— Col. John Henry Moore, Oct. 2, 1836

You want the cannon, sir?Well, there it is ...

Comeand

TakeIt!

CannonThe Gonzales

Reporting regional news with Honesty, Integrity and Fairness

The Cannon

Thursday, September 27, 2012

D

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page D2

Gonzales Livestock Market

Sale Every Saturday at 10 a.m.“Working hard to insure quality service for all our customers.”

830-672-2845 Hwy 90A,

Gonzales, Texas

David S. - 830-857-5394Mike B. - 830-857-3900

Live Broadcast: www.cattleusa.com

Come & Take ItTexas T-Bone

Cook OffSunday,

October 79-11 a.m.

Awards 2 p.m.

Welcome to Gonzales!Annual festival salutes city’s long and rich history

The “Come and Take It” festival is the biggest civic event of the year for the historic city of Gonzales. On behalf of our fellow residents and businesses, we wel-come our out-of-town visitors!

Gonzales was established in 1825 on Kerr Creek, 2 ½ miles east of the confluence of the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers in the gentle verdant hills of central Texas. Over thousands of years the Guadalupe River carved a fertile valley which is now 30 miles wide. Gonzales is on the northwestern edge of the valley. For many hundreds of years, American Indians lived at the junction of the 2 rivers.

Gonzales was established to be the capital of a new colony of 400 families granted by the Mexican govern-ment to Empresario Green DeWitt. Most of the settlers that joined his colony were German, Polish, & Czech immigrants who entered through the Gulf of Mexico port settlement of Indianola.

For 12 years, until the close of the Texas Revolution, it was the western-most Anglo settlement of the north-ern Mexican Territory of Tejas. The town was named in honor of Don Rafael Gonzales, provisional Governor of Tejas and Coahuila, Mexico.

In 1832, the Mexican government appointed Byrd Lockhart to resurvey the town about a mile west of its original site. He placed seven public squares in the shape of a Spanish cross at the center of town and named all of the streets in the original town site after Catholic Saints (in alphabetical order, no less!). Two additional strips of land, each one-block wide, were set aside for public use only. One extended 5 miles north and the other extended 3 miles east of the courthouse. A number of towns in Texas were organized in this tra-ditional fashion, but Gonzales is the only town that still has all of the original squares from the Spanish land grant intact and still in use as public land.

During the colonial period of 1825 to 1835, there were many problems with the Comanche and Tonkawa Indians. A number of settlers were killed during raids along the perimeter of the settlement. In 1831, the Mexican political chief in San Antonio, at the request of the settlers in Gonzales, sent a six-pound cannon to Gonzales as protection against the Indian raids. The cannon is believed to have been “spiked,” renedering it effectively useless save as a noise-maker.

By 1835, the political relationship between the set-tlers of the colony and the new dictator of Mexico, El Presidente Generalisimo Santa Anna, had deteriorated dramatically. He decided that he needed to take back the cannon so that it could not be used against his gov-ernment in a revolution. After a diplomatic mission failed, General Santa Anna responded with a detach-ment of 100 Mexican dragoons.

On September 29, 1835, the Mexicans camped at a ferry crossing on the Guadalupe River. There were only 18 men living in the town. They quickly buried

the cannon in a peach orchard and secured the ferry to the east side of the river to prevent the Mexican troops from crossing.

This allowed an additional two days for preparations, while the Mexican detachment searched the river for another suitable crossing, for the citizens of Gonzales to recruit a total of 168 Texans from the surrounding area, re-deployed their cannon, and make a flag with the words “COME AND TAKE IT!” emblazoned in black against a pure white background (believed now to have been made from a wedding dress).

On October 2, 1835 the two forces again met, and this time the Gonzalians opened fire. The Mexican force, which had been told not to engage a superior force, re-treated quickly back to San Antonio. The first shot of the Texas War of Independence from Mexico had been fired! Gonzales has been known since that time as the “Lexington of Texas.”

Only four months later, in late February, 1836, Gen-eral Santa Anna returned; this time he brought sev-eral thousand troops with him to quell the revolution against the dictator in this northern territory of rebels who wanted to govern themselves and break away from Mexico. General Sam Houston was still trying to or-ganize a Texas army when the Mexican army pushed northward through the valley area of Texas.

Soon, it was evident that the next major battle would be fought at the Alamo, just 60 miles west of Gonza-les. The citizens of Gonzales were the ONLY town to respond to Col. Travis’ urgent call for re-enforcements. A total of 32 men from Gonzales and the closely sur-rounding area (the Immortal 32) gathered just west of town and rode together to the Alamo to join the nine Gonzales men who were already fighting there.

General Sam Houston learned of the devastating de-feat and the death of all of the volunteers from Gon-zales when the sole survivors of the Alamo siege, Mrs. Almaron (Susanna) Dickinson, her baby, and Joe, Col. Travis’s servant, returned from the battle together to re-port the tragedy.

General Houston quickly gathered his few troops along with all of the citizens of Gonzales and began the famous “Runaway Scrape” to gain time and muster more troops. He burned the town and all of the provi-sions in it to deny General Santa Anna the supplies that he needed to pursue the growing Texas army. The first night after leaving the destroyed town, he established his headquarters under a beautiful oak tree now known as the Sam Houston Oak, which still stands along rem-nants of the Old Spanish Trail in front of the Braches House nine miles east of town on Peach Creek.

Eventually Gen. Houston made a stand at San Jacinto on the Texas coast where Santa Anna was defeated in a surprise attack and Texas gained its freedom from Mex-ico on April 21, 1836: The Republic of Texas was born.

On December 14, 1837, Gonzales County was created

by the new Texas legislature from the DeWitt Colony. During the 1850’s more Germans and Czechs moved into the area along with Mexicans.

John Fauth was taking an apprenticeship in barrel making in upper New York state. He heard so many thrilling tales of adventure and success that he, along with hundreds of others, immigrated through the port of Indianola to ride the train from the coast northward to Gonzales.

The destruction of the Runaway Scrape gave way to a complete rebuilding of the town. All of the standing buildings were constructed in the mid 1800’s or later. That is why there are so many Victorian, Edwardian, raised New Orleans Cottage, Neo-classical, and Arts & Crafts style homes in the town. In fact, over 165 of the homes are still standing and identified on a driving tour of the town. Gonzales hosts a homes tour in the first week-ends of every December and April.

The carefully restored 1896 courthouse of Gonzales County now sits at the junction of the two beams of the Spanish cross, and only public areas, schools, and churches occupy those original squares today. The “Old Jail,” built in 1887, still stands on the courthouse square. The cell blocks, furniture, and inside gallows still wait for visitors today.

In Civil War period, about 20 volunteer military companies were active in Gonzales County. In 1863, the Confederate government commissioned a fort to be built in Gonzales as protection against inland inva-sion by Yankee troops who might want to surprise the Confederate troops in the fortifications along the Gulf coast.

Fort Waul, C.S.A., an earthen embankment fort sur-rounded by a moat, was constructed on the prominent hill just north of the town. Apparently, the use of a dry moat to slow the charge of cavalry troops was unusual in the confederate fortifications. This may be the only remaining visible site of this type of fort in the south. Its location is still visible today and is now adjacent to the site of a historic Pioneer Village in which a number of historic stores, homes, and a church have been relo-cated and restored for visitors to enjoy.

Cotton and Cattle were the major industries of the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Cattle drives made their way along the Chisom Trail to Gonzales as they headed north to the railhead in Kansas. After the civil war, the railroads moved the cattle. The cotton industry never returned after the Great Depression of 1929. Howev-er, Gonzales County now raises more cattle and more chickens than any other county in Texas.

A circular road-trip, The Texas Independence Trail, begins and ends in Gonzales. It provides a visit to all of the Texas Independence historical sites which you can visit at your own pace. Maps and information are avail-able at the Old Jail on the courthouse square directly across from the fire station.

Thursday, September 27, 2012 Page D3The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a re-pub-lication of a historical column authored by local historian Bob Burchard which originally appeared in The Cannon in 2009:

Well, it’s “Come and Take It” time in Gon-zales County. The time when we celebrate the first shot fired in the Texas Revolution for independence from the Republic of Mexico. The date of the battle was Oct. 2, 1835. The fighting was sparked by the request of the Mexican Government for the return of a can-non previously loaned to the citizens of Gon-zales for protection from hostile Indians.

I thought it would be of interest to know how the Gonzales obtained the cannon in the first place. The Bexar Archives has a copy of the letter sent by Green DeWitt to the Mexi-can Government in 1835 requesting a cannon. The letter was writtenin Spanish (all official correspondence was required to be in Span-ish), but here you see an English translation of the letter:

Sr. Political Chief of the Dept.Don Ramon MusquizToday I have been advised by two citizens

coming from the Municipality of Austin that the Tawakoni Indians are camped in several parties between the west bank of the Lavaca and the east bank of the Navidad, thus cut-ting off the road. And since I presume this could be for the purpose of attacking the convoy which I have mentioned is to carry the payroll corresponding to the garrison of Nacogdoches, as well as comitting hos-tilities against this town, it has seemed to me prudent to communicate this to you so that if the aforesaid convoy comes, it will be in this knowledge, and so that if you should see fit you might please interpose your influ-

ence with Sr. Military Commandant for the prompt dispatch of the detachment you men-tion to me in your official note of the first of the month. I ask you, if at all possible, to double it because this town is on route by which the Tawakonis make their raids on Victoria and Goliad.

I also beg you to have the kindness to re-quest of the Sr. Military Commandant that he provde us a cannon to aid int he defense of this town, with the understanding that even though (this piece) may be unmounted, it will be our responsibility to oput it in work-ing order and to return it to your city as soon as you ask us for it.

I have the honor to present to you my con-sideration and respects.

God and LibertyGonzales, January 7, 1831Green DeWitt

Two observations about this letter: One - Green DeWitt presents the threat of the Indi-ans causing trouble with the payroll convoy to Nacogdoches. Second - he did say the cannon would be returned upon request.

But the letter was written in 1831, and at-titudes and conditions were significantly dif-ferent in 1835. Sacrifices had been made by the Texans, and the Mexican Government had altered the terms under which the land was to be colonized.

Our fellow citizens could no longer be teth-ered in their quest for freedom. They could no longer submit to the tyrannical acts of Santa Ana, the Dictator.

And the hearts of the citizens of the would explode in concert with the roar of the can-non - Freedom is ours. Freedom has come. Freedom is our destiny. Come and Take It!

And that is part of our history, the history of Gonzales, Texas - the birthplace of your Texas Freedom.

By BOB BURCHARD

Special to The Cannon

The story of the CannonGonzales Memorial Museum curator Oliver Davis with the Gonzales Cannon

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page D4

The China Basket617 St. Joseph830-672-8013

Have fun

during Come & Take It!

Purina Animal Nutrition, LLC

1402 E. Sarah DeWitt, Gonzales, TX 78629

(830) 672-6565

Chicken Flying Contest on

Confederate Square,

Saturday, October 6, 2 p.m.

MATAMOROS TACO HUT

201 St. Joseph, Gonzales 672-6615

OPEN SUN.-TUES 6:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M.WED.-SAT. 6:00 A.M.-8:OO P.M.

Get your tacos before the

parade!

Bean & ChiliCook OffAwardsSunday

2:30 p.m.

