The Battle of San Jacinto
April 21 marks the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. On this day, the Texian Army emerged victorious from the battlefield after a surprise attack decimated the Mexican forces under General Antonio López de Santa Anna. The battle, lasting only eighteen minutes, was a decisive victory for the Texians and a critical step toward independence for the newly declared Republic of Texas. Military records of the Republic are closely linked to land records due to the use of land as a form of payment for military service, providing a link between the overwhelming Texian revolutionary victory and the land records of the Texas General Land Office.[1]
Perhaps the most important single item related to the Texas Revolution in the holdings of the Texas General Land Office is the Muster Roll of the Army of the Republic of Texas, which contains a series of rosters of soldiers who served during and immediately after the war. The large bound volume found at the GLO is the work of the Court of Claims, an adjudicative body established to render decisions on the issuance of land grants.[2] Assembled in the 1850s, the rosters within this book provided the Court of Claims with vital information when attempting to determine if a petitioner’s claim was valid.
Within the Muster Roll, rosters are organized by specific battles and commands, such as those who fell at the Alamo, and those who served under Colonel James Fannin. The utilitarian pages are generally devoid of embellishment, with one notable exception: the page detailing those who fought at the Battle of San Jacinto. Here, the title is artistically styled, and the names, ranks, and companies are laid out in a clear-handed script.[3]
The Muster Roll was but one of several tools used to distribute the public domain to Texian veterans. One collection of Land Office records is devoted to Court of Claims files consisting of testimonies, affidavits, and other evidence submitted on behalf of those making their claims for land grants.
In a Court of Claims file for Jonathan D. Morris, his heirs appealed to the Court for a land grant for his service at the Battle of San Jacinto. Pages of testimony were collected, including that of Morris’s commanding officer, Captain Jesse Billingsley. Billingsley testified that Morris had joined the Mina Volunteers at Bastrop, and served “faithfully as a soldier” for three months until receiving his honorable discharge. Billingsley noted, however, that Morris “was not in the Battle of the 21st but was detailed by me to wait upon Col. Neill who was wounded on the 20th of Apr.” Morris was “very anxious to serve in the Battle” but followed his Captain’s orders to tend to Col. Neill.[4]
Morris and all other soldiers who had been detailed to Harrisburg to tend to the sick or wounded, as well as to guard the Army’s baggage, were eligible for the same grants as those who fought in the battle.[5] As a result of the evidence submitted to the Court of Claims, including the essential testimony of Captain Billingsley, the heirs of Jonathan D. Morris were able to acquire the land certificates to which they were entitled.
Another soldier who fought at San Jacinto, William H. Jack, provided especially compelling evidence. In addition to brief testimony from his commanding officer and another fellow soldier, Jack produced his actual discharge paper as evidence of his service at San Jacinto. The discharge bears the heading “Head Quarters Battle Ground 23d Apl 1836,” as well as the signature of General Sam Houston himself. The signature of one of the most powerful men in Texas was proof enough for the Court of Claims to approve Jack’s request for a donation certificate.
The victory at the Battle of San Jacinto secured by war the newly established Republic of Texas, shortly more than a month after independence was declared at Washington. History followed a new course because of the victory, and as thousands of lives were changed as veterans settled their families on lands granted for their service in the Revolution. Today, many Texans can trace their lineage back to these revolutionaries. The records of the Texas General Land Office provide a brief glimpse into one of the most crucial moments in the history of Texas.
The Texas General Land Office will be attending the 2016 San Jacinto Festival and Battle Reenactment, held at the San Jacinto Monument in La Porte, Texas, on Saturday, April 23. Drop by the vendor booth to check out reproductions of historical Texas maps, or just chat about Texas history and the Save Texas History program!
[1] See page 2: https://www.glo.texas.gov/history/archives/forms/files/glo-headright-military-land-grants.pdf
[2] The red, bound volume titled “The Republic of Texas Muster Rolls” has historically been a showcase artifact for the Archives of the GLO. It has also been misrepresented over the years as to when it was made, by whom, and what it represents. All evidence points to this Muster Roll Book as being the work of the Court of Claims. It appears to be the culmination of the work done by the Court in the gathering of existing muster rolls, including the one the GLO sent to the Court, and transcribed by the Court into one bound volume. In fact, at the end of the book are notations made in 1856 by Court of Claims Commissioners upon receipt of muster rolls being sent to the Court by the Governor and other individuals, as required by the law of 1856. This book may reveal more information about its source and purpose upon further study.
[3] San Jacinto List, n.d., The Republic of Texas Muster Roll, pp. 29–30, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX.
[4] Testimony of Jesse Billingsley for J.D. Morris, 13 March 1858, Court of Claims File #5939, Records of the Court of Claims, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX.
[5] Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen Gammel, The Laws of Texas, 1822–1897, Volume 1, 1898; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth5872/ : accessed April 18, 2016), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
