Southwest Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Texan Capture of Mexican Dispatches
The San Jacinto Campaign in Southwest Harris County
Photographed by Gregory Walker, May 8, 2010
1. Texan Capture of Mexican Dispatches Marker
After the fall of the Alamo on March 6, 1836, Gen. Sam Houston led the Texan Army in retreat from Gonzales. The Mexican army under Gen. Santa Anna followed eastward from San Antonio. On April 14, while Houston's army was north of him, Santa Anna led a division of his army from the Brazos River near present Richmond to Harrisburg. He crossed present southwest Harris County, then an uninhabited prairie, and reached Harrisburg (12 miles east of this site) on April 15. The Mexicans burned Harrisburg on April 17 and continued marching east.
Houston's army, arriving at Buffalo Bayou opposite Harrisburg on April 18, found the town in ruins, but did not know the whereabouts of the Mexican army. That day, Texan scouts led by Erastus "Deaf" Smith captured three Mexicans, including Capt. Miguel Bachiller, a courier, and a guide in this vicinity. The prisoners and their dispatches revealed the location, size, and plans of the Mexican army. With this vital intelligence, Houston intercepted Santa Anna's march on April 20 and defeated his division with a surprise attack on April 21 at the San Jacinto River. The Battle of San Jacinto ended the Texas Revolution and secured the independent Republic of Texas.
Erected 1989 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 10791.)
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Location. 29° 42.345′ N, 95° 27.867′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Southwest Houston. It is on North 2nd Street north of Bellaire Boulevard, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bellaire TX 77401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Alfred J. Condit House, Damaged in 1915 Hurricane (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bellaire Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bellaire Streetcar Line (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bellaire (approx. 0.3 miles away); Convent of the Incarnate Word, 1931 (approx. 0.7 miles away); Teas Nursery Company (approx. 0.8 miles away); Home of Frank S. Henshaw, Jr., Mayor, 1933-1937 (approx. 0.9 miles away); Beth Yeshurun Synagogue (approx. 1.3 miles away).
Photographed by Gregory Walker, May 8, 2010
2. Location of Mexican Dispatches Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2010, by Gregory Walker of La Grange, Texas. This page has been viewed 2,232 times since then and 46 times this year. Last updated on July 11, 2022, by Joe Lotz of Flower Mound, Texas. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 19, 2010, by Gregory Walker of La Grange, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