MBH WeldingMark Hagen

1506 Seydler St., Gonzales

830-672-6536

HOMEAUTOFARM

COMMERCIAL BONDS

Travis Treasner(830) 672-6518

Fax: (830) 672-6368Cell: (512) 376-0773

Logan Insurance Agency

Have a fun & safe time duringCome & Take It!

B&J Liquor730 Seydler St.

GonzaleS, tX 78629

830-672-3107

Check out our large Selection of

beverages for Come & Take It!

Hoopla219 St. Lawrence

Gonzales672-3511

Have fun at theTexas T-Bone

Cook OffSunday, October 7

Saturn Sales4421 Hwy. 97E, Gonzales, TX

830-540-4422

Washer PitchingSaturday2:00 p.m.

Person’s Flower Shop

1030 East St. Louis, Gonzales, Texas 78629

830-672-2883Fax: 830-672-7447

Jan Wurz, Owner

Enjoy Bingo During

Come & Take It

Stop by and have a good cold beverage

to cool you off.Come see us on

Sunday for Chicken Poop Bingo!

Lottie’s Bar207 US Hwy.

90A E.Gonzales

Be sure and attend the DRT Memorial Service

at the Memorial Museum at 414 Smith

Street at 12:15 p.m. Sunday, October 7

Capitol Monument Co.Hwy. 183 North

Gonzales830-672-7929

Come and Take It ScheduleFriday’s Events

Saturday’s Events

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Old Jail Museum open10 a.m.-5 p.m. Memorial Museum

open5-7 p.m. Gonzales Art Group Show at

426 St. Paul, 1st UMC5-8 p.m. Gonzales County Camera

ClubPhoto Contest - 511 St. Joseph (Cafe

on the Square)

6 p.m. Celebration & Carnival open inhistoric downtown Gonzales6-10 p.m. Bingo - Confederate Square11 p.m. Carnival Closes

Music at the Biergarten:6 -7:30 p.m. Hole in the Floor Band8-9:30 Tejano Crew10-11:30 Thom Shepherd

7:45 a.m. 5K Walk/Run at Indepen-dence Park

9 a.m. Old Jail Museum Opens9 a.m. Masonic Ceremony at Market

Square10 a.m. Come and Take It Canoe race,

Lake Wood to the U.S. 183 Bridge10 a.m.-5 p.m. Gonzales Memorial

Museum Opens10:30 a.m. Come & Take It Parade

begins12 Noon Pride of Texas Carnival

opensNoon-5:30 p.m. Local Bands Jam

Session12:30 p.m. “Gonzales: The Begin-

ning” Historical Program at Court-house

1 p.m. Pioneer Village opens US 183 N. (admission)

1-6 p.m. Photo Show - Cafe on the Square

1-7 p.m. Gonzales Art Group Show at

426 St. Paul, 1st UMC2 p.m. Washer Pitching — First 15

teams to pre-register by calling the Chamber office

2 p.m. - “Gonzales: The Beginning” Historical Program at Courthouse

2 p.m. - Chicken Flying Contest on Confederate Square

2-5 p.m. J.B. Wells House open for tours, 829 Mitchell Street - admission

3 p.m. Battle Re-Enactment at Pio-neer Village

3:30 p.m. Eating Contests on the Square entry fees

6-7 p.m. Come & Take It Square Dancers

6-10 p.m. Bingo - Confederate SquareMidnight Carnival Closes

Music at the Biergarten:6:30-8 p.m. Live Practice8:30-10:30 p.m. Pale Horses11 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Curtis Grimes

Sunday’s Events9-11 a.m. Set up for Car Show9-11 a.m. Texas T-Bone Cook Off9-11 a.m. Texas Bean & Chili Cook

Off9:30 a.m. Pioneer Village MemorialService11 a.m. Ticket booth opens12 noon Celebration opens in histor-

ic downtown Gonzales12 noon Carnival opens on texas He-

roes Square12:15 p.m. DRT Memorial Service at

Memorial Museum 414 Smith St.1 p.m. Pioneer Village opens (admis-

sion)1-3 p.m. Gonzales County Camera

Club Photo Contest - Cafe on the Sq.1-5 p.m. Gonzales Art Group Show at

426 St. Paul, 1st UMC1-5 p.m. Old Jail Museum, Memorial

Museum, Eggleston House open1-5 p.m. Shiner Hobo Band at Bier-

garten2 p.m. Texas T-Bone Cook Off Awards2 p.m. Car Show Awards2-5 p.m. J.B. Wells House open for

tours 829 Mitchell Street - admission2-6 p.m. Bingo on Confederate

Square2:30 p.m. Bean & Chili Cook Off

Awards6 p.m. Carnival Ticket booth closes

Thursday, September 27, 2012 Page D5The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section

(formerly Luxury Inn)

830-672-96111804 E. Sarah DeWitt Dr., Gonzales, Texas 78629www.carefreeingonzales.com • fax: 830-672-3078

Enjoy Come & Take It!

Gonzales, Texas

Gonzales Poultry830-672-7954

1006 N. St. Paul, Gonzales, TX 78629

Kick Back & Relax while listening to Shiner Hobo Band

Sunday at the Biergarten!

Welcome to Come & Take It Festival where

family & friends gather!

Welcometo

Come & Take It!

Welcome To Gonzales!

Enjoy Come & Take It

Oct. 5, 6, 7Annie Oakley Pest Control

“We’ll Get ‘em With The Best Shot”Complete Pest & Termite Service

Residential & CommercialSherry Hill, Owner

830-672-1870

Drive up Window Available102 W. Wallace

Gonzales830-672-9477

Steve & Jane Wehlmann, Owners

D&D Liquor

Liquor for every occasion - great

selection of beer, wine, whiskey,

etc.Stop by and browse

around.

See ya’ll at the Chili & Bean &

Texas T-Bone Cookoff on Sunday

Hodges Construction1404 N. Sarah DeWitt Dr.

Gonzales

672-7924

Welcome to the Come & Take It FestivalDowntown Gonzales, Texas

Bingo - Confederate SquareFriday - 6 p.m. to10 p.m.

Saturday, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Southern Clay Products Inc.

1212 Church St., Gonzales830-672-2891

Have fun at Come & Take It!

FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP

Gets You BackWhere You Belong!

Lisa D. GaspardAgency ManagerTDI #001113854

Gieser Insurance Agency941 St. Joseph

Gonzales, Tx 78629

830-203-5325Toll Free:

(800) 358-5298

Leticia M. CenottiAgency ProducerTDI #001243345

Have fun during Come & Take It!

Have fun at Bingo!

Want Out?

Call 3G Bail BondsGeorge Reese 830-857-4060Glenna Reese830-857-4090

Lillian H. SmithTexas Ranch Specialist

office: 830-236-5330; cell: 830-857-6012lilliansmith@mac.com

Michael Ruschhauptoffice: 830-236-5330

michaelruschh@gmail.comwww.buyertexas2000.comwww.turnquistpartners.com

Check out all the

happenings at

Come & Take It!

CATI Chili & Bean CookoffThe Come and Take It Chili and Bean Coo-

koff, sponsored by Adams Extract & Spice LLC, is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 7 on the square behind the Gonzales Fire Station.

Check-in time is 8-11 a.m. You may begin cooking as soon as you have checked in. Cook-ers must prepare at least two pounds of chili and two pounds of beans. Prizes will be award-ed for first, second and third places, as well as Showmanship.

Entry fee is $15 per team prior to 4 p.m. Oct. 5, and $20 thereafter. For details, contact Dorothy Gast at The Gonzales Cannon at 830-672-7100, 254-931-5712 or by e-mail at dot@gonzalescannon.com, or contact teh Gonzales Chamber of Commerce office at 830-672-6532.

Come & Pitch It!There will be a Washer Pitching Tournament

at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6. We only have room for 15 teams, so call the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce at 830.672.6532 to reserve your spot. Entry fee is $20 per team.

Historical ProgramsCome & Take It celebrates its history with

many historical programs!This year we will feature the following:• “Gonzales: The Beginning” at 12:30 p.m.

and 2 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 6 at the Gonzales County Courthouse;

• J.B. Wells Home Tour from 2-5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 6-7;

• Come & Take It Battle re-enactment at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 at Pioneer Village;

• Pioneer Village Memorial Service, Sunday October 7th at Pioneer Village;

• Daughters of the Republic of Texas Memo-rial Service on Sunday October 7th at 12:15 PM at the Gonzales Memorial Museum

The race is on!Register now for the 5K Come & Take It Run/

Walk at Independence Park. The race begins at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6. Early registration is $12, or $15 after Sept. 28. For details or entry, contact the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce at (830) 672-6532.

CATI Car ShowThe 17th Annual Come & Take It Car Show

will be held Sunday, October 7 in downtown Gonzales.

Entry fees are $15 prior to Sept. 28, or $20 thereafter. The event is hosted by the Gonza-les Classic Cruisers. For details or entry, contact the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce at (830) 672-6532.

Kung Fu PandaKung Fu Panda & The Tigress will appear

from 1-3 p.m. Oct. 6 at the corner of St. George & St. Joseph Street.

Art ShowThe Gonzales Art Group is looking for art-

ists of all ages to help them fill the Fellowship Hall at the First United Methodist Church with great artwork. Please help us and bring your artwork on Thursday, October 4 from 2:30 to 5:00pm. All of the information needed should be on the enclosed rules. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call Steve Lewis at 830-857-0914, Janice Williamson at 830-857-5694, Gina Alford at 830-672-6025 or Sarah Bailey at 830-857-5695. We look for-ward to see your wonderful artwork. Be sure to tell all your friends to come in a vote for you for the people’s choice awards for students and adults.

Come and Take It Special EventsThe Gonzales Memorial Museum at 414 Smith Street

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page D6

Proud sponsor of the

GonzalesCome and Take It

FestivalCome by and visit us at our booth.

SAWS – Gonzales609 N. St Joseph Street

Gonzales, TX 78629830-672-3803

SAWS – San Antonio2800 U.S. Hwy 281 North

San Antonio, TX 78298210-704-7297

saws12-018 gonzalez festival ad 8/24/12

Visit us at www.thetotestores.com

Sign up for Specials and Deal Alerts

$1.50 for 20 lb bag

Ice Machine$1.00 for 10 lb bag

12 pk. sodas 3/$11 or regular each

Natural Light18pk cans $9.99

Bud Family20pk cans and nrs

$14.99

Miller Family12pk cans and nrs

$9.99

Coors Family12pk cans and nrs

$9.99

Come and Compete in It!

The Come and Take It 5K Run/Walk kicks off at 7:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6

The Come and Take It Canoe Race begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 at Lake Wood

The Texas T-Bone Cook-Off is set for 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 7

Thursday, September 27, 2012 Page D7The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section

We plan on furthering our services & great sales!

Every Thursday - Pre-Pay 10% offMilitary & Senior Citizens 10% off everyday!

“We are the only cleaners in town and area that are members of “The Laundry &

Dry Cleaning Services Institute!”

“NEXT DAY SERVICE - Drop off by 2 p.m. andreturned next day after 4 p.m.

“Done in our own plant locally!”

“Speedy alterations, great spot/stain removal!”

Exceptional Customer Service Care!

Come & Clean It!!510 St. Andrew

Kristen Matias-Meeh, Mgr.

