Isaac Hamilton's unbelievable ordeal of survival is embedded within a day-by-day timeline of the military and political events that occurred during the Texas Revolution.
Isaac Hamilton
Surviving Amidst the Texas RevolutionBy Dennis RiedeselAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 Dennis Riedesel
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4772-6946-6Contents
PREFACE....................................1PROLOGUE...................................71823.......................................71824.......................................71825.......................................81826.......................................81829.......................................81831.......................................91832.......................................91833.......................................91834.......................................91835.......................................10ACT I Getting To Texas.....................211836.......................................25ACT II Fort Defiance.......................36ACT III Escape.............................56Epilogue:..................................811836.......................................811837.......................................811838.......................................821839.......................................821840.......................................831841.......................................851846.......................................851847.......................................871849.......................................871852.......................................891854.......................................901857.......................................911858.......................................921859.......................................921860.......................................9318??.......................................931876.......................................93Author's Notes.............................95Bibliography...............................99
Chapter One
ACT I Getting To Texas
Does anyone know where I would be able to find Plácido Benavides?
Saturday, November 28
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The formation of the Company.
• Late November and early December
It was late in the fall of 1835 that Doctor Jack Shackelford, the physician in our town of Courtland, Alabama returned from a visit to Washington DC. I don't know why he went to Washington. Maybe it was to visit his old senator friends from the time he was a senator from Shelby County. Or maybe he visited the President of the United states, Andrew Jackson, who was his general from the battle of New Orleans during the war of 1812 (Hamilton L., p. 11), (Roell).
But I always thought it was odd that after Dr. Shackelford returned to Courtland, he started talking about going to Texas. He had several newspaper articles that talked about Alabamians going to the aid of the Texans (Elliott). We talked about the fight that was brewing, but we also knew that any Texas settler would receive a league and a labor of land. We did not know how much land that was but we soon found out that was 4605 acres (Long). Many of us were not the first born sons in our family, so this information was of interest to us since we were not in line to receive the lands that belonged to our fathers.
On a Saturday afternoon, Dr. Shackelford spoke to the townspeople in the town square of Courtland about going to Texas. One of the old men cried out that he was too old to fight but he could contribute money! He slapped a $100.00 grant on a table and said, "Here's $100.00 to go to Texas!" and soon thereafter eleven other men each put down $100.00 (Gentry, pp. 37-38).
The ladies of the town found some old sailcloth that they dyed using the red clay from the Tennessee River, cut-up, and sewed into hinting frocks and broad-fall pants. (Courtland, Alabama). They found some red and white checkered material for shirts, made blue vests, and blue forage caps—which we promptly discarded for nice warm coon skin caps. Because of these red hunting frocks and pants, we named our company the Alabama Red Rovers. A bit of cloth was also dyed red and became our battle flag (Noles), (Note 2).
Sunday, November 29 through Friday, December 4
• Texan Military Action:
* Siege of Bexar
• Texian insurgent forces decide to abandon the siege of Béxar and go into winter camp in Goliad
• Ben Milam returns from a scouting mission and calls for volunteers to begin an assault on Mexican forces ensconced in the Alamo.
Saturday, December 5
• Texan Military Action:
* Siege of Bexar
• In San Antonio de Béxar, Ben Milam and the Texan volunteers began the assault on General Cos and his forces in and around the Alamo.
Sunday, December 6
• Texan Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• James w. Fannin is commissioned a Colonel in the regular Texas Army (Hartmann).
Monday, December 7 through wednesday, December 9
• Texan Military Action:
* Siege of Bexar
• In san Antonio de Béxar, Ben Milam and the Texan forces assault General Cos and his forces in and around the Alamo.
Thursday, December 10
• Mexican Military Action:
* Siege of Bexar
• General Cos surrenders about 1,000 Mexican troops who are paroled to Mexico with a promise not to fight against the Texans (Peña, p. 11).
Friday, December 11
• Mexican Military Action:
* Siege of Bexar
• General Cos begins to withdraw his forces towards the Río Bravo del Norte [Rio Grande River] (Peña, p. 11).
Saturday, December 12
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers leave Courtland, Alabama.
After we donned our red uniforms and secured our equipment, we proceeded to go to the railroad for the trip to Tuscumbia which is near Muscle shoals on the Tennessee River. You may ask, "Rail cars in 1835?" Courtland got a steam engine from England in 1834 and built one of the first railroads in the United states. Built to carry the goods and supplies from our plantations and farms to the Tennessee River, the railroad ran from Decatur to Courtland and then down to Tuscumbia. Then, below Muscle shoals, our goods were loaded on riverboats and sent down the Tennessee River, to the Ohio River, onto the Mississippi River, and down to New Orleans for shipment (Courtland, Alabama).
