The Moneychanger
On 6 March 1836 after 13 days of fighting, the siege of the Alamo ended when Santa Anna's Mexican army of 3,000 defeated, overran, and killed the 189 Texas volunteers. But in one of history's oft- repeated turnarounds, 46 days later the victors became the vanquished when General Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna in an 18 minute battle at San Jacinto. About 630 Mexican soldiers were killed and 730 captured, but only 9 Texans died. The Alamo defenders managed to delay Santa Anna long enough to enable militia to gather under Sam Houston.
My favorite flag of the Texas War for Independence is called the Gonzalez Flag. Under a lone star it pictures a cannon over the motto, "Come and take it." It was the Texians' response to the Mexican commander's demand for the surrender of the weapon. The ensuring fight was the first of the war. The motto directly translates the response of Spartan King Leonidas to the Persian army's demand they surrender their weapons: "Molon labe -- Come and take 'em." It's the same response free men always make.
I live less than an hour away from San Jacinto Monument and Battleground. Every time I walk those hallowed grounds, a wave of emotion comes over me. I know that right there in that exact spot, men of honor and true grit were determined to rid themselves of men who had every intention of becoming their masters and erasing their existence from history. It's a very special place. Now if that wasn't a good ole' fashioned Texas ass whoopin I don't know what is... Long Live the Republic!
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