Ronda Vannatta, CSR

We would like to give a Huge Thank you to our community, faithful/new

customers & oil field workers for the

continued support & business

Enjoy the fun of Come and Take It

The annual Come and Take It Parade begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6Gates open for the Pride of Texas Carnival at 6 p.m. Friday,

Oct. 5. The carnival runs through 6 p.m. Sunday

Eating contests — including jalapenos! — begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 The Come and Take It Car Show is set for 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 7

The Best

Service &

Prices In The Area on Chevrolets & GMC

Before going to the Come & Take It Celebration

Come & Take A Vehicle off of Our Lot in

Hallettsville

Grafe Chevrolet407 Fair Winds

Hallettsville, TX 361-217-3089800-798-3225

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page D8

US Hwy. 90A E, Gonzales, TX 78629 • 830-672-7573

Walmart LayawayGet Ready for Christmas Now With Walmart’s layaway plan

10% down and $5.00 open fee ($5.00 will be refunded on Walmart gift card upon full payment)

Total purchase must be over

$50.00, individual items must be $15.00

or more

Jewelry, toys, electronics, small appliances, select sporting goods, guns/accessories/safes, game ta-

bles, basketball goals/balls, trampolines and large exercise equipment. No wireless phones.

***Online purchases site to store and pick up at store today – no charge to deliver to your Walmart

www.walmart.com

Standing back row: Ann Haub, Lillian Molina, Scherrell Salazar, Patricia Mitchell and Lydia GrifaldoMiddle row: Madison Short, Liliana Borjon, Kinsley Voigt, Michael Meeh, James Sanchez,

Brandon DuBose, Isaac Mendez, Emma Riojas and Mia GuerraSitting: Addison Pustka, Khloe Rodriguez, Jordyn Gonzales and Kamryn Riojas

Now Enrolling all ages. Come check out our Pre-K for 4’s & Jr. Pre-K for 3’s

921 St. Peter672-6865

Gonzales’ only Christian based & licensed

Preschool/Daycare

Pre-K Ages 3-4 group

The ever-popular Chicken Flying contest is back again this year and will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6. Make sure to give the feathered contestants

plenty of room ... there’s no telling where they’ll end up!

Come and Take ItThe Cannon

Come and Take It Special SectionThursday, September 27, 2012

EA stand for

that birthed a Nation

Principle

The Battle of Gonzales ignited the Texas Revolution of 1835It was a trivial matter, over an item

of no special significance. Yet it was the principle at stake which deter-mined the course of history.

The Gonzales Cannon which was the focal point of the Battle of Gon-zales was no major artillery piece; many historians believe it had been spiked (rendered useless) and even when fired could do little more than make noise.

Yet throughout history, time has proven when you begin disarming the populace you are paving the way for brutal tyranny — and like today’s citizens of Gonzales, the Gonzales residents of 1835 held a keen appre-ciation for history.

In the summer of 1835, the settlers in DeWitt’s Colony grew increasing-ly alarmed at events happening in the capital of their country — Mexico City. While maintaining their loyalty

to the government and to the liberal Constitution of 1824, they were es-pecially alarmed at the progressive assumption of dictatorial powers by President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

The colonists were especially frightened when they learned that Santa Anna had suppressed a rebel-lion in the state of Zacatecas with special brutality. A friend of the soon-to-be-dictator, Edward Gritten, visited Gonzales and, after convers-ing with the colonists, convinced the Mexican commander in San Antonio, Col. Domingo Ugartechea, to send letters of assurance to the colonists that troops would not be stationed there.

That changed late in the summer when a Mexican soldier rifle-butted a colonist named Jesse McCoy in Adam Zumwalt’s store, without

provocation. News of the incident spread rapidly and colonists began drifting toward the “war hawks” fac-tion.

One of Santa Anna’s policies was to disarm all local militias. The De-Witt colonists had, in 1831, been gifted with a small cannon (which some historians believe may have been spiked, or rendered incapable of firing) for defense against the Comanches who occasionally made forays against settlements. Because it had been spiked, it was likely little more than a noisemaker.

Col. Ugartechea send a small detail to Gonzales to ask for return of the cannon, but when they ar-rived on Sept. 25, 1835, they were informed by Alcalde (Mayor) An-drew Ponton that the local citizenry had voted against doing so. The cannon was temporarily buried in

a peach orchard on the Davis farm.Upon hearing the news, Ugarte-

chea sent Lt. Francisco Castaneda with more than 100 troops from San Antonio to again demand the can-non, but to avoid confrontation if possible. On Sept. 29, the lieutenant learned that more than 200 colonists had gathered against them.

That afternoon, Castaneda met with Regidor (councilman) Joseph Clements by shouting across the rain-swollen Guadalupe River, who told him that “...I cannot now will not deliver to you the cannon ...”

Castaneda’s forced camped over-night on a spot later known as Santa Anna’s Mound. The colonists, meanwhile, were reinforced by contingents from the current Fay-ette County area, Columbus, Cole-man, Wallace and other settlements. A Dr. Lancelot Smithers arrived

from San Antonio and attempted to arrange a parley between the two forces.

On the morning of Oct. 1 Cas-taneda, aware that the Texian force was increasing in size, moved his force to a more defensible position some seven miles upstream near the farm of Ezekial Williams. A group of colonists, including Jacob Darst, Richard Chisholm and John Sowell, went to the Davis farm and dug up the cannon, mounting it on wooden wheels from Eli Mitchell’s cotton wagon. Darst unspiked the cannon’s touch hole while others grabbed every spare piece of metal they could find to turn into shrapnel.

Thinking that Castaneda’s orders were to take the cannon by force — in reality, he was to avoid any en-gagement — the colonists decided

Continued on Page E2

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page E2

Battle Re-Enactmentat Pioneer Village

The Battle of Gonzales: Oct. 2, 1835

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The Pioneer Village will be the site of the an-nual re-enactment of the Battle of Gonzales on Saturday, Oct. 6, starting at around 3 p.m.

Visitors are taken back in time to the events leading up to the start of the Texas Revolution, and the volunteer actors taking part in the re-enactment play their roles to the hilt — listen closely and follow the dialogue!

The Gonzales Pioneer Village Living His-tory Center, located at 2122 N. St. Joseph St., is often referred to as “The Village” and houses a collection of 1800’s and early 1900’s era houses and buildings from Gonzales County. Visitors strolling through The Village often feel as if they stepped into the same era as the original occu-pants, who’ve stepped out. Visitors will become easily immersed in pioneer life as a short stroll transitions everyone from modern life, to The Village.

Each structure has been donated and care-fully relocated to the grounds of The Village for preservation. Most furnishings and equipment found within these structures were either loaned or donated to help represent the cultural lifestyle of the pioneers who settled this area.

Every year many individuals, friends and fam-ilies journey through The Village for explora-tion. As part of this preserved Gonzales County architectural history, our association takes great care to insure authenticity.

The Village hosts numerous groups, organiza-tions, clubs and school children eager to learn about Texas history. All tours and special events are manned by period costumed volunteers who provide information about the buildings and their furnishings. Additionally, our volunteers will demonstrate numerous skills and crafts necessary for the pioneer way of life.

to take the initiative. At 7 p.m. the eve-ning of Oct. 1 the Texian force crossed the river at the Gonzales ferry crossing, with the cannon and 50 horsemen in ad-dition to foot troops. They approached the Mexican position through a thick fog at about 3 a.m. on Oct. 2.

The barking of a dog alerted the Mexicans and the federalista pickets opened fire, wounding one man. As dawn broke, the Texians found them-selves in Williams’ corn and water-melon fields and moved to an open area within 350 yards of the Mexicans, where they opened fire.

A troop of about 40 cavalrymen under Lt. Gregorio Perez charged the Texians, who fell back to the thick trees along the river bank.

Smithers, who had earlier been ar-rested as a Mexican spy, now attempted to arrange a parley again and Castaneda and Col. John H. Moore, now in com-mand of the Texians. The two met in an open area but when Castaneda again asked for the cannon, he was told: “There it is — come and take it.”

The Texian force flew a small hand-made flag made of white silk with a representation of the cannon on it, a single star, and the words, “Come and Take It!”

Moore returned to the Texian posi-tion and ordered the cannon, loaded with powder and scrap metal, to be fired — a harmless shot, since it was nowhere in range. The shot became known, however, as the “first shot” of the Texas revolution.

The Texians fired a volley with their

rifles, and made a cautious advance to-ward the Mexican position. Castaneda, who had received orders to withdraw if the Texian force was superior in num-bers, immediately pulled his force back and retreated to San Antonio.

In his official report, Castañeda not-ed: “Since the orders from your Lord-ship were for me to withdraw without compromising the honor of Mexican arms, I did so.”

Each side suffered one casualty from gunfire; the Texians also had one man whose nose was bloodied when his horse spooked at the sound of gunfire.

Days later, a provisional government formed and named Stephen F. Austin the commander of the Texian Repub-lican Army, ordering him to march on San Antonio in defense of the Constitu-tion of 1824.

Continued from page E1

Thursday, September 27, 2012 Page E3The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section

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While many modern textbooks condense the Texas Revolution of 1835-36 into a few lines of text centered around the idea that settlers from the United States came in and wrested the terri-tory away from Mexico, the truth of the matter is much more complicated.

Most of those who came to the Texas colo-nies of empresarios Stephen F. Austin and Green DeWitt in the years following Mexico’s independence from Spain were, in fact, intent on becoming good Mexican citizens — especially after the country adopted a constitution in 1824 modeled after that of the United States. They were offered a number of incentives by Mexico, which wanted a settled Texas to help control raids by Indians against its outlying northeastern settlements like San Antonio de Bejar: there was an exemption from the property tax and tariffs on many goods, as well as an exemption from Mexico’s prohibition of slavery.

Those incentives proved to be powerful: by 1830, immigrants born in the United States vast-ly out-numbered Mexican-born settlers, and on April 6, 1830, President Anastasio Bustamante issued a prohibition against further immigra-tion from the U.S. into Texas, rescinded the tax and tariff exemptions, and ordered all settlers to comply with the prohibition against slavery or face military intervention.

Bustamante’s order had little effect; settlers continued to pour into the territory and ig-

nored the directives. But other Mexican statutes proved equally vexing.

The colonists, who formed their own militias to protect against raids by Comanches, resented Mexican troops being stationed in Texas; many of the troops were criminals whose sentence was to serve in Texas. Texas was also part of the state of Coahuila y Tejas, and the state capital of Saltillo was hundreds of miles away. Many settlers felt Texas deserved to be its own state without reaching the constitutional population stipulation.

Economics also played a role in fomenting unrest. There was great demand in Europe for cotton, and many Texas farmers wanted to cash in by growing cotton — but the central govern-ment instead dictated which crops they were al-lowed to grow, and where they were allowed to sell it. Many of the settlers also had issues with the fact that Mexican law required (and still re-quires) that all citizens be Roman Catholic and pay tithes to the Catholic church.

Relations between Texas and the central gov-ernment worsened over the next five years, but almost right until the Battle of Gonzales on Oct. 2, 1835, most of those who settled in Texas con-sidered themselves loyal citizens of Mexico.

In 1826, for example, some of Austin’s origi-nal settlers formed a militia which marched alongside Mexican troops to quell the short-lived Fredonian Rebellion near Nacogdoches.

When Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna staged his coup against Bustamante, most of the Texas settlements sent their assurances that they were acting against Bustamante’s troops in support of Santa Anna.

Settlers called a convention in 1833 which called for the government to rescind Bustaman-te’s edicts and to grant Texas separate statehood.

