The Alamo Messenger
April 2015
The present day Alamo Complex
        Remembering Through Education         


In This Issue
In Their Own Words

Dilue Rose immigrated to Texas with her family in 1833. Dilue Harris was ten years old at the time of the Texas Revolution. Her family was caught up in the Runaway Scrape that

followed the news of the Alamo's fall. "The Reminiscences of Mrs. Dilue Harris" was published as a series of articles in The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association from 1901 through 1904.  Keep Reading

 

Educator Resource
Sam Houston by Mathew Brady. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

This 4th grade lesson plan helps students understand the importance of Sam Houston to the Texas Revolution and the history of Texas.  Go to Lesson

Additional Primary Sources
 The Tornel Decree of April 14, 1836
 Orders from Santa Anna to Filisola, April 22, 1836
Alamo Links








Firearms of the Texas Frontier Exhibit Videos


Henry Repeating Rifle: The Evolution of the Winchester (Firearms of the Texas Frontier)
Henry Repeating Rifle: The Evolution of the Winchester (Firearms of the Texas Frontier)

Winchester Model 1866
Winchester Model 1866 "Yellow Boy": The Evolution of the Winchester

Winchester Model 1873: The Evolution of the Winchester
Winchester Model 1873: The Evolution of the Winchester


  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Greetings and welcome to the April 2015 edition of the Alamo Messenger.  This month's issue explores the Battle of San Jacinto and the Runaway Scrape.  We also take a look at the origins of Fiesta, San Antonio's biggest party.
Feature Article 
The Capture of Santa Anna

Antonio López de Santa Anna fell prisoner to the Texans on April 22, 1836. The day before, the leader

The Surrender of Santa Anna. Texas State Preservation Board, Capitol Historical Artifact Collection, Austin

of Mexico and commander of its army operating in Texas had mounted a horse and had ridden away, thereby escaping the wrath of Texans and American volunteers who sought vengeance for victims of the infamous Tornel Decree that called for the execution of the "pirates" waging war against the Centralist government. Had Santa Anna been captured in the heat of battle at San Jacinto, the odds of his survival would have been slim to none. But luck, and fate, were kind to him.  Keep Reading 

Artifact of the Month
General Manuel Fernandez Castrillon's Shaving Kit

 

General Manuel Fernandez Castrillon's Shaving Kit
Click on Photo to Enlarge

 

This shaving kit belonged to General Manuel Fernandez Castrillon.  It was recovered from the San Jacinto Battlefield and presented to Colonel Thomas Rusk by his men.  The kit includes two ivory scaled straight razors with scrimshawed unicorns along with a razor strop with a case.  The kit comes in a small box with a name plate engraved in the center in script with " Generallisimo Manuel Fernandez Castrillon" and along the edges in type set "Found after Battle at San Jacinto-1836"  "Given to Colonel Thomas Rusk by his men".   This item is from the Phil Collins Texana Collection at The Alamo.

 

 Photos and Text by Ernesto Rodriguez, III, Alamo Assistant Curator. 
Stories of Texas Women
The Ride of Katie Jennings

Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of...Katie Jennings. While the name might not be as well known or poetic as Paul Revere, the story of Katie Jennings and her ride to warn Texan settlers of the coming of the Mexican army is just as legendary. Set against the backdrop of the runaway scrape, the experiences of Katie and the rest of the Jennings family embody the experiences of the women of Texas during this tumultuous period.   Keep Reading

 

Legend vs. Evidence
The Yellow Rose of Texas

One of the enduring legends of the Texas Revolution is that of the "Yellow Rose of Texas" and her role in the defeat of Santa Anna's forces at San Jacinto.  Like most of the legends surrounding the Texas Revolution, the story of The Yellow Rose of Texas is based on evidence, but has taken on a life of its own over the years.   Keep Reading
This Month in Texas History
The Battle of Flowers & Fiesta

The first Battle of Flowers parade was held in 1891 due to the convergence of several factors, namely
 
The Alamo decorated for the Battle of Flowers Parade, circa 1890s. Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library Collection, Alamo Research Center
the desire of some San Antonians to replicate the flower festivals they had observed in Mexico City and in Nice, France; the movement in the city to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21; and the interest in marking the two hundredth anniversary of the naming of San Antonio by Spanish explorers. 
 Keep Reading
Thank you for reading the April 2015 edition of the Alamo Messenger.  Join us next month as we continue our month-by-month survey of the Texas Revolution.  As always, we welcome your feedback on how we can continue to improve our newsletter and provide our subscribers with quality content.

Thank you,
The Alamo Education Department Staff
Exhibit Extended by Popular Demand!
Now At the Alamo through May 31st
 

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