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Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution, 1835-1836
Winner, T. R. Fehrenbach Book Award, Texas Historical Commission
Summerfield G. Roberts Award, Sons of the Republic of Texas
Honorable Mention, Certificate of Commendation, American Association for State and Local History Hardly were the last shots fired at the Alamo before the Texas Revolution entered the realm of myth and controversy. French visitor Frederic Gaillardet called it a "Texian Iliad" in 1839, while American Theodore Sedgwick pronounced the war and its resulting legends "almost burlesque." In this highly readable history, Stephen L. Hardin discovers more than a little truth in both of those views. Drawing on many original Texan and Mexican sources and on-site inspections of almost every battlefield, he offers the first complete military history of the Revolution. From the war's opening in the "Come and Take It" incident at Gonzales to the capture of General Santa Anna at San Jacinto, Hardin clearly describes the strategy and tactics of each side. His research yields new knowledge of the actions of famous Texan and Mexican leaders, as well as fascinating descriptions of battle and camp life from the ordinary soldier's point of view. This award-winning book belongs on the bookshelf of everyone interested in Texas or military history.
Summerfield G. Roberts Award, Sons of the Republic of Texas
Honorable Mention, Certificate of Commendation, American Association for State and Local History Hardly were the last shots fired at the Alamo before the Texas Revolution entered the realm of myth and controversy. French visitor Frederic Gaillardet called it a "Texian Iliad" in 1839, while American Theodore Sedgwick pronounced the war and its resulting legends "almost burlesque." In this highly readable history, Stephen L. Hardin discovers more than a little truth in both of those views. Drawing on many original Texan and Mexican sources and on-site inspections of almost every battlefield, he offers the first complete military history of the Revolution. From the war's opening in the "Come and Take It" incident at Gonzales to the capture of General Santa Anna at San Jacinto, Hardin clearly describes the strategy and tactics of each side. His research yields new knowledge of the actions of famous Texan and Mexican leaders, as well as fascinating descriptions of battle and camp life from the ordinary soldier's point of view. This award-winning book belongs on the bookshelf of everyone interested in Texas or military history.
344 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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April 10, 2022
“My doom has come upon me; let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter.”
- Homer, The Iliad
“Mexicans charged through the shattered openings to finish the work begun by the captured cannon. In the darkened rooms of the long barracks, the adversaries grappled with Bowie knife and bayonet. Having seen their men shot down after flags of truce had been raised, the soldados took no prisoners, slaughtering even the wounded. A few Texians sought to escape by bounding over the east wall and running for cover, but the lancers made short work of them. The butchering was repeated in the rooms along the south wall; even the delirious Bowie, too weak to rise from his sickbed, found no mercy. But then, neither would he have asked for it…”
- Stephen Hardin, describing the Battle of the Alamo, in Texian Iliad.
For many of us, the Texas Revolution is like any other historical event. It’s something that happened in the past. Maybe we know about it, maybe we don’t. Maybe we’re interested, maybe we aren’t.
For Texans, the Texas Revolution is a bit more. Think of it as a combination of the creation of the world, the birth of Jesus, and the invention of rock & roll. It is a singular historical moment. More than that, it is a battle that never ends. San Jacinto concluded hostilities between insurgent Texians and Mexican troopers in April 1836. The war over what that meant, whether it was a heroic fight for liberty or a greedy land grab by illegal immigrants, continues to this day.
Stephen Hardin’s Texian Iliad neatly sidesteps the many attendant controversies of the Texas Revolution by focusing only on the actual conflict itself, not the politics and policies, and certainly not what it means today. This is a military history, concerned with weaponry, tactics, and casualties. Those looking for the underlying causes and the complicated progression of events that began with Mexico seceding from Spain and ended with America annexing Texas will have to look elsewhere. For those who are satisfied with a rousing story of men at arms, however, this is hard to top. Texian Iliad is an acknowledged classic, and it lives up to its reputation.
***
Dispensing with a long set up, Hardin jumps into the War for Texas Independence immediately. He begins his tale at Gonzalez, where Mexican troops arrived to take possession of a mostly-useless cannon that had been gifted to the town to scare off Indians. At the so-called “Lexington of the Texas Revolution,” the townspeople hoisted a “Come and Take It” flag, and sparked a rebellion. Six months later, after the Battle of Conception, the Texian Siege of Bexar, the Mexican Siege and assault of the Alamo, the coldblooded massacre of surrendered Texians at Goliad, and the bloody, merciless slaughter of Santa Anna’s troops at San Jacinto, the rebellion symbolically ended with Texians triumphant. (Border squabbles continued for decades after. They continue, in point of fact, to this moment).
This is a big, epic drama that is artfully compressed into 250 pages of text, many of those pages devoted to illustrations. Hardin’s narration moves quickly without dispensing with substance. By knowing exactly what story he wants to tell (the military side), he is able to pare things down to the most pertinent details. Hardin is a meticulous researcher and a noted scholar of Texas history. He is also, happily, an excellent writer, which is not always the case for authors lugging around a PhD. His battle-scenes are exciting and cordite-pungent without drifting into hyperbole or hero-worship. In particular, Hardin’s chapter on the Alamo is excellent, as is his unblinking portrayal of San Jacinto, which does a sobering job demonstrating the price of vengeance:
It is a disconcerting reality that so many historical turning points are greased with blood. To Hardin’s credit, he does not look away.