The new president of Mexico, Santa Anna, agreed and rescinded them save for the granting of statehood. Austin was jailed, however, after he wrote a letter calling on Texans to declare statehood on their own.

Texas was not the only concern for Santa Anna, however: several other regions in the inte-rior of the country also saw outbreaks of unrest, and in 1834 he began dissolving state legisla-tures, disarming militias and scrapping the 1824 Constitution, transitioning the government from a federal one to a centralized dictatorship. Some farmers who insisted on growing cotton instead of their assigned crops were imprisoned.

Santa Anna — who as a younger officer became well-versed in brutal tactical warfare on the frontier against Comanche and Apache Indians — considered anyone opposing his programs to be an outlaw, and anyone rebel-ling against his government to be a “pirate,” and dealt with rebels harshly. After supressing one rebellion in Zacatecas in May, 1835, Santa Anna allowed his victorious troops to loot and ransack the city of Zacatecas for two days.

In 1835, many of the colonists began forming “Committees of Correspondence and Safety,” and in June, a riot broke out over tariffs in Ana-huac.

Santa Anna immediately ordered more troops to Texas, including his brother-in-law, General Martin Perfecto do Cos, with orders to “repress with strong arm all those who, forgetting their duties to the nation which has adopted them as her children, are pushing forward with a desire to live at their own option without subjection to the laws.”Daguerrotype purportedly of Antonio Lopez de

Santa Anna, 1853 Stephen F. Austin

A betrayed trust in government: the roots of the Texas revolt

From the Texas State Historical Association:

The Battle of Gonzales set into motion a series of events which led many Texans to believe — mis-takenly — they’d routed Mexican forces. That overconfidence would lead to tragedy the following spring.

The siege of Bexar (San Antonio) became the first major campaign of the Texas Revolution. From Octo-ber until early December 1835 an army of Texan volunteers laid siege to a Mexican army in San Antonio de Béxar.

After a Texas force drove off Mexican troops at Gonzales on Oc-tober 2, the Texan army grew to 300 men and elected Stephen F. Austin commander to bring unity out of discord. The Texans advanced on October 12 toward San Antonio, where Gen. Martín Perfecto de Cos recently had concentrated Mexican forces numbering 650 men. Cos fortified the town plazas west of the San Antonio River and the Alamo, a former mission east of the stream.

By the time the Texans camped along Salado Creek east of San Antonio in mid-October their num-bers had grown to over 400 men, including James Bowie and Juan N. Seguín,qqv who brought with him a company of Mexican Texans. Bow-ie and James W. Fannin, Jr., led an advance to the missions below San Antonio in late October, while Cos brought in 100 reinforcement men. On October 25 the democratic Tex-ans conducted a debate over strat-egy. Sam Houston, who had come from the Consultation government, urged delay for training and for can-nons to bombard the fortifications. Austin and others won support to continue efforts at capturing San Antonio.

From San Francisco de la Espada Mission on October 27, Austin sent Bowie and Fannin forward to Nues-tra Señora de la Purísima Concep-ción de Acuña Mission with ninety men to locate a position nearer the town for the army. There on the foggy morning of the twenty-eighth

Cos sent Col. Domingo de Ugar-techea with 275 men to attack the advance force. The Texans drove off the assault from a position along the bank of the San Antonio River, inflicting over fifty casualties and capturing one cannon. Austin ar-rived after the battle of Concepción to urge an attack on San Antonio but found little support among his officers.

Cos then resumed defensive po-sitions in San Antonio and the Al-amo, while the Texans established camps on the river above and below the town and grew to an army of 600 with reinforcements from East Texas led by Thomas J. Rusk. Af-ter discussion among the Texan of-ficers produced little support for an attack, some volunteers went home for winter clothes and equipment. Yet the arrival of more East Texans in early November offset the depar-tures.

Texas and Mexican cavalry skir-mished from time to time as the Texans scouted to capture Mexican supplies and to warn of any rein-forcements for Cos. After a lack of early success, William Barret Tra-vis led the capture of 300 Mexican mules and horses grazing beyond the Medina River on November 8. Four days later Ugartechea left San Antonio with a small cavalry force to direct the march of reinforce-ments from below the Rio Grande. Austin sent cavalry to intercept him, but the Mexican troops evaded them. Both armies suffered mo-rale problems as a result of colder weather and limited supplies.

When three companies with over a hundred men arrived from the United States in mid-November, Austin again planned an attack. Of-ficers still expressed doubts, how-ever, and it was called off. Austin then left to assume diplomatic du-ties in the United States. The Texas troops selected Edward Burleson as their new leader.

When Erastus (Deaf) Smithqv reported approaching Mexican cavalry on November 26, Burleson ordered out troops to cut them off.

Skirmishing followed near Alazán Creek west of town, with attack and counterattack by both sides. Finally the Mexican troops withdrew into San Antonio. The engagement be-came known as the Grass Fight be-cause captured Mexican supply ani-mals carried fodder for horses rather than the rumored pay for Mexican soldiers.

Because of limited supplies and approaching winter, Burleson con-sidered withdrawing to Goliad at the beginning of December. Infor-mation on Mexican defenses from Texans who were allowed to leave San Antonio led to new attack plans. But fears that the Mexican army had learned of the assault brought a near breakup of the Texan army. When a Mexican officer sur-rendered with news of declining Mexican morale, Benjamin R. Mi-lam and William Gordon Cookeqqv gathered more than 300 volunteers to attack the town, while Burleson and another 400 men scouted, pro-tected the camp and supplies, and forced Cos to keep his 570 men divided between the town and the

Alamo.James C. Neill distracted the

Mexican forces with artillery fire on the Alamo before dawn on De-cember 5, while Milam and Francis W. Johnson led two divisions in a surprise attack that seized the Ve-ramendi and Garza houses north of the plaza in San Antonio. Mexican cannon and musket fire kept the Texans from advancing farther dur-ing the day and silenced one of their cannons.

That night and the next day the Texans destroyed some buildings close to them and dug trenches to connect the houses they occupied. On the seventh the Texans captured another nearby house, but Milam died from a sharpshooter’s bul-let. Johnson then directed another night attack that seized the Navarro house. On December 8 Ugartechea returned with over 600 reinforce-ments, but only 170 were experi-enced soldiers. Untrained conscripts formed the other 450 men, who brought with them few supplies. Burleson sent 100 men into town to join the Texan force that captured

the buildings of Zambrano Row in hand-to-hand fighting. Cos ordered his cavalry to threaten the Texan camp, but they found it well de-fended. That night Cooke with two companies seized the priest’s house on the main plaza, but they seemed cut off from the Texas army.

When Cos sought to concentrate his troops at the Alamo, four com-panies of his cavalry rode away rather than continue the struggle. Cos then asked for surrender terms on the morning of December 9. Burleson accepted the surrender of most Mexican equipment and weapons, but allowed Cos and his men to retire southward because neither army had supplies to sustain a large group of prisoners.

Texas casualties numbered thirty to thirty-five, while Mexican losses, primarily in the Morelos Infantry Battalion, which defended San An-tonio, totaled about 150; the differ-ence reflected the greater accuracy of the Texans’ rifles. Most of the Texas volunteers went home after the battle, which left San Antonio and all of Texas under their control.

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page E4

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The revolution grows: the Siege of Bexar

Ben Milam Martin Perfecto de Cos

The forgotten Texas Revolution: the Battle of MedinaThe Battle of Medina was

fought approximately 20 miles south of San Antonio de Bexar (modern-day San Antonio, Texas, in the United States) on August 18, 1813 as part of the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish authority in Mexico.

Spanish Royalist troops led by General José Joaquín de Ar-redondo defeated Republican forces (calling themselves the Republican Army of the North), consisting of Tejano-Mexican and Tejano-American revolutionar-ies participating in the Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition, under General José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois.

Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara took up the effort to free Texas from Spain. Colonel Gutiérrez visited Washington, DC, and gained sup-port for his efforts. In 1812, Colo-nel Augustus William Magee, who had commanded U.S. Army troops guarding the border of the “Neutral Ground” between Louisiana and Texas, resigned his commission, and formed the Republican Army of the North to aid the Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition. The army flew

a solid emerald green flag, thought to have been introduced by Colo-nel Magee, who was of Protestant Irish descent.

Nacogdoches was taken on Au-gust 12, 1812, with little opposi-tion, and on November 7, 1812 the Republican Army of the North marched into what is present day Goliad where they took the Pre-sidio La Bahia. Spanish royalists soon confronted them, beginning a four month siege. While at La Bahia, Colonel Magee died on February 6, 1813. After numerous

battles and heavy losses, the Span-ish lifted the siege and returned to San Antonio de Bexar.

On March 25, 1813 the Repub-lican Army of the North left La Bahia for Bexar after receiving reinforcements. Colonel Samuel Kemper replaced Magee, and Lieutenant Colonel Reuben Ross was elected second in command.

There were approximately 1,400 Texians in the Republican Army at the time, composed of Tejanos, Americans, Euro-Mexicans (Crio-llos), and former Spanish Royalist soldiers aided by an auxiliary force of Indians and at least one black slave. The Spanish army of Gen-eral Toledo, with about 1,800 men, had camped on the north bank of the Medina River, about six miles north of the Royalist troops which were encamped near present-day Leming, Texas.

The battle lasted four hours. To-ledo’s plan called for an ambush on the Royalist troops as they would march through a defile on the Bexar–Laredo road. Similarly, Arredondo had sent out a scout-ing party with some cavalry in the

morning to try to determine the lo-cation of Toledo’s troops. Quite ac-cidentally, they happened upon the Republican ambush and retreated after a brief exchange of fire.

The Republican soldiers gave chase, apparently mistaking the cavalry which kicked up large clouds of dust for the main army.

The Republicans fled in dis-order. Toledo, Perry and a few of their associates headed straight for Louisiana. Bexarenos stopped in San Antonio just long enough to gather their families. The Spanish army continued to press, killing many of the fleeing soldiers. Most of the remainder were captured and then in a por-tent of the future Texas War of Independence were summarily executed. Fewer than 100 out of 1,400 soldiers on the Republican side survived, while the Royalists lost only 55 men. The remains of the Republican troops were left to rot and not buried until 1822 when José Félix Trespalacios, the first governor of Coahuila y Te-jas under the newly established United Mexican States, ordered a

detachment of soldiers to gather their bones and bury them honor-ably under an oak tree that grew on the battlefield.

The subsequent punitive mea-sures against the supporters of the revolt had a negative effect upon the province. It is believed that the counter-insurgency policies of the Spaniards led to a substantial decline of the Tejano population.

It is also noteworthy that some of Guttierrez-Magee participants were sons of American revolu-tionaries, some fought later with Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, and of the few who sur-vived some fought again during the second Texas Revolution in 1835–36. José Antonio Navarro, a founding father of Texas, and José Francisco Ruiz, both future signers of the 1836 Texas Dec-laration of Independence, took part in the Magee, Gutiérrez and Toledo resistance movements and later served as leaders in the Texas Revolution.

One of the dead, Peter Sides, was not a son of, but an actual vet-eran of, the American Revolution.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a re-publication of a historical column au-thored by local historian Bob Burchard which originally appeared in The Cannon in 2009:

Fate sometimes intersects the path of history, and the results may be dramatic and profound. Such was the case of the career of General Sam Houston. He was sent to Gonzales in March of 1836 to take command of the Texas Army. He had recently been

elected to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Texas Army by the Constitu-tional Convention meeting at Washington on the Brazos.

