Cannon

The Gonzales

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Cannon

Reporting regional news with Honesty, Integrity and Fairness

Come and Take It Celebration 2013

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The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Trust betrayed: The roots of the Texas rebellion

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 territory away from Mexico, the truth of the matter is much more complicated. Most of those who came to the Texas colonies of empresarios Stephen F. Austin and Green DeWitt in the years following Mexicos 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 Mexicos prohibition of slavery. Those incentives proved to be powerful: by 1830, immigrants born in the United States vastly out-numbered Mexican-born settlers who were themselves mostly descended from colonists from the Canary Islands brought in the previous century by Spain. On April 6, 1830, President Anastasio Bustamante issued a prohibition against further im-

Green DeWitt migration from the U.S. into Texas, rescinded the tax and tariff exemptions, and ordered all settlers to comply with the prohibition against slavery or face military intervention. Bustamantes order had little effect; settlers continued to pour into the territory and ignored 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 government instead dictated which crops they were allowed 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 requires) that all citizens be Roman Catholic and pay tithes to the Catholic church. Relations between Texas and the central government 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 considered themselves loyal citizens of Mexico. In 1826, for example, some of Austins original 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 Bustamantes troops in support of Santa Anna. Settlers called a convention in 1833 which called for the government to rescind Bustamantes edicts and to grant Texas separate statehood. The new president of Mexico, Santa Anna, agreed and rescinded

The 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 Jos Joaqun de Arredondo defeated Republican forces (calling themselves the Republican Army of the North), consisting of Tejano-Mexican and Tejano-American revolutionaries participating in the Gutirrez-Magee Expedition, under General Jos lvarez de Toledo y Dubois. Bernardo Gutirrez de Lara took up the effort to free Texas from Spain. Colonel Gutirrez visited Washington, DC, and gained support for his efforts. In 1812, Colonel 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 GutirrezMagee Expedition. The army flew a solid emerald green flag, thought to have been introduced by Colonel Magee, who was of Protestant Irish descent. Nacogdoches was taken on August 12, 1812, with little opposition, and on November 7, 1812 the Republican Army of the North marched into what is present day Goliad where they took the Presidio 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 Spanish lifted the siege and returned to San Antonio de Bexar. On March 25, 1813 the Republican Army of the North left La Bahia for Bexar after receiving reinforcements. Colonel Samuel Kemper replaced Magee, and Lieutenant Colo-

The first Texas revolt: Medina, 1813

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 interior of the country also saw outbreaks of unrest, and in 1834 he began dissolving state legislatures, 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 wellversed in brutal tactical warfare on the frontier against Comanche and Apache Indians considered anyone opposing his programs to be an outlaw, and anyone rebelling 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. Through the summer of 1835, DeWitt Colonists, the majority who were loyal Federalist Mexican citizens, followed closely with increasing alarm the assumption of dictatorial powers by Santa Anna, the annulment of the liberal Constitution of 1824, dissolution of the legislature of Coahuila y Texas and, particularly, reports of his brutal tyranny, rape and pillaging of any one who opposed. The news of how the dictator rewarded troops with two days of rape and looting of the citizenry of Zacatecas for their resistance was particularly frightening to those with developed homesteads and families. On a visit to Gonzales after returning from Mexico City, Edward Gritten, reputedly a friend of Santa Anna himself, found the DeWitt Colonists still loyal to the Mexican govern-

ment, desirous of peace, but ready to resist any centralista troops that entered the area other than those in support of the Constitution of 1824. Gritten managed to convince Colonel Ugartechea, commander of Mexican forces in San Antonio, to send letters of assurance that troops were not coming to the colony. At this time, the majority of DeWitt Colonists still opposed overt and armed resistance to the Mexican authorities and disapproved of the more aggressive talks about war and independence going on in San Felipe throughout 1835. In fact, Dewitt Colonists distributed the letters of assurance from Ugartechea to other settlements to show justification for their loyalty to the government and disapproval of insurrection. Skepticism and mistrust increased rapidly when the brutality of the Centralista troops became reality within DeWitt Colony territory rather than distal theory and propaganda of firebrand Texas hawks and War Party members. Without provocation a Mexican soldier attacked Jesse McCoy in Adam Zumwalts store with the butt of his rifle and news of the altercation spread rapidly among the outlying farms and ranches of the colony.

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Memorial marker erected at the Medina battlefield nel Reuben Ross was elected Spanish lines, they were tired second in command. and thirsty. However, they did There were approximately manage to rout some Spanish 1,400 Texians in the Repub- artillery units and were trying lican Army at the time, com- a flanking maneuver when posed of Tejanos, Americans, they were repulsed by SpanEuro-Mexicans (Criollos), ish cavalry units. The situation and former Spanish Royalist had been less than clear for Arsoldiers aided by an auxiliary redondo and he was prepared force of Indians and at least one to order his troops to fall back, black slave. The Spanish army when he seems to have been of General Toledo, with about informed by a defector that the 1,800 men, had camped on Republican troops were also the north bank of the Medina attempting to disengage due to River, about six miles north of exhaustion. He then ordered an the Royalist troops which were advance instead. encamped near present-day The Republicans fled in Leming, Texas. disorder. Toledo, Perry and a The battle lasted four hours. few of their associates headed Toledos plan called for an am- straight for Louisiana. Bexarebush on the Royalist troops as nos stopped in San Antonio they would march through a just long enough to gather their defile on the BexarLaredo families. The Spanish army road. Similarly, Arredondo had continued to press, killing sent out a scouting party with many of the fleeing soldiers. some cavalry in the morning Most of the remainder were to try to determine the location captured and then in a portent of Toledos troops. Quite acci- of the future Texas War of Indentally, they happened upon dependence were summarily the Republican ambush and executed. Fewer than 100 out retreated. of 1,400 soldiers on the ReThe Republican soldiers publican side survived, while gave chase, apparently mistak- the Royalists lost only 55 men. ing the cavalry which kicked The remains of the Republican up large clouds of dust for the troops were left to rot and not main army; it is believed that buried until 1822 when Jos Toledo tried in vain to stop Flix Trespalacios, the first his troops from advancing. In governor of Coahuila y Tejas, their pursuit, they were slowed ordered a detachment of soldown by the sandy terrain; the diers to gather their bones and guns they were dragging with bury them honorably under an them became deeply mired. oak tree that grew on the battleBy the time they reached the field.

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

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A stand for principle: The Battle of Gonzales

It was a trivial matter, over an item of no special significance. Yet it was the principle at stake which determined the course of history. The Gonzales Cannon which was the focal point of the Battle of Gonzales 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 todays citizens of Gonzales, the Gonzales residents of 1835 held a keen appreciation for history. In the summer of 1835, the settlers in DeWitts Colony grew increasingly 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 especially 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 rebellion in the state of Zacatecas with special brutality. A friend of the soonto-be-dictator, Edward Gritagainst 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 arrived on Sept. 25, 1835, they were informed by Alcalde (Mayor) Andrew 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, Ugartechea sent Lt. Francisco Castaneda with more than 100 troops from San Antonio to again demand the cannon, 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 ... Castanedas forced camped overnight on a spot later known as Santa Annas Mound. The colonists, meanwhile, were reinforced by contingents from the current Fayette County area, Columbus, Coleman,

Texas A&M Archives

Capt. Albert Martin ten, visited Gonzales and, after conversing 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 Zumwalts store, without provocation. News of the incident spread rapidly and colonists began drifting toward the war hawks faction. One of Santa Annas policies was to disarm all local militias. The DeWitt 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

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 Castaneda, 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 Mitchells cotton wagon. Darst unspiked the cannons touch hole while others grabbed every spare piece of metal they could find to turn into shrapnel. Thinking that Castanedas

orders were to take the cannon by force in reality, he was to avoid any engagement the colonists decided to take the initiative. At 7 p.m. the evening of Oct. 1 the Texian force crossed the river at the Gonzales ferry crossing, with the cannon and 50 horsemen in addition 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 themselves in Williams corn and watermelon 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 arrested as a Mexican spy, now attempted to arrange a parley again and Castaneda and Col. John H. Moore, now in command 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 position 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 toward the Mexican position. Castaneda, who had received orders to withdraw if the Texian force was superior in numbers, immediately pulled his force back and retreated to San Antonio. In his official report, Castaeda noted: Since the orders from your Lordship 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 Republican Army, ordering him to march on San Antonio in defense of the Constitution of 1824.

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The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The revolt grows: Goliad and the Siege of Bexar

The Battle of Gonzales set into motion a series of events which led many Texans to believe mistakenly theyd 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 October until early December 1835 an army of Texan volunteers laid siege to a Mexican army in San Antonio de Bxar. After a Texas force drove off Mexican troops at Gonzales on October 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. Martn 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 midOctober their numbers had grown to over 400 men, including James Bowie and Juan N. Segun,qqv who brought with him a company of Mexican Texans. Bowie 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 Texans conducted a debate over strategy. Sam Houston, who had come from the Consultation government, urged delay for training and for cannons 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 Nuestra Seora de la Pursima Concepcin de Acua 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 the Navarro house. On December 8 Ugartechea returned with over 600 reinforcements, but only 170 were experienced soldiers. Untrained conscripts formed the other 450 men, who brought with them few supplies. Cos ordered his cavalry to threaten the Texan camp, but they found it well defended. When Cos sought to concentrate his troops at the Alamo, four companies 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 Antonio, totaled about 150; the difference 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.

