Juan Seguin

by Robert E. Hollmann

  Juan rode in silence for several minutes. Only the sound of the horses’ hooves striking the road disturbed the stillness of the night. At last I heard him take a deep breath.

  “I don’t know that I can give you a good reason, Pablo. I’ve always wanted to be the best at everything I do. I don’t want to make anyone mad. I just like to show people I’m as good as they are.”

  “You are as good as anyone. I don’t know of anybody who can ride like you. You are a good person, Juan. Just be yourself and people will like you for it.”

  “Maybe you’re right, Pablo. I’ll try and just get along with people. It’s getting late. Come on. I bet I can beat you back to the ranch.”

  * * *

  The following years were busy for us. Austin’s colony was successful. The people set up farms and ranches, and small towns began to appear around the countryside. Stephen Austin became friends with Don Erasmo and Juan. He often spent the night at Casa Blanca when he was passing through the neighborhood. Other colonists followed the original three hundred. Soon there were American settlements springing up all over the land. The Mexican government welcomed these new colonists at first, but as more and more Americans came to Texas news that the government was becoming concerned began to be heard in the colonies.

  Don Erasmo became more involved in the governing of the colonies. He was a delegate to the congress in Mexico City that wrote the Constitution of 1824. This document put most of the colonization issues in the hands of the state governments.

  Juan had grown into a fine young man, and helped his mother run the post office and the rancho while his father was away. This gave Juan a taste of public service at a young age.

  Sometimes we would visit Stephen Austin at his home in San Felipe. We would spend many hours talking with him about the United States and about his dreams for Texas. We both liked Stephen Austin. We wished that all the new settlers could be like him.

  Juan also became friends with a wealthy man who lived in San Antonio named Juan de Veramendi. Mr. Veramendi was active in local government, and he and Juan spent many hours talking about what was happening in Texas. They were worried that there was going to be trouble between Mexico and the new Texans.

  One day we were meeting in Mr. Veramendi’s home. There was a knock on the door and one of Mr. Veramendi’s servants answered the knock. Soon he came back into the room followed by an American.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Veramendi,” the servant said. “This gentleman has come to see you. He brings a letter of introduction with him from Mr. Stephen Austin. His name is James Bowie.”

  At the sound of his name we all looked at the man standing in the center of the room. He was a large man who gave the appearance of strength. Our eyes were drawn to the knife that hung from his belt. We had all heard of Jim Bowie and his famous knife. Mr. Veramendi stood and walked over to Bowie. The two men shook hands.

  “Mr. Bowie. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We’ve all heard of you, and I want to welcome you to my home. This is Juan Seguin and his friend Pablo.”

  Bowie shook our hands. His grip was strong. Juan could not keep his eyes off of the famous knife. I saw Juan feel the knife that hung by his own side. It looked small in comparison with Bowie’s knife.

  “Mr. Bowie, do you mind if I hold your knife?”

  I held my breath when Juan asked the question. I had heard stories of the terrible temper that Jim Bowie had. I did not know if he would be offended by Juan’s request.

  Bowie slowly pulled the knife from its scabbard and held the handle toward Juan.

  “Here you go. Be careful. It’s very sharp. And call me Jim.”

  Juan took the knife and held it in front of him. He made a few cutting motions in the air. He smiled and returned the knife to Bowie.

  “That’s a fine knife, Jim. I know your reputation as a great knife fighter. I’m not going to tell you that I’m a better knife fighter than you.”

  I laughed, as Jim looked a little puzzled. Mr. Veramendi handed the letter from Stephen Austin back to Bowie.

  “Mr. Austin is very impressed with you. I respect his opinion. I want to visit with you, but at the moment I must attend to some government matters. Juan, will you take Mr. Bowie and show him where he can find a place to stay? Mr. Bowie, there is a dance tonight in the plaza. Please come. We can talk there.”

  Bowie walked out the door as Mr. Veramendi grabbed Juan’s arm. I heard him whisper to Juan.

  “Take good care of Mr. Bowie. If things happen as we think they will, we will need many men like him.”

  Chapter Five

  That evening, Juan and I sat at a table talking to Jim Bowie. The night air was filled with the sound of guitars, fiddles, and laughter. The food was good and our plates were piled high. Juan took a bite of a tamale and looked at Jim.

  “So you’re here looking for land?”

  “That’s right. We heard back in Louisiana that Texas had plenty of land and that the price was very reasonable. So my friends and I came out here to take a look.”

  “You heard correctly, Jim. There is a lot of land. And the price is not high. There could be a problem though.”

  Jim put down his fork. “What kind of problem?”

  Juan looked around to make sure no one was listening. “The government in Mexico is beginning to be worried about all the Americans coming to Texas. They’re afraid that the settlers will want to separate from Mexico and join the United States. So the government is making it more difficult for Americans to own land.”

  Jim leaned back in his chair and stared at his plate. “That doesn’t sound good. Are you telling me my friends and I can’t get land here?”

  Juan shook his head. “Not at all. There are always ways around things. Mr. Veramendi is a very important person. I hear he’s going to be appointed vice-governor of the province. He’ll be able to assist you in getting some land.”

  “Why would he help me get land?”