Muscle shoals was a rough water portion of the Tennessee River. It was the north-eastern most part of the river that the steamboats could operate. The keel boat operators really had to use their muscles to navigate through these shoals where the steamboats could not go.
We had a lot of trouble keeping the steam engine running, so the rail cars were pulled by draft animals. But, as far as we know, we were the first military troop movement to move by train in the United states (Courtland, Alabama).
Sunday, December 13—Last Quarter Moon
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers board the William Penn.
We boarded a side wheeled paddle boat named the William Penn and steamed down the Tennessee River to the Ohio River. At Paducah, Kentucky, we transferred over to the Kentuckian for the trip down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River and then on to New Orleans (shackelford Account), (Dayton).
Saturday, December 19—New Moon
Sunday, December 20
• Governmental Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Members of Captain Philip Dimmitt's company of volunteers wrote and signed the first Texas Declaration of Independence.
• The "Bloody Arm" flag is designed, sewn, and flown from a sycamore pole set in the middle of the presidio's quadrangle (O'Connor, pp. 111-114).
Monday, December 21 through Friday, December 25
• Mexican Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle San Jacinto
• The Mexican army continues to make ready for its attack into Texas.
• Texan Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
* Texan forces continue to reinforce the forts they have captured.
Saturday, December 26—First Quarter Moon
• Mexican Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Alamo
• General Cos, after the capitulation at san Antonio de Béxar, meets General Sesma in Laredo (Peña, p. 15).
Sunday, December 17
• Mexican Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Alamo
• General Filisola and Sesma join forces (Peña, p. 15).
Monday, December 28
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers arrive in New Orleans (Dickson).
Wednesday, December 30
• Governmental Action:
* Prelude to Goliad Massacre
• General Santa Anna receives a declaration from the Mexican Congress stating that all armed military insurgents captured would be treated as pirates and shot (Tornel, pp. 55-56).
1836
Friday, January 1
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
We got to New Orleans just in time for the New Year's celebrations and let me tell you, we had a good time during the New Year's celebrations (Hamilton L., p. 11)!
Saturday, January 2
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers stand for inspection by Stephen F. Austin and Nicholas Adolphus Sterne (Huson).
Sunday, January 3
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers board the Brutus for the trip to Texas (Great Citizens—John Allen), (Dienst).
Monday, January 4—Full Moon
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The Brutus is towed down to the Gulf by a steam tug (Morrison).
• By the 1830's, there were 1200 steam hulls operating in the Mississippi River (steamboats of the Mississippi).
When we were ready, we boarded the Brutus which was pulled by steam launch down the Mississippi and over the sandbars at the mouth of the river (Hamilton L., p. 11).
Tuesday, January 5
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The Red Rovers were aboard the Brutus sailing across the Gulf of Mexico.
Wednesday, January 6
• Mexican Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Alamo
• General Santa Anna arrives at Saltillo.
• Texan Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of san Jacinto
• General Sam Houston arrives at Goliad.
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The Red Rovers were aboard the Brutus sailing across the Gulf of Mexico.
Thursday, January 7
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The Red Rovers were aboard the Brutus sailing across the Gulf of Mexico.
Friday, January 8
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The Red Rovers were aboard the Brutus sailing across the Gulf of Mexico.
Saturday, January 9
• Mexican Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• General Urrea arrives with his regiment at Saltillo.
• Texan Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Fannin begins recruiting volunteers for the Matamoros expedition (Hartmann).
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The Red Rovers were aboard the Brutus sailing across the Gulf of Mexico.
Sunday, January 10
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The Red Rovers were aboard the Brutus sailing across the Gulf of Mexico.
Monday, January 11—Last Quarter Moon
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
* The Red Rovers were aboard the Brutus sailing across the Gulf of Mexico.
Tuesday, January 12 through Thursday, January 14
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The Red Rovers were aboard the Brutus sailing across the Gulf of Mexico.
Friday, January 15
• Mexican Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• General Santa Anna orders General Urrea's forces to Matamoros to begin operations of the campaign along the coast as far as Lipantitlán on the Nueces.
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Brutus arrives outside Pass Cavallo.
We sailed through the Gulf of Mexico down to Texas and anchored outside Pass Cavallo for three days waiting for a high tide (Hamilton L., p. 11), (Barnard).
Saturday, January 16 through Monday, January 18—New Moon
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• The Red Rovers wait aboard the Brutus at anchor outside of Pass Cavallo for high tide to carry them across a sand bar blocking the entrance to Matagorda Bay.
Tuesday, January 19
* Texan Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Alamo
• Jim Bowie and James Bonham enter the Alamo with thirty men.
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers land and set camp at Dimmitt's Landing on the west shore of Matagorda Bay.