Houston and other elected delegates had, on March 2nd, 1836, adopted and signed the Texas Declaration of Inde-pendence stating the reasons for separation from the Re-public of Mexico. But, curi-ously enough, Sam Houston almost was not even present as a delegate to the conven-tion.

Here are some of the de-tails of the story. As the Texans grew restless under the controls of the Repub-lic of Mexico, the call went out for a convention to be held on March 1, 1836, at Washington-on-the Brazos to consider the possibility of declaring independence from the Republic of Mexico. All the established communities in the State, except San An-tonio, sent elected delegates to the Convention. Gonza-les elected and sent two del-egates, Matthew Caldwell and John Fisher. Caldwell is buried here in Gonzales in the City Cemetery. Fisher went back to Virginia after the Texas Revolution, and is buried there.

At the time delegates were being elected, Houston’s home town was Nacogdo-ches in east Texas. He was not very popular at the time, having a reputation for liking strong drink, fast horses, and women with similar char-acteristics. He was soundly defeated as a delegate from his home town, receiving less than 10 percent of the votes.

Houston was told that he

might be elected as a delegate to the convention from Refu-gio, which was not heav-ily populated. Sam Houston went to Refugio and was in fact elected as a delegate from that community.

It is also interesting to note that the Texas Army, in which Houston served as an officer, could also elect and send delegates to the Convention. The Texas Army also rejected Houston as a delegate, and sent other parties to the con-vention.

So, here is Sam Houston, spurned by first the people in his home town, those who knew him best, and sec-ond by those with whom he served in the Texas Army. He came to the convention through the back door, if you will, elected as a delegate by the thinly populated town of Refugio, by people who did not know him at all.

Were it not for the quirk of fate, Sam Houston’s career, and the history of Gonzales and Texas, might have been significantly different from the story we now know. Not only was he the victorious General at San Jacinto, but he was elected as the First Presi-dent of the Republic of Tex-as; elected to the Congress of the Republic, elected again as President of the Repub-lic; elected as United State Senator after Texas became a state – and was also elected as Governor of the State of Texas.

Not a bad list of accom-plishment for a man who barely made it to the Consti-tutional Convention.

General Sam Houston ar-rived in Gonzales on March

11, 1836, to take charge of the Texas Army.

On that same day, word came to Gonzales of the fall of the Alamo, and that all were killed.

Sam Houston saw first hand the cost of freedom. He saw the shock of the town, the pain of the women; he heard the shrieks of the widows, the screams of the children. Yes, he saw vividly what freedom costs. The sacrifices freedom demands.

But he also saw the cour-age of the people – the deter-mination of the soldiers – that this was not the end, but rath-er a continuation of the fight for freedom that began here in Gonzales when the first shot of the Texas Revolution was fired just a few months earlier.

So, Sam Houston, reject-ed as a delegate by both his home town and the army, elected to the convention by the people who did not know him, drew courage from the citizens of Gonzales and their sacrifices.

He resolved and deter-mined that Texas must sur-vive, and buttressed by what he gleaned from Gonzales, made the decisions that cul-minated in victory at San Jacinto, and ultimately, free-dom for all Texans.

Isn’t it interesting how a little quirk of fate may af-fect so many people. So, the next time you hear or read of Refugio, you might send a nod in their direction, maybe a gesture of thanks.

And that is part of our his-tory, the history of Gonzales. Gonzales, Texas – the birth-place of your Texas Freedom.

Thinking that the victories at Gonzales and in the siege of Bexar had defeated Mexico, many of the Tex-ans in the Bexar force went home.

In every instance where they’d faced Mexican troops, the revolutionaries’ superior fighting skills — in particular, their superior American-made gunpowder — had carried the day.

The over-confidence bred from those early successes would prove tragic.

As early as Oct. 27, 1835, Santa Anna was prepar-ing to take a personal hand in quelling the rebellion in Texas. As he began assembling an army, the Mexican Congress passed a resolution defining any foreigners coming to the aid of Texas as “pirates” and thus subject to immediate execution. Santa Anna sent a letter con-taining that warning to United States President Andrew Jackson.

The army Santa Anna gathered was initially com-posed of a little more than 6,000 men — many of them raw recruits or conscripted criminals with no military experience. Santa Anna, convinced of his own military genius and that he needed to crush the rebellion with brute force, declined to march up the Texas coast and instead headed inland toward San Antonio.

At the same time, Mexican General Jose Urrea with some 900 troops, left Matamoros and followed a coast-al route into Texas.

The first town approached by Urrea was San Patricio, where on February 27 he encountered Frank Johnson and about 50 Texans. Johnson and four of his men es-caped, but the rest were either killed or captured. A few days later, the Mexicans also fell upon James Grant and another 50 men, and all but one of the Texans were killed.

Citizens of Refugio, the next town in Urrea’s path, were slow to evacuate. To provide assistance, James W. Fannin, commander of forces at Goliad, sent two

relief forces. The first of these groups numbered about 30 men under Aaron King, followed by a larger group of some 150 men under William Ward. Like Johnson’s force, both of these groups were eventually killed or captured by the Mexicans.

Meanwhile back in Goliad, Fannin and his remain-ing force of about 350 were called on to aid William Barrett Travis and the Alamo defenders. He was also ordered by Sam Houston to retreat with Travis back to Victoria. Due to indecision and carelessness by Fan-nin, however, he failed to accomplish either of these missions.

After a delay of about five days following Houston’s order, Fannin finally began his retreat. It was not long, however, before the Texans found themselves surrounded on open prairie. Several attacks by Urrea resulted each time in the Mexicans being repulsed by the deadly fire of the Texans. By dusk, the Texans had lost about sixty men

killed or wounded against some 200 of the Mexicans.Still heavily outnumbered and with no water and few

supplies, the Texans waved the white flag of truce the fol-lowing morning. Believing that they would be taken cap-tive and eventually returned to their homes, the Texans surrendered the morning of March 20. The were escorted back to Goliad as prisoners.

When news of their capture reached Santa Anna, how-ever, he was furious that the Texans had not been execut-ed on the spot. Citing the “pirates” law, Santa Anna sent orders to execute the Goliad prisoners.

Santa Anna’s orders were followed. On Palm Sunday, the 27th of March, the prisoners were divided into three groups, marched onto open prairie, and shot. Thus, all of Fannin’s command except a few that managed to es-cape and several physicians and others deemed useful by the Mexicans, were massacred, collected into piles, and burned.

Thursday, September 27, 2012 Page E5The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section

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Over-confidence and disaster: Goliad

The strange twist of fate that tied Sam Houston to the town of Gonzales

By BOB BURCHARD

Special to The Cannon

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page E6

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Monument to the “Immortal 32” volunteers from Gonzales who died at The Alamo, located at the

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The restored Texas Heroes statue, honoring the Gonzales men who died at The Alamo, located at Texas Heroes’ Square in downtown Gonzales

EDITOR’S NOTE: The fol-lowing is a re-publication of a historical column authored by local historian Bob Burchard which originally appeared in The Cannon in 2009:

Jacob Darst was standing there on the square in Gonza-les in late February of 1836 talking to a friend. We call that square today Texas Heroes Square.

Darst and his friend were talking about the usual subject matter - the tense situation be-tween Texas and the Republic of Mexico. Darst was one of the group of men who stood on the east bank of the Guada-lupe River last September and defended the town of Gonza-les when the Mexican troops from San Antonio requested the return of the cannon. And he had fought with the Texas volunteers a few days later on October 2, 1835, when the first shot was fired in the Texas Revolution.

As Jacob Darst and his friend were talking, a rider on horseback galloped into the square. The horse was in a lather, and obviously had been ridden hard. The rider jumped off before the horse had com-pletely stopped, the rider stum-bling then falling in the dusty street. Several men went over to give aid to the fallen rider. “Where is the office of the Al-calde,” he yelled. “I have a let-ter from the Alamo.”

Those words immediately grabbed the attention of every-one. The citizens of Gonzales and Green DeWitt’s Colony

had heard for several weeks that General Santa Anna, the dictator and President of the Republic of Mexico, was on his way to San Antonio with a large military force. Santa Anna was coming to avenge the defeat by the Texans of his brother-in-law, General Cos, at San Antonio a few months earlier.

Someone took the letter from the messenger, and hand-ed it to one of the men who could read. “It is from Colo-nel Travis at the Alamo,” the reader said.

“What does it say? Read it. Don’t just hold it,” several peo-ple yelled as the crowd grew.

The letter said: “To Andrew Ponton, Judge, and the Citi-zens of Gonzales: The enemy in large force is in sight. We want men and provisions. Send them to us. We have 150 men and are determined to defend the Alamo to the last. Give us assistance. Signed, Lt. Colonel W. B. Travis.”

The first reaction of the crowd, which was continu-ing to grow, was total silence. Then a woman uttered a moan, and started crying. “We’ll all be killed.” she sobbed. A few of the men moved si-lently away from the crowd, mounted their horses, and rode quickly away - to the east in the opposite direction from San Antonio. One man in the crowd shouted - “We must go help Travis. We have to show Santa Anna we will stand up to him.” Another said, “Read it again.” And the plea from Travis was read again.

Jacob Darst had heard the letter clearly the first time. He

knew what he must do - go help Colonel Travis, and fight for Texas freedom. Now he had to go tell his wife, Mar-garet, and his 13 year old son, David, that he was headed for the Alamo.

The Darst family lived just one block west of the square. Their house was located where Toni’s Restaurant is today on St. Lawrence Street in Gon-zales.

Margaret Darst was in the house with the boy, David, when Jacob rushed in.

She had finished the day’s wash, and had just started cooking the cornbread on the wood burning stove. She was sitting in the rocker in the front room mending the clothes. “Margaret,” Jacob said. “San-ta Anna is at San Antonio with a big force of troops. The Tex-as Army is in trouble. Travis has asked for help. I must go to San Antonio and fight Santa Anna,” he declared.

Margaret sat there in the rocker for a moment in shock. She sensed this was different from the previous fights with the Mexican troops. Her soul filled with fear. “No,” she said, not really knowing where the word came from. “Don’t go.” Margaret started crying softly. She knew he would not make it back. She knew he was go-ing to die. Jacob said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be back. I’ll come home.”

Thirty-two men in all left Gonzales bound for the Alamo. They were of various ages, one as young as 16. Some married, some not. Some had been in Texas for several years. Some for a shorter time. Thirty-two

men united by the desire to fight for freedom. Texas Free-dom.

Margaret had given Jacob ample portions of beef jerky and cornbread. He would re-turn with some great stories for his son, thought Jacob. He knew he was blessed to have Margaret for his wife. So, Jacob Darst left Gonzales headed for the Alamo to fight for what he believed - that God created all people to be free; that Texas should be indepen-dent from Mexico; that Texas should be free; and that free-dom was worth fighting for. He left Gonzales with thoughts of his family and thoughts of freedom on his mind. He left with 31 others from Gonzales to fight for freedom, your free-dom and mine.

And none of them came home.

And that is part of our his-tory. The history of Gonzales. Gonzales, Texas is the birth-place of your Texas Freedom.