***
While Hardin does a fantastic job with the battles, he is equally as good with the tactics and equipage of both the Texian and Mexican Armies. He goes beyond the stereotypes and received wisdom (for example, that the Texians were all sharpshooters with Kentucky rifles; the Mexicans were a mob army) to separate the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. Sure, many of the Americans fighting for Texas had accurate long-rifles, good for fighting at a distance; once Mexican troops began pouring over the Alamo’s walls, though, those long-rifles became a liability, as it took longer to load them. Similarly, many of the Mexican troops were ragged and unruly or, even worse, had been pressed into service. But their cavalry outclassed the Texians by a wide measure, an ace they played many times during the Revolution. (Including, though Hardin doesn’t dwell on it, at the Alamo. Significant numbers of men attempted to escape in the darkness. It cannot be proven that any made it through the cordon of lancers).
***
Texian Iliad is a book that comes with a tremendous amount of added value. Specifically, it is illustrated by Gary Zaboly. If you’re unfamiliar with Texas history, Zaboly is a bit of a legend in those circles. His detailed ink drawings literally give us a view of the past before photography became widespread. He has conjured lost images by doing enormous amounts of research on extant objects, so that uniforms, belt buckles, shoes, weaponry, and so forth, are all accurately presented. He also did some maps and diagrams, including the three phases of the Alamo’s demise that clearly portrays how the battle flowed (or at least, a reasonable guess as to how it flowed). I don’t usually judge a book based on its illustrations. Heck, I seldom even mention it. Here, I would’ve been halfway to happy with Texian Iliad based on Zaboly’s contributions alone.
***
In his epilogue, Hardin provides a thoughtful little essay on the Texas Revolution, and what it has meant for people on both sides of the border. However, he doesn’t spend a lot of time worrying over the bigger meaning of the event. He leaves that for others, because that’s not his focus. Rather, Hardin knows that there is real value to be had simply in presenting an incredible story in an entertaining fashion. That’s his goal, which he accomplishes. To compare the Texas Revolution to a Homeric saga, as Hardin does with his very title, is quite a claim. But it’s a claim that he proves convincingly.
- Homer, The Iliad
“Mexicans charged through the shattered openings to finish the work begun by the captured cannon. In the darkened rooms of the long barracks, the adversaries grappled with Bowie knife and bayonet. Having seen their men shot down after flags of truce had been raised, the soldados took no prisoners, slaughtering even the wounded. A few Texians sought to escape by bounding over the east wall and running for cover, but the lancers made short work of them. The butchering was repeated in the rooms along the south wall; even the delirious Bowie, too weak to rise from his sickbed, found no mercy. But then, neither would he have asked for it…”
- Stephen Hardin, describing the Battle of the Alamo, in Texian Iliad.
For many of us, the Texas Revolution is like any other historical event. It’s something that happened in the past. Maybe we know about it, maybe we don’t. Maybe we’re interested, maybe we aren’t.
For Texans, the Texas Revolution is a bit more. Think of it as a combination of the creation of the world, the birth of Jesus, and the invention of rock & roll. It is a singular historical moment. More than that, it is a battle that never ends. San Jacinto concluded hostilities between insurgent Texians and Mexican troopers in April 1836. The war over what that meant, whether it was a heroic fight for liberty or a greedy land grab by illegal immigrants, continues to this day.
Stephen Hardin’s Texian Iliad neatly sidesteps the many attendant controversies of the Texas Revolution by focusing only on the actual conflict itself, not the politics and policies, and certainly not what it means today. This is a military history, concerned with weaponry, tactics, and casualties. Those looking for the underlying causes and the complicated progression of events that began with Mexico seceding from Spain and ended with America annexing Texas will have to look elsewhere. For those who are satisfied with a rousing story of men at arms, however, this is hard to top. Texian Iliad is an acknowledged classic, and it lives up to its reputation.
***
Dispensing with a long set up, Hardin jumps into the War for Texas Independence immediately. He begins his tale at Gonzalez, where Mexican troops arrived to take possession of a mostly-useless cannon that had been gifted to the town to scare off Indians. At the so-called “Lexington of the Texas Revolution,” the townspeople hoisted a “Come and Take It” flag, and sparked a rebellion. Six months later, after the Battle of Conception, the Texian Siege of Bexar, the Mexican Siege and assault of the Alamo, the coldblooded massacre of surrendered Texians at Goliad, and the bloody, merciless slaughter of Santa Anna’s troops at San Jacinto, the rebellion symbolically ended with Texians triumphant. (Border squabbles continued for decades after. They continue, in point of fact, to this moment).
This is a big, epic drama that is artfully compressed into 250 pages of text, many of those pages devoted to illustrations. Hardin’s narration moves quickly without dispensing with substance. By knowing exactly what story he wants to tell (the military side), he is able to pare things down to the most pertinent details. Hardin is a meticulous researcher and a noted scholar of Texas history. He is also, happily, an excellent writer, which is not always the case for authors lugging around a PhD. His battle-scenes are exciting and cordite-pungent without drifting into hyperbole or hero-worship. In particular, Hardin’s chapter on the Alamo is excellent, as is his unblinking portrayal of San Jacinto, which does a sobering job demonstrating the price of vengeance:
The actual battle lasted no more than eighteen minutes, but the slaughter continued much longer. Determined to avenge the loss of those killed at the Alamo and Goliad, the bloodthirsty rebels committed atrocities at least as beastly as those the Mexicans had committed. Sergeant Moses Bryan came across a Mexican drummer boy with both legs broken. The frightened child had grabbed a Texian soldier around the legs, all the while screaming, “Ave Maria purissima! Por Dios, salva mi vida!” Bryan begged the man to spare the youth, but the pitiless brute, in a threatening gesture, placed a hand on his belt pistol. Bryan backed away and watched in horror as the man “blew out the boy’s brains.”