Ben Milam Col. Domingo de Ugartechea 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 arrived after the battle of Concepcin to urge an attack on San Antonio but found little support among his officers. Cos then resumed defensive positions in San Antonio and the Alamo, 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. After discussion among the Texan officers 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 departures. Texas and Mexican cavalry skirmished from time to time as the Texans scouted to capture Mexican supplies and to warn of any reinforcements for Cos. After a lack of early success, William Barret Travis 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 reinforcements from below the Rio Grande. Austin sent cavalry to intercept him, but the Mexican troops evaded them. Both armies suffered morale problems as a result of colder weather and limited supplies. When three companies

Martin Perfecto de Cos with over a hundred men arrived from the United States in mid-November, Austin again planned an attack. Officers still expressed doubts, however, and it was called off. Austin then left to assume diplomatic duties in the United States. The Texas troops selected Edward Burleson as their new leader. When Erastus (Deaf) Smith reported approaching Mexican cavalry on November 26, Burleson ordered out troops to cut them off. Skirmishing followed near Alazn Creek west of town, with attack and counterattack by both sides. Finally the Mexican troops withdrew into San Antonio. The engagement became known as the Grass Fight because captured Mexican supply animals carried fodder for horses rather

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna than the rumored pay for Mexican soldiers. Because of limited supplies and approaching winter, Burleson considered withdrawing to Goliad at the beginning of December. Information 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 surrendered with news of declining Mexican morale, Benjamin R. Milam and William Gordon Cooke gathered more than 300 volunteers to attack the town, while Burleson and another 400 men scouted, protected the camp and supplies, and forced Cos to keep his 570 men divided between

Stephen F. Austin the town and the Alamo. James C. Neill distracted the Mexican forces with artillery fire on the Alamo before dawn on December 5, while Milam and Francis W. Johnson led two divisions in a surprise attack that seized the Veramendi and Garza houses north of the plaza in San Antonio. Mexican cannon and musket fire kept the Texans from advancing farther during 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 sharpshooters bullet. Johnson then directed another night attack that seized

Only days after the Battle of Gonzales, a second skirmish took place at nearby Goliad which further helped set the stage for the Siege of Bexar during the coming winter months. A small Mexican garrison had been established at Presidio La Bahia near Goliad because of its strategic location midway between San Antonio (Bexar) and the port of Copano (near currentday Port Lavaca). In the early-morning hours of October 10, 1835, Texian rebels hoping to capture General Martin Perfecto de Cos stormed the garrison, which surrendered after a short firefight in which a freed slave became the first documented Texian casualty of the revolution. Cos had been appointed to quell the

The first blood shed for Texas was that of a freed slave
rebellious Texians, told by his brotherin-law Santa Anna 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. Cos landed at Copano at the head of 500 troops. Some of the more radical Texian settlers, including James Fannin, Philip Dimmitt and John Linn, had begun plans to attempt to kidnap him . Upon hearing of the Battle of Gonzales, however, Cos bypassed Goliad and headed directly for the larger garrison in San Antonio on Oct. 5, leaving most of his supplies behind at La Bahia. The garrison at La Baha was understaffed and could not mount an effec-

tive defense of the forts perimeter. Using axes borrowed from townspeople, Texians were able to chop through a door and enter the complex before the bulk of the soldiers were aware of their presence. The Mexican soldiers opened fire, hitting Samuel McCulloch, a slave whom George Collingsworth had freed, in the shoulder. McCulloch was the only Texian soldier to be wounded, and he later claimed to be the first whose blood was shed in the Texas War for Independence. After a 30-minute battle, the Mexican garrison, under Colonel Juan Lpez Sandoval, surrendered. One Mexican soldier had been killed and three others wounded.

On March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico but the newlyformed Republic was by no means a Republic of norteamericanos. Many of the heroes of the Texas revolution were, in fact, Tejanos descendants of the original Spanish colonists from the Canary Islands. Three of those who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence were former Hispanic citizens of Mexico: Jose Antonio Navarro, Jose Francisco Ruiz and Lorenzo de Zavala. Zavala, who had presided over the drafting of the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and had served as a minister in the Mexican government, would become an interim vice-president of the new republic, and, along with Navarro and Ruiz,

Tejanos played impor tant role in Texas fight

would take a leading role in the drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. Several other Tejanos, including Brigido Guerrero, were prominent in the storming of Bexar in 1835, and eight Tejanos at the Alamo: Jose Maria Esparza, Antonio Fuentes, Jose Toribio Lesoya, Andres Nava, Juan Abamillo, Juan Badillo, Jose Maria Guerrero, and Juan Seguin. Of the eight, Seguin would live to fight and distinguish himself at San Jacinto and eventually be promoted to colonel and serve as a senator of the Texas Republic and mayor of San Antonio. Although forced to serve in the Mexican army during the Mexican war, Seguin returned to Texas, where he served as a county judge and a justice of the peace. Of the several prominent Tejano families that opposed Santa Anna, none was more renowned than the de Leon family of Victoria. The sons and sons-in-law of Martin de Leon, including Jose Maria Jesus Carabal, Placido Benavides, and Silvestre de Leon, led military forces and supported the cause with their resources. Benavides, owing to his long ride in alerting ranchers in south Texas to the approach of Santa Anna, became known as the Paul Revere of Texas. Like several Tejano families in Texas, the de Leons, despite their strong opposition to Santa Anna, opposed independence. At the time of independence, there were no more than 4,000 Tejanos in Texas. In terms of their support for the war against Santa Anna, they accounted for a greater proportion of their numbers participating in the revolution than a corresponding percentage of Anglos who were actively engaged. Despite their relatively small numbers, the Tejanos had an immense cultural influence. From food and dress to architecture, agriculture and ranching, the uniqueness of Texas is indebted to the Tejanos. Clearly, the Tejano influence is alive and well today; and, just as clearly, the outcome of the venture that culminat-

ed in the Lone Star Republic would have been more uncertain without the Tejano heroes of the Texas Revolution.

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Highly Important From Texas:

The most painful excitement was occasioned in this place on Wednesday by a rumor that the fort at St. Antonio, in possession of the Texans, had been stormed by the Mexican army and the garrison put to the sword. Yesterday the news, even in its most revolting features, was fully confirmed. They were all slaughtered! Our late fellow-citizen, Col David Crockett, it will be seen, was among the slain. Subjoined are all the particulars that have come to hand of this melancholy affair.

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

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From the New Orleans True American, March 29, 1836, Courtesy of Genealogy Trails: We learn by the passengers of the schr. Cumanche eight days from Texas that the War has assumed a serious character on the 25th Feb. the Texan Garrison in Bexar of 150 men, commanded by Lt. Col. B. Travis was attacked by the advance division of Gen. Santa Annas army consisting of 2000 men who were repulsed with the loss of many killed, (between 500 to 800 men,) without the loss of one man of the Texansabout the same time Col. Johnson with a party of 70 men while reconnoitering the westward of San Patricio was surrounded in the night by a large body of Mexican Troopsin the morning the demand of a surrender was made by the Mexican Commander unconditionally, which was refused; but an offer of surrender was made as prisoners of war, which was acceded to by the Mexicans But

no sooner had the Texans marched out of their quarters and stacked their arms, that a general fire was opened upon them by the whole Mexican forcethe Texans attempted to escape but only three of them succeeded; one of whom was Col. Johnson. Between the 25th of February and 2d March the Mexicans were employed in forming entrenchments around the Alamo and bombarding the place; on the 2d March, Col. Travis wrote that 200 shells had been thrown into the Alamo without injuring a man - on the 1st March the Garrison of Alamo received a reinforcement of 32 Texans from Gonzales, having forced their way through the enemys lines, making the number in the Alamo consist of 182 men. On the 6th March about midnight the Alamo was assaulted by the whole force of the Mexican army commanded by Santa Anna in person, the battle was desperate until day light when only 7

William Barrett Travis

David Crockett

Jim Bowie

men belonging to the Texan Garrison were found alive who cried for quarters, but were told that there was no mercy for themthey then continued fighting until the whole were butchered. One woman, Mrs., Dickson, and a negro of Col. Travis were the only persons whose lives were spared. We regret to say that Col. David Crockett and companion, Mr.Berton and Col. Bonhan, of SC, were among the number slain Gen. Bowie was murdered in his bed sick and helpless. Gen. Cos on entering the Fort ordered the servant of Col. Travis, to point out the body of his master; he did so, when Cos drew his sword and mangled the face and limbs with the malignant feeling of a Cumanche savage. The bodies of the slain were thrown into a mass in the centre of the Alamo and burnedthe loss of the Mexicans in storming the place was not less than 1000 killed and mortally wounded, and as many wounded, making with their loss in the first assault between 2 and 3000 men. The flag used by the Mexicans was a blood-red one, in place of the constitutional one. Immed-iately after the capture, Gen. Santa Anna sent Mrs.

Dickson and the servant to General Houstons camp, accompanied by a Mexican with a flag, who was bearer of a note from St. Anna, offering the Texans peace and general amnesty, if they would lay down their arms and submit to his government. Gen. Houstons reply was, true sir, you have succeeded in killing some of our brave men, but the Texans are not yet cornered. The effect of the fall of Bexar throughout Texas was electrical. Every man who could use the rifle and was in a condition to lake field, marched forthwith to the seat of war. It is believed that not less than 4000 riflemen were on their way to the army when the Cumanche sailed, determined to wreak their revenge on the Mexicans Gen. Houston had burnt Gonzales, and fallen back on the Colorado with about 1000 men. Col. Fanning was in the Fort at Goliad, a very strong position, well supplied with ammunitions and provision, with 4 or 500 men. The general deter-mination of the people of Texas is to abandon all their occupations and pursuits of peace, and continue in arms until every Mexican east of the Rio del Norte shall be exterminated.

Texas at a low ebb: Disaster at La Bahia

Thinking that the victories at Gonzales and in the siege of Bexar had defeated Mexico, many of the Texans in the Bexar force went home. In every instance where theyd faced Mexican troops, the revolutionaries superior fighting skills in particular, their superior Americanmade 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 preparing 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 containing headed inland toward San Antonio. At the same time, Mexican General Jose Urrea with some 900 troops, left Matamoros and followed a coastal 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 escaped, 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 Urreas 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 Johnsons force, both of these groups were eventually killed or captured by the Mexicans. Meanwhile back in Goliad, Fannin and his remaining 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 Fannin, however, he failed to accomplish either of these missions. After a delay of about five days following Houstons 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

James Fannin that warning to United States President Andrew Jackson. The army Santa Anna gathered was initially composed 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

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 following morning. Believing that they would be taken captive and eventually returned to their homes,

Fannins execution at Goliad

the Texans surrendered the morning of March 20. The were escorted back to Goliad as prisoners. When news of their capture reached Santa Anna, however, he was furious that the Texans had not been executed on the spot. Citing the pirates law, Santa Anna sent orders to execute the Goliad prisoners. Santa Annas or-

ders 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 Fannins command except a few that managed to escape and several physicians and others deemed useful by the Mexicans, were massacred, collected into piles, and burned.

