By Jerry Bullock
Daily Record Columnist
— Just about a two and a half hour drive east-southeast of San Marcos, a group of men was gathered together to prepare one of two documents. It would be either a declaration of independence declaring Texas to be independent of Mexico, or it would be a surrender to Santa Anna, declaring the state subject to Mexico and surrendering the rights they had been given by Mexico under the Constitution of 1824. The date, March 2, 1836.
This was a huge area from the Rio Grande as far west as Santa Fe. The boundary then extended north almost to Canada and then back to the Red River. The eastern boundary had the Red River and the Sabine River both at various times recognized as the Texas border. While the debate was going on at Washington-on-the Brazos, about 186 Texians were literally fighting for their lives in San Antonio de Bexar to hold back the Mexican army of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the Napoleon of the West.
Tuesday is Texas Independence Day. For 10 years Texas would stand as an independent nation so recognized by many of the great powers of the day. There was a time when this day was celebrated in Texas just as respectfully as July 4.
It seems we don’t do a very good job of teaching history any more. I looked through a home school history of Texas course book once and was shocked to find only a single paragraph was devoted to the Alamo. Many years ago I began studying Texas history beginning in the first grade and going through the seventh grade. The first two years were taught through the pages of a cartoon book. The Dallas Morning News from 1928 to 1930 produced the cartoons. Once in awhile at a used bookstore you might run on to some of these texts. They have been reproduced several times over the years. A 1970 edition was the best.
We are proud of our “Six Flags over Texas.” We leave out a dozen or more others that had an impact on the development of Texas. The flag of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain brought the first colonists to Texas. The flag of the Viceroy of New Spain and then the flag of Mexico followed this in 1820.
The French came to the Gulf Coast, Louisiana and Florida as well as Canada. The French started a colony on the Gulf Coast of Texas (I think they thought they were in Louisiana). Add the United States flag and the flag of the Southern Confederacy and you have the six.
There were many other flags but I would argue for one more that should be at least as revered as the ill-fated French colonial. That would be the emerald green flag of the Magee-Gutierrez Expedition in 1812 – 13. Thus the first Republic of Texas, albeit short-lived, was established in San Antonio and took a Loyalist Army to bring it down at the Battle of Medina in Atascosa County, August 19, 1813.
I have seen one flag collection in the courthouse at Gonzales that included the green banner. It was the personal flag of Capt. Augustus Magee. Next Tuesday go out and do something fun to celebrate the birth of a nation.
Jerry Bullock has written his weekly column for the Daily Record for more than 20 years. Jerry is a retired Air Force colonel, an ordained Baptist minister, professional counselor, military historian, speaker, and writer. He is a native Texan tracing his Texas roots to the days of the Republic.
