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Post by marvelous35 on Apr 2, 2008 13:41:18 GMT -5
has anything been taken out of the ground from this battle, from either side, i figure with this being a rest ground for the mexicians there had to be alot of things left when this battle happened.
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Post by Greg C. on Apr 2, 2008 13:52:34 GMT -5
I'm sure there are/were a few cannon balls or buttons laying around...
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Post by neferetus on Apr 2, 2008 16:19:51 GMT -5
I'm sure there are/were a few cannon balls or buttons laying around... If you did deep enough. Remember, to the Texians' discredit, none of the Mexican bodies were buried, but were left to rot on the battlefield. Years later, bones were still scattered everywhere---the ones the wolves, vultures and coyotes did not carry off. |
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Post by Greg C. on Apr 3, 2008 14:09:06 GMT -5
I'm sure there are/were a few cannon balls or buttons laying around... If you did deep enough. Remember, to the Texians' discredit, none of the Mexican bodies were buried, but were left to rot on the battlefield. Years later, bones were still scattered everywhere---the ones the wolves, vultures and coyotes did not carry off. Wow, I did not know that. It's very interesting though... |
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Post by seguin on Apr 3, 2008 19:39:28 GMT -5
I'm sure there are/were a few cannon balls or buttons laying around... If you did deep enough. Remember, to the Texians' discredit, none of the Mexican bodies were buried, but were left to rot on the battlefield. Years later, bones were still scattered everywhere---the ones the wolves, vultures and coyotes did not carry off. The Mexicans at least burned the bodies of the defenders... |
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Post by neferetus on Apr 3, 2008 20:24:32 GMT -5
True. It did the Texians no honor at San Jacinto, the way they treated the Mexican dead. But at least they did take prisoners, including wounded and treated them all well. As many of the Mexicans had been found trying to escape through the bayou, the Texians had built huge bonfires to help them dry off. The Mexicans, in remembering the Alamo, assumed that the fires were intended as their funeral pyres. When things cooled down from the heat of battle, the Texians resumed their coolheadedness and good nature. Still, you'd thing that they would've at least put some of the captured Mexican soldiers to work in burying their own dead. I'm sure many of the soldados would've performed the task with little coaxing.
I wonder if some of the Texians looted the dead with their measly spoils of war? I'll bet the brass buttons on the Mexican tunics were not something your average Texian might have on his own coat, or jacket. He was probably more used to seeing, wood, bone, or fabric covered buttons.
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Post by seguin on Apr 3, 2008 22:46:16 GMT -5
Right! Apart from not burying the dead soldados, the Texians behaved ok towards their prisoners. Funny though, that the Texians did´nt order their Mexican prisoners to bury their dead comrades. As for looting, I´m sure it occured to some extent. That´s usually the case in most wars.
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Post by neferetus on Apr 4, 2008 10:11:48 GMT -5
John Linn, a Texian who had arrived at San Jacinto on April 23rd with a company of men aboard the steamboat Cayuga had this to say:
"Tom McKinney and I went to visit the field of battle. The ghastly spectacle of 600 Mexican corpses festering in the sun met our gaze. The pockets of ever one had been turned in search of plunder. In passing the breastworks I noticed a man who was extracting the teeth of dead Mexicans. He was a dentist from the United States. I suggested to General Houston that several hundred prisoners under armed guard should bury the enemy slain. Houston repeated my suggestion to Santa Anna, who replied that he was wholly indifferent and cared not what disposition was made of the bodies".
(From Francis X. Tolbert's THE DAY OF SAN JACINTO ,1959 McGraw Hill, pg. 200, para. 3)
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Post by neferetus on Apr 4, 2008 10:17:00 GMT -5
Linn, who spoke Spanish well, went on to say that: " Santa Anna volunteered the information that he'd often had similar problems during his military career. The year before, for instance, he had ruthlessly slaughtered hundreds of Zacatecas rebels, and El Presidente regarded this slaughter as analgous to the defeat of his army. Santa Anna said he found incremation a ready solution. But here the matter ended."
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Post by neferetus on Apr 4, 2008 10:28:28 GMT -5
One of the first things (Lorenzo) De Zavala did at San Jacinto was to inquire about General Castrillion. The Texas Vice-president was an old friend of the General's. When De Zavala heard of his cultured friend's death, he set out to look for the body. He was shocked to see the Spaniard still lying nearly nude on the plain beside the scalped carcasses of two gunners. He had his servants carry Castrillion's body across the bayou to the De Zavala ranch, where the General was buried in the Vice-president's family plot.
(Tolbert, THE DAY OF SAN JACINTO pg. 201, para 6.)
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Post by seguin on Apr 4, 2008 18:11:52 GMT -5
Jezuz! So all 600 bodies were looted including Castrillon´s body (why else would the body be nude?), and Santa Anna would´nt have them buried. He could at least have ordered some funeral pyres. Amazing that he did´nt care about the bodies of his officers (at least). Santa Anna seems to have been a real cynical bastard!
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Post by powderkeg on Dec 17, 2009 11:16:40 GMT -5
From time to time items come to the surface, and very few people are going to turn something like that in to authorities. My late best friend knew a guy in Houston who had a knife he'd found on the battleground, as well as some buttons and other small items.
It would be a tough temptation to keep something you found...
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 18, 2009 13:28:11 GMT -5
From time to time items come to the surface, and very few people are going to turn something like that in to authorities. My late best friend knew a guy in Houston who had a knife he'd found on the battleground, as well as some buttons and other small items. It would be a tough temptation to keep something you found... Just like when I found a bullet at Gettysburg. I'll illegal to take anything from there but too good to pass up. |
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Post by neferetus on Dec 28, 2009 17:39:15 GMT -5
And only you will be able to know the bullet's true signifacence. Try selling it on eBay and just watch all the authorities come down on you. (Not that you would part with it, or course.)
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Post by Greg C. on Dec 29, 2009 18:34:45 GMT -5
And only you will be able to know the bullet's true signifacence. Try selling it on eBay and just watch all the authorities come down on you. (Not that you would part with it, or course.) Yeah, I would never sell it. Probably one of my most prized possessions. Shops around town sell them by the thousands, but it's extra special when you find it yourself. |
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