More Loose Ends at San Jacinto and Elsewhere in Texas

 

David G. Burnet, the Interim President of Texas from March until October of 1836.  He was very articulate but made a series of  disastrous mistakes.  He hung around Texas politics for thirty more years, mostly taking up space and proving that a complete idiot who talks a good game can survive in politics.

      History changes depending on who is telling the story.  Honest historians tell an imperfect story because they don’t know any better.  They spend years researching a subject, then publish their findings as historical fact and are to be commended for their efforts, even if some of their “facts” are a bit skewed.  Further research and new information always reveals flaws in their work and history is re-written to fit a new set of “facts.”

      Less-than-honest historians, for reasons of their own, slant a story to fit their personal agenda, whether or not it is factual.  News commentators have also been known to do this.  Dan Rather comes to mind.

       It would be nice if mankind was always motivated to take the moral high ground, but experience tells us this is not the case.  It would be nice if Democrats and Republicans were always on the side of honor, truth and justice, but don't hold your breath. Evil people exist.  Humans have needs, and some people are programmed to service their own needs without regard for others.

      That’s about as far down that road as I wish to go, so let me get to the point.  I found several discrepancies in the works I used for research in my studies on the Texas Revolution.  They are mostly variations in detail, and don’t present any great problem, but I want to clear the air and expose some contradictions.

     I found Houston’s friend, Chief Bowles of the Cherokees, listed as Chief Bowles, Chief Bowl, Chief Boles, and in one reference, simply as The Bowl.  I prefer “The Bowl” and wonder if it was not the proper translation of his Indian name.  Historian are tempted to “correct” a name like that.

     Weeks before the battle at San Jacinto, Houston put Sidney Sherman and all his men under the command of Burleson’s First Volunteers. When the army grew, Sherman was promoted and put in charge of an entirely new regiment, the Second Volunteers.  He kept his cavalry until the day before the battle when Houston stripped him of that and assigned it to Lamar.  As for "discrepancies," I noticed several references to Sherman and his “Kentuckians,” who were listed on the far left end of Houston’s skirmish line.  Sherman’s Kentuckians were centered in the line with Burleson and Sherman was on the far left, leading a new group of volunteers.

     In more than one account, Sidney Sherman is credited with initiating the cries, “Remember the Alamo,” and “Remember Goliad!”  According to a reliable source,  Secretary of War Thomas Rusk, “Remember Goliad” was not a battle cry at San Jacinto, because, at the time, Goliad was known as La Bahia.  Houston's troops yelled, "Remember the Alamo," and "Remember, La Bahia."

      The glove that Private James A. Sylvester attached to the shaft of the Miss Liberty Flag was described as red in some accounts and white in others.  All described a long glove that was presented to Sylvester by the daughter of the host of a going-off-to-war dance in Cincinnati, but they disagreed as to the color.  (For what its worth, I choose to believe the glove was red.  White would be a natural assumption, and I feel that some researcher along the way made that assumption.)

The story of the glove was more important than its color.  I wondered if the young beauty gave the glove to James, and if so, under what circumstances.  Young women sometimes bestoy precious gifts on departing soldiers.  Then again, perhaps she lost the glove and he found it and made up the story. Soldiers do that.  Imagination does wonderful things for a lonely young man.

     James Sylvester was a well-respected soldier, so he may have told the truth.  I found him listed as Second Sergeant for Captain William Wood’s “A” Company, in Burleson’s First Volunteer Infantry, so he gained several promotions after leaving Kentucky as a private.  He was, a bit surprisingly because of his rank, listed as “flag-bearer.”  I suppose he retained that position  because he wanted to keep the glove near and sniff it every now and then.

     The complete rout of the Mexicans can be inferred from the fact that Sylvester was not wounded in the battle.  Flag bearers were favored targets, and he would have been front and center with the Miss Liberty flag.  Further evidence that he was a good soldier is provided.  He was listed as one of the patrol which captured Santa Anna on the day after the battle.  I find no other reference to him, so, for me at least, he is lost to history.

     Conflicting stories abound as to the appearance of Miss Liberty on the flag.  Some had her bare to the waist and others said she was completely covered.  Some covered her with transparent fabric. These riddles were answered when the flag was put on display in 1933, and the lady had one lovely breast exposed. (My bias is showing—that’s the story I wanted to believe.)

A replica of the Dodson Flag, which most likely flew over the Alamo.  Santa Anna  took the Alamo flag back to Mexico and put it in a museum, where it remains despite all efforts to have it returned to Texas.

     Historians place other flags at San Jacinto—T. R. Fehrenbach, in his consummate history of Texas, Lone Star, described the Troutman Flag as being carried there.   Houston did send Miss Troutman a place setting—an oversized fork and spoon--from Santa Anna’s silver chest as a thank-you gift for her flag, but all evidence shows that flag was destroyed at Goliad.  
    
      Captain Hugh McLeod, who brought the Troutman Flag to Texas, supposedly fought at San Jacinto, but I could not find him listed on any roster.  I have since discovered that he was delayed on his trip to Texas and stayed at Nacogdoches helping prepare for the defense of the city until after the battle at San Jacinto, when  he immediately joined Burnet and Lamar in Galveston.  Lamar took McLeod under his wing and they became close friends and dedicated enemies of Sam Houston.  

     The Miss Liberty flag was returned to Mrs. Sidney Sherman and the ladies of Newport four months after the battle.  In an attached note, Alexander Somerville testifies that the flag flew over the fight at San Jacinto.  This note is proof enough that the Miss Liberty Flag was the dominate flag of the Texians at the battle.  It is likely other flags were carried that day—most military units carry colors of some sort—and there is no evidence that only one flag was present. 

     Speaking of Alexander Somerville, I found him called “Somervall,” “Somervell,” and “Somervill.”  I used “Somerville” because that’s the way he spelled his name in the note to Mrs. Sherman.  At the time of that letter, in August 1836, David G. Burnet was still interim president of Texas.  He served just over seven months and negotiated both Treaties of Velasco with Santa Anna.  He otherwise busied himself writing thank-you notes, rewarding friends with political appointments, and plotting against Sam Houston. 

     Robert Potter, a friend that Burnet appointed Secretary of the Texas Navy, is listed in some journals as having fought at San Jacinto, but he remained at Galveston, along with Burnet and DeZavala, during the battle.  The three immediately left Galveston and went to San Jacinto after the victory.  They were furious to find Houston had used funds from Santa Anna’s captured war chest to pay his troops, instead of turning the money over to them and the provisional government as Burnet had ordered.

     Over the next thirty years, David G. Burnet took up space in the Rebublic and the State of Texas, but contributed little to the overall good.   His greatest contribution to Texas came from his brother  Isaac, who was mayor of Cincinnati when that city voted to donate the Twin Sisters to the Texas cause.