07/01/2020
Puro Tejano
Leonidas had his 300 Spartans, Teddy Roosevelt had his Rough Riders and Juan Seguin had his “Tejano Volunteer Company”; three brave military units that distinguished themselves heroically in battle.
History did not forget the sacrifices and brave actions of Leonidas or Teddy Roosevelt’s men during their “Moment of Glory”, but did history forget Seguin’s military unit and its historic “Moment of Glory”?
Who were Seguin’s Tejanos and what role did they play in the war for Texas Independence? And, most importantly, did Juan’s Seguin’s Tejano Volunteers have an “impact” on the war for Texas, and if they did – why do we know so little about them?
Researching history is a little like being an archeologist. You go digging for evidence or clues of the past, seeking answers - not knowing what you may find. Every once in a while you find a “motherlode” of hidden history that you didn’t even know existed or,..thought was a myth.
That’s what happened when I stumbled on Juan Seguin and his now famous “Tejano Volunteer Company” of the Texas Revolution.
As a Texan I took Texas History in the 7th grade. I never heard one word of Juan Seguin or his Tejano Volunteers in my class. The teacher never mentioned the exploits of men like “Captain Manuel Flores” (35) or his younger brother, “Captain Salvador Flores” (29); brothers and descendants of Canary Islanders, who were like the 1800’s versions of Navy Seals during our war for Texas.
Manuel and his younger brother Salvador (Chava) Flores, who literally fought together in almost every battle, who protected the retreat of Houston and the Texian Army during the “Runaway Scrape”, who charged valiantly in the Battle of San Jacinto and who then served in the Texas Army after the war – are missing from 7th grade Texas history.
In all fairness I haven’t been in a 7th grade class in a long time so things might be different today.
But, several individuals wrote to me this past year requesting more information, more stories of Seguin’s historic revolutionary Tejano military unit.
I was hard pressed to find anything about these men, their sacrifices or their participation in the war for Texas. I could not find a photo depicting them at any battle that they fought in (except the Alamo) or any article written of their exploits and bravery.
Small fragments of information would pop up, here and there, about the men from this military unit as I would be researching some other famous person’s revolutionary story and, slowly but surely started learning, more and more, about this revolutionary group of San Antonio locals and their participation in our war for Independence.
For all intents and purposes, the sacrifices of these young Tejanos (25-35 years of age) have all been forgotten to history and I believe that the only way to convey the most accurate version of this episode in our Texas history is to include Juan Seguin’s “Tejano Volunteer Company”.
This is not an opinion. Tejanos were the common thread that wove through almost all revolutionary events and many Tejanos also played pivotal roles during many crucial and dire situations in the struggle for independence.
The sad part is that the descendants of these brave patriots rarely hear, or have ever heard, of their ancestor’s heroic, historic and brave exploits in the fight for Texas.
At the start of the Texas Revolution, as the “Old 18” were standing firm next to their "cannon" in the town of Gonzales, many individuals began to organize regional militias throughout the state. All of these militia groups would play their own personal role in this Texas revolution.
San Antonio de Béxar, the biggest and richest city in Texas would also organized it’s own militia and would consist of this area’s brave young “vaqueros and rancheros”.
Son’s of the Veramendi, Flores, Navarro, Arciniega, Curvier, Jimenez, Maldonado, Menchaca, Leal, Tarin, Rodriguez, Diaz, Hernandez, Garcia, Garza and many more would join this prestigious military company and serve during the war.
The “Department of Bexar” (as the Tejano volunteers were later called) consisted of a high percentage of volunteers (10%) of the total local Tejano population.
Some of these volunteers came from money, status and a long Béxar family history and probably could have sat out the revolution as neutralists or even loyalist, but they didn’t. They volunteered and fought for Independence.
Like the American Patriots of 1776, they risked their money, land and lives and chose to “stand for freedom”.
In late September of 1835 a meeting was held at the “Flores de Abrego Ranch” (Manuel and Salvador Flores’ family home) near Floresville and young, eligible volunteers of Bexar arrived to meet with a young aggressive, determined leader, Juan Seguin.
