1 00:00:02,349 --> 00:00:05,476 [♪ sentimental music ♪] 2 00:00:05,476 --> 00:00:12,509 -[Burnet] General Houston, sir, the enemy are laughing you to scorn. 3 00:00:12,509 --> 00:00:14,375 You must fight them. 4 00:00:14,375 --> 00:00:17,038 You must retreat no further. 5 00:00:17,038 --> 00:00:19,950 The country expects you to fight. 6 00:00:19,950 --> 00:00:24,606 The salvation of the country depends on your doing so. 7 00:00:24,606 --> 00:00:27,545 -David Burnet, President of Texas 8 00:00:28,559 --> 00:00:31,061 -[Yarborough] After the Alamo fell, 9 00:00:31,061 --> 00:00:35,588 and Santa Anna ordered all prisoners shot, 10 00:00:35,588 --> 00:00:38,576 he had said he was going to kill everybody 11 00:00:38,576 --> 00:00:41,292 that's opposing the Mexican government. 12 00:00:41,292 --> 00:00:44,564 There's a terrific panic over the country, 13 00:00:44,564 --> 00:00:49,114 and uh, every family that could got their belongings together 14 00:00:49,114 --> 00:00:51,900 in a buggy or a wagon or whatever they had-- horseback-- 15 00:00:51,900 --> 00:00:54,220 some didn't have any vehicle. 16 00:00:54,220 --> 00:00:58,489 Walk and carry what you could, drag it, put it on a mule, 17 00:00:58,489 --> 00:01:02,997 and then the families just abandoned their homes. 18 00:01:02,997 --> 00:01:05,704 And that was called the Runaway Scrape, 19 00:01:05,704 --> 00:01:08,328 and they were trying to get across the Sabine River 20 00:01:08,328 --> 00:01:10,941 to get into New Orleans before they got killed. 21 00:01:15,181 --> 00:01:17,170 -[narrator] The fledgling government of Texas 22 00:01:17,170 --> 00:01:19,968 retreated to the little town of Harrisburg. 23 00:01:19,968 --> 00:01:24,819 There, they demanded that Sam Houston stand and fight, 24 00:01:24,819 --> 00:01:27,704 but Houston kept his own counsel, 25 00:01:27,704 --> 00:01:30,948 poring over Caesar's commentaries on war, 26 00:01:30,948 --> 00:01:35,869 gnawing on the raw ears of corn with which he filled his saddlebags. 27 00:01:37,860 --> 00:01:40,056 -[Houston] Had I consulted the wishes of all, 28 00:01:40,056 --> 00:01:43,565 I should have been like the ass between two stacks of hay. 29 00:01:43,565 --> 00:01:45,288 I consulted no one. 30 00:01:45,288 --> 00:01:47,579 I held no counsels of war. 31 00:01:47,579 --> 00:01:51,082 If I err, the blame is mine. 32 00:01:51,082 --> 00:01:53,822 [military drumming] 33 00:01:53,822 --> 00:01:55,535 -[narrator] Houston and his small army 34 00:01:55,535 --> 00:01:59,244 were in full retreat, zig-zagging across Texas, 35 00:01:59,244 --> 00:02:03,316 keeping just out of range of the advancing Mexicans. 36 00:02:03,316 --> 00:02:07,523 Rumors spread that alcohol had undercut his courage. 37 00:02:07,523 --> 00:02:10,701 Settlers jeered him from the roadside. 38 00:02:11,611 --> 00:02:14,731 -[Yarborough] The men under him said he was a coward, 39 00:02:14,731 --> 00:02:17,449 and Sidney Sherman, the colonel, tried to replace him. 40 00:02:17,449 --> 00:02:20,709 Sam Houston said, "Anybody that tries to remove me from this command, 41 00:02:20,709 --> 00:02:22,419 "I'll execute him on the spot." 42 00:02:22,419 --> 00:02:24,779 [drumming] 43 00:02:24,779 --> 00:02:26,202 -[narrator] For more than a month, 44 00:02:26,202 --> 00:02:30,904 Santa Anna pursued Houston's elusive army. 45 00:02:30,904 --> 00:02:34,017 Then the Mexican general made a mistake. 46 00:02:34,017 --> 00:02:36,548 He divided his troops and veered off 47 00:02:36,548 --> 00:02:39,310 in hopes of capturing the provisional government. 