|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
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 |
|