Route of the Texas Army
Oakland, Lavaca County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In Texas Revolution, Gen. Sam Houston and his Texas Army crossed Rocky Creek near this spot, March 15, 1836, retreating eastward from town of Gonzales. Their victory 5 weeks later over Santa Anna's Mexican Army, in Battle of San Jacinto, brought freedom to Texas, April 21. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In March 1836, during the Texas Revolution, General Sam Houston led his army across Rocky Creek near this spot as they retreated eastward from Gonzales. Five weeks later that same army turned and crushed Santa Anna's forces at San Jacinto, winning Texas its independence.
Why it matters
This quiet creek crossing lay along the path of a fighting retreat that ended in one of the most decisive battles in North American history.
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Related people
- · Sam Houston
- · Santa Anna
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Joseph Lawrence
Hallettsville, TX
Joseph Lawrence volunteered in the Texas War for Independence and stood among the victors at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the fight that secured Texas's separation from Mexico. The State of Texas marked his memory with the star and wreath reserved for veterans of that founding struggle.
William B. Bridgers
Schulenburg, TX
As one of Stephen F. Austin's "Old Three Hundred," William B. Bridgers received a Texas land grant in 1824 among the first Anglo colonists in Mexican Texas. During the Texas Revolution he served in Capt. John Alley's company, which rushed to aid Col. John H. Moore of Fayette County. A farmer, rancher, and hatmaker, he later served as a Fayette County justice of the peace and postmaster of Lyons.
Captain Leiper Willoughby
Hallettsville, TX
Leiper Willoughby came to Texas in 1831 and fought in Captain William H. Patton's company at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the engagement that won Texas its independence. He remained in arms for the young Republic, serving in the 1842 Vasquez Campaign against Mexican incursion and in frontier fighting that same year. He died in 1874, and the state honored him with a Star and Wreath marker in 1956.
Stephen Tucker Foley
Hallettsville, TX
Stephen Tucker Foley was born in Alabama and came to Texas in 1834, arriving just as the colony's break with Mexico approached. In 1836 he served in the Army of Texas, standing with Captain William Heard's company of citizen-soldiers at the Battle of San Jacinto. The State of Texas honored his service to the revolution with this marker in 1956.