For the Texans, the time between the fall of the Alamo on March 6, 1836 and the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21 was one of intimidation and dread; of widespread hunger, sickness, death; and of perceived atrocities inflicted on settlers by a vengeful Mexican army. The Runaway Scrape is barely an afterthought in the pages of Texas history. Memorable quotes from the larger war, like “Remember the Alamo!” or “Come and Take it!” refer to the courageous soldiers who ran headlong into bloody battles….not to the settlers who fled in terror. One might question the flight versus fight response and ask, “Why did all those people run? Why didn’t they fortress up?“
“ Why didn’t they stay to fight? “ The truth is, however, that our forefathers at the Alamo had just been annihilated, and the early colonists who heard about the siege and fall of the fortress did not know how this war would turn out. Frightened for their lives and for the lives of their children, these early Texans chose to run. On March 12 came news of the fallen mission and the death of Colonel William B. Travis and his brave fighters. Upon hearing of the massacre, Sam Houston—who had been elected at the 1833 Convention to serve
as Commander in Chief of the Texan army—chose to retreat toward the Sabine River, which forms a boundary between Texas and Louisiana. This action marked the beginning of a large-scale evacuation of the Texas population, known as the Runaway Scrape. Houston knew that his army was unprepared to face the starkly superior Mexican army; in order to have time to whip his men into fighting shape, he chose a series of strategic retreats to organize and train his troops.
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A dispatch from General Houston advised settlers to immediately leave their homes in search of safety. Frantic colonists from all over Texas began to leave everything they owned behind and flee from impending danger. As soldiers made the journey east, many burned their own homes to prevent anything falling into the Mexicans’ hands. Some families gave up the flight and cowered with their children in the bottomland canebrakes along the Brazos River. A prolonged drought had plagued the Texas settlers in 1835, but now the rains came in torrential downpours. Because of cold, rain, hunger, and disease, many refugees sickened and died. The rivers caused particular danger. One woman and her two children rode a horse that bolted at a swollen creek and plummeted into the raging water. Horrified refugees on the opposite bank could only watch as horse, mother, and children were swept under the swift current.
- The Alamo -
Photo Credit: iStock.com/ Dean_Fikar
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The Runaway Scrape