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Allen
Vince was a Missourian who came to Texas
with Austin’s original colony. He settled on a bayou that fed into
Buffalo Bayou about 20 miles below where the town of Houston
was later established. He built a small, rough, but sturdy bridge
out of cedar over the bayou—which became known as ‘Vince’s Bayou,’
while the bridge was known as ‘Vince’s Bridge.’
Vince’s Bridge was a very important structure in the area. It was
about the only way you could cross Vince’s Bayou, since the land
around it was extremely marshy.
Mr. Vince established
what was known at the time as a stock farm—we’d call it a ranch
today. He raised cattle brought from back east and some very fine
horses, as well. In particular he had a large, coal-black stallion
called ‘Old Whip.’ Whip was both powerful and extremely fast. Mr.
Vince held him at stud, getting a handsome fee for breeding him
to mares in the area.
Then came April, 1836. Santa Anna and
his army showed up on Vince’s doorstep. The family promptly fled,
leaving their stock behind—including Old Whip. Santa Anna immediately
appropriated the stallion for his own use, transferring his elaborate,
gold and silver mounted saddle from the animal he was riding. He
then crossed Vince’s Bridge with his army, with the exception of
a 12-pounder cannon, its caisson, and a wagon full of ammunition.
He didn’t think the bridge was sturdy enough to cross such heavy
weight. He had it moved around the head of the bayou. Soon after
Santa Anna’s army crossed, Houston
brought his men across the same bridge. After Houston came Cos with
an additional 500 Mexican troops.
Santa Anna continued on to New Washington,
where he burned a warehouse and took possession of whatever else
he could find. He then sent Colonel Delgado out with a detachment
to bring in some cattle to feed the army. Delgado’s detachment rounded
up 100 head belonging to Dr. Johnson Hunter, which were then slaughtered.
Hunter had about 600 head, so Santa Anna didn’t feel his troops
would go hungry.
According to Delgado’s after-action report, when a scout came in
and informed Santa Anna that Houston’s
troops had crossed the bayou and were in his rear, he behaved in
a most peculiar manner. To quote Delgado, “He at once mounted his
horse and dashed back toward the prairie through a narrow lane crowded
with pack mules and soldiers, riding over them and knocking them
to one side in piles, and shouting at the top of his voice ‘The
enemy are coming! The enemy are coming!’” This thoroughly demoralized
the Mexican army. Instead of preparing for battle, the men started
trying to run away. Finally a group of cavalry arrived with the
information that Houston
and his men had gone into camp on Buffalo Bayou. Santa
Anna once more got control of his men and moved them to a spot
about half a mile south of where the Texian army was camped, preparing
for a battle the next day.
Santa Anna had
a bright orange tent made of a heavy-woven, canvas-like material
that actually was silk. He spent a lot of time in that tent. What
he was doing there we don’t know for sure, but rumor holds he had
a woman named Emily in it with him. Emily Morgan is the inspiration
for the original lyrics of the song, ‘The
Yellow Rose of Texas.’ He also kept Whip saddled and next to
his tent.
About four o’clock on the afternoon of April 21 the Mexican army
was taking a siesta. That, of course, is when Houston
and his 800-odd men struck the much-superior force. The battle itself,
considered one of the ‘turning point’ battles in world history,
was over in sixteen minutes. The Texicans, many of whom had close
friends or relatives with Travis at the Alamo
or Fannin at Goliad,
continued to pursue and kill as many Mexican soldiers as they could
find. The slaughter lasted until it was too dark to see.
Santa Anna, in the meantime, jumped on Whip and headed for Vince’s
Bridge. Houston,
though, had ordered Deaf
Smith and his scouts to burn the bridge. Santa Anna tried to
cross the bayou on Whip, but the horse got thoroughly mired and
he abandoned him, hiding out in some reeds. When Captain Henry W.
Karnes and his troops arrived they found Whip still stuck in the
mud, with Santa Anna’s gaudy saddle still on him. They got the horse
out of the mud, cleaned him up, and brought him back to Houston,
whose own horse had been killed in the battle. Some time later Sion
R. Bostick and four other men found Santa
Anna hidden in the reeds, wearing a private soldier’s coat.
He claimed to be but a private, but when the men saw he was wearing
a fine, ruffled linen shirt under the coat and had on silk under-drawers,
they realized he was much more than a private.
Whip was eventually returned to Allen Vince, who kept him for many
years. Santa Anna’s saddle was auctioned off as spoils of war. It
was purchased by Mirabeau
B. Lamar for, or so the source says, $300. Considering that
an ounce of bullion gold sold for $10 in those days, that was a
lot of money.
© C.
F. Eckhardt
"Charley Eckhardt's Texas"
December
1, 2011 column
Related Articles:
Battle of the
Alamo
Battle of
San Jacinto
The Yellow
Rose of Texas.
Related Topics:
Texas Animals
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