The Battle of San Jacinto was fought on 21 April 1836 and decided the Texas Revolution2. After weeks of retreat following the fall of the Alamo, General Sam Houston turned and attacked Santa Anna's resting camp in the afternoon. Shouting "Remember the Alamo" and "Remember Goliad", the Texians overran the Mexican army in about 18 minutes3. Santa Anna was captured the next day and agreed to withdraw his forces, opening the way to an independent Republic of Texas.
In the spring of 1836 the Texian rebellion seemed lost. The Alamo had fallen, the garrison at Goliad had been executed, and Sam Houston's small army was in retreat. Then, on a spring afternoon by the San Jacinto River, Houston turned and attacked.
A revolution in retreat
After the fall of the Alamo in March 1836 and the execution of the prisoners at Goliad, General Sam Houston led the Texian army east in a long retreat4, criticised by many of his own men, while Santa Anna pursued with part of his army.
Houston turns
By April Santa Anna had divided his forces. Near the junction of Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River, Houston brought his roughly 900 men face to face2 with the Mexican president's camp of about 1,200 to 1,400 soldiers, reinforced that morning.
Eighteen minutes
On the afternoon of 21 April, while much of the Mexican camp was resting, the Texians advanced across the open ground behind a screen of trees and rising ground, with two small cannon known as the Twin Sisters3. Crying "Remember the Alamo" and "Remember Goliad", they overran the camp in about 18 minutes. Hundreds of Mexican soldiers were killed in the rout that followed.3
The president in captivity
Santa Anna escaped from the field but was captured the next day, dressed as a common soldier3. Held as a prisoner, he signed the Treaties of Velasco, agreeing to withdraw the Mexican army beyond the Rio Grande5.
Why San Jacinto mattered
San Jacinto secured the independence of the Republic of Texas, which joined the United States in 18456. It made Sam Houston a national hero, and the cry "Remember the Alamo" became part of American memory.