1-1 By: Green (Senate Sponsor - Armbrister) H.C.R. No. 179 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 14, 1999; 1-3 April 15, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Administration; April 30, 1999, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 4, Nays 0; April 30, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, Gonzales has long been known as the "Lexington of 1-8 Texas" by virtue of the prominent place the town holds in the 1-9 history of the Texas War for Independence, and it is appropriate 1-10 that the State of Texas recognize this unique facet of our shared 1-11 heritage as Texans and Americans; and 1-12 WHEREAS, Similarities between the two battles are striking; 1-13 in 1775, American colonists were chafing under the rule of the 1-14 distant British monarchy; fearing rebellion, the British army 1-15 marched into the village of Lexington, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1-16 1775, with the intention of confiscating the settlers' arms and 1-17 ammunition; the settlers resisted, and within minutes, the first 1-18 shots of the American Revolution had been fired; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Some 60 years later, Texans were growing resentful 1-20 of a Mexican colonial government that seemed unsympathetic to their 1-21 needs and concerns, and again the spirit of revolution was in the 1-22 air; when Mexican authorities demanded the return of a small cannon 1-23 that had been deployed to Gonzales for the protection of its 1-24 citizens, the townspeople refused, and 100 Mexican soldiers were 1-25 dispatched to Gonzales to retrieve the cannon and quash the 1-26 apparent insurrection; and 1-27 WHEREAS, An initial force of only 18 men set out to delay the 1-28 cavalrymen by removing the only river ferry that provided access to 1-29 the settlement; the Mexican soldiers were forced to look for 1-30 another crossing, and within a few days, on October 2, 1835, they 1-31 were met by a force of some 50 armed Texans under the command of 1-32 Colonel J. H. Moore and Lieutenant Colonel J. W. E. Wallace; at the 1-33 forefront of the group was the cannon, and over the cannon flew a 1-34 stark black and white flag featuring the immortal words, "Come and 1-35 Take It!"; and 1-36 WHEREAS, After one shot was fired from the small but powerful 1-37 cannon, the Mexican Army retreated, and the people of Texas 1-38 officially embarked on the path that would lead to independence and 1-39 later statehood; and 1-40 WHEREAS, The significance of these two battles lies in the 1-41 determination of the people who were willing to risk their lives 1-42 for the noble cause of freedom, and it is indeed fitting that we 1-43 today pay homage to both of these watershed moments in history; 1-44 now, therefore, be it 1-45 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-46 hereby declare Gonzales to be the "Lexington of Texas" in 1-47 recognition of the town's vital role in the Texas Revolution. 1-48 * * * * *