1-1                                     1
 1-2                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 671
 1-3           WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pride
 1-4     in paying tribute to the life of Captain Jesse Billingsley
 1-5     and in recognizing the role he played in our state's history
 1-6     on April 21, 1836; and
 1-7           WHEREAS, Born October 10, 1810, in Warren County, Tennessee,
 1-8     Jesse Billingsley moved to Missouri in 1817 and later settled near
 1-9     David Crockett in Gibson County, Tennessee, in 1828; and
1-10           WHEREAS, On May 5, 1835, he arrived in Bastrop County and
1-11     settled in Cedar Creek, Texas; he joined the Texas Army under
1-12     the command of General Edward Burleson and became captain of the
1-13     Mina Volunteers; and
1-14           WHEREAS, Upon hearing that his friend and role model
1-15     Davy Crockett had been killed at the Alamo, Captain Billingsley
1-16     reorganized the Mina Volunteers and is credited with being the
1-17     first man to proclaim the famous battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!";
1-18     and
1-19           WHEREAS, As commander of Company C, Captain Billingsley
1-20     ignored orders to countermarch and courageously proceeded to
1-21     San Jacinto to assist Colonel Sidney Sherman and his men who
1-22     were outnumbered by Santa Anna's army; and
1-23           WHEREAS, Captain Billingsley's men suffered severe
1-24     casualties from the blast of the enemy's cannon fire, and
 2-1     Captain Billingsley sustained a wound to his left hand, leaving
 2-2     it crippled for life; however, he and his regiment saved the lives
 2-3     of many of Colonel Sherman's men and helped them to be victorious
 2-4     in that famous battle on April 21, 1836; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, Captain Billingsley was honored for his valor by
 2-6     artist William H. Huddle who placed Captain Billingsley behind
 2-7     Santa Anna in his painting of the historic moment of "The Surrender
 2-8     of Santa Anna"; and
 2-9           WHEREAS, After the Battle of San Jacinto, Captain Billingsley
2-10     represented Bastrop County in the First and Second Congress and
2-11     the Fifth and Eighth legislatures of Texas; he then sacrificed his
2-12     public career by taking a stand against secession from the Union
2-13     and by becoming an advocate for the literacy of slaves; and
2-14           WHEREAS, In 1874, Captain Billingsley stepped forward to
2-15     insist that the name of a black soldier, Maxlin "Mack" Smith be
2-16     inscribed on the San Jacinto honor roll after his name had been
2-17     omitted from the bronze plaque listing those who fought in the
2-18     Battle of San Jacinto; and
2-19           WHEREAS, Captain Billingsley died quietly October 1, 1880,
2-20     and was buried in his front yard in McDade, Texas, beside his
2-21     faithful white horse, Gopher; his body was exhumed under
2-22     the direction of L. W. Kemp in 1929 and was reinterred in the
2-23     State Cemetery in Austin near his fellow patriot Stephen F. Austin,
2-24     "the Father of Texas"; and
2-25           WHEREAS, Captain Billingsley's great-great-grandson is
2-26     Randy Billingsley, who is visiting the Capitol on April 21, 1999,
 3-1     and is joining other descendants of Captain Billingsley's men in
 3-2     paying tribute on San Jacinto Day to the Battle of San Jacinto and
 3-3     to Captain Jesse Billingsley; now, therefore, be it
 3-4           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
 3-5     76th Legislature, hereby honor the memory of Jesse Billingsley and
 3-6     pay tribute to all Texans who participated in the Battle of
 3-7     San Jacinto; and, be it further
 3-8           RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
 3-9     Randy Billingsley as an expression of esteem for Captain Billingsley
3-10     from the Texas Senate.
3-11                                                    Bernsen
3-12           Armbrister           Harris              Ogden
3-13           Barrientos           Haywood             Ratliff
3-14           Bivins               Jackson             Shapiro
3-15           Brown                Lindsay             Shapleigh
3-16           Cain                 Lucio               Sibley
3-17           Carona               Luna                Truan
3-18           Duncan               Madla               Wentworth
3-19           Ellis                Moncrief            West
3-20           Fraser               Nelson              Whitmire
3-21           Gallegos             Nixon               Zaffirini
3-22                       Perry, President of the Senate
3-23                                  ______________________________________
3-24                                          President of the Senate
3-25                                       I hereby certify that the above
3-26                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate
3-27                                  on April 20, 1999.
3-28                                  ______________________________________
3-29                                          Secretary of the Senate
3-30                                  ______________________________________
3-31                                           Member, Texas Senate