It is a disconcerting reality that so many historical turning points are greased with blood. To Hardin’s credit, he does not look away.
***
While Hardin does a fantastic job with the battles, he is equally as good with the tactics and equipage of both the Texian and Mexican Armies. He goes beyond the stereotypes and received wisdom (for example, that the Texians were all sharpshooters with Kentucky rifles; the Mexicans were a mob army) to separate the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. Sure, many of the Americans fighting for Texas had accurate long-rifles, good for fighting at a distance; once Mexican troops began pouring over the Alamo’s walls, though, those long-rifles became a liability, as it took longer to load them. Similarly, many of the Mexican troops were ragged and unruly or, even worse, had been pressed into service. But their cavalry outclassed the Texians by a wide measure, an ace they played many times during the Revolution. (Including, though Hardin doesn’t dwell on it, at the Alamo. Significant numbers of men attempted to escape in the darkness. It cannot be proven that any made it through the cordon of lancers).
***
Texian Iliad is a book that comes with a tremendous amount of added value. Specifically, it is illustrated by Gary Zaboly. If you’re unfamiliar with Texas history, Zaboly is a bit of a legend in those circles. His detailed ink drawings literally give us a view of the past before photography became widespread. He has conjured lost images by doing enormous amounts of research on extant objects, so that uniforms, belt buckles, shoes, weaponry, and so forth, are all accurately presented. He also did some maps and diagrams, including the three phases of the Alamo’s demise that clearly portrays how the battle flowed (or at least, a reasonable guess as to how it flowed). I don’t usually judge a book based on its illustrations. Heck, I seldom even mention it. Here, I would’ve been halfway to happy with Texian Iliad based on Zaboly’s contributions alone.
***
In his epilogue, Hardin provides a thoughtful little essay on the Texas Revolution, and what it has meant for people on both sides of the border. However, he doesn’t spend a lot of time worrying over the bigger meaning of the event. He leaves that for others, because that’s not his focus. Rather, Hardin knows that there is real value to be had simply in presenting an incredible story in an entertaining fashion. That’s his goal, which he accomplishes. To compare the Texas Revolution to a Homeric saga, as Hardin does with his very title, is quite a claim. But it’s a claim that he proves convincingly.
January 9, 2025
“Texian,” not “Texan,” is the term that the people of 1835 and 1836 would have used to refer to a person of Anglo heritage fighting for Texas independence from Santa Anna’s Mexican government during the Texas Revolution; similarly, a person of Hispanic heritage fighting on the same side as the Texian would have been known as a Tejano. I mention this at the outset because these distinctions would have been important to the people of that era – one of many fine points of history that Stephen Hardin sets forth in a careful and methodical manner in his book Texian Iliad.
Hardin, a professor of history at Victoria College, leaves no stone of historical detail unturned as he sets forth A Military History of the Texas Revolution (the book’s subtitle). Feeling that the military-history dimensions of the Texas Revolution have often been neglected, in favor of an emphasis on the political and diplomatic aspects of the conflict through which the Republic of Texas was born, Hardin works to ensure that the sort of detailed strategic and tactical treatment that has routinely been accorded to the American Revolution and the American Civil War will be applied to key events of the Texas Revolution such as Gonzales, Goliad, San Jacinto, and of course the Alamo.
Hardin conveys well the aura of mingled jubilation, outrage, and uncertainty that marked the period of initial Texas victories over Santa Anna’s Mexican centralists in the autumn of 1835. The book’s well-organized maps reinforce Hardin’s sense of the central importance of the mission-turned-fortress at San Antonio de Béxar – where, in November of 1835, a large Mexican force was still encamped. “As long as a Mexican army remained in Béxar,” Hardin writes, “Texian victories elsewhere meant nothing. If, however, a large centralist force relieved the San Antonio garrison and mounted an offensive against the Anglo-American colonies, all earlier defeats could be erased. Many issues remained unsettled” (p. 53).
Yet students of military history know that once antagonists take up arms, events often take on a momentum of their own. Where Texians were initially divided on their aims in fighting the Mexican central government – some wanted independence, while others merely wanted restoration of the rights guaranteed them by Mexico’s more liberal constitution of 1824 – Santa Anna’s despotic and dictatorial ways helped move the vast majority of Texians quickly into the pro-independence column. And once Béxar fell to the Texians, there was quickly a realization that the centrally located Alamo was, as Texian commander William Barrett Travis put it, “the key to Texas.”
With his military historian’s eye, Hardin unsparingly points out the organizational and tactical flaws of the Mexican army. Santa Anna’s arrogance – his messianic belief that he, “the Napoleon of the West,” was destined to kill or drive out every last Texian rebel – may have had much to do with how poorly his army was prepared to fight the Texas Revolution. “The tactical organization of the army,” Hardin writes, “was woefully outdated and reflected the Mexican military’s strong attachment to its Spanish past….Separated by tradition and distance from the recent innovations in European weapons technology and tactical practice, Mexican officers clung to doctrines that were already outdated at Waterloo in 1815” (p. 101). Such behind-the-times thinking at the command level would cost many brave Mexican soldiers their lives in poorly organized and inefficiently conducted assaults at the Alamo – and would later contribute to the disaster that overtook the Mexican army at San Jacinto.
