The New Orleans Greys were mustered into action in October 1835 on the ground floor of a three-story building called Banks Arcade, which incidentally was more of a combination market and coffee shop and not anything like what we know today as an arcade. The men were divided into two units, each with a different commander. A few days later after being fitted with uniforms and weapons, one group headed north to Nacogdoches, Texas; the other went south to Velasco. Historians say that upon their arrival in Velasco, the men were indeed welcomed as citizens of Texas and took an oath like the one given by Judge Edmund Andrews—the name he shares with the real-life judge—in the book. Each Grey was also given a certificate of citizenship before signing the roster that was sent on to General Sam Houston, commander of the Texas army. I’m not certain if, when the Greys left New Orleans, they realized they would not only fight for Texas but also become official Texians, but history says that is exactly what happened. I don’t know how the citizens of Velasco and Quintana greeted these soldiers, but I would like to think they made them feel welcome. Thus, I have bent history to show that they came down to cheer their arrival. The scene the next day where the whole unit of New Orleans Greys—minus one—floats past on a steamboat, however, is based on historical fact. The day after the Greys landed in New Orleans, they were shipped upstream to Columbia to meet such dignitaries as Jane Long and to be feted with parades and political speeches.
Meanwhile, in the fall of 1835, much was happening in Texas. Skirmishes occurred in several places, all pitting the ragtag volunteers of the Texian army against the well-trained soldiers of Santa Anna’s Mexican army. In October, battles were fought in Gonzales and Goliad, and then on November 1, the siege at Béxar occurred. On December 9, General Cos surrendered the Alamo to the Texian army, and two days later he negotiated a peaceful surrender that allowed his troops passage back to Mexico. Certainly no one expected on that cold December day that less than three months later on March 6, 1836, after a siege lasting thirteen days, the Alamo would return to Mexican hands and the Texian army would be soundly defeated. This defeat, coupled with the Goliad massacre that happened three weeks later, made it appear that the dreams of a free Texas republic were swiftly dying. Then on April 21, 1836, on a battlefield just a few miles from where I now live, General Sam Houston defeated the mighty army of Santa Anna in a battle that lasted a mere eighteen minutes!
Much is made of the battles that led to the Texas Revolution, but we often forget that those who fought those battles were regular folks just like us. Though they were almost all men, there were women settlers in 1830s Texas, and their lives were anything but boring!
When I created the image of Ellis’s home on the Texas coastal prairie, I imagined her family would have a home known as the dogtrot style, a type of log cabin that was popular during this period in Texas history and particularly suited to the environment there. The home usually started as one square cabin. When the family grew, another cabin of the same size was built a few feet away and the two structures joined by a wooden porch that wrapped between them and often around on all sides. The two squares also shared one roof, giving the porch a covering that helped in summer and during rain. As the need for more space occurred often, many of these dogtrot homes had a second story built to span the two structures. Sometimes the staircase to access the upper floor was contained in the parlor side of the home. Other times, the stairs were built in the covered porch area between the buildings. Due to the risk of fire, the place where the cooking was done—sometimes called a summer kitchen—was located in a separate building away from the home.
Another aspect of Ellis’s life on the Texas prairie involved the healing skills she learned from her mother. The art of using medicinal herbs is an ancient one, so it is no wonder that women who could not run down to the local CVS Pharmacy would school themselves in the use of the plants around them to cure coughs, bring down a fever, or, as in the case of poor Clay, promote a sound sleep. The most interesting fact of all is that scientists are now proving that our ancestors were on to something!
During the writing of this story, I had to do research on many things. One of my most eye-opening finds was in regard to horses. Did you know a horse can travel forty miles in a day at a comfortable pace? They can do much more if pushed, but forty miles was a good average to maintain the health of the horse, especially when traveling long distances like the two hundred miles that Ellis and Clay were traveling. Can you imagine? The cars in our driveways would cross that two-hundred-mile distance in hours rather than the five days it took my characters. Life has definitely sped up since 1835!
And speaking of speeding things up, steamboat travel was definitely the way to cross the miles faster. A number of steamboats plied the waters of the Brazos River in the 1830s, delivering supplies and picking up crops destined for markets up and down the river. They also carried passengers, including animals. The river was far different than it is now, with many impediments to safe travel. A steamboat captain had to negotiate tight turns, avoid fallen trees and shallow sandbars, and still make good time. From firsthand reports I read in the diaries of travelers during that time, the trips were nothing if not harrowing.
When Ellis and Clay travel to San Antonio de Béxar in search of her brother Thomas, they take a steamboat to the town of Washington—soon to be known as Washington-on-the-Brazos where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed on March 2, 1836—to the place where La Bahia Road crossed the Brazos River. Today this scenic drive is known as Texas Scenic Highway FM 390 (the first in the state to be designated as a scenic highway), and it winds through—among others—Washington and Fayette Counties. Originally an east-west Indian trail, the road goes through such picturesque Texas towns as Independence, William Penn, and Burton and is a favorite spot to see the famous Texas bluebonnets in the spring.
Among all these facts, I do have one “bent fact.” That is, in order to make the time line work for the story, I had to play with history just a little. In reality, General Cos surrendered the Alamo to the Texian troops on December 9, 1835. He and his soldiers retreated and were given safe passage back to Mexico. In the story, however, I have that happening a little sooner.
During her time at the Alamo, Ellis befriends Susanna Dickenson, wife of Captain Almaron Dickenson. Susanna is a real person who indeed was at the Alamo during the siege and lived to tell the story. Her account of the battle is fascinating and makes for an interesting read for any history buff with an interest in the topic.
Amos Pollard was chief surgeon at the Alamo. He came to the Alamo with John York’s company of soldiers and was responsible for seeing to the medical needs of those garrisoned there. He died a hero’s death during the siege on March 6, 1836.
If you’ve read this far, thank you! That means you’re a history nerd too! I can’t wait to share my next novel with you very soon—and to delve into history all over again.
And maybe to bend a few facts, but only the ones that really need bending.
Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more than eighty novels with almost two million copies in print in the US and abroad. She has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award as well a Reader’s Choice Award and is the winner of the 2014 Inspirational Romance of the Year by Romantic Times magazine. Kathleen is a paralegal, a proud military wife, and a tenth-generation Texan who recently moved back to cheer on her beloved Texas Aggies. Connect with her through social media at www.kathleenybarbo.com.
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