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The Texas Horse Marines |
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Most people know that Texans love to do things on horseback and this is certainly true when it comes to fighting. Even some of the most famous Texas marines were horse marines and their story is a good illustration of the ingenuity and audacity that are part of the Texan character. This piece of Texas history began on June 2, 1836 with Major Isaac Watts Burton and his 30 Republic of Texas Rangers. The Texans had won their independence, but Mexico still considered them a state in rebellion and during the War for Texas Independence the Mexicans had sent supplies and war materials to Texas by sea, so Major Burton and his rangers were on duty patrolling the Texas coast from Refugio to the Guadalupe River -quite a stretch of land for thirty men, but they were rangers after all and more than up to the task. |
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On June 2, Major Burton and his men discovered the Mexican schooner Watchman laying at anchor in Copano Bay. The Texans were determined to take that ship and so, with a little on the spot scheming, they pretended to be stranded Mexicans in distress and signaled the Watchman asking for help. The Mexicans, quite foolishly as it turned out, landed a party of four sailors, plus their own captain, to collect the Texans they thought were their countrymen. The Mexican captain and his men were quickly taken prisoner by the Texans, but even such a victory as this was only the beginning. Major Burton picked sixteen of his rangers and took the Mexican boat back to the Watchman. Seeing them approach, the Mexican sailors assumed that it was their captain and his party returning with their stranded men. However, as soon as the Texans reached the ship they got a rough education. |
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The Texans stormed aboard the Watchman and the totally surprised Mexican sailors instantly threw their hands up and surrendered. Just as Major Burton had predicted, the hold of the schooner was loaded with war materials intended for Mexican forces still threatening Texas. Major Burton, according to the rules of warfare at sea, claimed the schooner as a prize and prepared to sail her to Velasco, but had to remain where he was for two weeks due to contrary winds. It seemed like bad luck at the time, but it was actually a terrific stroke of good fortune for Major Burton and his rangers turned marines. |
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While the Watchman was still sitting in Copano Bay waiting for favorable winds, on June 17, 1836 two more Mexican supply ships, the Comanche and Fanny Butler, appeared and sailed into Copano Bay to join the Mexican ship they saw at anchor there. Major Butler, using rough, ranger persuasion, forced the captain of the Watchman to signal the captains of the other two Mexican ships and invite them to board the Watchman. As their comrade asked, the other Mexican captains soon came aboard and were immediately taken prisoner by the Texans who then forced them to surrender both of their vessels without firing a single shot. Major Burton and his little flotilla of Mexican ships sailed to Velasco and then to Galveston where the spoils were shared. The word quickly spread across Texas and beyond of how Major Burton and thirty Texas rangers had captured three Mexican ships with all of their crews and cargo without the loss of a single man. And that, is how they earned their famous title of THE HORSE MARINES. |
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