The town that answered Travis’ callBy BOB BURCHARD

Special to The Cannon

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The fol-lowing is a re-publication of a historical column authored by local historian Bob Burchard which originally appeared in The Cannon in 2010:

Twenty-two year old Su-sanna Dickinson of Gonza-les was the wife of Almaron Dickinson, a Lieutenant in the Texas Army when the Texas Revolution started here in Gonzales on Oct. 2, 1935. Lt. Dickinson participated in the victory at San Antonio in December of the same year when the Texas Army de-feated General Cos, and took control of San Antonio. Su-sanna Dickinson joined her husband in San Antonio after the battle, and with their 15 month old daughter, Ange-lina Elizabeth, spent the next few weeks together as a fam-ily, unaware of the horrible events awaiting them.

Santa Anna, President of the Republic of Mexico, and General of the Mexican Army, was on his way with a large military force to regain control of San Antonio in February of 1836.

As news reached San Antonio of the approaching Santa Anna, the Texas Army fortified itself in the Alamo. Susanna Dickinson and her baby took refuge there, also.

Women have lost their hus-bands on battlefields since the beginning of time, but to be on the same battlefield with your husband knowing that defeat and death are certain - what an incomprehensible, tragic, life shaping experi-ence that could be.

To be in the Alamo at the time of the final attack; to hear the sounds of the mus-kets as the Texans attempted to repel Mexican troops; to hear the sound of the bugle as surge after surge came against the outer walls of the Alamo grounds. And then the breach in the wall through which the Mexican troops

poured to finish off the Tex-ans; and now the shouts and curses of men fighting to the death; the scattered rifle and musket fire; the pain of death now screaming out, and the final groans of courageous Texans.

What sound does life make as it escapes into eternity? And what does all of this do to Susanna Dickinson as she hears and sees this deadly chaos - with her baby in her arms. She was rescued from death by a compassionate Mexican General, and taken to Santa Anna, who sent her on to Gonzales with the re-port of the fall of the Alamo.

What did it do to Susanna to know, as she headed east to Gonzales, that the lifeless body of her husband, the fa-ther of her baby, was being pitched onto a pile with the other Alamo defenders and set on fire? What did this do to her heart, her soul, her very being. How deep did the dagger of grief plunge into her person?

In response to Susanna’s report, General Sam Houston burned the town of Gonza-les, and started east on the Runaway Scrape. Susanna Dickinson was constantly besieged by the women who also lost husbands, fathers, and brothers in the Alamo. One may easily picture Mar-garet Darst, Gonzales resi-dent, whose husband, Jacob, died in the Alamo, talking to Susanna in pleading tones: “When was the last time you saw my husband before he died? Was he hurt? Was he all right? Did he hand you a note

to give to me? Did he say anything about me, Susanna, or our son, David? “

“No, Margaret, he did not. He did not.”

And then having to go through it again - and again.

“Are you sure, Susanna, are you positive you did not see Jacob?”

“Yes, Margaret, I am sure. I did not see Jacob, but I know he loved you and the boy, David.” And then re-peating this scene with each of the other grieving women as they made their way to the east, frantically moving away from the approaching Santa Anna.

Susanna’s life was a mess for many years after that as she sought peace from her throbbing memo-ries and the burdens of her heart. She re-married in 1837; divorced the next year, re-married again - that husband died. She lived an aggressive, riotous life; married again - another di-vorce. And along the way her daughter died, the baby she had held in her arms in the Alamo; Angelina Eliza-beth died at age 37.

Susanna Dickinson - look-ing for peace. She may have found it toward the end of her life. She lived the last years of her life in Austin with her fifth, and final, husband, and apparently these years were happy for her. She died in 1883 at the age of 69.

Susanna Dickinson - resi-dent of Gonzales and Green DeWitt’s Colony, wife of an Alamo defender, “The Mes-senger of the Alamo” as she was called - at peace, at last, in death.

The pursuit of freedom re-quires a payment, you know. Freedom will seize a pay-ment, a sacrifice, from each of us. It did just that from Susanna Dickinson.

And that is part of our his-tory, the history of Gonzales. Gonzales, Texas is the birth-place of your Texas Free-dom.

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From October 1835, Texans in the field had succeeded in most of their military campaigns. The cannon at Gonzales remained, smaller Mexican federal military units surrendered and then retired to Mexico, and Bexar finally gave way after a two-month siege. When Mar-tin Perfecto de Cos and his men retreated from Bexar in December 1835, Texas had eliminat-ed the last of the Mexican garrisons.

Most of the Texas volunteers returned to their homes, convinced the war was over. The provisional government, split by internal quar-rels over the objectives of the war, failed to sup-ply the men in the field adequately. What little remained of the munitions and supplies were further subject to confiscation by commanders proposing buccaneering expeditions to Matam-oros.

By January, the small body of men com-manded by James C. Neill were reduced to about 100. They were supplemented by some twenty-five volunteers commanded by James Bowie. William Barrett Travis arrived on Feb-ruary 3 with thirty men from the regular army, ordered there by Governor Henry Smith.

In spite of engineer Green B. Jameson’s be-lief that the Alamo was indefensible, both Neill and Bowie saw the fortress as a strategic post, particularly because of its armament. Houston, on the other hand, preferred to avoid fixed forti-fications, and ordered Bowie, subject to Henry Smith’s approval, to blow up the fort and bring the artillery to him in Gonzales.

When Neill left the city a few days later to deal with illness in his family, he left Travis in command. Bowie, however, as commander of the volunteers, refused to accept orders from a regular army officer. A divisive contest was avoided when Bowie became ill and was forced to accept the arrangement.

Santa Anna crossed the Rio Grande on Feb-ruary 12, and — a month earlier than expected — he arrived outside Bexar on February 23. Travis dispatched a note to Gonzales calling for reinforcements and numbering the defenders at 150. The next day he wrote his Letter from the Alamo, probably the best known of all Texas documents.

Reinforcements of 32 men under Captain Albert Martin arrived from Gonzales on March 1. They were the only force to answer Travis’ call.

With the arrival of the last of Santa Anna’s forces, Travis was able to send out only one last appeal on March 3. Again, he echoed the determination of the fortress to withstand sur-render: “A blood red banner waves from the church of Bejar, and in the camp above us, in token that the war is one of vengeance against

rebels: they have declared us as such, and demanded that we should surrender at discre-tion, or that this garrison should be put to the sword. Their threats have had no influence on me, or my men, but to make all fight with des-peration, and that high souled courage which characterizes the patriot, who is willing to die in defence of his country’s liberty and his own honor..”

The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, as columns of Mexi-can soldiers emerged from the predawn dark-ness and headed for the Alamo’s walls. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks.

Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned a captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barri-caded doors. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. By sun-rise, the battle had ended and Santa Anna en-tered the Alamo compound to survey the scene of his victory.

After the battle, the Texan bodies were burned. The pyre was constructed about 3 p.m. on March 6, and was lighted about five accord-ing to Francisco Antonio Ruiz, who went on to report: “The gallantry of the few Texans who defended the Alamo was really wondered at by the Mexican army. Even the generals were as-tonished at their vigorous resistance, and how dearly victory was bought..The men (Texans) burnt were one hundred and eighty-two. I was an eyewitness, for as alcalde of San Antonio, I was with some of the neighbors, collecting the dead bodies and placing them on the funeral pyre.”

After the fall of the Alamo, the church and buildings were largely abandoned. The gov-ernment of the Republic of Texas returned the chapel to the Catholic Church, but after annex-ation, the U.S. Government claimed it again for military use. In the ensuing years, both U.S. and Confederate forces used the building to house quartermaster stores and munitions. The U.S. Army continued to lease the property until 1876.

Bishop John Claud Neraz’s offer to sell the Alamo in 1882 was made to Frank W. Johnson, first president of the Texas Veterans’ Associa-tion. He, in turn, passed the information on to the governor with a recommendation that the State purchase the building.

On April 23, 1883, the Texas legislature passed an act authorizing the purchase of the Alamo. Money from the sale went to complete a new chancery building for the San Antonio diocese.

By BOB BURCHARD

Special to The Cannon

Tobey’s “The Battle of the Alamo”

The Alamo: Texas fortunes at their low ebb

Susanna Dickinson’s long, agonizing search for peace

Susanna Dickinson

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The disasters at The Al-amo and Goliad created a precarious situation for the newly-declared Republic of Texas.

The commander of the newly-formed army, Gen-eral Sam Houston, knew his force was not prepared to fight the superior Mexi-can forces arrayed against it.

Houston had intended to gather his forces at Gonza-les, but upon hearing of the defeat at the Alamo and, worse, of the massacre of Fannin’s force at Goliad, put the town to the torch and began retreating east-ward.

The settlers from De-Witt’s Colony preceded the army in a mad flight which became known as “The Runaway Scrape.” Be-cause of swollen streams from heavy rains, both the armies and the civil-ians quickly bogged down as the few roads became quagmires. While both the Texian and Mexican armies suffered from the cold, wet weather, disease and exposure also claimed large numbers of civilian

lives.Through an adroit se-

ries of maneuvers, Hous-ton managed to stay one step ahead of Santa Anna’s pursuers, and the dictator eventually split his forces into flying columns in an attempt to bring the Texian army to bay in a single de-cisive engagement. Hous-ton avoided the confron-tation, seeking ground he considered favorable while relentlessly drilling his forces and trying to instill some type of military order into them.

One of the experts Hous-ton employed was a Tejano (Mexican-born Texan) who chafed that he had been sent from the Alamo as a messenger only to leave his men to die. Capt. Juan Seguin now took charge of Houston’s rear guard, har-rying Mexican scouts and keeping them away from the main army.

The provisional govern-ment of Texas, which had declared independence on March 2 — four days be-fore the fall of the Alamo — now fled Washington-on-the-Brazos toward

Galveston. Santa Anna got word of their attempt to escape, and took personal command of one force in an attempt to intercept them. Santa Anna’s force swept through Harrisburg and turned southeast in an attempt to catch the revo-lutionary leaders, but they had already escaped to Galveston.

Houston’s army now turned in pursuit of Santa Anna, and on April 20, the two forces found them-

selves near Lynch’s Ferry along the banks of the San Jacinto River. Santa Anna made camp, expecting re-inforcements shortly from General Martin Cos, who arrived late in the after-noon.

Houston, surveying the ground, found himself with a large sloping ground of tall grass that would give the Texians and their lon-ger-range rifles cover, with the river blocking a possi-ble retreat by the Mexican force. Santa Anna, confi-dent that Houston’s army would not force a battle against his larger force, ordered his men to stand down and remained en-camped.

At 3:30 p.m. on April 21, Houston’s army of about 900 men suddenly surged across the sloping prai-rie, accompanied by two cannon sent to Texas by the citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio — the “twin sisters” — with a piper playing the only tune he knew to spur the men to battle: an Irish drinking-house song en-titled Will You Come to the Bower?

Santa Anna’s overcon-

fidence proved to be his fatal flaw; many of the sentries posted to guard the encampment were dozing as the Texians attacked, and as the Mexican army rushed to take up positions, Houston’s troops swept over them. The Mexican troops broke and fled in panic, with Seguin’s cav-alry riding down many of them and others being chased to drown in the San Jacinto River.

The battle took just 18 minutes. Santa Anna’s en-tire force was either dead, wounded or captured at the cost of just nine Texian lives. The dictator himself, wearing the uni-form of a common cor-poral, was tracked down and captured and formaly surrendered his army to Houston, who had been wounded in the ankle in the exchange.