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Memorial marker at the La Bahia battlefield near Goliad

Page D6

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

About 4 PM on 23 Feb 1836, Launcelot Smithers left the Alamo and made the 76-mile ride to Gonzales where he announced the arrival of the Mexican army in San Antonio de Bexar with a note from Alamo Commander, Col. William B. Travis, to alcalde Andrew Ponton appealing for reinforcements: On the same day of arrival of the message, Acting Commissioner and Aidede-Camp to the Provisional President of the Republic of Texas Byrd Lockhart completed the muster of 23 into the Gonzales Ranging Company of Mounted Volunteers. The Gonzales Rangers were officially attached to Col. Travis command within the provisional Republican Army. That company, along with several other individuals, joined the Gonzales Alamo Relief Force on Feb. 24 and thereafter are often listed as members of the company even though no official muster roll is available. On Feb. 24, Smithers wrote from Gonzales: Gonzales, Feby, 24 1836, To all the Inhabitants of Texas: In a few words there is 2000 Mexican soldiers in Bexar, and 150 Americans in the Alamo. Sesma is at the had of them, and from the best accounts that can be obtained, they intend to show no quarter. If every man cannot turn out to a man every man in the Alamo will be murdered. They have not more than 8 or 10 days provisions. They say they will defend it or die on the gorund. Provisions, ammunition and Men, or you suffere your men to be murdered in the Fort. If you do not turn out Texas is gone. I left Bexar on the 23rd. at 4 P.M. By the Order of W.V. Travis. L. Smithers. Later that day, the passionate and alarming appeal of Colonel Travis in his own handwriting to all people of Texas and all Americans left the Alamo for Gonzales, carried by Captain Albert Martin, who first delivered it upon his arrival on the 25th to Smithers, who carried it on to San Felipe on

Gonzales answers Travis call for aid

The Travis Letter Commandancy of the Alamo------ Bejar Fby. 24th 1836 To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world-----Fellow citizens & compatriots------ I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna ----- I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man ----- The enemy has demanded a Surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken ----- I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the wall ----- I shall never Surrender or retreat Then, I can on you in the name of Liberty, of patriothe 27th. It is believed that Smithers may have left the original copy with Alcalde Ponton while moving on to other sites with extracts or copies. Ponton distributed copies or the essence of the letter to other muncipalities in Texas where broadsides and flyers were made for distribution as well as printing in the newspapers The Texas Republican and Telegraph and Register on 2 Mar and 5 Mar, respectively. On the back of the letter, Capt. Martin penciled in Since the above was written I heard a very heavy Cannonade during the whole day think there must have been an attack made upon the alamo We were short of ammunition when I left Hurry all the men you can in haste. Albert Martin (signed). When I left there was but 150 determined to do or die tomorrow I leave for Bejar with what men I can raise [illegible] at all events [illegible] Col. Almonte is there the troops are under the Command of Gen. Seisma An additional note by Smithers was handwritten sideways to the above: Nb I hope that Every One will Rondevu at gonzales as soon poseble as the Brave Solders are suffering do not neglect this powder is very scarce and should not be delad one moment L. Smither According to Dr. John Sutherland in his personal memoirs, The Fall of the Alamo, he also left the Alamo under order from Travis between 3 and 4 p.m. on Feb. 23 and arrived in Gonzales at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, with courier John W. Smith. Two earlier appeals from Travis to Col. Fannin at Goliad had resulted in an aborted start toward San Antonio with his force of 350 men when Fannin heard of the approach of Gen. Urreas army. He opted to plan to oppose Urreas force rather than respond to the Alamo. His delay led to his force being surrounded and taken prisoner on March 20. On direct orders from Santa Anna, Fannins surviving force was marched onto the open prairie at La Bahia (Goliad) on March 27 and massacred. Responding to Col. Travis appeals, the main contingent of the Gonzales Alamo Relief Force departed the town square of Gonzales at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, led by commanding officer Lieutenant George C. Kimble of the Gonzales Rangers. The senior officer accompanying the relief force was courier Capt. Albert Martin who had delivered the appeal to both Smithers and Gonzales. The force was guided by Alamo courier John W. Smith, a resident of San Antonio de Bexar. According to Dr. John Sutherland, the group consisted of 25 men who left Gonzales and increased to 32 with those who joined along the way, in particular near Cibola Creek. On Feb. 29, the group prepared to find a way into the Alamo through the surrounding Mexican forces. Dr. John Sutherland relates the story that On reaching the suburbs of the city they were approached by a man on horseback who asked in English, Do you wish to go into the fort, gentlemen? Yes was the reply. Then follow me, said he, at the same time turning his horse into the lead of the company. Smith remarked, Boys, its time to be after shooting that fellow, when he put spurs to his horse, sprung into the thicket, and was out of sight in a moment, before a gun could be got to bear on him. After being shot at by Alamo sentries, the gates swung open and the Gonzales force made their dash into the fort at 3 a.m., Tuesday, March 1, 1836. The Gonzales Alamo Relief Force was the only organized force in Texas which effectively responded without question to the appeals of Travis to aid their doomed colleagues in the mission. Some were single men, but most were husbands and fathers of large families. Concern for families short and long term safety, loyalty to the Constitution of 1824 as Mexican citizens, the hatred precipitated by their betrayal by the centralista dictatorship of Santa Anna, the committment to Texas Independence and suspicion that the Alamo might be a lost cause in the larger war of independence caused great personal conflict in making the choice to join the Relief Force. Fathers and sons, some in their teens, argued over who should go and who should remain with family. Patriotic mothers and impending widows, some pregnant (Kimble) and one blind mother of multiple small children (Millsap), agonized, but consented and encouraged husbands to go to the aid of their neighbors. Of the members of the Gonzales Alamo Relief Force who can be clearly verified as DeWitt Colony residents, the oldest was Andrew Kent at age 44, 4 were over 40, 5 aged 31-40, 14 aged 21-30 and four (Fuqua, Gaston, Kellogg and King) were teenagers, the youngest of which was 16. San Antonio historian Charles Merritt Barnes related that ....One, a lad of but sixteen, was the bravest of them all, for he fought after his weapos were useless. He died

tism & every thing dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch ----- The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country ----- Victory or Death William Barret Travis Lt. Col. Comdt P. S. The lord is on our sideWhen the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn--- We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves--Travis throttling an antagonist, not relaxing his grip on the latters throat even when death seized the boy. He and his foe died together ... they had to tear the boys hands from the throat of his assailant when the bodies of the defenders and Mexican Army casualties were being separated for disposal. Records show at least 17 had been engaged in prior military engagements in service of Texas, primarily in the Battles of Gonzales, Concepcion and Bexar. Several more were couriers not present in the final moments of battle. By any estimate, participation of the DeWitt Colonists in the Battle of Gonzales and the Battles to remove the centralistas from San Antonio de Bexar, the ancient capital of Texas, culminating with the Battle of the Alamo was larger per resident than any other single municipality or district of Texas. Members of families of the Municipality of Gonzales, who comprised only about 4% of the total population of Texas, accounted for 20% of the casualties at the Alamo. Put another way, over 4% of the total population of the DeWitt Colony, among them some of their most productive landholders, ranchers and farmers as well as merchants and civic leaders, died in the Alamo.

Gonzales link to the fight for Texas independence is written in the blood of the 41 men from the town who fought and died at The Alamo nine garrison members and the Immortal 32 who rode out in response to Travis call for aid. In February this year, the original, fragile letter (above) the Gonzales Alamo Relief Force responded to returned to The Alamo to be put on special display for 13 days. On March 1 (below) a delegation from Gonzales many of them descended from the heroes of 1836 paid special tribute to their honored ancestors and took a private viewing of the letter on the anniversary of the day the Gonzales Rangers rode into the old mission. A marker at The Alamo (right) recognizes the unique sacrifice of Gonzales in the War for Independence.

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Page D7

Terror and privation: the Runaway Scrape

Texas State Historical Association The news of the Alamos fall and the slaughter of Fannins men at Goliad created a panic among the Texas settlers. Their flight was impeded by the lack of wagons; draft animals to pull them and the terrible traveling conditions brought on by the heavy rains of the early spring of 1836. After a prolonged drought experienced throughout Texas in 1835 the skies opened up and sent torrential rains down upon the fleeing settlers, making the roads a quagmire and filling the rivers from bank to bank. The refugees repeatedly found themselves struggling for miles over bad roads only to be met at the riverbanks with uncrossable fords and crowded ferries. Houston ordered small details of men to watch the roads and river crossings in order to keep him informed of the enemy forces following his small army. One of these, under the command of Robert Three Legged Willie Williamson, woke up one morning to find an enemy force of 600 on the West bank of the Colorado River opposite them. As the company hurriedly made preparations to leave, one of them, Noah Smithwick, remembered suddenly that they had forgotten about a sentry they had left on duty, 64 year old Jimmie Curtice. Smithwick later recalled rushing up to Major Williamson and saying, You aint going to leave Uncle Jimmie on guard, are you, Major? Good God! No; ride back and tell the old man to come on. I galloped back and found Uncle Jimmie sitting leaning against a tree, with a bottle of whiskey beside him, as happy and unconscious of danger as a turtle on a log. Hello, Uncle Jimmie! I cried Mount and ride for your life. The Mexicans are on the other side and our men all gone. The hell they are! Light and take a drink. Theres no time for drinking. Come - mount and lets be off. The Mexicans may swim the river and be after us any moment! Lets drink to their confusion he persisted, and thinking it the quickest way to start him, I drank with him and we struck out. Well, we can say one thing; we were the last to leave, he said, not the least disturbed. As the men in Williamsons detail hurried east Smithwick remembered, The desolation of the country through which we passed beggars description. Houses, were standing open, the beds unmade, the breakfast things still on the tables, pans of milk molding in the dairies. There were cribs full of corn, smoke houses full of bacon, yards full of chickens that ran after us for food, nests of eggs in every fence corner, young corn and garden truck rejoicing in the rain, cattle cropping luxuriant grass, hogs, fat and lazy, wallowing in the mud, all abandoned. Forlorn dogs roamed around the deserted homes, their doleful howls adding to the general sense of desolation. Hungry cats ran mewing to meet us rubbing their sides against our legs in token of welcome. Wagons were so scarce that it was impossible to remove household goods, many of the women and children, even, had to

walk. Smithwick also recalled some of his own countrymen who took advantage of the panic-stricken settlers ...There were men - or devils, rather bent on plunder, galloping up behind the fugitives, telling them the Mexicans were just behind, thus causing the hapless victims to abandon what few valuables they had tried to save. There were broken-down wagons and household goods scattered all along the road. Further down the Colorado, Houstons army caught their first sight of Santa Annas army. A 700-man division under General Joaqun Ramrez y Sesma showed up on the west bank of the river two miles above the Texians. As Houston scouted the enemys position looking for a possible advantage, he received orders from the acting government to proceed to Harrisburg and protect the government personnel there. It was also at this time that he first received word of Fannins men having been trapped by Urreas force outside Goliad. Houston turned to his aide and trusted confidant, George Washington Hockley, nodded toward his small army and said, Hockley, there is the last hope of Texas. We shall never see Fannin nor his men.

