Texian Exodus

Auteur

Stephen L. Hardin

Texte du rabat

"As the Mexican army crossed the Rio Grande in early 1836, communities in the south-central portions of Texas began to leave the area. After the Alamo fell in March of 1836, Sam Houston dispatched couriers to carry the news across Texas. Frightened Texians used any means of transportation, or none at all, to leave, often without any preparation. The mass evacuation congealed as groups, including soldiers, helped one another toward the Sabine River (the border with Louisiana) or Galveston Island. On April 21, 1836, the retreating Texian army doubled back and surprised Santa Anna's forces while they were at rest, routing the Mexicans and essentially securing Texas's independence. The "Runaway Scrape," as it came to be known, ended when news of the decisive battle at San Jacinto spread, announcing Texas's separation from Mexico. First-hand accounts by the Anglo-American colonists, Tejano residents, and enslaved people provide the backbone of the narrative, bolstered with original interpretation and analysis"--

Contenu

• A Note on Etymology
• Witnesses
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. “To Revel in an Unknown Joy”: Planting Texas Roots
• 2. “No Quarter Will Be Given Them”: Santa Anna Advances
• 3. “Hurry and Stir”: Santa Anna Arrives
• 4. “The Confusion and Distress Will Be Indescribable”: Politics and Pandemonium
• 5. “Heavy Rains and Dreadful Roads”: Turbulent Weather
• 6. “Cramps, Colics, and Diarrhea”: Death and Disease
• 7. “A Feeling of Wondrous Kindness”: Assistance and Cooperation
• 8. “To Take Advantage of the Misfortunes of Others”: Texians Plundering Texians
• 9. “Without Shelter and Almost Without Subsistence”: Galveston Island
• 10. “Fight Then and Be Damned”: A Runaway Army
• 11. “The Most Grateful News That Was Ever Told”: Starting Over
• 12. “In This Great Time of Trouble”: Ripples
• Epilogue. “Come What May, Texas Will Abide”: Legacy
• Acknowledgments
• 1836 Chronology
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index