48 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:43,328 Houston slipped up behind him 49 00:02:43,328 --> 00:02:47,579 in a bend in a river called the San Jacinto. 50 00:02:47,579 --> 00:02:50,878 -[man] April 21, 1836. 51 00:02:50,878 --> 00:02:53,794 We are in preparation to meet Santa Anna. 52 00:02:53,794 --> 00:02:57,130 It's the only chance of saving Texas. 53 00:02:57,130 --> 00:02:59,439 We go to conquer. 54 00:02:59,439 --> 00:03:02,858 It is wisdom growing out of necessity to meet the enemy now. 55 00:03:04,148 --> 00:03:08,701 -[narrator] Santa Anna's army was surrounded by water on three sides. 56 00:03:08,701 --> 00:03:12,760 Houston's 800 men moved into position on the fourth. 57 00:03:13,799 --> 00:03:17,637 -[Yarborough] There were trees there. 58 00:03:17,637 --> 00:03:20,232 Houston had men up in those trees watching him, 59 00:03:20,232 --> 00:03:22,160 and calling down to him what to do, 60 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,280 and he says the cavalry over there have taken their saddles off; 61 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,115 they're taking their horses to drink. 62 00:03:28,115 --> 00:03:30,619 This is siesta time. It's about 3:30, 63 00:03:30,619 --> 00:03:33,169 and most of the Mexicans is having their siesta. 64 00:03:33,169 --> 00:03:34,904 Houston immediately ordered them to line up. 65 00:03:34,904 --> 00:03:36,583 [horse neighing] 66 00:03:36,583 --> 00:03:39,623 [military drumming] 67 00:03:39,623 --> 00:03:43,571 -[narrator] "Trust in God and fear not," he told his men. 68 00:03:43,571 --> 00:03:47,289 "Remember Goliad. Remember the Alamo." 69 00:03:47,289 --> 00:03:48,510 [cannonfire] 70 00:03:48,510 --> 00:03:53,219 -[narrator] Houston led the charge himself, swinging his saber. 71 00:03:53,219 --> 00:03:57,391 His horse fell, hit five times. 72 00:03:57,391 --> 00:03:59,840 Houston climbed onto another horse. 73 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:01,992 It too was killed, 74 00:04:01,992 --> 00:04:05,589 and this time Houston's right leg was splintered by a musketball. 75 00:04:05,589 --> 00:04:07,149 [gunfire, horse neighing] 76 00:04:07,149 --> 00:04:11,054 But Santa Anna's army was on the run. 77 00:04:11,054 --> 00:04:14,232 The Texans and the company of Tejanos under Juan Seguín 78 00:04:14,232 --> 00:04:15,757 were right behind them. 79 00:04:17,227 --> 00:04:19,946 The fighting lasted just 18 minutes, 80 00:04:20,786 --> 00:04:26,487 [horse neighs, gunfire] 81 00:04:26,487 --> 00:04:29,045 but the slaughter went on for another hour. 82 00:04:36,964 --> 00:04:44,286 [♪ sentimental music ♪] 83 00:04:44,286 --> 00:04:48,874 When it was all over, 600 Mexican soldiers lay dead. 84 00:04:48,874 --> 00:04:52,156 Nearly 700 more had surrendered. 85 00:04:52,156 --> 00:04:57,147 The surprise had been so complete, the blow so sudden, 86 00:04:57,147 --> 00:05:01,354 that only six Texans died during the Battle of San Jacinto. 87 00:05:03,020 --> 00:05:07,169 Santa Anna himself was made Sam Houston's prisoner, 88 00:05:07,169 --> 00:05:12,112 and forced to sign a piece of paper ceding Texan independence. 89 00:05:15,209 --> 00:05:19,791 Now there were three independent republics in North America: 90 00:05:19,791 --> 00:05:20,795 Mexico, 91 00:05:20,795 --> 00:05:22,785 the United States, 92 00:05:22,785 --> 00:05:27,841 and, under President Sam Houston, the new Republic of Texas.