The official nonfiction companion to HISTORY’s dramatic series Texas Rising (created by the same team that made the ratings record-breaker Hatfields & McCoys): a thrilling new narrative history of the Texas Revolution and the rise of the legendary Texas Rangers who patrolled the violent western frontier
March 1836: The Republic of Texas, just weeks old, is already near collapse. William Barret Travis and his brave defenders of the Alamo in San Antonio have been slaughtered. Hundreds more Texan soldiers have surrendered at Goliad, only to be marched outside the fortress and executed by order of the ruthless Mexican general Santa Anna, a dictator denying Texans their freedom and liberty.
General Sam Houston—a hard-drinking, hot-tempered opportunist—remains in command of a small band of volunteer colonists, mercenaries, and the newly organized Texas Rangers. They are the last hope for Texas to challenge the relentless advance of Santa Anna’s much larger Mexican Army—yet many of them curse Houston, enraged by his decision to retreat across Texas before the advancing enemy.
The exhausted, outnumbered rebels will meet their destiny on an empty plain near the Gulf Coast next to the San Jacinto River—and make a stand that determines the fate of the young nation. “Remember the Alamo!” and “Remember Goliad!” will be the battle cries, and the order of the day will echo Travis’s at the Alamo: Victory or death.
Acclaimed Texas historian Stephen L. Moore’s new narrative history tells the full, thrilling story of the Texas Revolution from its humble beginnings to its dramatic conclusion, and reveals the contributions of the fabled Texas Rangers—both during the revolution and in the frontier Indian wars that followed.
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“P. J. Ochlan provides an urbane voice for this account of the 1836 Texas Revolution. His neutral, all-American pronunciation, as opposed to a Texas drawl, is suitable for the author’s assertion that the Texas Revolution is a key component of US history rather than a mere Texas tale. As Ochlan describes the brave Texan defenders of the Alamo, he provides subtle color for Travis and Bowie, while lending a hint of fanaticism to the outlandish Mexican president Santa Anna. As the Battle of San Jacinto paves the way for the independent Republic of Texas, Sam Houston is portrayed as both a hero and a swashbuckling opportunist. Ochlan delivers this narrative with reverence for the author’s vivid historical details and vibrant real-life characters.”
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