|
Post by Rich Curilla on Jul 25, 2012 18:57:36 GMT -5
I'm plotting out the Battle of Bexar and have a stumbling block that hasn't gone away over the years:
Any opinions on just exactly where "the priest's house" was? It was taken by the Texians late in the battle and it gave them direct access to the plaza and the backside of the cannon batteries facing up Acequia and Soledad Streets. The traditional Battle of Bexar map drawn the mid-1800's shows it to be the house in the middle of the north side of Plaza de las Islas (thus adjoining the Yturri House on the east), George Nelson's aerial painting shows it to be the two-story on the N.W. corner of the plaza (and I'm pretty sure I read an account that said the same), and the map in William Corner's 1890 book San Antonio de Bexar has it all the way at the far western end of the north side of Plaza de Armas -- which makes abdolutely no sense with the unfolding of the battle and the path of the Texians to the Plaza de las Islas. What am I missing? Anybody know of a source that might pinpoint it?
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Nov 18, 2013 20:02:02 GMT -5
We are looking north from over Plaza de las Islas (Main Plaza). The brown arrows at the top indicate the Texians' approach to the Battle of Bexar in the pre-dawn hours of December 5, 1835. Col. Milam's column came down Acequia Street (now Main Avenue) on the left and took the Antonio de la Garza house (No. 1). Col.Johnson's column came down Soledad Street on the right and captured the Veramendi house (No. 2). Two of General Cos' street batteries were located at the entrances to the plaza from both streets (marked with blue arrows). These would have been more formidable than I indicate and were roofed over, according to participants. It is easy to see how a little canister shot could rake both incoming streets and wipe out anybody in them. Thus, as per accounts, the approach routes moved into the yards along both streets and came over fences that I don't show. The De la Garza and Veramendi houses were the nearest formidable stone buildings to the main houses on the north side of the plaza, and thus the objects of the movement on the part of the Texians. No. 3 is the "Priest's House" as per the eye witness accounts and the most reliable battle map published in Yoakum's History of Texas. One of my greatest questions has been "Which priest?" Refugio de la Garza (the curate at San Fernando) or Padre Maines (the presidial priest who probably lived at the N.W. corner of Plaza de Armas? A recent reading of one of the primary accounts indicates that it was indeed Refugio de la Garza. The porte-cochere or zaguan entrance to the house and courtyard is shown on the 1849 W.G.M. Samuel painting and was barricaded on the north side with a stone breastwork. Looking S.S.W. from over the roof of the Veramendi house at the back of the stone buildings lining the north side of the plaza, we can get a feeling for what the Texians were attempting to capture -- a true fort. Their task was to somehow break into the plaza while avoiding the batteries facing them at the ends of the streets only 100 yards away, the cannon atop San Fernando Church and batteries firing from the Alamo to the east and the northwest corner of Plaza de Armas (Military Plaza) due west. According to Alwyn Barr, during the day of December 5, "Ten Texans climbed on top of the Veramendi house to fire from behind the low walls that stood up higher than the flat roof, but Mexican snipers from the tower of the church between the plazas pinned them down with shots from the taller building... Deaf Smith and half the men fell with wounds. To find shelter the uninjured soldiers used Bowie knives to chop a gap in the roof. Then they let Smith down by a blanket because of his wound." Milam's column ensconced themselves in the De la Garza house at the corner of Acequia St. and Veramendi St. This is the view of the plaza and church from over that roof. You can see the Mexican barricade at the end of the street. There is a cannon port (hard to see in this shot) to the left of where the San Pedro Acequia goes underneath the barricade. The L-shaped stone building at the far right is the Navarro house which came into play later in the battle.
|
|
|
Post by Herb on Nov 18, 2013 23:46:54 GMT -5
Ok,Rich, now you've done it! You're going to make me do some research. Think you may have just illustrated something I've struggled with.
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Nov 19, 2013 19:36:07 GMT -5
Ok,Rich, now you've done it! You're going to make me do some research. Think you may have just illustrated something I've struggled with. You couldn't have said a nicer thing. P.S. -- And I certainly embrace being corrected on details.
