0:00:02.349,0:00:05.476 [♪ sentimental music ♪] 0:00:05.476,0:00:12.509 -[Burnet] General Houston, sir,[br]the enemy are laughing you to scorn. 0:00:12.509,0:00:14.375 You must fight them. 0:00:14.375,0:00:17.038 You must retreat no further. 0:00:17.038,0:00:19.950 The country[br]expects you to fight. 0:00:19.950,0:00:24.606 The salvation of the country[br]depends on your doing so. 0:00:24.606,0:00:27.545 -David Burnet,[br]President of Texas 0:00:28.559,0:00:31.061 -[Yarborough][br]After the Alamo fell, 0:00:31.061,0:00:35.588 and Santa Anna ordered[br]all prisoners shot, 0:00:35.588,0:00:38.576 he had said he was[br]going to kill everybody 0:00:38.576,0:00:41.292 that's opposing the[br]Mexican government. 0:00:41.292,0:00:44.564 There's a terrific panic[br]over the country, 0:00:44.564,0:00:49.114 and uh, every family that could[br]got their belongings together 0:00:49.114,0:00:51.900 in a buggy or a wagon or[br]whatever they had-- horseback-- 0:00:51.900,0:00:54.220 some didn't have[br]any vehicle. 0:00:54.220,0:00:58.489 Walk and carry what you could,[br]drag it, put it on a mule, 0:00:58.489,0:01:02.997 and then the families[br]just abandoned their homes. 0:01:02.997,0:01:05.704 And that was called[br]the Runaway Scrape, 0:01:05.704,0:01:08.328 and they were trying to[br]get across the Sabine River 0:01:08.328,0:01:10.941 to get into New Orleans[br]before they got killed. 0:01:15.181,0:01:17.170 -[narrator] The fledgling[br]government of Texas 0:01:17.170,0:01:19.968 retreated to the[br]little town of Harrisburg. 0:01:19.968,0:01:24.819 There, they demanded that[br]Sam Houston stand and fight, 0:01:24.819,0:01:27.704 but Houston kept[br]his own counsel, 0:01:27.704,0:01:30.948 poring over Caesar's[br]commentaries on war, 0:01:30.948,0:01:35.869 gnawing on the raw ears of corn[br]with which he filled his saddlebags. 0:01:37.860,0:01:40.056 -[Houston] Had I consulted[br]the wishes of all, 0:01:40.056,0:01:43.565 I should have been like the ass[br]between two stacks of hay. 0:01:43.565,0:01:45.288 I consulted no one. 0:01:45.288,0:01:47.579 I held no counsels of war. 0:01:47.579,0:01:51.082 If I err, the blame is mine. 0:01:51.082,0:01:53.822 [military drumming] 0:01:53.822,0:01:55.535 -[narrator] Houston[br]and his small army 0:01:55.535,0:01:59.244 were in full retreat,[br]zig-zagging across Texas, 0:01:59.244,0:02:03.316 keeping just out of range[br]of the advancing Mexicans. 0:02:03.316,0:02:07.523 Rumors spread that alcohol[br]had undercut his courage. 0:02:07.523,0:02:10.701 Settlers jeered him[br]from the roadside. 0:02:11.611,0:02:14.731 -[Yarborough] The men under him[br]said he was a coward, 0:02:14.731,0:02:17.449 and Sidney Sherman, the colonel,[br]tried to replace him. 0:02:17.449,0:02:20.709 Sam Houston said, "Anybody that tries[br]to remove me from this command, 0:02:20.709,0:02:22.419 "I'll execute him[br]on the spot." 0:02:22.419,0:02:24.779 [drumming] 0:02:24.779,0:02:26.202 -[narrator][br]For more than a month, 0:02:26.202,0:02:30.904 Santa Anna pursued[br]Houston's elusive army. 0:02:30.904,0:02:34.017 Then the Mexican general[br]made a mistake. 