They committed together to form a “military unit”, their own area militia, and engage in the fight for Texas freedom. Many of the men that attended that day had been friends since childhood.
The San Antonio “militia unit” born that day became known as the “Tejano Volunteer Company”.
Most of the revolutionary war’s theatre of operations were right here in the Tejanos backyard, near and around San Antonio de Bexar.
And, because few Texians knew the area and terrain like the Tejanos (Texians had just arrived), many of these young Tejanos served as scouts, messengers and engaged in “guerilla warfare”, as well as, fought on the front lines like the house-to-house fighting they encountered and participated in during the “Siege of Bexar”.
These Tejano men were everywhere there was a battle or a skirmish, and when there weren’t any, General Houston would send them out to protect the Texas citizens from Indian attacks. When you look closely at our revolution you’ll see these young Tejanos almost everywhere serving and fighting.
It’s impossible to tell the complete story of our Texas Revolution without mentioning the impact that Juan Seguin’s Tejano volunteers had.
Tejanos fought and served in all of the following historical events:
• The Grass Fight
• The Battle of Concepcion
• 70 of these young Tejano fighters participated at the “Siege of Béxar”.
• 14 of these volunteers fought at “The Alamo” and 8 of them fell there, as heroes.
• During the “Runaway Scrape” Juan Seguin’s Tejanos orders were to serve as “security detail” for Sam Houston and the entire retreating Texian Army.
Captain Salvador Flores and half of the Tejanos “guarded the rear” protecting the Army from Indians and Mexicans and making sure no one was left behind.
These men engaged the advance units of the Mexican Army several times and fought to keep the retreating Texas Army safe.
Captain Manuel Flores, Nepomuceno Flores and Juan Seguin were at “point position” scouting forward and securing a safe passage of travel for the retreating Army.
• 52 young men (mostly cavalry officers) of Seguin’s unit successfully charged on General Santa Anna’s right flank along with “Sheridan’s militia unit” at the highly successful “Battle of San Jacinto” in April 1836.
After the war Tejanos continued to serve:
• 76 local Tejanos would serve and distinguish themselves in the new Army of the Texas Republic as officers, and many would become and serve as Texas Rangers.
The 2004 motion picture “The Alamo” starring Dennis Quaid (Houston), Billy Bob Thorton (Crockett) and Jason Patrick (Jim Bowie) is probably the best historic representation of that famous Texas Battle – The Alamo.
In that movie Juan Seguin is played by Jordi Molla. Near the end of the movie, during the Battle of San Jacinto,..as the Texians are charging shouting “Remember the Alamo!” “Remember Goliad!” the camera pans to the right and shows a brief shot of Juan Seguin and his Tejanos officers charging.
You can hear Tejano Captain Juan Seguin shout, “A la Batalla Tejanos!”. Probably the only recorded documentation or reenactment of this brave and distinguished military unit during its “moment of glory".
Without Juan Seguin or his volunteers, all of them, the outcome of our revolution might’ve turned out different.
For example, without “Tejano protection” during the Runaway Scrape, Houston and the Texian Army might’ve been caught and then defeated in battle by Santa Anna's Mexican Army's larger forces,..ending with all "survivors executed" (remember Goliad) – end of Rebellion.
This new Tejano – Texas Revolution War Participation “impact thing” is a very significant archeological “historic” find.
It’s time for Texans to acknowledge, recognize and teach what history has "forgotten or hidden" for so long – that Tejanos from San Antonio de Béxar,..were “Major Players and Heroes”,..of our Texas Revolution.
And, if you’re a modern day Tejano, your pride should soar mightily at the sight of a Texas flag.
“Puro Tejano” – Never Forget.
This post is dedicated to all the descendants of Juan Seguin, descendants of the members of the “Tejano Volunteer Company” and descendants of Tejanos who served Texas after the war – that are still living in Texas and around the world.
And finally -Thank you to Juan Seguin and all Tejanos who served with the “Tejano Volunteer Company” for all of your personal sacrifices, deeds of bravery, personal losses and service to our Country – TEXAS!
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