Hardin captures well the drama of the Texians’ 13-day stand at the Alamo, and in the process emphasizes that not all Mexican officers shared Santa Anna’s cruelty or his predilection for murdering surrendered prisoners. Brave and honorable Mexican generals like Manuel Fernandez Castrillón and José de la Peña stand out in stark contrast to Santa Anna. A moving passage from Texian Iliad describes the scene after the fall of the Alamo – when Texian leaders like Travis and Jim Bowie were dead, and only a few Texian prisoners were left alive, David Crockett among them:
Upon being informed that the Alamo had fallen, Santa Anna ventured into the fort. As he was surveying the carnage, General Castrillón brought forward Crockett and the others. The chivalrous Castrillón attempted to intercede on behalf of the defenseless prisoners, but Santa Anna answered with a “gesture of indignation” and ordered their immediate execution. De la Peña reported that several officers were outraged at the murder of helpless men and refused to enforce the command. But “in order to flatter their commander,” nearby staff officers who had not taken part in the assault fell upon Crockett and the others with their swords and hacked them to pieces. (p. 148)
Reading passages like this one, and comparable passages that describe Santa Anna’s brutal massacre of surrendered prisoners at Goliad, one finds it hard not to conclude that what overtook Santa Anna at San Jacinto represented a form of poetic justice or battlefield karma.
But Santa Anna’s undoing came at a very high price in the lives and suffering of other people in his army. At San Jacinto, Texian commander Sam Houston’s masterful strategic retreat drew Santa Anna into a trap from which there was no escape. The Texians, infuriated by the memory of the massacres at the Alamo and Goliad, struck the Mexicans without mercy, and continued with the killing long after it was clear that the battle was won. Hardin recounts soberly how, “Determined to avenge the loss of those killed at the Alamo and Goliad, the bloodthirsty rebels committed atrocities at least as beastly as those the Mexicans had committed” (p. 213).
I still remember my first visit to San Jacinto; located as it is near oil refineries of suburban Houston, and adjacent to the restored World War I battleship U.S.S. Texas, it is a striking place to visit. The 568-foot-tall memorial obelisk is inspiring, as one thinks of a new nation taking its place on the world stage. But then one looks at the battlefield maps, and sees the area in the marsh around Peggy’s Lake, where the fleeing Mexicans were cut down by vengeful Texians. The caption on the map for that portion of the battlefield reads simply, “Maximum Slaughter.” Yes, that was San Jacinto – maximum slaughter.
In a thoughtful epilogue, Hardin reflects somberly that “The bitterness and resentment that took root in the bloody Texas soil over 150 years ago still linger in the form of racial enmity. Ragged Texian soldiers won an inspiring victory on the banks of Buffalo Bayou, but so long as mistrust and anger persist, their victory will be incomplete” (p. 250). In a time when a prominent American politician encourages citizens of the United States of America to be distrustful and fearful of people on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, Hardin’s words resonate.
I particularly like the fair-minded manner in which Hardin closes by appealing to the descendants of combatants on both sides in the Texas Revolution to embrace, in a spirit of human brotherhood and mutual respect, the legacy of courage and sacrifice that forever links those two great armies in history:
The men of the Texas Revolution met the challenges of their day with Bowie knife and bayonet. Today we must arm ourselves with tolerance and understanding. The challenges of peace are perhaps less lustrous than those of war, but no less vital. The soldiers of 1836, both Texian and Mexican, accepted their tasks with fortitude and perseverance….To honor their memories, we can do no less. (p. 250)
Lavishly illustrated with line drawings, maps, photos, and portraits, Texian Iliad won many awards for excellence in historical writing, including the Texas Historical Commission’s T.R. Fehrenbach Book Award (a very big deal in the Lone Star State). One of many excellent works of Texas history published by the University of Texas Press, Texian Iliad is truly essential for any serious student of the Texas Revolution.
Hardin, a professor of history at Victoria College, leaves no stone of historical detail unturned as he sets forth A Military History of the Texas Revolution (the book’s subtitle). Feeling that the military-history dimensions of the Texas Revolution have often been neglected, in favor of an emphasis on the political and diplomatic aspects of the conflict through which the Republic of Texas was born, Hardin works to ensure that the sort of detailed strategic and tactical treatment that has routinely been accorded to the American Revolution and the American Civil War will be applied to key events of the Texas Revolution such as Gonzales, Goliad, San Jacinto, and of course the Alamo.
Hardin conveys well the aura of mingled jubilation, outrage, and uncertainty that marked the period of initial Texas victories over Santa Anna’s Mexican centralists in the autumn of 1835. The book’s well-organized maps reinforce Hardin’s sense of the central importance of the mission-turned-fortress at San Antonio de Béxar – where, in November of 1835, a large Mexican force was still encamped. “As long as a Mexican army remained in Béxar,” Hardin writes, “Texian victories elsewhere meant nothing. If, however, a large centralist force relieved the San Antonio garrison and mounted an offensive against the Anglo-American colonies, all earlier defeats could be erased. Many issues remained unsettled” (p. 53).
Yet students of military history know that once antagonists take up arms, events often take on a momentum of their own. Where Texians were initially divided on their aims in fighting the Mexican central government – some wanted independence, while others merely wanted restoration of the rights guaranteed them by Mexico’s more liberal constitution of 1824 – Santa Anna’s despotic and dictatorial ways helped move the vast majority of Texians quickly into the pro-independence column. And once Béxar fell to the Texians, there was quickly a realization that the centrally located Alamo was, as Texian commander William Barrett Travis put it, “the key to Texas.”
With his military historian’s eye, Hardin unsparingly points out the organizational and tactical flaws of the Mexican army. Santa Anna’s arrogance – his messianic belief that he, “the Napoleon of the West,” was destined to kill or drive out every last Texian rebel – may have had much to do with how poorly his army was prepared to fight the Texas Revolution. “The tactical organization of the army,” Hardin writes, “was woefully outdated and reflected the Mexican military’s strong attachment to its Spanish past….Separated by tradition and distance from the recent innovations in European weapons technology and tactical practice, Mexican officers clung to doctrines that were already outdated at Waterloo in 1815” (p. 101). Such behind-the-times thinking at the command level would cost many brave Mexican soldiers their lives in poorly organized and inefficiently conducted assaults at the Alamo – and would later contribute to the disaster that overtook the Mexican army at San Jacinto.
