Road to Texas Independence-Runaway Scrape.
The dark days of the Revolution have begun
When we last left the Texican defenders at the Alamo, Col William Barrett Travis, the garrison commander had penned his iconic Victory or Death Letter. It would reach Sam Houston too late to impact the outcome of the Battle of the Alamo. On the 2nd of March, Texas issued its Declaration of Independence from the Convention being held at Washington-on-the-Brazos. David G Burnet was elected from the convention as the 1st President of the Texas Republic while Sam Houston was made General of all Texican military.
General Houston sets out for Gonzalas and the approximately 375 troops there under the command of Lt Col JC Neil. Initially, he intends to reinforce the garrison at the Alamo.
James C (JC) Neil had fought with Davy Crockett and Old Hickory Andrew Jackson in the Creek Indian Wars. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in the Tennessee militia during these wars and is one of the most accomplished military officers in the Texas Army. He and his family had relocated from Tennessee to Texas in Stephen F Austin’s 3rd colony and had been given a league of land near present-day Bastrop. He participated in both the Come and Take It, and the Battle of Gonzalas on 2 Oct 1835 as well as against General Cos as the Texican’s initially seized the Alamo in December of 1835 in the Battle of Bexar. He was then sent to Gonzalas to assume control of the approximately 375 members of the Texican Army. It is there he is promoted to Lt Col of Artillery.
The Runaway Scrape
Gen Sam Houston reaches Gonzales only to be met with the devastating news that the Alamo has fallen and every defender there had been put to the sword on March 6th. One of the “controversies” of the Alamo Siege is whether Davy Crockett died on the wall defending the Alamo or was overwhelmed by Mexican troops and along with 5 others, marched in front of Santa Anna. We do not think it matters as it does not change the courage of any of the 6. We would like to think if Crockett was captured, the last minutes went something like Billy Bob Thronton’s portrayal in the 2004 version of the Alamo.
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Mexican General Castrillon implored Santa Anna to spare the lives of the 6 survivors but to no avail. The brutal tyrant ordered their deaths as he had ordered the deaths of hundreds of Mexican Citizens who opposed the Centralists' ending of the Mexican Constitution of 1824.
This was the news facing Gen Houston and the citizens of Gonzales. Susanah Dickerson would return to her home in Gonzales as one of the few Texican witnesses of the Battle of the Alamo along with her 2 year old daughter, Angelina. She brought with her a note for Sam Houston from the Mexican Army. Her husband was Capt Alamon Dickerson who commanded the artillery at the Alamo and died during the battle. He was also a member of the “Old Gonzales 18”, the 18 men who participated in the Battle of Gonzales that is referred to as the Lexington of Texas. A replica of her house sits on it’s old lot in Gonzales today, restored after the town was put to the torch. She would remarry several times. Her last husband John and she had moved to Austin and their home (now restored) is a museum of Texana history.
Gen Houston had approximately 375 troops and an equal number of citizens to fight Santa Anna’s army of close to 2000 as well as the Mexican army along the coast under General Urrea totaling another 1500. While many wanted to stand and fight, Houston realized this was not practical as he had almost no artillery, no fortified place to make a stand and he was outnumbered. Not to mention most of his “army” were untrained.
Sam Houston made the highly unpopular but wise tactical move and ordered the town of Gonzales burned to the ground and for everyone to start what became known as the Runaway Scrape. Along the way Houston would add to the size of his Army and would burn everything in his path, leaving nothing for Santa Anna and his army to use for food and re-supply.
This decision was made as Houston rested under what is now known as the Sam Houston Oak, which still sits today on private land in Gonzales. You can see the tree from the fence and if you have children, they can scale the fence, run to the tree and return with pieces of tree bark (off the ground) to share with a fellow Texan. We shall not use the name of the guilty party to protect this high crime and misdemeanor but safe to say, the bark is a proud part of my collection. In addition to men like Crockett from Tennessee, citizens of other states had arrived acting as volunteers. Over a dozen of the New Orleans Gray’s had perished at the Alamo. At Gonzales, there was a company of Kentucky Volunteers funded by an Ohio Businessman. Additionally, Juan Seguin led a company of Tejano volunteers riding as Calvary. The Tejanos were citizens of Mexico who had settled in Texas along with those born here. Several of the delegates at the Texas Convention of 1836 were Tejanos born in Texas. The Texicans were citizens of America or Europe who settled in Texas. Along with Deaf Smith, Seguin’s company of Calvary’s job was to be the rear guard of the Runaway Scrape, harassing Santa Anna’s army along the way.
It would be 6 weeks before the Battle of San Jacinto and as gloomy as things were for the Texicans, the news would get even worse before it would get better.
Even the weather was not cooperating. It was a cold winter with lots of rain making travel difficult and the further east they moved, the more mouths there were to feed as both the Army and the refugees grew in number. Except the weather slowed the Mexican Army more than it impeded the travel of the Texicans.