Most of Houstons army wanted to stand and fight at the Colorado River. Houston, however, realizing that his army was the only force left to deal with Santa Annas legions, ordered a retreat on March 26. His army headed east toward San Felipe de Austin on the Brazos River. Houstons small army was slowly being reinforced by settlers and recruits from the United States. There was a steady stream of desertions, however, as men left to attend to their homes and families or found army life too disciplined for their tastes. Many recruits decided not to join upon learning that they couldnt keep their horses, this being necessitated by lack of grain and poor grazing. The Texian Army grew to about 900 men including a small cavalry unit of 60 men. The army was divided into groups of ten men, called a mess, and fed mainly on beef procured from the surrounding country and dried corn. Coffee was in short supply and, flour, when it could be found, was often wormy. Each mess was allowed a packhorse for carrying their provisions. In two days the Texians marched 30 miles and biv-

ouacked on March 28 near San Felipe. Here two of Houstons officers refused to retreat further. Houston, wishing not to completely alienate the officers and their men, detailed one, under Captain Moseley Baker, with 110 men to take up defensive positions at San Felipe. Another, made up of 100 men under Captain Wiley Martin, was ordered to man the crossing at Fort Bend further down the Brazos River. Houston with the rest of the army marched up river to a point across from Groces plantation. Here they were ferried across the Brazos by the steamboat Yellowstone. At Groces plantation Houston and his army spent 12 days drilling and training for the upcoming battle. Two cannons arrived, six pounders, a gift from the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Houstons wagon master Conrad Rohrer borrowed some oxen from a farm woman, Mrs. Pamela Mann, who was accompanying the army on its way east. Houstons army was also joined by 200 deserters from the U. S. Army of Observation poised on the Sabine River under General Gaines. As these men came fully supplied and well equipped, they made a big

addition to the small army and were welcomed wholeheartedly by Houston. On April 12 the Texian Army took to the roads again, heading east toward Harrisburg. Two days out, they reached a fork in the road, the left fork heading to Nacogdoches and safety; the right fork heading Southeast toward Santa Annas army. Houston rode up to the fork and pointed his men down the right fork toward Santa Anna and certain confrontation. At this point Mrs. Mann rode up and demanded the return of her oxen. The wagon master refused her request and, cracking his whip, urged the oxen on in his traildrivers colorful language. Mrs. Mann then pulled a pistol and vented her frustration using language with a vocabulary matching the wagon masters. Houston, although himself rather proficient in the art of swearing, had never heard anything like the oaths she poured forth and finally threw up his hands and told her she could take them back. She then reached down, cut her oxen loose and retired in triumph. Houston shrugged it off, dismounted from his horse and helped some men pull the cannon. Many tales would be told later of the woman who had bested Sam Houston.

Susanna Dickinsons long, agonizing search for peace

EDITORS NOTE: The following 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 Susanna Dickinson of Gonzales 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 defeated General Cos, and took control of San Antonio. Susanna Dickinson joined her husband in San Antonio after the battle, and with their 15 month old daughter, Angelina Elizabeth, spent the next few weeks together as a family, 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

Susanna Dickinson Texas Army fortified itself in the Alamo. Susanna Dickinson and her baby took refuge there, also. Women have lost their husbands 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 experience that could be. To be in the Alamo at the time of the final attack; to hear the sounds of the muskets 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 Texans; 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 report 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 father 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 Susannas report, General Sam Houston burned the

town of Gonzales, 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 Margaret Darst, Gonzales resident, 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 repeating 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. Susannas life was a mess for many years after that as she sought

peace from her throbbing memories and the burdens of her heart. She remarried in 1837; divorced the next year, re-married again - that husband died. She lived an aggressive, riotous life; married again - another divorce. And along the way her daughter died, the baby she had held in her arms in the Alamo; Angelina Elizabeth died at age 37. Susanna Dickinson - looking 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 - resident of Gonzales and Green DeWitts Colony, wife of an Alamo defender, The Messenger of the Alamo as she was called - at peace, at last, in death. The pursuit of freedom requires a payment, you know. Freedom will seize a payment, a sacrifice, from each of us. It did just that from Susanna Dickinson. And that is part of our history, the history of Gonzales. Gonzales, Texas is the birthplace of your Texas Freedom.

Page D8

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Eighteen minutes that changed three republics

Houstons resounding victory at San Jacinto remains one of historys most decisive battles
Texas State Archives and Library Commission The Battle of San Jacinto lasted just 18 minutes, but it sealed the fate of three republics. Mexico would never regain its lost territory of Texas, in spite of sporadic incursions during the 1840s. The United States would go on to acquire not only the Republic of Texas in 1845 but Mexican lands to the west after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War in 1848. By early April of 1836, Santa Anna had divided his forces in a threepronged attack: a northern army, under General Antonio Gaona, the central army under Santa Anna and General Joa-

Sam Houston quin Ramirez y Sesma, and a coastal army under command of General Jose Francisco Urrea. The Texan army, meanwhile, had been in retreat since March 13, when it left Gonzales after learning of the fall of the Alamo. On March 25, news of the massa-

cre at Goliad led several men to leave the army to assist their families to flee before the advancing Mexican army. The resulting Runaway Scrape involved most of Eastern Texas, and panicked the government. Sam Houston spent the next few weeks attempting to train the recruits into something

resembling a disciplined army, then continued his march toward the Sabine. On April 16, learning that Santa Anna had isolated his central force, Houston pursued him to Buffalo Bayou, arriving there at midnight on April 19, and continuing their march toward Lynchs Ferry on the 20th. That afternoon, General Sidney Sherman engaged the Mexicans in a skirmish that almost resulted in a full scale battle. Mirabeau B. Lamars heroic actions in that conflict earned him a battlefield commission as Colonel. The next day, Houston learned that General Martin Perfecto de Cos had crossed over Vinces Bridge with reinforcements. Houston ordered Erastus Deaf Smith to destroy the bridgea move that prevented further swelling of Mexican ranks, and likewise prevented retreat by both the Mexican and Texan armies.

About 3:30 in the afternoon of April 21, during the Mexican siesta period, Houston distributed his troops in battle array, bracketing the line with the Twin Sisters cannon, gifts to the rebels from the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Shielded by trees and a rise in the terrain, the Texans were able to advance with some security. Then with the cries Remember the Alamo and Remember La Bahia or Remember Goliad ringing along their lines, the Texans swooped down on the dismayed Mexican army, pursuing and butchering them long after the battle itself had ended. The fighting lasted just minutes: 630 Mexicans were killed and 730 taken prisoner. Texans lost only 9 killed or mortally wounded; 30 were less seriously wounded. Among the latter was General Houston, whose ankle was shattered. On the day following the battle, a small party

discovered Santa Anna and brought him into camp, unaware at first of the importance of their prisoner. As part of his surrender agreement, the president/general ordered the Mexican troops remaining in Texas immediately to retreat south of the Rio Grande. On May 14, 1836, the public and private treaties of Velasco were signed by Presidents David G. Burnet and Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. They confirmed the Mexican retreat and declared an end to the war. Neither the Texas nor Mexican governments accepted the treaties, however, and a state of war existed throughout most of the Republic of Texas existence a key contributing factor to the constant financial woes which plagued the new republic and led it to seek annexation to the United States nine years later.

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Come and Take It E

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 26, 2013

Annual festival salutes citys 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 welcome our out-of-town visitors! Gonzales was established in 1825 on Kerr Creek, 2 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 government 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 northern 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 traditional 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 settlers 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 government in a revolution. After a diplomatic mission failed, General Santa Anna responded with a detachment 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, retreated 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, General Santa Anna returned; this time he brought several 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 organize 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 Gonzales. 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 surrounding 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 defeat and the death of all of

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the volunteers from Gonzales when the sole survivors of the Alamo siege, Mrs. Almaron (Susanna) Dickinson, her baby, and Joe, Col. Traviss servant, returned from the battle together to report 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 provisions 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 remnants 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 Mexico 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 1850s 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 1800s 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 invasion 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 surrounded 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 relocated and restored for visitors to enjoy. Cotton and Cattle were the major industries of the 1800s and early 1900s. 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. However, 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 available at the Old Jail on the courthouse square directly across from the fire station.

Page E2

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Historic Sites in and Around Gonzales

The Gonzales Memorial Museum at 414 Smith Street

Gonzales Battlefield Marker and Monument in Cost, about 9 miles southwest of Gonzales off Texas Highway 97; to get to the actual battlefield site, follow Spur 95 about one mile to the Guadalupe River.

The Sam Houston Oak (above), adjacent to the recently-restored McClure-Braches House. Take US Alt. 90 eight miles (cross Peach Creek), then left on CR 361 (a centennial marker is here). Go 0.3 mi. to the entrance for the McClure-Braches House on the left. The tree is on the left of the drive to the old house.

Fort Waul, a neverfinished Civil War era confederate fort, located on Waldrep Hill, located on the north side of Gonzales off U.S. Hwy 193 Business adjacent to the Dreyer Airport and near Pioneer Village.

The Horace Eggleston House is a carefully-restored log cabin which was the first house re-built in Gonzales by settlers following the Texas Revolution. The site recently received a Texas Historical Marker, and many of the Eggleston descendants still live in the area. It is located at 401 St. Lawrence St., adjacent to the Gonzales Memorial Museum.

The Romberg House

Assisted Living Residence
210 Qualls Street, Gonzales, TX 78629

Hope you enjoy the Come & Take It Festivities October 4th, 5th, 6th

Welcome to Gonzales!

TEXAS T-BONE COOKOFF

Sun., Oct. 6 - 9-11 a.m. Awards - 2 p.m.

Need a Loan for Come & Take It?

