According to the late Frank X. Tolbert, she looked Latin, had long black hair, and was exceptionally beautiful. [1] Also, arriving coincidentally in Morgan's Point on board Morgan's schooner from New York was Emily West de Zavala,[1] the wife of the interim Vice President of the Republic of Texas, Lorenzo de Zavala, and grandmother of Adina Emilia De Zavala. Enjoy your stay :), The S.S. I should request a refund. The Yellow Rose of Texas. While all of the above information can be used to authenticate the existence of Emily West, additional resources may come to light at some point that will give greater validation to the role played by a heroine in the successful struggle for the independence of the Republic of Texas. Captured two days later, Santa Anna was taken to a large oak tree where Sam Houston lay recuperating from an ankle wound. As might be expected, the President of Mexico, Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, took exception. She was the former indentured servant of James Morgan for whom the peninsula was named. Do you believe that this item violates a copyright? Some had named it derisively the “runaway scrape.” Depending on which group of Texican soldiers one asked, Sam Houston was either a worthless coward or a brilliant military strategist. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. "[3], After the Battle of San Jacinto, the real Emily West wanted to leave Texas, but the papers that declared her "free" had been lost. Not much is known about Emily Morgan, except that she was born in the East, was either a slave or indentured servant to a family that moved to Texas, and that she spent some time as a prostitute. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. In the letter a reference to the loss of her “free papers” at San Jacinto indicates she was present at the battle site and the description of her as a “free Woman” may indicate that she may likely have been a woman of color. A lucky few were taken captive or fled into the countryside. According to legend, Santa Anna had been caught unprepared because he was having sex with West. It took thirteen days for a superior Mexican force to overrun the old church and kill the 180 or so Texican defenders. “The Battle of San Jacinto was probably lost to the Mexicans, owing to the influence of a mulatto girl (Emily) belonging to Col. Morgan who was closeted in the tent with a g’l Santa Ana, at the time a cry was made “the Enemy! Sam Houston and Santa Anna found themselves camped less than a mile apart at San Jacinto. The one fact that is clear is that the world is a very different place because of it. The victory over a far superior Mexican Army changed the world, not just Texas. Fact: An English ethnologist, William Bollaert, visited Texas from 1842 through 1844 and published a record of his travels. Wonderful Story of Excitement and Romance, Plus a Little Bit of History, Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2011. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Copyright © 2006–2020, Some rights reserved. The Author’s Note in the first book of the series, Morgan’s Point, summarizes the story of the Texas Revolution against Mexico and ends with the Battle of San Jacinto that created the Republic of Texas. After looting and burning the settlement, Santa Anna and his soldiers forced Emily West to accompany them when they left several days later. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Santa Anna, as he was known, was already marching his armies to Texas to vanquish the upstart Texicans. There is little historical evidence to support this story. [8] There is no contemporary or primary evidence that Emily D. West and Emily de Zavala were the same person. Santa Anna held that much of Mexico's political troubles were due to this, holding that "We have failed because of our deplorable racial mixture, and the responsibility for this sad state of affairs lies with the Spanish missionaries who saved the Indian from extinction. [1], It is unknown if she did carry James Morgan's surname, as was supposed, although this was the custom for indentured servants and slaves at the time. According to legend, West was in Santa Anna’s tent on April 21, when Sam Houston’s Texian Army charged the Mexican camp in the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna’s camp lay hard against Peggy’s Lake. Texans grew up singing the song and learning the myth of the Yellow Rose of Texas. Legend has it that Gen. Santa Anna was sleeping with Morgan when Gen. Sam Houston and the Texas army swept into the Mexican camp at the Battle of San Jacinto, catching Santa Anna and his army with their pants down. Emily Morgan is supposedly the woman whom the song "The Yellow Rose of Texas" was written about. Something went wrong. Much has been written about the legend of the Yellow Rose of Texas. The Texicans had suffered grievous defeats at the Alamo and Goliad. Thanks to this story from Bollaert (and only from Bollaert — there is no other source), the hotel to the north of the Alamo is today known as the "Emily