There has been quite a bit of confusion about Vince's Bridge ever since the famous Battle of San Jacinto. Different accounts from that time disagreed about where the bridge was located and who actually destroyed it. This confusion was partly because two brothers, William and Allen Vince, owned lands near each other, which were crossed by two separate streams, Vince's Bayou and Sims Bayou.
There has been quite a bit of confusion about Vince's Bridge ever since the famous Battle of San Jacinto. Different accounts from that time disagreed about where the bridge was located and who actually destroyed it. This confusion was partly because two brothers, William and Allen Vince, owned lands near each other, which were crossed by two separate streams, Vince's Bayou and Sims Bayou.
William Vince owned property along Buffalo Bayou and named a nearby stream Vince’s Bayou. He built a bridge over this stream to make it easier to move across his land. His brother, Allen, owned land adjacent to William's but never built anything significant there. He chose instead to live in William’s cabin and use William's bridge.
Historical documents and narratives mainly confirm that the bridge destroyed during the battle was indeed on Vince's Bayou, part of William's property. General Sam Houston, the leader of the Texian forces, ordered the destruction of this bridge not to stop reinforcements but to prevent the Mexican army from escaping, effectively trapping them.
The destruction of Vince’s Bridge was crucial strategically. Once the bridge was destroyed, the retreating Mexican troops were forced into a narrow area where they had to either surrender or try to escape by swimming across the swollen bayou, which was nearly impossible. This strategic move played a significant role in Texas winning its independence from Mexico, as it led to the capture of General Santa Anna.
The bridge appears on the reverse of the state Seal of Texas.
Vince's Bridge markerVince's Bridge Historical Marker with Vince's Bayou in the distance
Martín Perfecto de Cos was a Mexican Army general and politician during the mid-19th century. Born in Veracruz, the son of an attorney, he became an army cadet at the age of 20, a Lieutenant in 1821, and a Brigadier General in 1833.
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Deer Park, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican army in a fight that lasted just 18 minutes. A detailed, first-hand account of the battle was written by General Houston from the headquarters of the Texan Army in San Jacinto on April 25, 1836. Numerous secondary analyses and interpretations have followed.
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event and military engagement in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar, killing most of the occupants. Santa Anna's refusal to take prisoners during the battle inspired many Texians and Tejanos to join the Texian Army. Motivated by a desire for revenge, as well as their written desire to preserve a border open to immigration and the importation and practice of slavery, the Texians defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, ending the conquering of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas by the newly formed Republic of Texas.
Buffalo Bayou is a slow-moving body of water which flows through Houston in Harris County, Texas. Formed 18,000 years ago, it has its source in the prairie surrounding Katy, Fort Bend County, and flows approximately 53 miles (85 km) east through the Houston Ship Channel into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to drainage water impounded and released by the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, the bayou is fed by natural springs, surface runoff, and several significant tributary bayous, including White Oak Bayou, Greens Bayou, and Brays Bayou. Additionally, Buffalo Bayou is considered a tidal river downstream of a point 440 yards (400 m) west of the Shepherd Drive bridge in west-central Houston.
The Runaway Scrape events took place mainly between September 1835 and April 1836 and were the evacuations by Texas residents fleeing the Mexican Army of Operations during the Texas Revolution, from the Battle of the Alamo through the decisive Battle of San Jacinto. The ad interim government of the new Republic of Texas and much of the civilian population fled eastward ahead of the Mexican forces. The conflict arose after Antonio López de Santa Anna abrogated the 1824 Constitution of Mexico and established martial law in Coahuila y Tejas. The Texians resisted and declared their independence. It was Sam Houston's responsibility, as the appointed commander-in-chief of the Provisional Army of Texas, to recruit and train a military force to defend the population against troops led by Santa Anna.
The Houston Ship Channel, in Houston, Texas, is part of the Port of Houston, one of the busiest seaports in the world. The channel is the conduit for ocean-going vessels between Houston-area terminals and the Gulf of Mexico, and it serves an increasing volume of inland barge traffic.
Alfonso Parcutt Steele was one of the last remaining survivors of the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution, and second-to-last survivor of Sam Houston's Army.
John Coker (1789–1851) was a soldier in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution, noted for a daring action during the Battle of San Jacinto that helped seal the decisive Texian victory.
Allen's Landing is the officially recognized birthplace of the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States. Located in Downtown Houston between the Main Street and Fannin Street viaducts, the landing encompasses the southern bank of Buffalo Bayou, the city's principal river, at its confluence with White Oak Bayou, a major tributary. Allen's Landing is located south of the University of Houston–Downtown Commerce Street Building.
Houston, the most populous city in the Southern United States, is located along the upper Texas Gulf Coast, approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of the Gulf of Mexico at Galveston. The city, which is the ninth-largest in the United States by area, covers 601.7 square miles (1,558 km2), of which 579.4 square miles (1,501 km2), or 96.3%, is land and 22.3 square miles (58 km2), or 3.7%, is water.
Sidney Sherman was a Texian general and a key leader in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution and afterwards.
Moses Lapham was a soldier in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution, noted for a daring action during the Battle of San Jacinto that helped seal the decisive Texian victory.
The Lynchburg Ferry is a free ferry across the Houston Ship Channel in the U.S. state of Texas, connecting Crosby-Lynchburg Road in Lynchburg to the north with the former State Highway 134 and San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte to the south. Operated by the Harris County Toll Road Authority, the 1,080 feet (330 m) crossing is the oldest operating ferry service within the state of Texas.
Sion Record Bostick was a soldier for the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution, and later fought for the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Bostick is most famous as one of the Texas Army scouts who captured Antonio López de Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution.
John Austin Wharton was distinguished Texian statesman, lawyer, and soldier. He served as Adjutant General at the Battle of San Jacinto. In a eulogy at his grave, Republic of Texas President David G. Burnet said of him, "The keenest blade on the field of San Jacinto is broken." He died a bachelor on December 17, 1838, while serving as a member of the Texas Congress. His nephew, John A. Wharton, who would go on to be a Confederate Army general, was named for him.
José Antonio Menchaca was an American soldier and politician who fought in the Texas Revolution and was recognized by a Joint Resolution of the Republic of Texas on December 22, 1838. Following the war, Menchaca served on the city council of San Antonio, Texas. He later commanded militia troops and helped defend the town from a Mexican invasion by General Adrian Woll in 1842.
Moseley Baker was an American lawyer, politician, and military officer who served as the speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives and served two terms in the Congress of the Republic of Texas, where he led impeachment proceedings against President Sam Houston. During the Texas Revolution, he led a company of men fighting in the Texian Army and was wounded at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was named a brigadier general of the Republic of Texas militia.
James Austin Sylvester (1807-1882) was the Texian soldier who captured Antonio López de Santa Anna on April 22, 1836, the day after the Battle of San Jacinto.
The San Jacinto Street Bridge is a viaduct which crosses Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This bridge was built in 1914 to replace an iron pivot bridge of 1883 origin, and rehabilitated in 1997. It is a transportation conduit connecting downtown and the historical Fifth Ward.
The Twin Sisters are a pair of cannons used by Texas Military Forces during the Texas Revolution. They are among the most famous artillery in Texas military history with the "Come and Take It" cannon starting the revolution at the Battle of Gonzales and the Twin Sisters winning it at the Battle of San Jacinto. The Twin Sisters were also potentially used during the Mexican Invasions of 1842 and American Civil War.
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