Sam Houston faced a true leadership challenge as the military men mostly wanted to fight, the settlers were angry at the scorched earth policy and morale was very low. At this time in Texas, you crossed the major rivers (Colorado, Brazos, even the smaller Lavaca River) you used a ferry or a steamship. The most famous of the Steamships was the
Yellowstone. With the larger-than-normal rains, the rivers were all up. This made ferry crossing even more important. So Sam Houston ordered all ferries burned once the Texicans crossed to slow the advance of the Mexican army. While a wise tactical move, with every town put to the torch, the citizens saw their years of work going up in smoke.
Next time, the Battle of Goliad and the Road to Independence takes an even darker turn.
How did we get here?
Before 1824, Spain controlled Mexico. They realized the Comanches were causing havoc with their raids on the major Mexican cattle ranches of northern Mexico, south of the Rio Grande.
Attempts to get Mexican citizens to relocate to Texas was met with tepid responses.
Moses and his son, Stephen F Austin approached the Mexican government with a plan to re-settle Texas with emigrants from the new United States as well as European settlers. In the early 1800s, land was the fastest way for poor citizens to build and create wealth.
The Spanish and then later the Mexican governments realized using Americans as effective fodder and a human shield against the Comanches was a far better idea than trying to station troops in Texas which was not a desired posting.
In 1824, Mexico was able to defeat the Spanish and take control of their own country.
Copying the US Constitution, Mexico created the Constitution of 1824 outlining the rights of her citizens. The supporters of the Constitution are referred to as Federalists.
Unhappy with “peasant rule”, powerful people called the Centrists backed Santa Anna who won the Presidency in 1832. He is known as the “hero” of the Mexican Revolution and refers to himself as the Napolean of the West.
In 1834, Santa Anna rescinded the Constitution of 1824 which led to rebellion in many Mexican states. Including his home state of Vera Cruz. These rebellions were brutally put down by his Army.
The revocation of the Constitution of 1824 also means that all the lands granted to Texicans in the past have been revoked in addition to all rights being stripped away.
2 Oct 1835 Come and Take It, Battle of Gonzales, the Lexington of the Texas Revolution. 18 Gonzales citizens hold off a very lightly armed contingent of 100 Mexican lancers. It’s on.
5 Dec Under Ben Milam and Frank Johnson, the Battle of Bexar begins.
12 Dec, Mexicans at San Antonio defeated. Texicans allow General Cos, Santa Anna’s brother-in-law, to leave, sparing his troop's lives (over 1000) with the promise not to return and fight the Texicans. General Cos is not a man of his word.
1836
19 January, James Bowie and James Bonham return to the Alamo with 30 men.
1 February Elections for delegates to an Independence Convention held across Texas.
3 February William Barrett Travis arrives at the Alamo with 30 men
8 February Davey Crockett arrives at the Alamo with a dozen Tennessee Volunteers
16 February Santa Anna and his army of approximately 2000-3000 cross the Rio Grande
23 February The siege of the Alamo officially begins with the shelling of the Mission. The blood red, no quarter-given flag is raised over San Antonio
24 February Travis pens his Victory or Death letter
25 February Fannin attempts a relief mission with 100 troops from Goliad but when a wagon breaks, he turns back
1 March On the same day the Independence Convention opens in Washington-on-the-Brazos, between 32-60 men of the Gonzales Mounted Volunteers arrive at the Alamo.
2 March Texas Declares Independence.
6 March in the pre-dawn hours, the Mexican army advances on 3 sides of the Alamo and the fight begins. It does not last long as the last 6 surviving defenders are executed. Susanna Dickenson and her daughter are spared along with a couple of slaves and other civilians. Dickenson is given a message to take to Gen Sam Houston.
Author’s Note:
As both a 6th and 7th Generation Texan, this work is a passion project of mine. I have used multiple sources and at times those sources disagree on dates and other details. We hope you enjoy the work and your understanding of Texas grows. One of my goals is to share some of the lesser-known stories about both events and people important in Texas history. In this case the story of JC Neill. You will learn about many including my Great Great Grandfather James Talbert Ross who fought at both San Felipe de Austin and San Jacinto. We are still trying to confirm that on my Grandmother’s side, Daniel Bird, my other great-great-grandfather also participated in the Revolution. Records indicate he was at San Jacinto as well. Talbot Ross’ father was one of the Old 300, James Jeffers Ross who settled north of Columbus and helped found the town of Fayetteville, the county seat of Fayette County. His name is on the town plaque by the Courthouse and there is a Texas Historical Marker for his land, known as Ross Prairie. Till I saw it, always thought these were family fish stories. He would be murdered in 1834 but was a Col in the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. Prior to his death, he was listed in records as a Captain of the Texas Militia, this record can be seen at the very well-done museum at San Felipe, less than half a mile off I-10. Well worth a stop near the town of Sealy.
Another reason I have started this work is the recent attempts by revisionist historians to paint a far different and inaccurate picture of the Texas Revolution. Texas was not “stolen” from Mexico. This wasn’t about slavery but instead, a Revolution provoked by the tyrannical Santa Anna’s attempts at governmental overreach.
“I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I think it is more than that. It is a mystique closely approximating a religion. Texas is a Nation in every sense of the word.” John Steinbeck from Travels with Charley
