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The San Jacinto Monument: Over a Foot of Settlement, but Level

by Jean-Louis Briaud, P.E., Ph.D., (Dist.M.ASCE), College Station, TX

Serial Information: Geo-Strata —Geo Institute of ASCE, 2018, Vol. 22, Issue 4, Pg. 50-55


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract: On March 6, 1836, General Santa Anna and his Mexican troops killed all those defending the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, TX. The Texans wished to be independent from Mexico and regrouped after this severe defeat under the leadership of Sam Houston. Houston, a future U.S. senator and Texas governor, retreated toward what is now the city of Houston while assembling and readying volunteers to fight against the advancing Mexican army. By the time Houston reached the San Jacinto River, he had an army of just 800 compared to Santa Anna?s army of 1,800. Using the element of surprise on April 21, 1836, he managed to defeat Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto in present-day Harris County. This victory is critically important in U.S. history, as it freed many of the future southern states. To celebrate this crucial accomplishment in freeing Texas, the Texas legislature and U.S. Congress appropriated funds in 1936 to erect a monument (Figure 1) to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the victory. Construction took place between 1936 and 1939.

Subject Headings: Monuments | Legislation | Volunteerism | Urban areas | Rivers and streams | Light rail transit | Leadership | Texas | United States | Mexico

 

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