Come & get one at Advance America
Pay Day Loans * Title Loans Coming Soon * Money Grams * We Buy Gold

Lindemann Fertilizer
Cost, Texas 830-437-2269 Toll Free: 1-800-331-1675

Melanie Petru-Manager
melaniepetru@gmail.com txarr.com/license #030010

1600 Sarah DeWitt Dr. Gonzales, TX 78629

830.672.1033

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Page E3

The story of the Gonzales Cannon

From The Handbook of Texas Online The Gonzales Come and Take It cannon was a Spanishmade, bronze artillery piece of six-pound caliber. The gun was the object of contention in late September and early October 1835 between a Mexican military detachment from Bexar and Anglo colonists. The disagreement produced the battle of Gonzales, considered to be the first battle of the Texas Revolution. On January 1, 1831, Green DeWitt initiated the new year by writing Ramn Msquiz, the political chief of Bexar, asking him to make arrangements for a cannon to be furnished to the Gonzales colonists for protection against hostile Indians: Sr. Political Chief of the Dept. Don Ramon Musquiz Today 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 cutting 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 hostilities 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 influence with Sr. Military Commandant for the prompt dispatch of the detachment you mention 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 request 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 working 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 consideration and respects. God and Liberty Gonzales, January 7, 1831 Green DeWitt On March 10, 1831, after some delay, James Tumlinson, Jr., a DeWitt colonist at Bexar, received one bronze cannon to be turned over to Green DeWitt at Gonzales. The fact that the gun was not carriage mounted until about September 28, 1835, suggests that in 1831 it was probably swivel mounted in one of the two blockhouses that had been constructed at Gonzales in 1827. Thus mounted it would have served as a visual deterrent to hostile Indians. The cannon is lost to history until September 1835, when Col. Domingo de Ugartechea, the military commander at Bexar, sent Corporal Casimiro De Len and five soldiers of the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras to retrieve the cannon. The Gonzales colonists notified Ugartechea they were keeping the gun and took the soldiers prisoner.

The cannon was then buried in George W. Daviss peach orchard and couriers sent to the Anglo settlements on the Colorado River to obtain armed assistance. Ugartechea responded by sending 100 troops under Lt. Francisco de Castaeda to make a more serious request for the return of the gun. On Sept. 29, Capt. Robert M. Coleman arrived at Gonzales with a militia company of 30 mounted Indian fighters. The gun was retrieved from its shallow grave, taken to John Sowells blacksmith shop, and mounted on a pair of cart wheels. Following the skirmish at Gonzales and with the organization of the Texian Army of the People under Gen. Stephen F. Austin, the cannon was assigned to Capt. James C. Neills artillery company and hauled to San Antonio. After the capture of Bexar in December 1835, the cannon remained at the Alamo, where it was one of 21 artillery pieces commandeered by the Mexican army when it stormed the Alamo on March 6, 1836. The name Come and Take It refers to the motto adopted by the Texian rebels. On the morning of Oct. 2, 1835, Lieutenant Castaeda requested the cannon be returned to the Mexican military a condition on which it had been loaned to DeWitts Colony but the Texians pointed to the gun

which stood about 200 yards to their rear, and said, there it is come and take it. Soon after the conflict began, at the request of the militia leaders, the ladies of the settlement hastily made a flag to fly over the cannon. The flag featured a white ground with a black cannon in the center, and the motto Come and take it! above and below. Much has been made of an account that appears in Noah Smithwicks The Evolution of a State or Recollections of Old Texas Days (1900), in which Smithwick identifies the cannon as an iron six-pounder. This is the only account, however, of events at Gonzales in October 1835 which identifies the Gonzales gun as being made of iron. Primary documents indicate that the gun probably was a cannon belonging to George Huff, a blacksmith and gunsmith from San Felipe. Another discovery claim concerning the Gonzales cannon came into being after a major flood in July 1936, when a small iron salute cannon was discovered downstream from Hardys Bluff on Sandies Creek. Most individuals believe the small salute gun is the Gonzales cannon because it was found at a location that appears to match the information in the Smithwick book, and that is how the piece is displayed today.

Have a Fun & Safe Come & Take It

We hope you enjoy your time at Come & Take It Spending family time together is important

Proudly Serving the Gonzales Area Since 1914

Seydler-Hill Funeral Home

906 St. Paul, Gonzales

Shiner Hobo Band

Sunday, October 6 Music at Biergarten 1-5 p.m.

830-672-3232

D&G Automotive & Diesel Wrecker Service

Glenn & Linda Glass, Owners

830-672-6278 134 Hwy. 90A, Gonzales, TX 78629

Page E4

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Historic Homes of Gonzales

C.T. Rather House (1892) - 828 St. Louis, St.

J.B. Wells House (1885) - 829 Mitchell Street

G.F. Burgess House (1897) - 803 St. Lawrence St.

C.B. Patton House (1907) - 927 St. Lawrence St.

J.D. Houston House (1898) - 619 St. Lawrence St.

J.B. Kennard House (1895) - 621 St. Louis St.

Download the app for a complete listing of all Gonzales historic sites!

O.B. Robertson House (1915) - 1520 St. Louis St.

Historic Cemeteries in Gonzales

in January, 1847. Thomas T. Blackwell, a Mason, died that same year and the Gonzales Masonic Lodge recognized the need for an appropriate place for burial for its members and their families. The original land purchase in 1849 and a later land purchase in 1903 brought the cemetery to its current size, 9.8 acres. In addition to the many veterans buried here, the Masonic Cemetery burial register reads like a whos who in Gonzales and Texas History. IOOF Cemetery The Gonzales Lodge No. 38 of The International Order of Odd Fellows of Gonzales was formed in 1853. The organization prospered and membership at the turn of the century was over 200. Following the Civil War members decided that an organizational cemetery should be established. In 1870 members purchased a parcel of land in the outer town of Gonzales for $100 and designated it the I.O.O.F. Cemetery of Gonzales. Parts of the land were sold and then repurchased resulting in the current size of approximately five acres. The Odd Fellows Cemetery is the final resting place of many Gonzales pioneer business men. Gonzales Jewish Cemetery Beginning around 1875 many Jewish businessmen began opening businesses in Gonzales. Gonzales was becoming the financial center in this part of Texas and Jewish people were readily accepted in the community. By 1885 the Jewish community was thriving. They purchased a parcel of land several miles north of Gonzales and opened the first Jewish Cemetery in this area. Just after the turn of the century it became apparent that the accessibility of this cemetery was very difficult. In 1907 a new location was established on the outer town of Gonzales. Although the cemetery has only 50 graves it is a testimony to the pioneer Jewish families who came here and were instrumental in developing Gonzales. Green DeWitt Cemetery The Green Dewitt Cemetery is located inside JB Wells Park south of Gonzales. In April of 1825 Green DeWiit and his family came to the place that would become Gonzales to set up a colony. Many of the DeWitt family members are buried here, although there is a marker for Green DeWitt he is not buried here. He died in Mexico and was buried there. R.S. Dilworth House (1911) - 903 St. Lawrence St.

Edward Lewis House (1910) - 605 St. Louis St.

There are numerous cemeteries located in and around Gonzales. At present, five have official Texas State Historical Commission Markers. City Cemetery This cemetery was established in 1838 when it was decided that the original block set aside for a cemetery would not be appropriate. Folk lore says that 28 graves were moved to this new City Cemetery, and that a large grave was dug where all other recovered remains were placed. Some of the original graves have been identified, but there are several people who are supposedly buried here that cannot be located. The Gonzales City Cemetery is the final resting place for many brave settlers who helped shape the history of Gonzales, Texas, and our nation.The iron fence and arch were installed by the Ladies Cemetery Association in 1910. Masonic Cemetery The Gonzales Masonic Lodge #30 AF & AM was chartered

C.H. Hoskins House (1911) - 906 St. Louis St.

Enjoy Come & Take It!

Gonzales, Texas
(formerly Luxury Inn) 1804 E. Sarah DeWitt Dr., Gonzales, Texas 78629 www.carefreeingonzales.com fax: 830-672-3078

830-672-9611

Come on out to the Tbone Cookoff & Chili & Bean Cookoff on Sunday at the square in downtown Gonzales. WB Farm & Ranch Supply
ACCEPTING VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS, MASTER CARD, AND DISCOVER

Enjoy all the Carnival Rides!

Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Bean & Chili Cook Off Awards Sunday 2:30 p.m.

Janicek Insurance
Nixon Office Stockdale

M-F 7:30AM-6PM & SAT 8AM-5PM Closed Sundays 2031 Water St. Hwy 183 North, Gonzales, TX 830-672-7997

Welding with an Attitude Mark Hagen 1506 Seydler St., Gonzales

B H M

830-582-1581

Smiley Office

830-672-6536

830-996-3148

830-587-6261

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Page E5

Gonzales: A City That Remembers Its Many Heroes

The Gonzales Memorial Museums reflection pool honoring the Immortal 32

Close-up of the recently-restored Texas Heroes Square statue

During Gonzales ISDs annual Veterans Day observances, current Apaches gathered around a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter an aircraft named by Army Col. Kenneth McGinty for his alma mater.

Memorial to Gonzales residents who fought for the Confederacy at Confederate Square

Come & Christmas

Come and Take It Weekend Christmas Open Houses
Saturday, October 5, 2013 Sunday, October 6, 2013 Noon to 6:00

The proposed Gonzales County Veterans Memorial

Have a fun & Safe Come & Take It

Community Health Centers Of South Central Texas, Inc
Making a difference one life at a time since 1966

827 St. Joseph Street Gonzales, TX 78629 830-672-2484 laurelridgegonzales.com

L R
aurel
Inn & Antiques

idge

Christmas & Gifts

Most insurances accepted, we welcome Medicare - Medicaid. (No one is turned away for inability to pay.) Mon.-Thurs. 8-5, Fri., 8-5 Saturday & Sunday Closed 228 St. George Street, Gonzales, Texas 78629

830-672-6511 Fax: (830) 672-6430

Page E6

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Battle Re-Enactment at Pioneer Village

The Pioneer Village will be the site of the annual reenactment of the Battle of Gonzales on Saturday, Oct. 5, 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 History Center, located at 2122 N. St. Joseph St., is often referred to as The Village and houses a collection of 1800s and early 1900s 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 occupants, whove 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 carefully 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 families journey through The Village for exploration. As part of this preserved Gonzales County architectural history, our association takes great care to insure authenticity. The Village hosts numerous groups, organizations, 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.

Occupational Therapy
Services Provided
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Development Delay Cerebral Palsy Perceptual and Visual Motor Disorders Fine Motor Delayed Skills Neuromuscular Dysfunction Physical Injury/Illness Downs Syndrome Traumatic Brain Injury Psychological Dysfunction
ATTENTION DEFICIT

AUTISM & RELATED DISORDERS

Speech Therapy
Services Provided
SPEECH LANGUAGE

Hyperactive Disorder Sensory Motor Dysfunction Cognitive Impairment

Currently taking applications for PT & PRN

T-REX THERAPY SERVICES MISSION
To improve the lives of our patients by offering a team approach along with strong family involvement in a setting specifically designed for kids. We recognize our clients uniqueness and encourage the opportunity for each childs individuality to be creatively expressed through words and actions. We encourage parental involvement during treatment to facilitate better rehabilitation. This creates a stress-free learning environment and benefits our clients progress at home and in the community to enhance our kids role in life.