Morgan Hotel," and bears a plaque dedicated to the "Yellow Rose of Texas." So while all truth about Ms. Emily is likely gone with the past, clever minds have at least created a happy ending for her. After crossing the Mexican interior, Santa Anna marched his large army to San Antonio, where they surrounded a vastly outnumbered garrison at the Alamo. If West was in fact with Santa Anna when Texians charged the Mexican camp, it was probably not by choice; she could not have known of Houston’s plans or intentionally delayed the Mexican general. . Though almost everyone in America has heard the song, few are aware that the yellow rose of Texas it pays tribute to was a woman by the name of Emily. The inopportune location of Santa Anna’s camp was met with disbelief by the professional soldiers who commanded his troops. Douglas Brode is a novelist, screenwriter, playwright, film historian, and award winning journalist. Major Isaac Moreland, commandant of the garrison at Galveston,[4] vouched for Emily in her application for a passport. The battle occurred on April 21, 1836. West was forced to travel with the forces of General Antonio López de Santa Anna as they prepared to face the army led by Sam Houston, and was in the Mexican camp on April 21 when Houston's force attacked. Emily, a Mulatto woman, was said to be fair of face. The Morgan's are rescued by Erastus "Deaf" Smith. She allegedly was instrumental in the Texas army’s victory over Santa Anna. The Texican Cavalry was into the Mexican camp with drawn sabers before an alarm could be sounded. The Real Yellow Rose of Texas. This graphic novel weaves together some of the legends and facts about Morgan into a coherent whole that is a joy to read. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. The Legend of Emily (Morgan) West Marker. The Real Yellow Rose of Texas. Yellow ose of Texas "the Myth of Emily West", Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2015. Legend has it that Emily Morgan, Mulatto servant of Col. James Morgan, actually "won" the Battle of San Jacinto for Texas by catching Gen. Santa Anna's eye when he … . Many assumed, due to her being a quadroon, that she was James Morgan’s slave and called her Emily Morgan. The Yellow Rose of Texas was an attractive woman supposedly named Emily Morgan. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. The Texans won the Battle of San Jacinto in 18 minutes.[2]. She accompanied these troops to the plains of San Jacinto on April 20. Presently, she remains the focus of one of the most repeated and popular stories of the defeat of Santa Ana by victorious Texans. Published on Jan 1, 2015 The Yellow Rose of Texas is a traditional folk song. Don't know how to get a refund. These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. Notes for his work include a reference in his personal diary, purportedly the result of a conversation with Sam Houston, follows. Emily D. West, erroneously called Emily Morgan by those who presumed her a slave of James Morgan and the "Yellow Rose of Texas" by twentieth-century myth-makers, was born a free black in New Haven, Connecticut. . [1] In 1835 she was contracted to James Morgan in New York to work as an indentured servant for one year in Morgan's Point, Texas, at the New Washington Association's hotel as a housekeeper. Rather than hang Santa Anna from the oak tree, he required him to sign an order directing the commanders of two larger Mexican forces advancing toward Houston’s army to withdraw back across the Rio Grande. Her name was Emily Morgan, and she was the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew. West was a free woman of color, of mixed race, or a "high yellow". "A twenty year old named Emily West". Santa Anna’s forces were now split into three widely separated armies. The only written record of the incident is a diary entry written by William Bollaert, a British traveler, in 1842, identifying the woman in question as “a mulatta girl (Emily) belonging to Col Morgan.” No official record from the Battle of San Jacinto mentioned a woman being found in Santa Anna’s tent, and though a number of Santa Anna’s officers publicly criticized him for losing Texas, not one ever accused him of being distracted by a woman at San Jacinto. With the stroke of Santa Anna’s pen, a new Republic of Texas was at least temporarily assured. In 1830 the territory that was later to become the Republic of Texas was still governed by Mexican laws that prohibited slavery. She confounds boundaries between history, legend and myth as do few other figures in American folklore. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The cast of characters include Jim Bowie, Sam Houston and Davy Crockett. A late afternoon charge by Sam Houston’s army drove the Mexicans into the shallow muck of Peggy’s Lake. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. There's a problem loading this menu right now. The legend probably has as much chance of being true as any other of the stories about this 18-minute battle.
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