Hardin captures well the drama of the Texians’ 13-day stand at the Alamo, and in the process emphasizes that not all Mexican officers shared Santa Anna’s cruelty or his predilection for murdering surrendered prisoners. Brave and honorable Mexican generals like Manuel Fernandez Castrillón and José de la Peña stand out in stark contrast to Santa Anna. A moving passage from Texian Iliad describes the scene after the fall of the Alamo – when Texian leaders like Travis and Jim Bowie were dead, and only a few Texian prisoners were left alive, David Crockett among them:
Upon being informed that the Alamo had fallen, Santa Anna ventured into the fort. As he was surveying the carnage, General Castrillón brought forward Crockett and the others. The chivalrous Castrillón attempted to intercede on behalf of the defenseless prisoners, but Santa Anna answered with a “gesture of indignation” and ordered their immediate execution. De la Peña reported that several officers were outraged at the murder of helpless men and refused to enforce the command. But “in order to flatter their commander,” nearby staff officers who had not taken part in the assault fell upon Crockett and the others with their swords and hacked them to pieces. (p. 148)
Reading passages like this one, and comparable passages that describe Santa Anna’s brutal massacre of surrendered prisoners at Goliad, one finds it hard not to conclude that what overtook Santa Anna at San Jacinto represented a form of poetic justice or battlefield karma.
But Santa Anna’s undoing came at a very high price in the lives and suffering of other people in his army. At San Jacinto, Texian commander Sam Houston’s masterful strategic retreat drew Santa Anna into a trap from which there was no escape. The Texians, infuriated by the memory of the massacres at the Alamo and Goliad, struck the Mexicans without mercy, and continued with the killing long after it was clear that the battle was won. Hardin recounts soberly how, “Determined to avenge the loss of those killed at the Alamo and Goliad, the bloodthirsty rebels committed atrocities at least as beastly as those the Mexicans had committed” (p. 213).
I still remember my first visit to San Jacinto; located as it is near oil refineries of suburban Houston, and adjacent to the restored World War I battleship U.S.S. Texas, it is a striking place to visit. The 568-foot-tall memorial obelisk is inspiring, as one thinks of a new nation taking its place on the world stage. But then one looks at the battlefield maps, and sees the area in the marsh around Peggy’s Lake, where the fleeing Mexicans were cut down by vengeful Texians. The caption on the map for that portion of the battlefield reads simply, “Maximum Slaughter.” Yes, that was San Jacinto – maximum slaughter.
In a thoughtful epilogue, Hardin reflects somberly that “The bitterness and resentment that took root in the bloody Texas soil over 150 years ago still linger in the form of racial enmity. Ragged Texian soldiers won an inspiring victory on the banks of Buffalo Bayou, but so long as mistrust and anger persist, their victory will be incomplete” (p. 250). In a time when a prominent American politician encourages citizens of the United States of America to be distrustful and fearful of people on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, Hardin’s words resonate.
I particularly like the fair-minded manner in which Hardin closes by appealing to the descendants of combatants on both sides in the Texas Revolution to embrace, in a spirit of human brotherhood and mutual respect, the legacy of courage and sacrifice that forever links those two great armies in history:
The men of the Texas Revolution met the challenges of their day with Bowie knife and bayonet. Today we must arm ourselves with tolerance and understanding. The challenges of peace are perhaps less lustrous than those of war, but no less vital. The soldiers of 1836, both Texian and Mexican, accepted their tasks with fortitude and perseverance….To honor their memories, we can do no less. (p. 250)
Lavishly illustrated with line drawings, maps, photos, and portraits, Texian Iliad won many awards for excellence in historical writing, including the Texas Historical Commission’s T.R. Fehrenbach Book Award (a very big deal in the Lone Star State). One of many excellent works of Texas history published by the University of Texas Press, Texian Iliad is truly essential for any serious student of the Texas Revolution.
March 31, 2021
This is a fascinating introduction to the military campaigns of the Texas Revolution.
Generally, I am not a huge fan of "battle" books, but this one is an exception.
Each chapter was broken down into 3 main components:
1) A sketch of a participant of the Texas Revolution along with a 1-2 page description of what the man carried or wore. If you are looking for costuming or re-enactment, then this descriptions are a true boon.
2) A survey of the battle. What happened and why certain participants behaved the way they did.
3) An analysis of the battle. Using hindsight, Hardin analyzes what the Mexican and Texian leaders did right or wrong. How were their options forced upon them and what might they have done to enact a different outcome.
One of the biggest take away from this book is the fact that Texians did not win their independence due to military acumen or bravery, but rather due to Mexican overconfidence and ineptitude. While the Texians had several victories, the main battles were won by the Mexicans. Heading into the final battle, San Jacinto, the Texian army had been in full retreat and were losing battles regularly.
In San Jacinto, the Texian army took advantage of a Mexican Army that took an afternoon siesta without posting sentries. The battle and the war was over in 18 minutes!
This was a fun little read. The illustrations really help to understand what happened.
Generally, I am not a huge fan of "battle" books, but this one is an exception.
Each chapter was broken down into 3 main components:
1) A sketch of a participant of the Texas Revolution along with a 1-2 page description of what the man carried or wore. If you are looking for costuming or re-enactment, then this descriptions are a true boon.
2) A survey of the battle. What happened and why certain participants behaved the way they did.