Many of the Texian force, as well as some in the provisional govern-ment, argued in favor of executing Santa Anna, but Houston argued that he was more valuable alive. Some weeks later, on May 14, he signed the

Treaty of Valasco, rec-ognizing Texas indepen-dence and guaranteeing Santa Anna’s life. While the Mexican Congress never ratified the treaty, it was never able to muster support for a renewal of the war.

Santa Anna, disgraced by the defeat, was exiled to the United States for a time before being allowed to return to Mexico in early 1838. He soon re-claimed his status as a hero when France landed a force at Veracruz in an attempt to force mexico to pay com-pensation for debts owed its citizens. Mexico asked him to take command of the army again and defend the country, and in the so-called Pastry War, he was hit in the leg by cannon fire and had much of one leg amputated.

He re-gained the presi-dency again and held on to it until the annexation of Texas by the United States and the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, during which he again led his forces courageously but was undermined by his own Congress.

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page E8

It’s Come and

Take It Time!

Have A Safe

C.A.T.I.Weekend.

Victory at San Jacinto: a nation is born

Surrender of Santa Anna by William Huddle, 1886

Come and Take ItThe Cannon

Come and Take It Special SectionThursday, September 27, 2012

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Nashville native Thom Shepherd is perhaps best-known for the songs he writes for other peo-ple — but he has a few gems of his own that are well-known to local mu-sic fans.

He’ll be the featured performer on the opening night of this year’s Come and Take It Festival, taking the main stage at the Bier-garten from 10-11:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5. The Hole in the Wall Band opens the show at 6 p.m., followed by Seguin natives Tejano Crew from 8-9:30 p.m.

Shepherd’s “App for That” is perhaps his best-known tune, but he’s had more than 80 songs re-corded by other artists, in-cluding cuts by Colt Ford, Bucky Covington, George Jones, Trailer Choir, Mont-gomery Gentry, Buddy Jew-ell, and Cledus T. Judd.

He is the writer of Kevin Fowler’s three week #1 single “Beer Season,” as well as Fowler’s Top 5 Texas Music Chart single,

“Cheaper To Keep Her.” His song “Bad Luck” was featured on American Idol, and he wrote the title track of Tracy Lawrence’s Gram-my nominated album “The Rock.”

He is the writer of two #1 hit singles, “Redneck Yacht Club,” recorded by Craig Morgan, and David Ball’s “Riding with Private Malone.” Thom even got to be in the video, playing the title role. The song also opened the door for Thom to perform for our troops overseas – he has been on eight tours for Armed Forc-

es Entertainment, bringing his music to servicemen and women in fourteen dif-ferent countries.

“As songwriters, we have no idea how our songs are going to af-fect people,” says Thom, “I met a soldier in Qatar who was on leave from Baghdad, and he told me he joined the military be-cause of Private Malone. He asked me how that made me felt and I said

Responsible! Then when we went to get our pic-ture taken, he showed me the shattered LCD screen of his digital camera - shattered because it was in his shirt pocket behind his flack jacket when he took a round from an AK47. That camera saved his life. That is powerful stuff.”

It’s the third appear-ance in Gonzales in just the last few months for Shepherd. He was one of the featured acoustic acts during the Main Street Summer Concert Series, and took the stage at the Running M Bar & Grill a few weeks ago as part of the KCTI Free Texas Mu-sic Series.

He was born in St. Lou-is, Missouri and spent his high school and college years in Stephens City, Virginia. He is a gradu-ate of George Mason University and moved to Nashville in 1993. He is a two-time cancer survi-vor, father of two, and a full time songwriter and performer.

He is co-owner of a publishing venture called The Bourbon Street Mu-sic Company, and co-president of RedneckY-achtClub.com, a website that sells merchandise relating to the song and

the boating lifestyle.The Hole in the Floor

Band will open Friday’s show, and they’re also no stranger to audiences in the region. The band provided musical enter-tainment as part of the Gonzales PBR event in July, and has also played at venues from clubs in Victoria to a benefit at the Smiley VFD.

Expect some great sounds and great fun from Tejano Crew, a band from Seguin.

From the very be-ginning and before the band even had a name,

the guys from Seguin were impressing listen-ers with their music and showmanship. Like most aspiring bands they per-formed locally; mostly at private parties, occasion-al church functions and often for free. “We used to play at yard parties, quincineras or wherever we could get,” says lead vocalist Juan Valdez.

The band initially started as a conjunto called,“Los Daimes”, but then started playing up some Tejano and interna-tional tunes because the people were always ask-

ing for them at gigs. Tejano Crew is made up

mostly of members from the Seguin/Austin area. Tejano Crew may seem like a new face to some in the industry, but they are poised to cut loose on the Tejano circuit. They are storming onto the music scene with a vir-tuality that makes them a band to watch. Tejano Crew has a bright future ahead as they continue to charm more fans with their authentic style of musical arrangements and excitement that only Tejano Crew can bring.

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page F2

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Tejano Crewhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Tejano-crew

Thom Shepherd

Thom Shepherd performing at the Running M in Gonzales recently

The Hole in the Floor Band

Tejano Crew

Their popularity continues to grow, and in just a short couple of years The Pale Horses has become perhaps the premiere Americana/Country band in the south-central Texas region.

The Pale Horses were formed in Gonzales in the summer of 2010 and are currently working toward a goal of a full length album.

“With a lot of gigging, a lot of hard work and a little good luck thrown in the mix, we are moving ever closer to that goal,” the band posts on its web-site. “We do not strive for fortune, fame or anything else shallow and short-lived. We strive for excellence.

We cannot be slowed down, deflect-ed off course, discouraged, deterred, stepped upon or gotten out of the way of. The Pale Horse is coming ... Can you hear the thunder?”

On Sunday May 6, The Pale Horses and others in the top ten were fea-tured in a showcase at Billy Bob’s Texas in the Fort Worth Stockyards

in the annual Wrangler Live at Billy Bob’s recording contest. Pitted against some of the best new-music acts from around the state, The Pale Horses did one thing no one else did: they played their own material. While they didn’t win the competition, the exposure marked them as a force to contend with.

In the months since, The Pale Hors-es have been busy — appearing at

Scooter’s in Moulton, the Luling Wa-termelon Thump, the First Shot Coo-koff, the Moulton Jamboree, KCTI’s Free Texas Music Series at the Run-ning M Bar & Grill, and dozens more.

The band members include: Matt Easley- Rhythm Guitar/Lead Vocals; Seth Fullilove- Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals; Eric Connor- Fiddle; Jess Ful-lilove- Bass Guitar; Derek Schaefer- Drums.

Thursday, September 27, 2012 Page F3The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section

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Please stop by and say, “Hi!”Scott Dierlam, Agent1212 E Sarah Dewitt Drive

Gonzales, TX 78629Bus: 830-672-9661

www.scottdierlam.com

Come and Take It Entertainment: SaturdayPale Horses continue meteoric musical rise

Connect on Facebook:

The Pale Horseshttps://www.facebook.com/

ThePaleHorses

Come & Get It

Flu Shots & Annual Wellness Visits

Both to you at no cost

Visit Dr. Garth Vaz &His Staff Today

Garth O. Vaz, M.D.Family Practice

Vaz Cinic making available patient info (access to online)24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week - coverage by phone

Clinic Hours:Mon., Tues. & Wed. (appointments)

8:30-11:45 am & 2:00 - 5:45 pmThurs. (appointments & late evenings)

8:30 - 11:45 am & 2:00 - 7:45 pmFri. 8:00 am - 2:00

The Vaz Clinic, P.A.

1103 N. Sarah DeWitt Dr., , P.O. Box 562Gonzales, Texas 78629

Walk-ins are always welcome.Accepting New Patients

830-672-2424THEVAZCLINICPA@stx.rr.comwww.thevazclinicpa.com

The band with KCTI’s Egon Barthels, right, at the Live at Billy Bob’s showcase

The Pale Horses wow the crowd at this year’s Luling Watermelon Thump

A Texas music tradition continues during the Come and Take It Festival when the Shiner Hobo Band takes the stage at the Bier-garten from 1-5 p.m. Sun-day, Oct. 7.

The original Hobo Band was organized by a group of local, talented musicians after World War 1. During the war years, most dance and family bands were al-most totally disbanded due to the men entering the service. After the war ended, the young GI’s and veterans returned home anxious to get back to old time music. A local group decided to form their own band and provide enter-tainment at picnics, wed-ding dances and civic af-fairs. They decided to dress in mismatched clothes with patches sewed on them. They were a happy go lucky bunch, who enjoyed their

Czech and German music. The Spoetzl Brewery be-came their sponsor and it cost the brewery a keg of beer for each performance.

The Shiner Hobo Band gained fame in 1936 un-der the direction of Em-mett Busch, with a toilet plunger as his baton. The Hobos marched and played in Shiner and surrounding towns, displaying a Hobo banner. They entertained

crowds everywhere they went. Mr. Spoetzl would accompany the band dur-ing local parades and went from saloons to bars treat-ing everyone to Shiner Beer.

This tradition continued into the 1950’s, when Curt

Messer directed the Hobos in the same tradition of music, hospitality and re-freshments. Due to the fail-ing health of Mr. Messer, the band slowly disbanded.

In April 1986, Speedy Beal and Jules Silvers, new part owners of the Spoetzl Brewery, decided to meet with Joe Panus and Glenn Leist and try to reorganize the Hobo Band to entertain in the Texas Sesquicenten-

nial celebrations. Joe and Glenn contacted several musicians and held a short organizational meeting at the American Legion Hall in Shiner. Approximately twelve to fifteen musicians were present and they vot-ed to have Joe Panus as the director, who would wield the famous toilet plunger. There were two short prac-tice sessions at the Kasper Pavilion. A comment was made that practice was not needed because almost all members were seasoned musicians with a few ex-ceptions. One being Glenn Leist, who decided to pre-tend to play a replica of a huge base fiddle and tell jokes and agitate the direc-tor. The group was noted for not listening to instruc-tions given by Director Joe. They played first at the Trinity Lutheran Home in

Shiner and were an instant hit. They were immedi-ately booked for the Shiner Catholic Church picnics on Memorial and Labor Day holidays and the “Come and Take It” festival in Gonzales.

Eventually, the Ho-bos had 30 active mem-bers, with approximately twenty-five making each function. Members came from Shiner, Kokernot Hill, Port Lavaca, Victo-ria, Yoakum, Wied, Hous-ton, Cuero, Schulenberg and Weimar, to name a few. Their theme song is “The Shiner Song.” Spo-etzl Brewery continued to provide refreshments.

The Shiner Hobo Band is a non-profit organiza-tion operating with elected officers and is sponsored by the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner.

The Come and Take It Festival celebrates a spirit of independence and can-do attitude exemplified by the brave farmers and fron-tiersmen who stood up to professional sol-diery on a matter of principle in 1835.

That makes it a perfect venue for Curtis Grimes.

His latest album, Live from the Parish, hit the streets recently, while his first single from that album, Smile, is racing up the Texas mu-sic charts.

He’ll be the featured entertainer at what is shaping up as one of the best-ever music lineups to grace the Come and Take It Bier-garten. Grimes takes the stage from 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6, with Gonza-les’ own The Pale Horses opening starting at 8:30. Local bands will hold a live jam session that day from noon-5:30, followed by live practice from 6:30-8 p.m. — so there’s no telling who’ll show up!