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Nov 19, 2013 19:41:52 GMT -5
Burleson's Camp. First picture looks toward Bexar from the camp side of Zambrano's Sugar Mill, also known as the Old Mill, the Molino Blanco and the Molino Viejo. The second picture looks at the Bexar face of the mill and mill race, which was used as a parapet by the Texians. Sorry about the modern tents, but they do represent where Burleson's camp was located. The third shot looks over the camp and mill to the Alamo (just as a footprint on the upper-left) and Bexar. Milam and Johnson's men started their trek heading down-river along the road to the right, passing through surgar cane fields on both sides (gonna have to use your imagination - lol) as well as maize fields closer to town.
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Nov 19, 2013 20:45:04 GMT -5
Now we're looking down-river again, but a bit to the right so you can see the round-about route to the center of town, about 1600 yards to the Veramendi house. The road then followed the route of modern day Augusta Street. St. Mary's Street would be between the road and the river, but these were labores then. Looking the opposite direction from the north edge of Bexar, the mill is seen to the right of the far end of the "Road to the Mill," about 1100 yards from our viewpoint. The cross streets at the bottom are the north end of Soledad (top) and Acequia (bottom). At these points, the going really got rough for Johnson and Milam as they started south down the streets. Johnson's men immediately swerved left of the street and began to climb fences between yards "between the street and the river" to avoid detection in the 40 foot wide street. Milam's men likewise. As indicated above, Johnson's men captured the Veramendi house. I'm not sure if they went in through the north wall or just over the fence into the yard, but at some point they did knock a hole in that end wall for access to a trench they dug the next day.
|
|
|
Post by edward on Nov 30, 2013 1:10:23 GMT -5
Juan Antonio Chaves “When Milam and his comrades came into San Antonio from the Molino Blanco, the December previous to the coming of Santa Anna, our home was right in the line of fire between Milam's men and the Mexican army under the command of General Cos. On that occasion we were compelled to flee from home and seek refuge in the country. When we returned we found the house badly shattered with shot and shell. The doors were riddled with bullets and grape shot from the cannon and escopetas and the rifle balls. Had our family remained some, if not all, would have been killed. When Santa Anna was marching on San Antonio, a friend of my father's came and told us there was going to be another very wicked fight. He advised him to leave and go again into the country. The experience my father had during the previous fight between the forces of Milam and Cos induced him to heed the counsel of this friend. My father took the entire family with him to the country several miles away from the city. We remained there until the Alamo had fallen and all of its defenders slain. We did not return for quite a while afterward. This time our home was not in the line of fire, but we did not know this, and it was much safer, anyway, for us in the country”. Juan Antonio Chaves Remembers Early Days San Antonio Daily Express, December 15, 1907 Transcribed by John Ogden Leal, Bexar County Archivist ---------------------------- Partial Bio below extracted from Steve Gibson (Bexargenealogy.com). Antonio Chaves was was born in la villa de San Fernando de Béxar (San Antonio, Texas) on February 14, 1827. He was raised in San Antonio and attended St. Vincent's College in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Upon completion of his studies he returned to San Antonio and taught school both there and in Mexico. In the late 1850’s Antonio Chaves quit teaching school and established himself as a farmer, stock raiser, and land investor. By the 1860’s he owned over 800 acres of land. During the Civil War Chaves served as county commissioner for Bexar County. In 1866 he won election as representative for that county to the Eleventh Texas Legislature. Following his term Chaves returned to San Antonio, serving the community as county commissioner as well as deputy sheriff under Sheriff John Crawford. He died on December 27, 1911 at his home in San Antonio and was buried at San Fernando Cemetery No. 1. ------------------------------------- His Uncle, was Leandro Chavez. Leandro Chavez Pension Petition (https://tslarc.tsl.state.tx.us/repclaims/208/20800487.pdf)
The State of Texas County of Bexar, Before me John Rosenheimer, a Notary Public in and for the County of Bexar and State of Texas. Personally appeared Leandro Chavez a resident citizen of the City of San Antonio, in the County and State aforesaid, who having been duly sworn by me, under said oath affirms and attests that he was born in the town of San Antonio in the year 1810, of Spanish parents who had settled in Texas, and that he has resided all his life either in said town or in the surrounding country. That in the year 1835, his parents had a farm or rancho on the San Antonio River near its junction with the Medina River. That affiant at that time expended the most part of his time attending on said rancho and occasionally coming to town. That about on the middle of the month of November 1835, he was on his way from the rancho to the City with his ox-cart, when he found himself surrounded by a party of armed men under the command of Juan N. Seguin, said party was mainly of friends and playmates of affiant. They told him that they were gathering in order to declare Texas independent from Mexico, that the most part of the young men were in favor of that move, that they were in great need of means of transportation that his cart would be very useful and they induced him to join them in their undertaking. Affiant accepted their offer and joined them. These facts took place near the Mission of San Jose in the locality called the "Canada".
