April 21 is San Jacinto Day in Texas, commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto.
It is one of the 14 Texas Honor Days designated by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
On this date in 1836, General Sam Houston and the Texas Army defeated Santa Anna’s Mexican troops, winning independence for Texas in a decisive battle that lasted only eighteen minutes.
April 21 has been celebrated every year since the battle, and in a joint resolution, the 14th Texas Legislature of 1874 pronounced April 21 as San Jacinto Day, a legal state holiday.
San Jacinto Day is also a day to honor all who fought for the independence of Texas.
They were “Texians” — native citizens and immigrant citizens, speaking Spanish, English, German and more, all with a common purpose of self-preservation and liberty, and it was this battle that assured their success. It is the most important battle in Texas history.
Thursday, April 21, 1836 was a clear and sunny day for the Texas Army of only 750 men.
That morning, Sam Houston sent Deaf Smith with a couple of soldiers to destroy the nearby Vince’s bridge, thereby removing the only available escape route for Santa Anna and his army of 1,500 soldiers.
At mid-afternoon, Houston gave the order to advance, and the Texians did not hesitate. To shouts of “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Goliad” they attacked, and in less than twenty minutes, the battle for Texas was won.
The significance of the battle of San Jacinto led not only to the annexation of Texas, but also to the Mexican War, which resulted in the U.S. acquisition of the states of New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Approximately one million square miles of territory, or almost one third of the present-day U.S., changed sovereignty because of the victory at San Jacinto.
The San Jacinto Monument, a memorial to honor all who fought for Texas’ independence, stands at the battle site. It was begun on San Jacinto Day, 1936 and dedicated on San Jacinto Day, 1939.
The monument is the tallest column memorial in the world and is topped with a 34-foot Lone Star. At 567 feet tall, it is 12 feet taller than the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
The Joshua D. Brown Chapter encourages all Texans to pause on April 21st and celebrate the bravery and perseverance of the Texas pioneers and the great state of Texas.
The April meeting of the Chapter will be held at First United Methodist Church, 321 Thompson Dr. in Kerrville, on Monday, April 22nd at 10:00AM. Chapter Registrar Judy McVay will be the speaker; her subject will be “Honoring Our DRT Ancestors.”
Judy was born and raised in San Angelo, TX, and is a proud seventh generation Texan.
She attained a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Texas Women’s University, and a Master’s degree in Maternal Child Health Nursing from Health Science Center in San Antonio.
Judy enjoyed a thirty year career teaching over 5,000 student nurses.
Judy’s husband Larry is a native of Boston and a retired Air Force Colonel. They have three children and seven grandchildren and one great granddaughter.
Judy is a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, serving as Chapter Registrar and a member of the State of Texas Genealogical Research Committee.
She is also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Genealogical Societies of both Kendall County and Kerrville. She hosts monthly “Texas Thursdays” (help sessions) in Kerrville and Boerne. She enjoys studying Texas and family history.
For more information, contact Judy McVay at [email protected], or at 830-537-3742.