Delayed Speech And Language Learning Disability Articulation Disorders

VOICE DISORDERS

Pitch Break Hoarseness Low Volume Breathiness

SPEECH DISORDERS

Phonological Process Sound Omissions Substitutions/Additions Disorders Fluency Apraxia/Oral Motor Cleft Lip/Palate

Physical Therapy
Services Provided
PHYSICAL THERAPY

Contact Info: 322 St. George St., Gonzales, TX 78629, Phone: 830-672-7300, Fax: 830-672-7502

Neurological Dysfunction Muscular Dystrophy Impaired Motor Abilities Tone Abnormalities Muscular Weakness

Hours: Mon.-Thurs. - 8:00-7:00 Friday - 9:00-6:00 Sat.,-Sun. Closed

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Page E7

The Old Jail Museum getting a facelift

By CEDRIC IGLEHART
newseditor@gonzalescannon.com

The Gonzales County Historical Commission (GCHC) is in the midst of implementing an ambitious renovation of the Old Jail Museum in downtown Gonzales. Were working on both the interpretation and restoration of the jail, said commission chair Glenda Gordon. Each room will be interpreted in a different manner whether it was the infamous people who were housed there or those who worked there. The GCHC is taking the lead on the buildings restoration, a project for which Tim Geschieldle has already been appointed by the county as the architect of record. He has been getting all of the studies and surveys together that we need to begin our restoration, but even before we begin our first step is to look at access, said Gordon. The plans are to add an entry ramp that leads into the old Sheriff s office and to create more parking on the buildings west side. No changes can be made to the building without permission from the Texas Historical Commissions Architectural Department because of the structure is a bonafide historical treasure. The restoration project will be done in at least two phases with Phase One focusing on access and the restrooms, which need to be made more accessible and be brought up to code. Those are the two big major money

projects as far as Phase One is concerned, Gordon said. We believe we can fund and complete those by the end of 2014. Its what we need to have the museum functioning. The museum serves as home to the Texas History Museum District information center, a hub where you can find information about all of the museums in the district including the Centennial Museum, Eggleston House and Riverside. The center has a large TV that displays videos and still images of Gonzales from different periods in history. Other items of interest in the museum are the Jailers lodging quarters, an assortment of homemade weapons (shanks) that were fashioned the jail and the old holding cell with its walls littered with original graffiti. Gordon said many more exhibits are on the way and she hopes to have the inventory completely filled out by the Spring. Phase Two of the restoration will include redoing the museums entrance, which will be framed by the original jail bars. Renovations will also be done on the back porch and storage area, which will be interpreted by using the jails old tools and fixtures. The room will also be getting heating and air conditioning. All of that is going to be there but its also going to be our library where we keep our research books and set up our computer stations, Gordon said. We plan on addressing the ceiling and we have to address lighting but not until we get the structure together.

Gordon said the project will take some time to finish and a total cost has not yet been determined. There have been a couple of studies done and the price tags have gone down because of our local participation, she said. We are still in some of the planning stages as far as the restoration is concerned. We are running parallel programs here. We are running the programs for the interpretation and start-up of the museum and were also doing what we need to do to stabilize the building. Gordon said some natural leaders have emerged since the project began in April.

She lauded the efforts of museum board chair Sandra Wolff, conservator Robert Marshall, Andy Rodriguez of Personal Impressions and former chair of the DAR Memorial Museum Committee Kay Bakken. However, the person that Gordon credited the most was former GCHC chairman Bob Burchard. We would not be doing this if Bob had not stuck with his project, said Gordon. It was a three or four year project to get the interpretative plan completed. He absolutely deserves the credit for this. When we started up in April, we had a vision already that came from his efforts.

The Meanest Man in the Old West: John Wesley Hardin of Gonzales
By DAVE MUNDY
manager@gonzalescannon.com

He was the subject of cheap dime novels, and one modern biographer has called him The Meanest Man in the Old West. And he called Gonzales home for many of the most notorious years of his life. John Wesley Hardin was one of the most notorious gunslingers of the Old West, a man whose notoriety at the time rivaled that of names like Jesse James, Billy the Kid and Wild Bill Hickock. Wes Hardin, as he was known during his time in Gonzales at various points in his life, was a man who tried to paint his crimes as justifiable actions taken against the occupying army and carpetbaggers who were punishing the South following the Civil War. It is said he once shot

Well see you Sunday at the Come & Take It Car Show.

a man whose snoring disturbed him. He is credited with more than two dozen killings but also earned a reputation for personal magnetism that labeled him a gentleman, and even practiced law in Gonzales for a time shortly before his death in El Paso in 1896. Hardin had star quality, notes biographer Richard Marohn in his The Last Gunfighter, one of dozens of biographies on Hardin. While still a teenager, he earned the respect of noted gunslingers like Bill Longley, Ben Thompson, Jeff Milton and Wild Bill Hickock. When he was finally captured and brought back to Texas in chains, common folks flocked to meet his train. Women swooned, and his legend grew. Like so many of the most notorious criminals of history, Hardin is alternately

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Hwy. 87E., Nixon 830-582-1561 or 830-582-1562

demonized and idolized as a hero. Hardin himself claimed to have been a man of the people in his autobiography, The Life of John Wesley Hardin in His Own Words: When we reached Gonzales they had me shackled and chained to a horse, and the people there denounced such brutal treatment, saying I had done more for the peace of the country than any other man in it. He was a man with relatively little formal education but, like so many of his time, amazingly articulate articulate enough, in fact, to have written his own autobiography and to have historians pouring through more than 300 of his personal letters to family and associates. At the same time, Hardin was a virulent racist who wrote that he had helped make it a thing of the past for a negro to hold office in Gonzales County. His first shooting victim is believed to have been a black man when Hardin was just 15 years old. He boldly claimed to have slain five Mexican cowboys for crowding his herd, as well as a Comanche Indian whod fired an arrow at him. He was a notorious drinker and gambler, and the more he drank, the meaner he got. At the same time, Hardin was known as a powerful speaker, a dedicated family man whose first wife remained loyal to him despite his violent record, and as a competent attorney who at one point was almost elected sheriff of Gonzales but, like many criminals and politicians alike, he blamed other people and

his political beliefs for his crimes. Thus unwillingly, I became a fugitive, Hardin wrote, not from justice be it known, but from the injustice and misrule of the people who had subjugated the South. Hardin was born on May 26, 1853 in Bonham, the second child of James Gibson and Elizabeth Cartwright Dixon Hardin. James was a traveling Methodist minister who named his new son after the founder of the Methodist sect. Although Hardin was too young to serve the Confederacy during the Civil War, the Hardin family were staunch supporters of the cause. Hardin killed his first man in 1868, at the age of 15. The victim was a former childhood playmate, a black man named Mage. Fearing he could not receive a fair trial for killing a black man, Hardin fled. Hardin later claimed he killed three Union soldiers sent to arrest him and that family members helped him hide the remains. His father sent him to relatives in Navarro County to teach school the next year, but while there took up gambling especially horse racing and drinking. By the end of the year he claimed to have killed four more soldiers and another black civilian. His first widely-known murder took place in December, 1869, when he killed a man named Jim Bradly during a fight over a card game. Hardin became a resident of the Gonzales County Jail after he was shot and wounded by Phil Sublett in yet another fight over gambling. Gonzales

County Sheriff W.E. Jones hoped to use the indictment for attacking Sublett and for other offenses to hold Hardin, but his cousin Mannen returned the favor and broke Hardin out of jail. On May 26, 1873, Hardin shot and killed deputy Charles Webb, whod been sent to arrest him. When the crowd turned against him and his companions, Hardin fled but his brother and the others were caught and lynched. Vowing revenge, Hardin took his wife and daughter and fled to Florida, hoping to hide among yet still more relatives. But it was in Florida that he would eventually be caught and returned to Texas in chains only to return to public view 15 years later as a respectable Gonzales attorney who got actively involved in politics. After several years, Hardin moved on to the booming border town of El Paso. Late in the evening of August 19, 1895, Hardin

was rolling dice with grocer H.S. Brown in the Acme Saloon. Constable John Selman himself with a shady past stepped up behind Hardin and pointed his six-shooter at the back of Hardins head and fired. Hardin spun around to face his killer, a hole showing at the corner of his left eye the exit wound of the bullet that had passed through his brain. Witnesses said Hardin reached for his sixshooter as he fell to the floor. His death heralded the end of an era in Texas: the lawlessness of the Reconstruction Era and the Wild West was giving way to modern times. As the Cuero Record noted in its obituary of Hardin on Jan. 23, 1896: Hardin was as typical a Texas desperado of the earliest type as was ever portrayed in the dime novel ... It was almost sure death for anyone who was in front of his gun when Hardin drew the bead.

Sale Every Monday 10:30 a.m. All Livestock Bonded and Insured
W.E. Buck BUTLER Nixon, Texas

Have A Safe and Fun Time at Come & Take It!

PETEREK & ASSOCIATES
829 Saint Joseph St., Gonzales, TX 78629 Greg Peterek - 830-857-0233 Sherri Schellenberg - 830-857-6439 www.peterekre.com

Have a fun & safe time during Come & Take It!
Logan Insurance Agency
HOME AUTO FARM COMMERCIAL BONDS

REAL ESTATE, INC.

830-582-1052 830-582-1944

830-672-7181

MANAGER GARY BUTLER

(830) 672-6518 Fax: (830) 672-6368 Cell: (512) 376-0773

Travis Treasner

Page E8

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Come & Take it 2013

Fri., Oct. 4 - 6 p.m. - 11 p.m. Sat., Oct. 5 - 12 noon - 5 p.m. Games Foods Soft Drinks 6 p.m. - Midnight Famous Corn Dogs (Bracelets change at 5:00) Cotton Candy Sun., Oct. 6 - 12-6 p.m.

