Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson’s Great Military Map of Texas showing Significant Conflicts and Events Between 1685 and 1916, 2006, GLO Map #83432

As part of the General Land Office’s honoring of US military veterans by proclaiming 2016 The Year of the Veteran, several map spotlight posts this year will feature military-themed maps from our collection in tribute to Texas veterans past and present.

The Texas General Land Office has a tradition to produce a map that reflects the personality and interests of each commissioner. This map produced to commemorate former Commissioner Patterson’s tenure depicts various battles and military expeditions on Texas soil across five major timeframes: 1685–1826 — Exploration, Conquest, Rebellion; 1832–1836 — Fight for Freedom; 1836–1846 — Lone Star Republic; 1861–1865 — War Between the States; and 1874–1916 — Advancing Frontier.[1]

This 36 x 24 inch color printed map shows locations of 28 Texas historical events between 1685 and 1916. Also depicted on the map are prominent military camps and forts, cities, and notable physical features like mountains, rivers, and the bays along the Gulf Coast. Illustrations of important incidents in Texas military history surround the map, including “Fall of the Alamo,” “LaSalle Comes Ashore,” “First Military Flight,” “Battle of Sabine Pass,” “Battle of Campeche,” “Battle of San Jacinto,” “Battle of Medina,” “Santos Benevides,” “Pancho Villa Meets Genl. John J. Pershing,” “The Buffalo Soldier,” and “Capture of Cynthia Ann Parker.”

The bottom third of the map sheet is a legend of the 28 events indicated on the map, each timeframe’s events marked on the map by a specific symbol: crossed muskets, a cannon, a lone star, a bugle, and a wagon wheel. Beginning with the French Sieur de La Salle’s 1685 landing on the Gulf Coast, the legend outlines moments of conflict and other events that were key to the shaping of the Republic, and later the U.S. state, of Texas. Highlights include not only well-known affairs like the March 6, 1836 siege and fall of the Alamo and the massacre at Goliad just three weeks later, but also lesser known skirmishes such as the 1843 Archive War.[2]

Drawn and lettered by former long-serving GLO draftsperson Joan Kilpatrick and featuring original artwork by the late Kenneth Helgren, this map has been one of the most popular produced and continues a long tradition of mapmaking by the General Land Office.

A reproduction of this map can be purchased in our online map store.