlefield before chasing down the retreating | ||
| survivors; on the royalist side, only 55 perished; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The victorious general set about crushing the | ||
| insurrection, executing about 300 more rebels and taking brutal | ||
| reprisals on the general population in San Antonio and beyond; it is | ||
| estimated that more than 40 percent of Texas inhabitants perished | ||
| in the aftermath of the battle; one of General Arredondo's | ||
| lieutenants was then-19-year-old Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, | ||
| future general and president of Mexico, who historians believe may | ||
| well have patterned his policies in the Texas Revolution on General | ||
| Arredondo's draconian measures; and | ||
| WHEREAS, This devastating battle was eventually overshadowed | ||
| in the annals of the Lone Star State by subsequent events, which it | ||
| helped to set in motion; the precise location of the battlefield was | ||
| lost to memory, but in recent years, historians have narrowed their | ||
| search while raising awareness of the importance of this epic | ||
| conflict; although the royalists won a decisive victory, the | ||
| Spanish Crown lost any remaining vestiges of loyalty in the | ||
| province, and the spirit of independence ultimately proved the | ||
| mightiest force of all; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas | ||
| Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby commemorate the 200th | ||
| anniversary of the Battle of Medina and encourage all Texans to | ||
| learn more about this pivotal episode in the history of our state. | ||
| Guillen | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 193 was adopted by the House on July | ||
| 30, 2013, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
