08/03/2026
The Battle of Nacogdoches has been called the "opening Battle of the Texas Revolution." After a skirmish in Anahuac in 1832, Mexican Colonel Jose de Las Piedras issued an order for all residents in Nacogdoches to surrender their arms. On August 2, 1832, the Texian Militia, consisting of men from the Department of the Nacogdoches area, marched into the town of Nacogdoches to voice their demands to rescind the order. House-to-house combat ensued with Mexican casualties escalating. The Mexican Army took refuge in the Old Stone Fort and the Red House and later fled in the middle of the night. The next day, August 3, they surrendered at the Durst house near the town of Douglas. (Carolyn Raney, DRT Historian General)
The First Ceremony to commemorate the Battle of Nacogdoches was held last year on Sunday, August 2, 2025 at the site. Pictured were attendees who are descendants of the men who fought in the battle 193 years ago. They are:
Sitting front row, left to right: Sharon Bogard Bradberry (Donald McDonald), Arlene Garey (Henry Brewer), Rachel Anderson Underwood (Capt. Bailey Anderson, Jr.), Carolyn Thomas Raney (Shadrack Thomas);
Standing, back row, left to right: Joe Allport (Samuel S. Davis), Jimmy Metteauer (William Garrett), Kerry Lacy (Stephen Prather), Billy Mayo (Henry Brewer), Mike Wilson (Lt. Hiram Brown), Ken Raney (Henry Brewer), Jim Brewer (John Brewer).
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas Stone Fort Chapter/Nacogdoches and the Sons of the Republic of Texas (SRT) will organize this event annually. For more information, check out the SRT website at https://www.srttexas.org/ . Contact the SRT at https://www.srttexas.org/contact/ to find out how you can become more involved.