As soon as he reached the camp of the Texians, he was engaged with his cart, transporting hay, wood and all that was necessary. Shouldering his musket whenever he was at hand. It was in reason of that, that affiant was never enrolled or attached to any special company. Few days after his junction with the Texian patriots, affiant took an active part in the Battle of Concepcion. The organization was not very regular, and the discipline not quite strict. Everyone who would fight, did it according to his wishes and impulsion, and affiant remembers well that at said battle, he was near by an American who was dangerously wounded and was called, as far as affiant can make it out, Colonel Samlett, or something approaching. That Colonel died afterwards from the results of his wound. It was on the count of affiant, that the men wounded at the Battle of Concepcion were brought from Concepcion to the north side of the City when the camp was removed. Affiant continued rendering the same service of a general character during all the siege of San Antonio.
At the storming of the place he was at the Veramendi house when the columns that had entered by Acequia Street and was engaged near the Garza's house sent for reinforcements, at that moment the communication between the two divisions was very dangerous although the distance that separated them was very short. So constant and so well was directed the enemy's fire, nevertheless affiant and some others decided to answer the call at all risks, they consequently started in a run from the Veramendi's house, but in crossing the street without any shelter to protect them, affiant received at the same instant two musket balls, the first one bruised his head scratching the skin without injuring the bones, it was a slight wound; and a second ball struck his right foot at the first articulatory of the thumb without injuring seriously the bones. This second wound, more painful than grievous, put an end to the military service of affiant. He can show yet the scars of his two wounds and nevertheless, he has never received any pay or compensation for his service. Whenever he has applied to the proper authorities, either by himself or by Attorney, he has always received for answer that his name was not found on any list of muster roll, as if the neglect of the superiors or the lack of a regular organization could destroy the reality of the service truly rendered.
Affiant considers that the actual laws of the State regulating the matter, have taken in consideration the reality of the service rendered when satisfactorily proven, more than the formality of an inscription in a muster roll, more or less faithful, and the most part of the time made in a hurry; and, under the engagement to prove the truth of his statement satisfactorily, he make the present affidavit to obtain the military pension to which he considers himself justly entitled under the laws in force granting said pension to the surviving veterans of the revolutionary war. his+mark Leandro Chavez Sworn to and subscribed before me this 2nd November AD 1874 Written my hand and the impress of my official seal. John Rosenheimer Notary Public B.C.
The State of Texas County of Bexar, Before me John Rosenheimer a Notary Public in and for the County and State: Personally appeared Colonel J. N. Seguin, who upon being by me duly sworn, upon his oath, deposes declares says, that he has a distinct recollection that when the Texian troops were gathering on the Salado, being one day scouting the country near the Mission San Jose with some of his men, they met with him the aforesaid Leandro Chavez, who joined the party and came to the Texian camps with his ox-team, that was very much needed the means of transportation being at that time quite scarce. That he rendered useful service as a courier and that being his main service he was not enlisted specially in any company although said Chavez shouldered his musket whenever needed. That it is correct that Leandro Chavez fought at the Concepcion, carried the men who were wounded in said battle up the river on the north side of the City whereto the camp was removed, that he continued during the Siege in his previous capacity and at the Storm of Bexar he received two flesh wounds near the house of Antonio de la Garza, one of which disabled him to render any immediate service. Since he remained lame for sometime he therefore left the Army with the authorization of Capt. B. Travis and retired to his family to cure his foot wounds, and finally the applicant is the same and identical person who rendered said military service at that time. Juan N. Seguin
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Dec 7, 2013 2:34:32 GMT -5