Bracelets - $25

Tickets - $1.00 each (rides take up to 4 tickets)

NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED ON MIDWAY GROUNDS

Come and Take It F

With the release of Dandelion, Bart Crow has positioned himself for the breakthrough his fans have long known was coming. Regarded as one of Texass premier honky-tonkers, Bart has captured in this 14-song CD all the songwriting skill, vocal prowess and blue-collar believability that have made him a mainstay in one of the countrys most demanding and respected proving grounds. Ive never been so proud of anything Ive recorded as I am of this record, he

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section Thursday, September 26, 2013

Crow ready to move into top ranks of Texas music

says, and while his earlier CDs produced singles that have spent a great deal of time on the Texas Music Chart, including the #1 Saying Goodbye, two more Top 5s, one Top 10 and four Top 20s, its clear that Dandelion fully justifies his increased confidence. Crow will headline the music lineup at the Gonzales Come and Take It Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 5, taking the main stage at the Biergarten at 11 p.m. See CROW, page F2

Bart Crow

Back in Texas, Reed eyes move into headline role

It must be true that big things really do come in small packages. For living, breathing proof, you dont have to search very far through the miles and miles of Texas to find a young woman who is continuously referred to as a new sound with an old soul, beyond her years. Danielle Reed, a striking blonde with a BIG voice, and brain, has returned home to Texas and hit the ground running in a short amount of time, currently playing shows east to west and everywhere in between, sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in Texas country. Her powerful vocals mesmerize and captivate people of all ages and her complimented guitar playing can hold its own. Reed will headline the opening nights entertainment for the Gonzales Come and See REED, page F2

Danielle Reed

Come & Take It Sale

Refreshments Served after the Parade Sat. Oct. 5

Oct. 1-5 $10.00 OFF ALL Denim

Register To Win A Consuela Make-Up Bag Set Ivey Jane Uncle Frank Joy Joy * Jade VIGOSS Jeans
Model is wearing designs by: Dress - Krista Lee Top - Chris & Karel Jewelry - Julios Boots - Volatile

(Ladies & Plus Sizes)

805 St. Joseph Gonzales

Page F2

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

CROW: Heads Saturday enter tainment lineup

I surrounded myself with a great team and whittled 78 songs to 12, along with two covers, he says. We went into the studio and the whole thing just clicked. Recorded with producer (and Pat Green drummer/co-producer) Justin Pollard and members of Greens band, along with keyboardist Michael Ramos and guitarist David Grissom, Dandelion captures Barts music at its edgy and intelligent best in a truly defining collection. It includes Cold Heart, a powerful break-up song awash in storm imagery, Better Day, a laid-back wish for a way out of the blues, Dandelion, a love song with lyrical nuance and straight-ahead musical punch, and Didnt Mean to Break Your Heart, which proves, as Bart does so often, that perceptive lyrics and infectious energy can mingle as sweetly as Jack and Coke. Theres also Swing To The Radio, which sees Bart channeling rockabilly and Dylan, and If I Go, Im Goin, a duet with Macy Maloy in which a man, a woman and an old house figure in an emotionally compelling drama amid pure and passionate vocals. The publics first look at the project came from its debut single, Little Bit of Luck, an upbeat, infectious gem about the ever-uplifting possibilities of love. Overall, this is a record with all the power and subtlety Barts fans have come to expect from him, capturing the essence of the man whose ability to burn it up on the road nearly 200 nights a year has earned him accolades in Country Weekly, American Country, Music Connection, AOLs The Boot and many others. The foundation on which it all rests, though, is his songwriting. It starts with the pen and notebook, he says. That was always my focuswriting as much as I could. In fact, I make writing ten times harder than it needs to be because Im so hard on myself. Bart began taking songwriting seriously while at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, as he took his first real steps as a performer. I kept a journal in the Army and I went back into that and moved some things around and made a couple of songs up, not even knowing what to do or how to do it, he says. Then, one day I said to my friend Jason Boland, I think Id like to try my hand at this. Ive got this book of songs Ive been writing. He said, Why not? We have the rest of our lives to be old and boring. Might as well do it while you can. Bart went for it with the single-minded energy of the true believer, and before long, a friend booked him for an acoustic show at The Agave Bar, next to City Limits in Stephenville. A lot of my friends from school showed up, and that was it, he says. The fuse was lit. It was a huge turning point, the pivot between his native Maypearl, a farm town of less than a thousand, forty miles southwest of Dallas, and Austin, the hub around which Texas music spins. His early years had exposed him to plenty of great music. My dad played in a dance hall cover band, he says, and we had a lot of records, cassettes and eight-tracks. He was an enormous fan of George Strait and he was always learning Top 40 country, so I heard a lot. By high school, Bart was playing a little guitar, although, he says, I never even remotely took it seriously. But then he rediscovered some of the country hed grown up onHaggard, Jones, Coe, Conleyjust as he was learning through friends about classic 70s rockers like Boston, Kansas, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as Metallica, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. Then, in the Army, he was introduced to the music of Robert Earl Keen and reintroduced to Jerry Jeff Walker, and it all came together. I began listening seriously, he says, and reading the credits on everything. He bought a chord book and expanded his guitar playing, filtering everything he lovedWaylon to
Continued from page F1

Otis Redding, Keith Whitley to M. C. Hammerthrough his small-town upbringing and country sensibilities. When he got home, he took part in all-night jams with some of his fathers friends. In college, he played acoustically, then joined a band, playing regularly every weekend by his senior year, including a stint opening for Kyle Hunt that he still cites as one of his best learning experiences. He juggled day jobs and music for a time, then left once and for all for Austin with his soon-to-be wife Brooke. We loaded everything we had on a flatbed trailer. We had $2,250 between us and we moved to Austin with a lot of prayer and a lot of fear. They found a $600-a-month apartment and Bart worked part-time day jobs during the week and hit the road every weekend. The two barely scraped by. I didnt have a CD out I didnt have a booking agent, he says, but I figured I controlled my own destiny. I spent a lot of time calling venues, leaving voice mails, being too stubborn to take no for an answer. Id go somewhere where it cost me $200 so I could make $50 bucks, just so I could keep playing. Even in the days when we were broke, I knew that if we would play the right songs and do the right things, people would come see us. Then the money, the merchandise sales, the popularity would follow. Gradually the pieces fell into place. With each CD, airplay and word-of-mouth grew. Wes McNew, a booker, caught his show and got to know Bart, then convinced his agency to sign on with him. Bart made friends with fellow Texas-circuit mainstays like Randy Rogers and the Eli Young Band and began opening for bigger acts. The money got better. Whenever I grumble about the travel to a good-paying gig, he says with a smile, my wife tells me, Dont forget when you used to say, If I ever get to where I can pay a hundred dollars a band member, weve made it! Then, Jon Folk of Red11 Music in Nashville signed on and Bart took yet another big step up. Jon and I became buddies, just a couple good old boys from Texas, he says, and I started going to Nashville to hang out with him. He loved who I was, my beliefs and dreams and work ethic. He became my number one supporter. Folk set up writing appointments with top Nashville tunesmiths like Trent Willmon and Trent Summarboth of who are represented on Dandelion along with Texas hitmaker Mando Saenz. Then, Bruce Kalmick came on board as his manager and the team was complete. Finally, he says, I could concentrate on what I do best, singing and writing songs, and hand off the business to a great team.

REED: Takes Rewind on Texas music tour

Continued from page F1

Take It Celebration, taking the main stage at the Biergarten starting at 10 p.m. Danielle Reed has a sound that is different and refreshing and it wont take long for people to notice her talent, says Stephen Bethea of Rival Entertainment. Danielle left home at the age of 17, only a day after she graduated Salutatorian from her high school and moved to Nashville, Tenn. While there, she experienced MusicCity to the fullest, fulfilling a lifelong dream when she performed onstage at the Ryman Auditorium. She also steeped herself in many different genres, including Bluegrass where she had the opportunity to perform at the world famous Station Inn singing with Bluegrass Hall of Famer, Roland White. She even played the hometown of Marty Stuart with the man himself in Philadelphia, Miss. Danielle has also been produced by John Carter Cash, son of the legendary Johnny Cash, at the Cash Cabin Studio. She has worked with top notch musicians in the biz, soaking up every bit of knowledge she could, all the while writing and recording music with the greats. Shes been featured in Country Week-

ly, Music Row Magazine, Best in Texas Magazine and her music has been played throughout the Midwest and overseas. Over the past few years she has also shared the bill with national acts including Justin Moore, Gene Watson, Leona Williams, John Conlee, T. Graham Brown, Charlie Daniels, and Irlene Mandrell as well as Texas artists, Randy Rogers, Jason Boland, No Justice, Stoney Larue and Brandon Rhyder, to name a few. Danielle never misses a beat when these legendary crooners request her harmonies on stage, live singing some of their biggest hits. It seems no one can get enough of Danielles voice, six strings or charisma. Now, a little over a year after her return to Texas the dust has settled and out of the swirling dirt has emerged Danielles new EP, Rewind, a reflection on her past mistakes, heartaches, rewards and real life experiences. Recently signed to independent radio promoter, Rick Lovett, the latest single Lie to Me is ready to rock-n-roll to radio. Once again, recording at the world famous Bismeaux Studios in Austin, like the lady herself, this album packs a big punch in a tiny package, and its not one you should wait til Christmas to open!

Have fun during Come & Take It!

Gets You Back Where You Belong!

FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP

830-203-5325
Toll Free: (800) 358-5298

Gieser Insurance Agency 941 St. Joseph Gonzales, Tx 78629

Leticia M. Cenotti
Agency Producer TDI #001243345

Washer Pitching Saturday 2:00 p.m.

4421 Hwy. 97E, Gonzales, TX

Saturn Sales & Service

830-540-4422

830-263-1233
P.O. Box 1826 Gonzales, TX 78629 Morgan Mills 830-857-4086

Steve Ehrig

Lisa G. Gaspard
Agency Manager TDI #001113854

Stop by and have a good cold beverage to cool you off. Come see us on Sunday for Chicken Poop Bingo!

Lotties Bar

207 US Hwy. 90A E. Gonzales

B&J Liquor
830-672-3107
730 Seydler St. GonzaleS, tX 78629

Check out our large Selection of beverages for Come & Take It!

Welcome to Come & Take It!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Page F3

Come and Take It Entertainment Lineup

Los Idealez - 6-7:30 p.m. Friday

County Line Band - 1-3 p.m. Saturday

Guillermo Serpas 5:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday

Whiskey Sin - 8-9:30 p.m. Friday

Los Kolaches - 3:30-5 p.m. Saturday

Tequila Black 7-8:30 p.m. Saturday

Seguin Beauty School

A BEAUTIFUL

Cosmetology

career in less than a year! loCated in doWntoWn seGuin & neW BraunFels

Thom Shepherd - 9-10:30 p.m. Saturday

(most students dont make any payments while attending school)

Financial Aid Available to those who qualify

Shiner Hobo Band - 1-5 p.m. Sunday

Come & Take It Loan

student Hours: tues.-Friday: 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Customer Hours tuesday: 1:00-5:00 Wednesday: 9:00-5:00

Great Class Hours:

Holiday Finance Corporation Loans Up to $1,300.00

830-672-6556 1-888-562-6588 506 St. Paul., Gonzales, TX. 78629
Serving Texas for over 40 Years!