The entertainment opens on Friday, Oct. 5 with the Hole in the Floor Band from 6-7:30, followe dby the Tejano Crew from 8-9:30. Thom Shepherd, a Gonzales favorite from the Summer Concert Series, returns to head-line Friday’s opening night from 10-11:30 p.m.

Sunday will see the return of a CATI tradi-tion, the Shiner Hobo Band, from 1-5 p.m.

In four short years, Curtis Grimes has been a star college baseball pitcher, chased his dream of being a singer / songwriter, played hundreds of concerts all over Texas and the southwestern United States, and per-

formed in front of millions on television.Grimes, a 25 year old from Gilmer, was

an academic scholar and athlete at Harmony High School where he was an All-State pitch-er and member of the 2003 state qualifying baseball team. Following graduation he ac-cepted academic and baseball scholarships to Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana.

After a breakup with his then-fiancé, he started playing guitar and developed an in-terest in songwriting, teaching himself how to play on a used guitar that he purchased at a pawn shop. Grimes then headed down I-35 with plans of finishing his degree at Texas State University in San Marcos. While there he fell under the influence of the Texas Country music scene. With legendary ven-ues so close, he was able to follow the Texas Country artists he looked up to.

After playing for friends and relatives at gatherings and parties, Grimes was hooked by the entertainment bug. He started playing acoustic shows at a couple of small venues, bars, and fraternity parties.

Things definitely picked up for after he won the Austin leg of Kenny Chesney’s The Next Big Star contest, getting the opportu-nity to open for Chesney at the Frank Erwin

Center during his Poets and Pirates tour. Chesney also invited Curtis on stage for his encore.

Grimes continued to perform all over Texas and had the opportunity to play with artists such as Jack Ingram, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band, Leann Rimes, Josh Abbott, and Kevin Fowler to name a few.

In 2011, Grimes was asked to audi-tion for the NBC Television show “The Voice”. He was then invited to Los An-geles to participate on the show and

made it to the quarterfinals. The show, which was watched by over 15 mil-lion viewers during each episode, has opened even more doors for Curtis and he plans on taking advantage of every one of them.

Grimes has extended his fan base as a regular fixture on the Texas music scene. As he expands his sphere with performances around the state of Texas and beyond, Grimes and his band defi-nitely have things looking up.

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page F4

“Making a difference one life at a time since 1966”

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Saturday & Sunday Closed

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228 St. George Street, Gonzales, Texas 78629

Come & Take It

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1229 St. LawrenceGonzales, TX 78629

Email: ALLSEASONSAIRE@YAHOO.COM

Office 830-672-9226Fax 830-672-2006

Air Conditioning, HeatingSales and Service

Please join us at thePioneer Village

Memorial Service

Sunday, October 79:30 a.m.

Reyna’s Taco Hut1801 Sarah DeWitt Dr., Gonzales, TX

830-672-2551Next to Courthouse Annex

Open for Breakfast, Lunch & DinnerMon.-Sat. 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sun. 5 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Home of the “Silverado”Authentic Mexican Food Including Caldo & Menudo

Fun atCome & Take It

Enjoy the Battle

Re-Enactment @ Pioneer Village

Saturday, October 6,

3 p.m.

Great Gifts & Great Service

Caring for Your Health Since 1964

201 N. Nixon Ave, Nixon, Texas830-582-1851

M-F 7:00 to 5:30 Sat. 9:00 to 3:00

Come and Take It Entertainment: SaturdayGrimes fast becoming Texas’ ‘Next Big Star’

Come and Take It Entertainment: Sunday

A Texas music tradition continues

Connect on Facebook:

Curtis Grimeshttps://www.facebook.com/

thecurtisgrimes

Connect on Facebook:The Shiner Hobo Band

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shiner-Hobo-Band

The Shiner Hobo Band

The Curtis Grimes Band

Thursday, September 27, 2012 Page F5The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section

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Enjoy all the Carnival Rides!

Friday, Saturday & Sunday

A memorial service honor-ing an ancestor who served the Republic of Texas will be held on the front lawn of the Gonzales Memorial Mu-seum, 4 blocks east of the courthouse between St. Law-rence and St. Louis streets, at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, Octo-ber 7.

This will be the 52nd ser-vice conducted by the Gon-zales Chapter Daughters of the Republic of Texas in conjunction with the City of Gonzales.

Boy Scout Troop 262 will post the colors and lead pledges to the United States and Texas flags. There will be seating under a tent for shade.

Descendants of Alsey S. Miller will place a wreath in his honor and give a presen-tation about his life and ser-vice to the Republic. Alsey left his parents in Kentucky and came alone to Texas as a young man of 16.

Alsey Silvanus Miller was born August 20, 1820 in Ran-

dolph County, North Caro-lina. He lived in South Caro-lina as a young child, and at the age of twelve moved to Callaway County, Kentucky with his parents. In the fall of 1836 he went to the New Re-public of Texas alone, locat-ing first on the Brazos River in Washington County. He lived in Washington County for a short time, moved to La Grange and later moved to his permanent home in Gon-zales County. Alsey married Permelia King April 7, 1842 the daughter of John Gladden King Sr. and Permelia Parch-man.

Permelia died in 1856 and was buried in the King Cem-etery near Oak Forest. On March 14, 1867 Alsey mar-ried Elizabeth Nichols. Eliza-beth died March 4, 1874 and was buried in the King Cem-etery near Oak Forest.

In the early days Alsey was active in all the expeditions organized by the residents of Gonzales and surrounding counties in defending their

families and property against the Mexicans and Indians.

He became close friends with General Henry E. Mc-Culloch and his brother Ben McCulloch as they went to Texas at the same time he did. Miller participated in the Plum Creek Battle in 1840. He supplied oxen in 1843 for the Summerville Campaign and he and John Nichols con-tracted to furnish corn and beef for H.E. McCullough in 1846.

He was a hero of the Daw-son Massacre as he was one of only two men who escaped from death or prison. In 1862 he was a member of Terry’s Texas Rangers. Although he gave a great deal of his life patriotically as a citizen and a soldier for the State of Tex-as, he was a successful man in business affairs, dealing largely in horses, mules and cattle.

He built an excellent ranch and home near Gonzales, the extent of his holdings being indicated by the fact that at the close of the Civil War he had fifty slaves who received their freedom. For his servic-es and bravery he was com-missioned a major in 1850 by

Governor Hansboro Bell. Alsey Miller was convert-

ed and joined the Methodist Church in 1859. Unsettled as to the mode of baptism he delayed for twenty three years and then received the sacrament by pouring.

He died at his daughter Zillah Houston’s home near Oak Forest. Family stories were told that he was rest-ing and when they went to ask if he wanted a fresh drink he was dead. His posi-tion on the bed with his hand over his heart indicated that he had fallen back suddenly and died, presumably of heart disease or apoplexy. He was buried between his two wives in the King Cemetery.

Alsey S. Miller

Special memorial service to honor Gonzales’ Alsey S. Miller for heroic service to Texas

By Audrey B. Collins, granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Wells Sr.

This was the home of James Bailey Wells, Sr. (March 11, 1847-March 2, 1930) and his wife Josephine Henry Wells (Jan. 10, 1858-Jan. 3, 1941). “Jim Bailey” Wells was born in Mississippi and cameto Texas with his parents when he was a child. “Josie” Henry, the daughte rof Samirah Emeline Hodges and Garner Henry and granddaughter of James Hodges Jr., was born in Gonzales County.

The house, of Florida long leaf pine, was built in 1885 by T.N. Matthews. The lumber was shipped from Florida to Indianola on Gulf steamboats and then hauled on ox carts to Gonzales. The house was quite modern for its time with fire escapes, lightning rods and indoor plumbing.

On Jan. 1, 1890, Mr. and Mrs. Wells, their 16-year-old son Charley and 12-year-old daughter Effie moved from their Willow Springs Ranch home near Leesville to the recently-purchased home in Gonzales.

The people of Texas suffered many hardships during the struggle for independence, the Civil War and Reconstruc-tion days. The clinate and living conditions were different from what many of them had known. By 1885 Texas was enjoying a period of growth and development. More per-manent churches and schools were established and larger, more comfortable homes were built.

The hom eis typical of Texas at the time. In 1962, it was awarded a Texas Historical Building medallion and in 1964, a medallion plate was added. The plate states, “This 15-room home is furnished in Guadalupe River Valley walnut pieces, hand-crafted during the Republic of Texas. This structure is designed a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark and records concerning its history are being placed in the State Archives for researchers to use. This building is worthy of marking and preserving because of its place in Texas history.”

Even the location is historic. Mitchell Street is named for Eli Mitchell, whose home and cornfield, across the street at the west end of the block, helped supply food for the Texas army.

J.B. Wells House a repository of regional history

The J.B. Wells House is full of fascinating stories, from the miniature replica of The Alamo constructed

by J.B. Wells to the first oil discovery in the region (below). Tours will be available from 2-5 p.m. on

Saturday, Oct. 6.

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page F6

Come & Take It Sale

Christie’s Collection

505 St. Joseph, GonzalesTues.-Fri. 10-5:30, Sat. 8-4

(830-203-5061)514 Lott St, Yoakum

Mon.-Fri. 10-5:30, Sat. 10-4:00(361-293-3977)

Bring in this COUPON

20% OFFChristie’s Collection

Any item - 1 per customerExpires: 10-6-12

Come & Take It Sale

20% OFF Everything in

store (excluding Brighton)

Sale StartsSept. 22

thruOct. 6

Shear Designs Boutique 805 St. Joseph, Gonzales

672-9200

After the C&TI parade join us for Snacks &

Beverages12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Kut, Anoname, Jag, Not Your Daughter Jeans, Uncle Frank, Ivy Jane, Multiples, Ya, Consuela, Yellowbox, Corral Boots

Mohrmann’s Drug Store

Fast, Friendly Service!413 St. George,

Gonzales, Texas 78629

(830) 672-2317

We will be closed

Saturday, October 6 for

Come & Take It!

Get your prescriptions in minutes

Competitive Pricing

Pride of Texas CarnivalFriday 6-11 p.m. • Saturday noon-midnight • Sunday noon-6 p.m.

Thursday, September 27, 2012 Page F7The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section

We’re three years old!... and it’s all

YOURdoing!

THANKS!The Gonzales Cannon newspaper made its debut on Come

and Take It weekend, 2009 ... and the rest is history!It has been you, our readers and advertisers, who have

made The Cannon the fastest-growing news source in the south-central Texas region.

We, the Cannon staff and shareholders, would like to thank everyone in the communities we serve for your generosity,

support and your valuable feedback to keep us growing and improving.

We hope to continue our mission of supplying the news of Gonzales and surrounding communities with honesty,

integrity and fairness for years to come!

Call us at 830-672-7100to subscribe today for

just $20 for a FULL YEAR(52 issues)

or email subscriptions@gonzalescannon.com

The Cannon • Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 27, 2012Page F8

Bracelets - $25Fri., Oct. 5 - 6 p.m. - Midnight

Sat., Oct. 6 - 12 noon - Midnight(Bracelets change at 5:00)

Sun., Oct. 7 - 12-6 p.m.Tickets - $1.00

each (rides take up to 4 tickets)

NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED ON MIDWAY GROUNDS

Games • Foods • Soft Drinks Famous Corn Dogs

Cotton Candy

New

Pride of Texas Carnival

Come & Take it 2012is back for