R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives takes great pride
 1-2     in paying tribute to the memory of Captain Jesse Billingsley, a
 1-3     true hero in the long and noble struggle for Texas independence;
 1-4     and
 1-5           WHEREAS, Captain Billingsley was born in  Tennessee on
 1-6     October 10, 1810, and moved to Bastrop County in 1835; he settled
 1-7     in Cedar Creek, and his ability and commitment to the cause of
 1-8     Texas sovereignty  encouraged his election as leader of the Mina
 1-9     Volunteers, who were mustered into the Texas army under the command
1-10     of Colonel Edward Burleson's First Regiment; and
1-11           WHEREAS, At the fall of the Alamo and after the death of his
1-12     friend and mentor, Davy Crockett, Captain Billingsley was the first
1-13     Texan to proclaim the legendary battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!"
1-14     and he bravely led the Mina regiment into war; and
1-15           WHEREAS, He and his valiant men twice engaged the army of
1-16     Santa Anna: first, on April 20, 1836, when they came to the aid of
1-17     Colonel Sidney Sherman, whose forces were badly outnumbered by the
1-18     Mexican general's troops; and second, on the afternoon of April 21,
1-19     1836, at the Battle of San Jacinto; and
1-20           WHEREAS, Billingsley and his recruits were at the fore of the
1-21     battle and suffered greatly from enemy cannon fire; the captain
1-22     himself was gravely wounded in the fray, and his scarred and
1-23     crippled left hand would for the rest of his life serve as
1-24     testament to his place in Texas history; and
 2-1           WHEREAS, The Battle of San Jacinto stands as the
 2-2     determinative event in the Texas war for independence, for what
 2-3     began at the Alamo was concluded at San Jacinto, and the role of
 2-4     Captain Jesse Billingsley is both an illustrative and illustrious
 2-5     example of the bravery and honor of those patriots who fought and
 2-6     fell in that historic battle; and
 2-7           WHEREAS, It is a privilege and a pleasure to welcome to the
 2-8     house chamber today the great-great-grandson of this eminent Texan,
 2-9     Randy Billingsley of Cleveland, Texas, for his presence serves as a
2-10     powerful reminder of the importance of this solemn day and the
2-11     great debt all citizens of the Lone Star State owe brave soldiers
2-12     such as Captain Jesse Billingsley, a true Texas patriot; now,
2-13     therefore, be it
2-14           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
2-15     Legislature hereby honor the memory of Captain Jesse Billingsley
2-16     and extend a warm welcome to Randy Billingsley on the occasion of
2-17     his visit to the State Capitol; and, be it further
2-18           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-19     prepared for the Billingsley family and that when the Texas House
2-20     of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Captain
2-21     Jesse Billingsley and all the heroes of San Jacinto.
                                                                     Zbranek
                                             _______________________________
                                                   Speaker of the House
               I certify that H.R. No. 669 was adopted by the House on April
         20, 1999, by a non-record vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House