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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, For more than 175 years, the "Come and Take It" |
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Cannon from the Battle of Gonzales in 1835 has been an enduring |
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symbol of the Texas struggle for independence from Mexico; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1831, Green DeWitt, a Texan colonist and the |
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founder of the town of Gonzales, requested an artillery piece from |
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the Mexican government as defense against hostile Indians; Ramon |
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Musquiz, the Mexican governor in San Antonio de Bexar, provided the |
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town with a cannon known as a six-pounder, because it fired a |
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six-pound shell; and |
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WHEREAS, Four years later, as tensions mounted between the |
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colonists and the government of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the |
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military commander at Bexar, Colonel Domingo de Ugartechea, sent a |
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corporal and five soldiers to retrieve the six-pounder; the |
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colonists in Gonzales refused to return it and imprisoned the |
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soldiers; in response, Colonel Ugartechea sent Lieutenant |
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Francisco de Castaneda and 100 dragoons to Gonzales to take the |
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cannon by force; and |
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WHEREAS, Arriving on the west bank of the Guadalupe River on |
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September 29, 1835, Lieutenant Castaneda found his way blocked by |
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high water and 18 defiant Texan militiamen; over the next few days, |
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the Texans were reinforced by more than a hundred volunteers from |
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neighboring communities; at sundown on October 1, Castaneda moved |
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his men seven miles upriver, and late that same night, the Texans |
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crossed the river with the cannon; early the next morning, they |
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launched a surprise attack against the Mexican troops; and |
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WHEREAS, During a lull in the fighting, Castaneda met a party |
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of Texans under the command of John Henry Moore for a parley in the |
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middle of the battlefield, and when Castaneda demanded that the |
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cannon be returned, the Texans gestured to the six-pounder, 200 |
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yards away, and said, "There it is, come and take it"; when the |
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battle resumed, the Texans fired the cannon once, killing a Mexican |
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soldier, and Lieutenant Castaneda withdrew his forces to Bexar; |
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that fateful cannon shot marked the beginning of the Texas War for |
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Independence; and |
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WHEREAS, Today the city of Gonzales continues to honor its |
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role as the "Lexington of Texas," and the famous "Come and Take It" |
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Cannon is a featured exhibit in the Gonzales Memorial Museum; this |
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remarkable historical artifact remains a powerful symbol of the |
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Lone Star State's spirit of independence and determination, and it |
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is indeed fitting that it receive special notice; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize the "Come and Take It" Cannon of the |
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Battle of Gonzales as a Texas Treasure and express sincere |
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gratitude to the people of Gonzales for maintaining this symbol of |
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Texas pride; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the citizens of Gonzales as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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Kleinschmidt |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 622 was adopted by the House on March |
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13, 2013, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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