0:02:34.017,0:02:36.548 He divided his troops[br]and veered off 0:02:36.548,0:02:39.310 in hopes of capturing[br]the provisional government. 0:02:41.760,0:02:43.328 Houston slipped up[br]behind him 0:02:43.328,0:02:47.579 in a bend in a river[br]called the San Jacinto. 0:02:47.579,0:02:50.878 -[man] April 21, 1836. 0:02:50.878,0:02:53.794 We are in preparation[br]to meet Santa Anna. 0:02:53.794,0:02:57.130 It's the only chance[br]of saving Texas. 0:02:57.130,0:02:59.439 We go to conquer. 0:02:59.439,0:03:02.858 It is wisdom growing out of necessity[br]to meet the enemy now. 0:03:04.148,0:03:08.701 -[narrator] Santa Anna's army was[br]surrounded by water on three sides. 0:03:08.701,0:03:12.760 Houston's 800 men moved[br]into position on the fourth. 0:03:13.799,0:03:17.637 -[Yarborough][br]There were trees there. 0:03:17.637,0:03:20.232 Houston had men up in[br]those trees watching him, 0:03:20.232,0:03:22.160 and calling down[br]to him what to do, 0:03:22.160,0:03:26.280 and he says the cavalry over there[br]have taken their saddles off; 0:03:26.280,0:03:28.115 they're taking their[br]horses to drink. 0:03:28.115,0:03:30.619 This is siesta time.[br]It's about 3:30, 0:03:30.619,0:03:33.169 and most of the Mexicans[br]is having their siesta. 0:03:33.169,0:03:34.904 Houston immediately[br]ordered them to line up. 0:03:34.904,0:03:36.583 [horse neighing] 0:03:36.583,0:03:39.623 [military drumming] 0:03:39.623,0:03:43.571 -[narrator] "Trust in God and fear not,"[br]he told his men. 0:03:43.571,0:03:47.289 "Remember Goliad.[br]Remember the Alamo." 0:03:47.289,0:03:48.510 [cannonfire] 0:03:48.510,0:03:53.219 -[narrator] Houston led the charge[br]himself, swinging his saber. 0:03:53.219,0:03:57.391 His horse fell,[br]hit five times. 0:03:57.391,0:03:59.840 Houston climbed onto[br]another horse. 0:03:59.840,0:04:01.992 It too was killed, 0:04:01.992,0:04:05.589 and this time Houston's right leg[br]was splintered by a musketball. 0:04:05.589,0:04:07.149 [gunfire,[br]horse neighing] 0:04:07.149,0:04:11.054 But Santa Anna's army[br]was on the run. 0:04:11.054,0:04:14.232 The Texans and the company[br]of Tejanos under Juan Seguín 0:04:14.232,0:04:15.757 were right behind them. 0:04:17.227,0:04:19.946 The fighting lasted[br]just 18 minutes, 0:04:20.786,0:04:26.487 [horse neighs,[br]gunfire] 0:04:26.487,0:04:29.045 but the slaughter went on[br]for another hour. 0:04:36.964,0:04:44.286 [♪ sentimental music ♪] 0:04:44.286,0:04:48.874 When it was all over,[br]600 Mexican soldiers lay dead. 0:04:48.874,0:04:52.156 Nearly 700 more[br]had surrendered. 0:04:52.156,0:04:57.147 The surprise had been so complete,[br]the blow so sudden, 0:04:57.147,0:05:01.354 that only six Texans died[br]during the Battle of San Jacinto. 0:05:03.020,0:05:07.169 Santa Anna himself[br]was made Sam Houston's prisoner, 0:05:07.169,0:05:12.112 and forced to sign a piece of paper[br]ceding Texan independence. 0:05:15.209,0:05:19.791 Now there were three independent[br]republics in North America: 0:05:19.791,0:05:20.795 Mexico, 0:05:20.795,0:05:22.785 the United States, 0:05:22.785,0:05:27.841 and, under President Sam Houston,[br]the new Republic of Texas.