Edward's excellent post of the sworn statement of Leandro Chavez in his pension petition is certainly vivid, particularly in his clear description of his part in the Battle of Bexar. I have never seen this before. Thanks, Edward. In part, Chavez' statement says, "At the storming of the place he was at the Veramendi house when the columns that had entered by Acequia Street and was engaged near the Garza's house sent for reinforcements, at that moment the communication between the two divisions was very dangerous although the distance that separated them was very short. So constant and so well was directed the enemy's fire, nevertheless affiant and some others decided to answer the call at all risks, they consequently started in a run from the Veramendi's house, but in crossing the street without any shelter to protect them, affiant received at the same instant two musket balls, the first one bruised his head scratching the skin without injuring the bones, it was a slight wound; and a second ball struck his right foot at the first articulatory of the thumb without injuring seriously the bones." Please click on pictures to blow them up to full screen size for viewing. The view above from my virtual Bexar model shows both houses he refers to. We are looking east from above Acequia Street. The Antonio de la Garza house, held by Col. Milam's column is the battered stone building at the left. The Veramendi house (with the light blue trim) faces us on the far side of Soledad Street in the top right corner of the picture. The trench from the door of the De la Garza house to the end of the Veramendi was dug to allow safe communications between the posts, but apparently not in time to protect Chavez. His dash would have been on the open ground from the Veramendi to the door of the De la Garza. We are now looking south on Soledad. Assuming the trench was not yet there, Chavez would have had to run across this street from either the hole in the north end of the Veramendi (at the left) or from the famous doors (now housed in the Alamo) facing the street. In this angle, we can see the wooden barricade across the far end of Soledad Street at its entrance to the Plaza de las Islas (Main Plaza). This was one of General Cos' street batteries only 100 yards beyond the Veramendi. Protected by it, either one or two 4-pounders were capable of sweeping this whole crossing with canister. The picture below is from the roof of the Veramendi house looking S.S.W. From here, we can still see the street battery at the upper left. The buildings to its right, which formed the north side of the plaza, were loopholed on the sides facing north (you can see the rapidly knocked holes in the walls) and the roof parapet was topped with rows of sandbags with Mexican sharpshooters firing from behind them. This view of the "fort" facing the Texians' attack is what Chavez would have seen from the ground and where the rifle or musket fire came from that hit him. There was probably also a 4-pounder on the roof of San Fernando Church as well as sharpshooters in the bell tower. The hole in the roof of the Veramendi house is historical. As mentioned in my earlier post, several Texians -- including Deaf Smith -- tried to fire on the Mexicans from the Veramendi roof, but, as you can see, the parapet was not high enough to protect them. Smith was badly wounded and had to be lowered to safety through the hole knocked in the roof. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Dec 7, 2013 3:52:19 GMT -5
Finally, a reverse angle point-of-view looking due north from the roof of the Priest's House on the north side of Plaza de las Islas. Cos' soldados are protected by sandbags hastily put in place before sunrise on December 6. Here you can see both houses in the distance -- the De la Garza in the upper left behind the smaller stone building and the Veramendi upper right. Here we can see the full length of Chavez' run from right to left and how very vulnerable it was to Mexican fire from these roofs and the loopholes in the walls below them. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Dec 7, 2013 15:00:00 GMT -5
Here's a diagram to help you see how close this action was. The Blue line represents Chaves' path to the Antonio de la Garza house from either the door (red arrow) or the north end (green arrow) of the Veramendi. It is certainly possible that low fences (orange arrow area) lined the street, but Chaves himself said "without any shelter to protect...." He also indicates that he was wounded while "crossing the street," meaning Soledad Street as soon as he broke from the house. The red lines are Mexican rifle or musket fire from the roofs on the north side of the plaza where the sandbagged parapets are in the previous picture. I've also depicted the red spray of canister from the 4-pounder at Cos' street battery on Soledad. From the sandbags in the middle of the Priest's House roof, it was 116 yards to the Veramendi door, 126 yards to the north end beyond, and 120 to 125 yards as he ran the length of the street right to left. A perfect shooting gallery for Cos' soldados.
|
|
|
Post by edward on Dec 7, 2013 16:53:25 GMT -5
Finally, a reverse angle point-of-view looking due north from the roof of the Priest's House on the north side of Plaza de las Islas. Cos' soldados are protected by sandbags hastily put in place before sunrise on December 6. Here you can see both houses in the distance -- the De la Garza in the upper left behind the smaller stone building and the Veramendi upper right. Here we can see the full length of Chavez' run from right to left and how very vulnerable it was to Mexican fire from these roofs and the loopholes in the walls below them. This is great Rich. I have all this drawn in 2D and I have been slowly converting everything into 3D because as you have shown it makes it so much easier to grasp the dynamics of the situation with the surrounding structures or lack there of. The main problem in making everything 3D is that a lot more information is required to be researched. You have done a great job on something that requires a huge amount of dedication. Thanks for posting these views.
