San Felipe Volunteers:
San Felipe April, 1836
Part Two
Santa Anna's troops marched into San Felipe at dawn on April 7. Three pickets had been sent to the west bank. Private Simpson took the third watch, but fell asleep. The Mexican advance guard captured him; the other two escaped and made it back safely. Simpson told Santa Anna everything he knew, that Houston was at Groce's Landing.
Throughout that day and the next, Baker's troops were under near-constant fire from Mexican snipers and artillery. Private John Bricker was hit with grapeshot from the cannon, becoming the first Texian casualty of the San Jacinto campaign. Mexican troops built several rafts, but Baker's men fired enough that Santa Anna decided it was unwise to try to cross at that point.
By April 9, the Mexican artillery maneuvered close enough to strike Baker's makeshift fortifications but to no avail, Mexican forces withdrew from San Felipe, heading south looking for a crossing.
Heavy rains had caused the river to rise, and the Texian camp was soon surrounded by floodwaters. Their only way out was the main road. Baker called for a vote, and the men voted to retreat and left. Baker's men and those of Wyly Martin rejoined the main body of Houston's army in the middle of the night of April 14 and told of Santa Anna’s movement. Houston ordered an early march on April 15. Martin told Houston that his men deserved a chance to rest and eat breakfast, and they would not be marching until after they had done so. Angry, Houston ordered Martin to eat and then escort the Texian families fleeing the area. Worried he would be ordered to take care of women and children instead of fighting the Mexican army, Baker ordered his men to be ready to march - without their breakfast. (Sion Bostick did without this day.)
“My Opinion” osd: This was a very important event in the struggle for Texas Independence. San Felipe stood between the Mexican Army and Houston’s Army up river. Santa Anna knew where Houston was and wanted to cut him off from retreating to the east.
Baker’s men showed great resolve as hundreds of Mexicans were halted by some 100 Texans firing only with long rifles against cannons. Had they not held their ground, Houston would have been caught off guard, trapped and hugely outnumbered with his back now to the Brazos River that is flooded. History books call this a “skirmish.” This Skirmish gave Houston’s army time to go from a rag tag group to learn they needed each other in order to defeat Santa Anna.