We will be closed Saturday, Oct. 5 for Come & Take It

www.seguinbeautyschool.net

830-372-0935 or 620-1301

Page F4

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Come and Take It Celebration Events

5K Walk/Run at Independence Park 7:45 a.m. Saturday Pride of Texas Carnival 6-11 p.m. Friday, Noon-Midnight Saturday, 1-6 p.m. Sunday

Come and Take It Canoe Race, Lake Wood to US Hwy 183 Bridge 10 a.m. Saturday

Bingo on Confederate Square 6-10 p.m. Friday, 6-10 p.m. Saturday, 2-6 p.m. Sunday

Daughters of the Republic of Texas Memorial at the Gonzales Memorial Museum, 12:15 p.m. Sunday

Texas Rangers Memorial Cross unveiling at the Gonzales Memorial Museum, 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Have fun at the Texas T-Bone Cook Off Sunday, October 6

Liquor for every occasion - great selection of beer, wine, whiskey, etc. Stop by and browse around.

Hoopla
219 St. Lawrence Gonzales

D&D Liquor
Drive up Window Available 102 W. Wallace Gonzales
Steve & Jane Wehlmann, Owners

Kick Back & Relax while listening to Shiner Hobo Band Sunday from 1-5 at the Biergarten!

Gonzales Poultry
1006 N. St. Paul, Gonzales, TX 78629

830-672-7954

672-3511

830-672-9477

Fehner & Son Grain Co., LP

Tinted Windows & a new hair style for Come & Take It
Call or visit David & Kristin Matias today to set up an appt. We hope you have fun during Come & Take It!

Will be closed Saturday, October 5 for Come & Take It

No Limit Accessories 830-263-1633

1922 Co. Road 197, Gonzales,TX 78629 Phone: 830-672-3710

Yours & Mine Salon

David, Kristin, Tenley & Tessa Matias

&

830-672-3037

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Page F5

Come and Take It Celebration Events

Eating Contests at Confederate Square 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Texas T-Bone Cookoff and Texas Chili & Beans Cookoff 9 a.m. Sunday Confederate Square

Chicken Flying at Confederate Square 2 p.m. Saturday

Saturday, October 5, 2 p.m.

Chicken Flying Contest on Confederate Square,

1402 E. Sarah DeWitt, Gonzales, TX 78629

Purina Animal Nutrition, LLC

(830) 672-6565

While enjoying Come & Take It Come & Drive a car to fit your life style!
2014 Ford Escape SUV

Si Says - Hey! See you at Come & Take It!

Caraway

Gonzales

1405 Sarah DeWitt Gonzales, TX 78629 830-672-9646

Page F6

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Gonzales Classic Cruisers Come and Take It Car Show -- 9 a.m. Sunday along St. Joseph St. by Confederate square

Now Enrolling all ages Pre-K for 4s & Jr. Pre-K for 3s

921 St. Peter 672-6865

Gonzales only Christian based & licensed Preschool/Daycare, State Licensed

Train a child in the way he should go;and when he is old he will not depart from it.Proverbs 22:6

Rosalinda Gonzales, Director and Connie Banda, Assistant Director

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Page F7

Were four years old!

... and its all YOUR doing!

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 830-672-7100 to subscribe today for just $25 for a FULL YEAR (52 issues) or email subscriptions@gonzalescannon.com

THANKS!

Page F8

The Cannon Come and Take It Special Section

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Page G1

Come and Take It

Thursday, September 26, 2013

A Visitors Guide To Come and Take It

The All Natural Weight Loss Product

Sonic Drive In
1803 St. Joseph, Gonzales

Best Western Regency Inn & Suites

1811 E. Sarah DeWitt Dr., Gonzales, Texas 78629 (830) 672-5555; Fax: (830) 672-4441
Email: 44554@hotel.bestwestern.com www.bestwestern.com

Plexus Ambassador slstamport@yahoo.com

www.plexusslim.com/shellys

Gonzales, Texas
Are you a diabetic, have high blood pressure? Then this product is perfect for you.

672-7090

830-85

7-0209

For Reservations call 1-800-WESTERN

COME AND TAKE IT CANOE RACE 10 a.m. Saturday Lake Wood

CHICKEN FLYING CONTEST 2 p.m. Saturday Confederate Square

COME AND TAKE IT CAR SHOW Sunday Morning St. Joseph St.

813 St. Joseph St. Gonzales, TX 78629

Ruth Gumper owner

Come & Christmas

Christmas Open Houses
Come and Take It Weekend

827 St. Joseph Street Gonzales, TX 78629 830-672-2484 laurelridgegonzales.com

LR
aurel
Antiques Gifts Christmas

idge

VINTAGE AIRSTREAM RALLY 1-4 p.m. Saturday JB Wells Arena

EATING CONTESTS 3:30 p.m. Saturday Confederate Square

TEXAS T-BONE COOKOFF Sunday Morning Confederate Square

Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m.-12 Noon. Closed Sunday

Delivery FTD Wire Service

Xtreme Apparel & Accessories

Peggy Iley: Owner Cell 830-857-5111 Store: 830-519-4388 Email: xtremeaparel2013@yahoo.com 1026 St. Louis, Gonzales,TX 78629

1030 East St. Louis, Gonzales, Texas 78629

Persons Flower Shop

Kathy Zella, owner

616 E. St. Lawrence, Gonzales

(830) 519-4374

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

Jan Wurz, Owner

Page G2

Come and Take It

Thursday, September 26, 2013

1821 E. Sarah DeWitt Dr., Gonzales, Texas 78629

(830) 672-5555
www.txlodge.com

The Texas Lodge: Among the Newest Gonzales, Texas Hotels

www.plexusslim.com/shellys

Best Western Regency Inn & Suites

Come and Take It Celebration

(830) 672-5555; Fax: (830) 672-4441
1811 E. Sarah DeWitt Dr., Gonzales, Texas 78629

209 830-857-0

For Reservations call 1-800-WESTERN

Email: 44554@hotel.bestwestern.com www.bestwestern.com

8 a.m. -5 p.m. Old Jail Museum Open 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Gonzales Memorial Museum Open 5-7 p.m. Gonzales Art Group Show at 426 St. Paul, 1st United Methodist Church 5-7 p.m. Gonzales County Camera Club Photo Contest, 511 St. Joseph, Cafe on the Square 6 p.m. Celebration and Carnival Open in historic downtown Gonzales 6-10 p.m. Bingo on Confederate Square 11 p.m. Carnival Closes Music at the Biergarten 6-7:30 p.m. Los Idealez 8-9:30 p.m. Whiskey Sin 10-11:30 p.m. Danielle Reed

Schedule of Events Friday, October 4

The All Natural Weight Loss Product

Are you a diabetic, have high blood pressure? Then this product is perfect for you.

Plexus Ambassador slstamport@yahoo.com Gonzales, Texas

Double E RV Park

Call today to reserve your spot

830-437-2873

7:45 a.m. 5K Walk/Run - Independence Park 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Old Jail Museum Open 9 a.m. Masonic ceremony at Market Square 10 a.m. Come and Take It Canoe Race, Lake Wood to Highway 183 Bridge 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Gonzales Memorial Museum Open 10:30 a.m. Come and Take It Parade Noon Pride of Texas Carnival Opens 1 p.m. Pioneer Village Opens on Bus 183 North (Admission) 1-7 p.m. Gonzales Art Group Show at 426 St. Paul, 1st United Methodist Church 1-6 p.m. Gonzales County Camera Club Photo Contest, 511 St. Joseph, Cafe on the Square 2 p.m. Chicken Flying Contest on Confederate Square (Entry Fee) 2-5 p.m. Tours of JB Wells House (829 Mitchell St.) and Old College (820 St. Louis) (Admission) 3 p.m. Battle Re-enactment at Pioneer Village 3:30 p.m. Eating Contests on the Square (Entry Fees) 6-7 p.m. Come and Take It Square Dancers 8:30 p.m. Fire Spinning Show 6-10 p.m. Bingo on Confederate Square 10:30 p.m. Fire Spinning Show Midnight Carnival Closes Music at the Biergarten 1-3 p.m. County Line Band 3:30-5 p.m. Los Kolaches 5:30-6:30 p.m. Guillermo Serpas 7-8:30 p.m. Tequila Black 9-10:30 p.m. Thom Shepherd 11-12:30 p.m. Bart Crow

Saturday, October 5

COST STORE CAFE

New Store Hours M-Sat., 6 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. 5905 W. St. Hwy. 97, Cost, Tx 830-437-2066

W.R. & Jo Ann Low, owners

Office 830-437-2873 Fax 830-437-2876

221 Private Rd 2003 Gonzales, TX 78629

David Ehrig 830-832-6063

FREE ESTIMATES

9-11 a.m. Set up for Car Show, Texas T-Bone Cookoff, Texas Bean & Chili Cookoff 9:30 a.m. Pioneer Village Memorial Service 11 a.m. Ticket Booth Opens 12:15 p.m. DRT Memorial Service, Gonzales Memorial Museum 1-5 p.m. Pioneer Village Open (Admission) 1-3 p.m. Gonzales County Camera Club Photo Contest, 511 St. Joseph, Cafe on the Square 1-4 p.m. Vintage Airstream Rally Open House, JB Wells Arena (Free admission) 1-5 p.m. Gonzales Art Group Show at 426 St. Paul, 1st United Methodist Church Old Jail Museum, Gonzales Memorial Museum, Eggleston House Open 2 p.m. Texas T-Bone Cookoff Awards 2 p.m. Car Show Awards 2-5 p.m. Tours of JB Wells House (829 Mitchell St.) and Old College (820 St. Louis) (Admission) 2-6 p.m. Bingo on Confederate Square 2:30 p.m. Bean and Chili Cookoff Awards 6 p.m. Carnival Closes Music at the Biergarten 1-5 p.m. Shiner Hobo Band

Sunday, October 6

L&M On SiteCatering

Bubba Ehrig 830-832-5094

ALL MATERIALS HAULED

W.R. Low - 830-857-3324 Jo Ann Low - 830-857-5585

191 County Road 1411, Cost, TX 78614

Sub-Contractor Specializing in Site Work Foundation Pads-Road Work-Demolition Stock Tanks-Brush Clearing

landmonsitecatering@yahoo.com

Construction Company

1803 St. Joseph, Gonzales

Sonic Drive In 672-7090