04/22/2026
The final, shocking, and decisive conflict of the Texas Revolution took place on April 21, 1836. During the Battle of San Jacinto, Gen. Sam Houston and his army of nearly 950 Texian soldiers routed Gen. Santa Anna’s force of more than 1,200—in just 18 minutes.
Screened by trees and rising ground, Houston’s men formed with Edward Burleson’s regiment at center, Sidney Sherman’s on the left wing, artillery under George W. Hockley on Burleson’s right, and the infantry under Henry Millard on the right of the artillery.
Under Mirabeau B. Lamar, the cavalry took the extreme right to cut off possible flight of Mexican troops. With their four-piece band playing a popular love song, “Will You Come to the Bower,” the Texians attacked at a run, crying, “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!”
Such was their fury that 630 of the enemy were killed and 730 captured. An enemy shot shattered Gen. Houston’s ankle, but he lost only nine men (killed or mortally wounded).
Today, San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte preserves the ground where this decisive victory secured Texas independence. The 1,200-acre site includes the San Jacinto Monument, the San Jacinto Museum, and the historic battleground itself. Completed in 1939, the 567-foot-tall San Jacinto Monument stands as a lasting tribute to those who fought and sacrificed there.
Plan your own visit: visitsanjacinto.com