3) An analysis of the battle. Using hindsight, Hardin analyzes what the Mexican and Texian leaders did right or wrong. How were their options forced upon them and what might they have done to enact a different outcome.
One of the biggest take away from this book is the fact that Texians did not win their independence due to military acumen or bravery, but rather due to Mexican overconfidence and ineptitude. While the Texians had several victories, the main battles were won by the Mexicans. Heading into the final battle, San Jacinto, the Texian army had been in full retreat and were losing battles regularly.
In San Jacinto, the Texian army took advantage of a Mexican Army that took an afternoon siesta without posting sentries. The battle and the war was over in 18 minutes!
This was a fun little read. The illustrations really help to understand what happened.
April 29, 2019
This was such a great book to read while going on a road trip through the Texas Hill Country. I picked up a copy of this book at the Alamo in San Antonio and read it while travelling to Gonzales where the war for independence from Mexico's centralized government started. The author provides great details and analysis of the battles and the characters of the leaders who fought them. Highly recommended for those who want to learn about the history for Texas independence.
June 12, 2023
I was always interested in the Battle of the Alamo and its ramifications ever since I first saw Jahn Wayne as Davy Crocket & Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie. While just a fictional account of the incident, this book truly fills in many of the holes and calls out a great number of fallacious claims of the fictional accounts. This was a great book if you desire to know the true accounts of the liberation of Texas from Mexico and the ravaging tyranny of General Santa Anna and his ultimate capture.
December 23, 2019
I don't know if I've ever read a book subtitled "A Military History" before, but I found this book to be interesting and engaging despite the fact that it focused mainly on the battles of the Texas Revolution, and less on the politics. The illustrations done by Gary Zaboly enhanced the story telling, and the descriptions of the sieges and battles were page turners. I was worried the book would be dry and difficult to read, and happily it was not.
January 12, 2023
Absolutely terrible.
February 23, 2023
This is an excellent military history of the Texas Revolution. The author’s work is well researched and detailed. Plus, it is a very readable history. It is a story not resuscitation of facts and dates. This is a very interesting story of revolution, sacrifice and bravery on both sides. Santa Anna, the supreme commander of the Mexican forces, was just as harsh and unforgiving of his own soldiers as he was against the Texians. He force-marched his own men though the harsh unforgiving environment of Mexico and Southwest Texas. His soldiers suffered greatly from Comanche raids, snowstorms, inadequate food provisions and virtually no medical supplies or personnel. The assault Santa Anna ordered on the Alamo was unnecessary. Many Mexican soldiers died because Santa Anna wanted a bloody victory as a method of intimidation to the rest of the Texian rebels. Santa Anna’s own officers advised against the attack for humanitarian reasons. They knew many of their own troops would needlessly suffer in the assault. The Texians in the Alamo had offered to surrender on March 5, 1836. They only wanted to be treated as Prisoners of War (“POWs). Santa Anna wanted all rebels to die which is what happened during the assault on March 6.
While much of the history of the Texas Revolution focuses on the Alamo, this book brings the whole military story into view and how the Alamo fits into that story. You’ll learn a great deal about the initial fighting at San Antonio when the rebels expelled the Mexican garrison and made the Alamo their own. The fighting associated with the Texians defending Goliad is explained. In this action, ultimately hundreds of Texians surrendered believing they would be treated as POWs, instead they were marched out of their prison onto the nearby prairie and summarily executed by the Mexican troops. These bloody and without mercy encounters between the Mexican Army and the Texian rebels actually backfired on Santa Anna. It ignited a deep desire for revenge and inspired more Texians and North Americans to rally to the cause for independence and join the Texian Army under Sam Houston. They got their revenge in the savage takedown of the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto in April of 1836.
While much of the history of the Texas Revolution focuses on the Alamo, this book brings the whole military story into view and how the Alamo fits into that story. You’ll learn a great deal about the initial fighting at San Antonio when the rebels expelled the Mexican garrison and made the Alamo their own. The fighting associated with the Texians defending Goliad is explained. In this action, ultimately hundreds of Texians surrendered believing they would be treated as POWs, instead they were marched out of their prison onto the nearby prairie and summarily executed by the Mexican troops. These bloody and without mercy encounters between the Mexican Army and the Texian rebels actually backfired on Santa Anna. It ignited a deep desire for revenge and inspired more Texians and North Americans to rally to the cause for independence and join the Texian Army under Sam Houston. They got their revenge in the savage takedown of the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto in April of 1836.
June 13, 2019
If you are looking to brush up on your knowledge of the Texas Revolution, Stephen L. Hardin does a great over view of it in this his book. He starts the book off with an explanation that this is not a book about how great these early Texans where, which will be hard for some of us Texans to even think about let alone read, but I digress. Hardin recounts the events that happen during this revolution with criticism for both sides of this war as well as praise for military tactics where they are due. Hardin also includes in this book pictures and there descriptions before each chapter to help with the imaging of what it would of been like during those times, which I found truly helpful in understanding what it would of been like if I were to be in the position as those who where there. Starting the recount of this important part of Texas history with the first battle of the Texas Revolution is how Hardin decided to start this book, not with trying set it all up with talk of why the people are revolting he just skips to the how. Because of this you should have a good idea of why it started before you open this book to read its content.
Although this is a good recount of the Texas Revolution, one should also be aware that this book was written some time ago, and new evidence has arisen to make some of the things that Hardin had written about to be untrue today. They are not major things that discredits him and this book, but they are small things that everyone once believed to fact when this book was written.
