This Day In Texas History - March 29

[joe817]

1813 - The battle of Rosillo was fought on a prairie near the confluence of Rosillo and Salado creeks, nine miles southeast of San Antonio. The engagement was between the Republican Army of the North led by José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara and Samuel Kemper and a Spanish royalist force under Texas governor Manuel María de Salcedo and Nuevo León governor Simón de Herrera. The republican army, variously estimated at 600 to 900 men, was advancing along the road from La Bahía to San Antonio when it was confronted by a royalist force variously reported to be 950 to 1,500 men.The ensuing battle was bloody and brief, lasting no more than an hour but resulting in the complete rout of the royalists and the capture of most of their arms and ammunition, six cannons, and 1,500 horses and mules. Royalist losses were heavy, estimated to be 100 to 330 men, while the republicans lost only six men. The battle of Rosillo resulted in the capture of San Antonio and the establishment of a first "republic of Texas," but the rebellion was eventually crushed at the battle of Medina in August 1813.

1836 - San Felipe is burned to prevent its falling into the hands of the Mexican army.

1896 - In Corpus Chisti, Robert J. Kleburg Jr is born. He is the son of Alice Gertrudis (King) and Robert Justus Kleberg, manager of the King Ranch. Robert Jr. is credited with the development of the first United States breed of cattle, the Santa Gertrudis, a cross between a shorthorn and a Brahman.

1899 - Texas Governor (1935-1939) James V Allred was born in Bowie County. At the time he took office (Texas first outdoor inauguration) he was Texas youngest governor. He later was appointed by Harry Truman to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

1899 – The first Texas statutory regulation of the drilling, casing, plugging and abandonment of oil and gas wells was passed.

1915 Frank Hamer rejoined the Texas Rangers at Del Rio, after serving as marshal of the lawless community of Navasota, and then became a special officer in Harris County. With rejoin the Rangers, he began one of the most eventful periods of his peace officer career, patrolling the South Texas border from the Big Bend to Brownsville when arms smuggling, bootlegging, and banditry were rampant. In 1920 Hamer served as a prohibition officer. He was transferred to Austin in 1921. He rose to the rank of senior captain and made Austin his permanent home. On February 1, 1934, Marshall Lee Simmons, head of the prison system, asked Hamer to take the new position of special investigator for the Texas prison system. Hamer was assigned to track down the nationally known outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. After a three-month search, he trapped them near Gibsland, Louisiana, on May 23, 1934, and with the aid of several local policemen shot and killed them. Congress awarded Hamer a special citation for catching the pair. [ http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/onli" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... fha32.html ]

1955 - Football player Earl Campbell is born in Tyler.

1965 - The deliberate impoundment of water began at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The reservoir is dammed eighty miles north of Beaumont, is fed by the Angelina River, and covers part of Jasper, Angelina, Sabine, Nacogdoches, and San Augustine counties. Construction began on September 7, 1956. The reservoir's name was changed from McGee Bend to Sam Rayburn, in honor of the congressional leader, in 1963. The dam serves two hydroelectric plants. The lake has a drainage area of 3,449 square miles. It is a favorite resort destination for East Texans.

[joe817]

Letters From The Past: From the memoirs of Sion Record Bostick From The Quarterly of the Texas Historical Association, October 1901.

"I was at home at Columbus, but on the 21st day of March, after the Alamo had fallen and Fannin and his men had been massacred, I reenlisted at Columbus under Captain Moseley Baker, who had a company in Colonel Ed. Burleson's regiment of Houston's army, then retreating before the victorious Mexicans. Baker's company was sent to San Felipe to guard it, and Houston's army crossed the Brazos above San Felipe at Groce's (Ferry). My company crossed the Brazos at San Felipe and threw up some little fortifications. After the Mexicans crossed the Colorado river General Houston ordered us to cross over the river and burn San Felipe. The people had already abandoned the place, leaving everything they had in the houses and stores. We obeyed our orders, but remained in camp on the east side of the Brazes opposite San Felipe, and placed a picket guard on the west side to give notice of the approach of the Mexicans.

In a few days, the Mexicans came up. One morning about sunrise they captured Simpson, one of our pickets. The other three pickets, Jack (James) Bell, I. L. Hill, and George W. Pettus got away and crossed the river in a dugout. We had some skirmish firing across the river at them. We would not let them cross, and they went down the Brazos and crossed at Richmond. We were ordered to join Houston at Donoho's below Groce's outside of the Brazos bottom in the edge of the prairie. The scouts reported that Santa Anna had gone down to Harrisburg on Buffalo bayou, where he never halted, but, after burning the place, moved on down the bayou to a point opposite the San Jacinto river, or rather below there. Houston's army followed, found Harrisburg burned up, moved on down the bayou, and went into camp just above the mouth of the San Jacinto river. The Mexicans came back up the river and some skirmishing took place on the 20th. They camped that night not far from Houston's army. The next day in the evening Houston ordered us to attack the Mexicans. Sherman on the left commenced the fight. We were all on foot except a small cavalry force under Lamar. We moved down a slope slowly, but when we started up a long sloping ridge (the Mexican breastworks were on the top of it), we all went in double quick. Everyone of us was yelling: 'Remember the Alamo! Remember Fannin!' In a little while the Mexicans broke and ran. Just back of their was low marshy land and a kind of lake. Many of them tried to cross, but they bogged down, and we shot them. A few got through, and we captured them next day.

Captain Moseley Baker told me on the morning of the 22nd to scout around on the prairie and see if I could find any escaping Mexicans. I went and fell in with two other scouts, one of whom was named Joel Robinson, and the other Henry Sylvester. We had horses that we had captured from the Mexicans.

When we were about eight miles from the battle field, about one o'clock, we saw the head and shoulders of a man above the tall sedge grass, walking through the prairie. As soon as we saw him we started towards him in a gallop. When he discovered us, he squatted in the grass; but we soon came to the place. As we rode up we aimed at him and told him to surrender. He held up his hands and spoke in Spanish, but I could not understand him. He was dressed a common soldier with dingy looking white uniform. Under the uniform he had on a fine shirt. As we went back to camp the prisoner rode behind Robinson awhile and then rode behind Sylvester.

I was the youngest and smallest of the party, and I would not agree to let him ride behind me. I wanted to shoot him. We did not know who he was. He was tolerably dark skinned, weighed about one hundred and forty-five pounds, and wore side whiskers. When we got to camp, the Mexican soldiers, then prisoners, saluted him and said 'el presidente.' We knew then that we had made a big haul. All three of us who had captured him were angry at ourselves for not killing him out on the prairie to be consumed by the wolves and buzzards. We took him to General Houston, who was wounded and lying under a big oak tree.

The remainder of the story of the battle others have told. It is history. I have told what I saw as a young private; I was not seventeen years old. The causes of the discontent and the troubles with Mexico I did not then know. History tells all that. As a boy all I knew was that we had a row on our hands, and they wanted to fight. I thought I could kill Mexicans as easily as I could deer and turkeys. In 1842 I helped General Burleson whip the Comanches at Plum Creek fight, and in 1848, during the Mexican War, I went out again under Claiborne Herbert. Still later, in 1861, I went again, this time to Virginia, and served in Hood's brigade in the Fifth Texas. During the war with Spain I was very much troubled because I was too old to go......"

[The Wall]

Thanks! Very interesting stuff for sure.

[TXhntr88]

I look forward to reading these, thanks!

[joe817]

Thanks! Very interesting stuff for sure.

No kidding! & you're welcome.