The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956 Page: 359
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A Critical Analysis of the San Jacinto Campaign
caused to be constructed a breastwork about five feet in height,
made out of pack loads, saddles, and other equipment and supplies.
At eight o'clock on the morning of April 21, General C6s joined
Santa Anna with 500 men. Santa Anna claims that he called for
first-class troops, and that C6s brought ex-convicts, the poorest
troops in the army. C6s joined Santa Anna by way of Vince's
Bridge. This reinforcement made the strength of Santa Anna's
force about 1500 men.
In his official report of the battle, General Houston said 783
men were present in the Texan Army at the battle. L. W. Kemp
of Houston, the foremost student of the battle of San Jacinto,
however, says in his The Battle of San Jacinto and the San Jacinto
Compaign, that 910 men were present.
Shortly before noon of the 21 st, General Houston held his one
and only council of war. Those in attendance were: Colonels
Burleson and Sherman; Lieutenant Colonels Henry Millard,
Alexander Somervell, and Joseph I. Bennett; and Major Lysander
Wells. The question put to the council was, "Shall we attack now
or wait for the Mexicans to attack us?" Lieutenant Colonel Ben-
nett and Major Wells were in favor of attacking Santa Anna's
army at once; the remaining members voted to wait for the Mex-
icans to attack. General Houston did not express his views. 1
General Houston sent Lieutenant Colonel Bennett through the
camp to ascertain the state of feeling among the troops. They
were reported in fine spirits and as wanting to fight.
The Texas army was ordered to parade at 3:30 P. M. The Mex-
ican soldiers were enjoying their siesta. Movements of the Texas
force were screened by the rising ground and trees to the front of
their position. The Texas army was formed from left to right as
follows: 2nd Regiment under Sherman, Ist Regiment under
Burleson, artillery ("Twin Sisters") under Lieutenant Colonel
George Washington Hockley, regular infantry battalion under
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Millard, and the cavalry company
under Mirabeau B. Lamar. The movement forward was initiated
by the advance of the 2nd Regiment.
Before the command was paraded, General Houston ordered
Scout Deaf Smith to destroy Vince's Bridge, so that any rein-
1aWebb, Walter Prescott and H. Bailey Carroll (eds.), Handbook of Texas (2
vols.; Austin, 1952), II, 554.359
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956, periodical, 1956; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101162/m1/385/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.