One should also be aware that this is a history book, so it will have moments where it will be hard to read, because it is just plain and undiluted facts of different battles and incidents that take place between the dates of the first battle and the last of Texas Revolution. Now if course there will be things quite humorous that will be written about as well that had happened and of course we can only laugh about it now with hindsight of the past.
Although this is a good recount of the Texas Revolution, one should also be aware that this book was written some time ago, and new evidence has arisen to make some of the things that Hardin had written about to be untrue today. They are not major things that discredits him and this book, but they are small things that everyone once believed to fact when this book was written.
One should also be aware that this is a history book, so it will have moments where it will be hard to read, because it is just plain and undiluted facts of different battles and incidents that take place between the dates of the first battle and the last of Texas Revolution. Now if course there will be things quite humorous that will be written about as well that had happened and of course we can only laugh about it now with hindsight of the past.
June 1, 2024
My only complaint with the book is that it was too short! And actually, even that is an unfair "complaint", because at the time of this book's release, there really wasn't a concise military-focused volume on the Texas Revolution at all; thus, all those books that have come after it have taken advantage of the groundwork laid by it, and are allowed to elaborate more easily. As such, while I would have loved for Hardin to have gone into even more detail on the thoughts of particular soldiers (though the book already has a healthy stock of direct quotations), the exploits of the Texas Navy, more far-flung skirmishes in other places, etc., that would be beyond the scope of this book and detract from its straightforward purpose - namely (again), a solid, mainline military history. The book is fair to the sources available, and great at being honest without being iconoclastic. The highlights of the variance of geography and its effects on the campaigns was insightful and refreshing, as was the detail given on Mexican forces which can sometimes be snubbed. I would have liked to have seen more on the Tejano contributions for both sides (and more about Tory Texians generally), but I don't think the proper scholarship was well enough in place at the time, and they do at least get some strong mentions. This book deserves the seminal status it attained 30 years ago, and seems to me (not the least of which because it is balanced and succinct) to be required reading for any student of Texas Revolutionary History. A real winner!
Sidenote - I did the audiobook, and the narrator did a pretty solid job; maybe an off word or two here or there, but by and large the proper nouns (and especially Spanish) ware great, and the quotations were treated in character just enough to make them distinct (and with a decent lean towards a solid Texan accent) without sounding jarring or corny.
Sidenote - I did the audiobook, and the narrator did a pretty solid job; maybe an off word or two here or there, but by and large the proper nouns (and especially Spanish) ware great, and the quotations were treated in character just enough to make them distinct (and with a decent lean towards a solid Texan accent) without sounding jarring or corny.
August 13, 2018
Engaging book, read it in a day and a half. Giving it 3.5 stars, but have to pick whole numbers, rounding it up to 4 on the strenght of the author's prose.
An episodic treatment of the Texas Revolution, with vignettes covering the participant armies and their uniforms starting each chapter.
After research, I sought this volume out after identifying it from reviews as the least slanted of books covering this conflict. I found it to be more factual and academic than I had expected. While not engaging in myth-making or extension, it does offer conclusions concerning the pantheon of Texans - and General Urrea - involved, rather than allowing the reader to reach their own conclusion. I prefer to find my own way, a good author is more a presenter than a guide in my estimation.
The book is still written from the Texian point of view, I was looking for something even less shaded to any side. (Hence only four stars). I had hoped to hear more about the soldados. There are numerous nods toward the Mexican soldiers, but their stories are less well developed and are more of asides than the stories of their opponents.
It is engaging, which is why I read it eagerly and quickly. In the end, I did not find what I was looking for, 3.5 stars.
An episodic treatment of the Texas Revolution, with vignettes covering the participant armies and their uniforms starting each chapter.
After research, I sought this volume out after identifying it from reviews as the least slanted of books covering this conflict. I found it to be more factual and academic than I had expected. While not engaging in myth-making or extension, it does offer conclusions concerning the pantheon of Texans - and General Urrea - involved, rather than allowing the reader to reach their own conclusion. I prefer to find my own way, a good author is more a presenter than a guide in my estimation.
The book is still written from the Texian point of view, I was looking for something even less shaded to any side. (Hence only four stars). I had hoped to hear more about the soldados. There are numerous nods toward the Mexican soldiers, but their stories are less well developed and are more of asides than the stories of their opponents.
It is engaging, which is why I read it eagerly and quickly. In the end, I did not find what I was looking for, 3.5 stars.
May 6, 2023
Good Honest Read
The Texas Iliad provides a fair portrayal of the military history of the Texas Revolution. Texans were not supermen who could defeat Mexicans ten to one. Although Texans with rifles in a protected positions would defeat Mexicans with muskets. Weapons with three times the effective range will do that. Still Mexican cavalry would make short work of mounted Texans and shorter work of Texan infantry. Both sides had valiant soldiers. Both sides killed soldiers who tried to surrender. The Texas Revolution was a close run thing. The Texan victory depended on overextended Mexican forces; poor tactical choices made by Santa Anna ; Texas decisions that were a combination of Sam Houston's wisdom and unwisdom and the Revolutionary Army's own popular determinations; luck and surprise. As the book points out, the victory at San Jacinto was a near miraculous conjunction of factors. While not the definitive account and limited to military history, it is well worth reading.
The Texas Iliad provides a fair portrayal of the military history of the Texas Revolution. Texans were not supermen who could defeat Mexicans ten to one. Although Texans with rifles in a protected positions would defeat Mexicans with muskets. Weapons with three times the effective range will do that. Still Mexican cavalry would make short work of mounted Texans and shorter work of Texan infantry. Both sides had valiant soldiers. Both sides killed soldiers who tried to surrender. The Texas Revolution was a close run thing. The Texan victory depended on overextended Mexican forces; poor tactical choices made by Santa Anna ; Texas decisions that were a combination of Sam Houston's wisdom and unwisdom and the Revolutionary Army's own popular determinations; luck and surprise. As the book points out, the victory at San Jacinto was a near miraculous conjunction of factors. While not the definitive account and limited to military history, it is well worth reading.