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Dec 7, 2013 19:10:09 GMT -5
The main problem in making everything 3D is that a lot more information is required to be researched. That's the wonderful reward. It is forcing me to dig for information that never occurred to me before, and, by doing so, puts me in touch with details I never would have come upon had I not been working on the model.
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Dec 8, 2013 0:50:31 GMT -5
Once again, photos will not post the way I want them to even though it normally works fine and I'm not doing anything different. So please bear with the disarray. Photo 1: The photo at the bottom of the post in the "attachments" section. This is the trench from the Antonio de la Garza door to the north end of the Veramendi house. On December 7, 1875, Col Benjamin Rush Milam used the trench to safely move from his column's stronghold over to Col. Johnson's position. Lt. William Ridgeway Carey's abandoned fieldpiece is still aimed at the covered Mexican battery at the south end of Acequia Street. Photo 2: Milam would have traveled this trench (which probably was only half as deep but with the earth piled up on the south side (to the right) for the full protection. Photo 3: No doubt, Milam entered through the hole made by the Texians in the north wall of the Veramendi house, avoiding the sharpshooters 100 yards south on top of the buildings and behind the covered battery at the far end of Soledad St. Unlike Leandro Chaves, he was successful in crossing the most dangerous Mexican field of fire. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Dec 8, 2013 1:57:01 GMT -5
This post worked fine as far as uploading the photos -- and I did it the same way. Photo 1: Milam came through the Veramendi sala to the right of the zaguan passage way and then out into the garden. Participants' accounts vary. One says he was inspecting a wagon in the courtyard. Another says he was looking at something through a spyglass. In any event, a Mexican sniper in the bell tower of the church (according to one account) shot him through the head and killed him instantly. If Milam had walked over to the ruined south wall of the yard to use his glass, then the sniper's shot would have been 212 yards from San Fernando's tower, seen in the upper left background. Of course, if they were mistaken and the sniper were on the roof of the Yturri house (the L-shaped building between us and the church) or the Padre de la Garza's house (next to it on the left), then the range would have been much shorter -- 118 yards and 109 yards respectively. Photo 2: However, tradition says that he was shot by a sniper in a tree across the river, and the grand old cypress that still stands in the bend of the river where the floodgate is now has claimed that distinction. I have placed a tree in the exact position on my model. It is the skinny dark green one seen above the Veramendi kitchen on the left side of the picture. If true, this would have provided the sniper with a clear shot at Milam anywhere from the zaguan to the south wall of the garden. Photo 3: Looking from the point of view of the cypress tree, it appears to be a relatively easy shot for a cazador with a British Baker Rifle. The range is 127 yards from the tree to the zaguan (just behind the left edge of the kitchen in my angle but visible from the tree) and only 109 yards if Milam had indeed come out to the wall. He fell into Sam Maverick's arms and was buried in the Veramendi yard, supposedly near the north wing.
|
|
|
Post by Rich Curilla on Dec 8, 2013 4:03:15 GMT -5
Another possibility is that the sniper was in none of these places. One of my flippant theories is that he might have been in a tree more directly across the river as in this view. There were most likely clumps of trees all along the river on the east side. Earlier on the 7th., the Mexicans had established an entrenchment (not a battery, as has been previously stated) on the east side of the river. This appears to have been directly in line with the rear of the Veramendi yard, thus directly behind our postition in the picture. It would not be too great a stretch of the imagination to assume that a sharpshooter from this entrenchment, which was shortly abandoned (I believe), could have moved up close to the bank, climbed a tree to see over the six foot garden wall and picked Milam off with a direct shot of 90 yards. Here is the 1865 Merrick drawing from almost this same spot across the river: In the following Merrick drawing, you can actually see what appears to be the hole in the north wall of the building where the Texians -- and Milam -- entered.
|
|