San Jacinto Monument

The San Jacinto Battlefield Monument is located in La Porte, Texas near the Chevron Oil Refinery. It is the site of the last battle between the Texians and the Mexicans during the 1836 Texas Revolution and it is majestic in its grandeur while encompassing a much larger area than I expected due to the refineries nearby.

Just a little background on the Battle of San Jacinto. This is the last battle of the Texas Revolution which led to Texas’ independence. The Texians led by General Sam Houston were on the run and losing the Revolution when in April of 1836 they came to a fork in the road. They could take the route to refugee status and escape to Louisiana or go to Harrisburg and face General Santa Anna and his army. They chose the latter and with a small force of 935 men faced Santa Anna and 750 of his soldiers who were separated from the main portion of the Mexican Army.

Eventually General Martin Perfecto de Cos showed up with 500 additional Mexican troops, but this was not enough to stop the Texians. In the end, the Texians drove the Mexicans into a marsh and slaughter them until the lake turned red. General Houston and other officers tried to stop the atrocities but were unsuccessful because the troops remembered the carnage at the Alamo and Goliad when no mercy was shown to Texians.

Of course today when we visit the battlefield are only reading what happened and seeing the land itself. But to know this history adds another layer to appreciating the memorial.

When driving to the battlefield, you are on a two lane road that leads to two areas to visit both directly across from one another. The areas I visited during this trip were the De Zavala Cemetery, the monument, and the museum.

The De Zavala Cemetery is an open area right across from the main monument but near the ship channel which honors Lorenzo de Zavala and his descendants along with some other key figures in Texas history. Zavala signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and the Texas Constitution. This cemetery was designed to honor him and others for their contributions to the early republic. Additionally, a sundial honoring nine individuals was installed by the Daughters of the Texas Revolution. It’s a large metal sculpture of a sundial that has the names of the nine men inscribed on the base.

From the cemetery, I then walked across the street to see the monument and the extremely large reflecting pool in front of it. It is reminiscent of the Washington Monument in Washington DC but with a lone star at the top and a much larger base which houses the museum. The memorial is a classic column shape popular in the 19^th century.

Once I was done observing the outside and walking around the plaza that surrounds the memorial and museum. I entered the museum to view the artifacts and speak with the museum staff. There was an assortment of guns, swords, clothing, letters, and other items related to the battle or the participants. From here, I went to the gift store and engaged with the staff who were delightful and full of information. The gift shop was fabulous too with an assortment of books and items available to the public.

All in all, even though it was a hot and dry day during the hot and dry summer of 2023, the San Jacinto Battlefield Monument is worth the visit.