San Jacinto monumentOne of the unfortunate results of expatriation from Texas is that I’m not exposed to the really important holidays. Thank goodness reader Davek emailed to remind me that today is San Jacinto Day, commemorating the battle that ended the Texas-Mexican war on April 21, 1836 in what is now Harris county.
The Republic of Texas army, led by General Sam Houston, dealt General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s Mexican forces a crushing blow, bringing Mexican rule of Texas to an end.

Unlike the Alamo, over 600 Mexican soldiers were killed that afternoon and over 700 surrendered. Only nine Texians were killed or mortally wounded. Sam Houston was wounded in the ankle, and Santa Anna was found the next day hiding in the grass and dressed as a foot soldier. The Texians had no idea who’d they captured until the General was brought back into camp and the Mexicans began saluting him!

I’ve been to both the Alamo and the San Jacinto monument and each are stirring in their own way. The difference for me is that while the Alamo is set in the middle of a bustling city, the San Jacinto monument rests in the middle of a wide expanse of grass at a state park, and it’s easy to imagine what the battlefield could have looked like 172 years ago and how surprised the Mexicans must have been that afternoon after their siestas.

If you go to the San Jacinto monument, be sure to tour the Battleship Texas! It’s a thrill to sit behind the deck guns…

There are some awesome photo captures of the park and Battleship on Flickr, if you’re so inclined.

Now, the last time I wrote about the Alamo -which I can’t find, so it must have been before the switch to WP- there were a flurry of comments protesting my perception of the war. Of course, I come from the ‘Thank God the Texians won’ point of view. Many people were on the side of the poor, maligned Mexicans, who were simply trying to protect their own land from upstarts.

Before you guys get started: Suck it! There are basically three ways to obtain land: fight for it, purchase it OR have enough people move to the area and reproduce until they take over. The Mexicans -or ‘Atzlans‘ are well on their way to making the latter happen in America. Until then, this is still the United States, and the Republic’s independence was won with blood. Respect it or not, that’s the way it is.

That said, here are some fast facts about Texas:

Texas comes from the Hasinai Indian word tejas meaning friends or allies.

Texas is the only state to enter the United States by treaty instead of territorial annexation.

The state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845.

Texas is the only state to have the flags of 6 different nations fly over it. They are: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States, and the United States.

Texas is the only state with a legal right to secede from the Union.

Yep, I miss it.