Once we got through the pass, we sailed through Matagorda Bay to Dimmitt's Landing which consisted of two storehouses that were used to store supplies. Dimmit was a mercantile trader in Texas and northern Mexico and this was one of his offloading spots on the coast. We disembarked, set foot for the first time on Texas soil, and set up camp (Hamilton L., p. 11), (Barnard).
Wednesday, January 20
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers encamp at Dimmitt's Landing.
Thursday, January 21
• Mexican Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• General Urrea's night march from Zacate to Mier is hampered by a violent Norther accompanied by rain.
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers remain encamped at Dimmitt's Landing.
Friday, January 22 through Sunday, January 24
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers remain encamped at Dimmitt's Landing.
Monday, January 25—First Quarter Moon
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers remain encamped at Dimmitt's Landing.
Tuesday, January 26 through Saturday, January 30
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers remain encamped at Dimmitt's Landing.
Sunday, January 31
• Mexican Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Urrea's division arrives at Matamoros.
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers remain encamped at Dimmitt's Landing.
Monday, February 1
• Governmental Action:
* Prelude to Battle of San Jacinto
• Elections are held in the Texas settlements for delegates to attend a convention to call for independence.
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers march up the Lavaca River to the Navidad River and then to Texana [Santa Anna].
It was here that we suffered our first defeat! "Everything in Texas is bigger!" everyone told us. These coastal mosquitoes you people have here! They forced us to break camp and travel up the Lavaca River and then the Navidad River to Texana. The settlers first named the settlement Santa Anna in honor of the Mexican hero but later changed the name toTexana. We stayed there until we received orders from General Houston as well as a request from Colonel James Fannin to help fortify the old presidio in Goliad (Hamilton L., p. 11).
Tuesday, February 2—Full Moon
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Dr. Joseph Barnard meets up with the Red Rovers in Texana (Barnard).
• Dr. shackelford receives instructions to march to Goliad and join Fannin's command (Barnard).
Wednesday, February 3
• Texan Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Alamo
• William B. Travis arrives at the Alamo.
Thursday, February 4
• Texan Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Fannin marches from Copano to Refugio (Goliad Campaign of 1836).
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers leave Texana for Victoria.
We left Texana and traveled down to the ferry crossing on Garcitas Creek and camped there overnight.
Friday, February 5
• Texan Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Fannin reaches Refugio (Goliad Campaign of 1836).
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Red Rovers depart the camp at the ferry crossing on Garcitas Creek.
We broke camp and traveled down to Victoria and received the help of what the Texans who lived in this area called a "Blue Norther." The wind, rain, sleet and hail caught the hindermost as it blew our military ranks apart as we ran to the safety of the eight or nine houses (shook), which were in Victoria. The Alcalde, Juan Lynn, served coffee to everyone and secured quarters for our men (Linn, pp. 291-292), (Barnard), (Filisola, p. 157).
Saturday, February 6
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Plácido Benavides arrives at san Patricio with information from the Alcalde of Matamoros about santa Anna's plans for Texas.
• Robert C. Morris enclosed Benavides' warning in a letter to Fannin who was at Refugio (Benavides, Plácido).
• Red Rovers arrive at Victoria.
The people in Victoria were wonderful folks. They had parties for us every night for the three days we were there. They would kill a calf and roast it whole on a spit over a large bed of coals (Roell).
Sunday, February 7
• Texan Military Action:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Fannin is elected colonel of the Provisional Regiment of Volunteers at Goliad (Hartmann).
Soon after arriving at La Bahia, Fannin renames the presidio Fort Defiance (O'Connor, p. 120).
• Isaac Hamilton and the Alabama Red Rovers:
* Prelude to Battle of the Coleto
• Plácido Benavides rides from san Patricio to Refugio to deliver Major Robert Morris' letter to Colonel Fannin (Goliad Campaign of 1836).
• Plácido Benavides then continues his ride to Victoria.
It was here that I met the Alcalde of Victoria, Plácido Benavides. He was the son-in-law of Don Martín de León who founded Victoria in the eighteen-twenties. Don Martín had passed away in the cholera epidemic of 1834. His sons and sons-in-law were taking turns running the town and it so happened to be Plácido's turn (Hamilton L., p. 28). He had just made the ride from Matamoros to san Patricio to Refugio and then to Victoria to warn the Texians about Santa Anna's plans (Note 3).
since I was a second sergeant and responsible for the supplies our men needed, Plácido took me around to the farmers and ranchers to secure the materials that we needed. As we rode from house to house and ranch to ranch, Plácido said this was not really a revolution. This started out as a civil war. The people of Mexico in 1824 had put into place their constitution when they gained their freedom from Spain. Reflecting the federalist thinking of the times, this constitution was similar to the United states constitution.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Isaac Hamiltonby Dennis Riedesel Copyright © 2012 by Dennis Riedesel. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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