September 22, 2018
A solid, well-written account of the Texas Revolution, primarily from the military angle. At times, especially in the beginning, I felt like I had been dropped into an on-going narrative, and I think the book would have benefited from a bit more context and attention to the cultural and political situations. However, Hardin does state in the introduction that Texan Iliad is specifically a military history and gives a recommendation for a political history of the Texas Revolution. While Hardin is a professor of Texas history and is telling a uniquely Texan story, he takes pains to take multiple perspectives into account, and doesn’t gloss over the atrocities committed by both sides. Overall, an excellent and accessible account of the Texas Revolution.
October 14, 2019
I read this to prepare for the fantastic field trips offered by the Women Writing The West conference in San Antonio this past weekend. It's a short snappy history of the Texas Revolution. I especially loved the drawings that headed each section, along with a detailed description of that man's clothing and weaponry. The book gave me a good solid background that filled in the gaps in my tour guide's presentation. Given that I thought the Alamo had surely been a victorious affair, I was glad to have prepared a bit for my trip!
I highly recommend it to those traveling to San Antonio - it's a quick 215 pages with lots of pictures and maps.
I highly recommend it to those traveling to San Antonio - it's a quick 215 pages with lots of pictures and maps.
July 1, 2018
Outstanding book on the Texas Revolution from its beginnings in Gonzales, TX to the aftermath of the Battle of San Jacinto. This book does a great job weaving in the lives of Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, David "Davy" Crockett, and a host of other less known Texian and Mexican characters. The Republic of Texas faced repeated setbacks to Mexican General Santa Anna yet ultimately won the war. Mexico's over-extended lines of communication and Santa Anna's hubris towards the Texian Army made significant contributions towards the final outcome.
December 17, 2021
A classic military history of the Texas Revolution. Hardin focuses on the strategic thinking (such as it was) and tactical details of the armed clashes between Mexican and Texian forces, with particular emphasis on leadership. Hardin is especially strong in explaining the relative advantages of the armies in terms of technology and terrain, with the Mexicans at their best on the open prairies where cavalry reigned supreme, and the Texians tending to triumph in wooded areas where they could take cover and use their rifles to telling effect against Mexican regulars armed with smoothbores.
February 23, 2023
My only critique is I wish it also included more of the political context, but a quick and outstanding read. Makes the Texan revolution sound like the Battle of Fallujah and really give you an up close and personal look at frontier combat. As a non-Texan, I have a new found appreciation for the ethos and events that formed their unique culture.
August 13, 2023
good but short military history of the Texas revolution
A very readable and well documented military history. The author is not into myth making and does a good job in showing both the strengths and weakness of commanders on both sides and the soldiers on both sides.
A good easy read but well worth the time. I recommend this book.
A very readable and well documented military history. The author is not into myth making and does a good job in showing both the strengths and weakness of commanders on both sides and the soldiers on both sides.
A good easy read but well worth the time. I recommend this book.
July 2, 2024
A readable but fairly basic account of the military operations of the Texas Revolution. The narrative comes across as a bit romanticized in places but, in all fairness to the author, the story is a fundamentally dramatic one. The book includes a series of excellent maps and illustrations as well as a separate section that showcases portraits and photographs of some of the key figures.
November 26, 2025
An excellent, honest, and in-depth depiction of the Texas Revolution. Hardin holds no punches, and tells the tale from the many perspectives involved. An objective and detailed read, it belongs on any history buff's book shelf.
Additionally, the sketches and descriptions of such at the beginning of each chapter were wonderful.
Additionally, the sketches and descriptions of such at the beginning of each chapter were wonderful.
May 9, 2021
A decisive part of Texas and American History. Even can be considered one of the most important revolutions of world history. Without Texas America May not be what it is today. REMEMBER THE ALAMO! REMEMBER GOLIAD!
January 19, 2025
This was a good summary of the Texas revolution from Mexico. A short read, that keeps the reader interested through the whole book. I would say it was almost too short and left me feeling like I wasn't getting thr full story.
January 27, 2025
Couldn't put this one down and it covers so many aspects of the Texas Revolution that don't get covered in school. I read this years ago but want to pick it up again. This is a fantastic book for an Texas history enthusiast.
March 16, 2019
Good book on the Texas Revolution from Gonzalez to San Antonio to Buffalo Bayou/San Jacinto. Good insights into many of the participants. Recommended.
May 20, 2019
Pretty good history of the Texas revolution. Felt like some people’s history was missing or that it was cut a little short; otherwise very good.
January 12, 2022
honestly just not that interesting a war. big takeaway was massacres can backfire on you...also interesting how into napoleon the Mexicans were
January 1, 2023
Probably more of a 3 but the subject matter is fascinating and near and dear to my internal Texas state love affair.
January 13, 2023
Essential history...
Setting the record straight about a mythical time period and legendary players... Hardin cuts no corners and keeps you turning pages till the end.
Setting the record straight about a mythical time period and legendary players... Hardin cuts no corners and keeps you turning pages till the end.
March 10, 2023
This a compact book on the Texas Revolution.
The first lesson to be learned is that we were just lucky.
The first lesson to be learned is that we were just lucky.
April 25, 2023
From a native
Worth your time, if u are born, plan to die, interned, in Texas
7 more words required? What else is to say?
Worth your time, if u are born, plan to die, interned, in Texas
7 more words required? What else is to say?
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