  Juan leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Jim, things are not going well between the government of Mexico and Texas. I’m including the native Texans such as myself in the group. If it comes down to war with the government, we’ll need men like you. Will you be willing to stand with us?”

  “Juan, I came to Texas to get some land and start a new life. Not get involved in a war. Besides, it seems to me you would want to support the government of Mexico against these new settlers.”

  “Jim, I’ve never been to Mexico. I’m a Texan. This is my home. I’m willing to fight to protect what I have here. I think any man should be willing to fight for what he loves. I know you’ve just arrived in Texas. After you’ve been here awhile, I think you’ll believe that Texas is worth fighting for too.”

  Jim watched the people dancing. Finally he turned to Juan.

  “Thank you for telling me this. I never have liked people telling me what I can and can’t do. That’s one reason I came here. To get away from too many rules. If it comes down to it, you can count on me to do what I can to support Texas. Besides, I want to be on your side.”

  Juan smiled. “Good, Jim. Look, here comes Mr. Veramendi. Come on, Pablo, let’s let them talk in private.”

  Juan and I walked away as Mr. Veramendi sat down at the table with Jim. Juan smiled as we watched the dancers.

  “Why are you smiling?” I asked.

  “Because, Pablo, with people like Jim Bowie on our side, I think the future of Texas looks very bright.”

  * * *

  The next few years were exciting for everyone in Texas. New settlers kept coming in and the government of Mexico began to make harsher laws to govern them. The new settlers ignored most of the laws and carried on their lives as they pleased. Mexico City was far away, and there was no one to enforce the laws. Juan was elected alcalde, or mayor of San Antonio. His father continued to be involved in politics. Jim married the daughter of Mr. Veramendi. They were very happy, and Jim was able to obtain a great deal of land with the assistance of Mr. Veramendi.

  Some of
the new settlers began to openly campaign for the separation of Texas from Mexico. Among the leaders of this group was a young man who had just come to Texas from South Carolina. His name was William Barret Travis.

  Travis and his followers took delight in publicly disobeying the laws. They tried to force the authorities to react to them. Juan was concerned that Travis and his men would force a showdown with the government of Mexico before Texas was ready. Then word came that Mexico had a new president. The name of the new president was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

  Chapter Six

  Juan and I sat at the table while Don Erasmo paced the floor. The political situation in Texas had been growing steadily worse since Santa Anna had taken over as president of Mexico. Stephen Austin had gone to Mexico City to try and talk to the government, but he had been placed in prison for over a year and had just recently been released. The war party was calling for a revolution to separate Texas from Mexico. Don Erasmo did not favor Santa Anna. He wanted the Constitution of 1824 to be restored, but he was unsure about having Texas separate from Mexico. As we sat there someone knocked on the door. Soon a servant led Stephen Austin into the room. Austin had always been slender, but he had lost a lot of weight during his year in the prison. Don Erasmo rushed to him and shook his hand. He led him to a chair.

  “Stephen, it’s good to see you. How are you doing?” Don Erasmo asked.

  Austin smiled weakly. “I’m doing better now that I’m back among friends.”

  Juan stood up and walked over to Austin’s chair. “Tell us about what’s happening in Mexico.”

  Austin sighed. He slowly shook his head.” I’m afraid I have nothing good to report, Juan. I went to Mexico hoping to work out a peaceful settlement of our problems. I wasn’t there very long before it became clear to me that we can’t trust Santa Anna. He will only agree to something if it helps him. I don’t think we can reach a peaceful agreement with him.”

  Don Erasmo rubbed his chin as he listened to Austin.

  “Are you saying we should go to war with Santa Anna, Stephen?”

  “Don Erasmo, you know I’m not a soldier. If there is any chance of reaching a peaceful agreement I’m in favor of it. But from what I’ve seen in the last year, there’s no way we can reach an agreement with Santa Anna. I think we have no choice but to fight him.”

  Don Erasmo looked down at the floor. Finally he raised his head and smiled at Austin.

  “Stephen, I know you’re a person who would look for every way to keep from starting a war. But when someone like you says we have no choice but to go to war against Santa Anna, I have to agree with you. I think we need to get ready to fight.”

  “I’ll get some men and begin to scout the countryside,” Juan said. “I think the troops will start to move soon. Is there anyone who can raise and lead an army?”

  Austin nodded. “Sam Houston’s in Texas. I saw him the other day. He would be the perfect man to lead our army.”

  “Will he do it?” Juan asked.

  “I’m sure he will. But first we need to form a government. There will be a meeting at Washington on the Brazos soon. Don Erasmo, we need you and some of your friends there to help to form the government.”

  “Of course. I’ll contact some of my friends at once. What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going back to San Felipe and then to the meeting at Washington on the Brazos. I’ll see you there.”

  After Austin left, Juan and I went outside.

  “Do you think anybody will join your group?” I asked.

  “Yes. I think we can raise twenty or thirty men easily. You’re joining, aren’t you?”

  I nodded. “Sure I am. We’ve been together too long. I can’t let you go running around the country all by yourself. You’d get into too much trouble.”

  * * *

  Juan was right. He did not have any difficulty raising a company of men. Soon he had scouts riding the prairie in all directions. We gathered information and sent it to the convention. Juan was a good leader. His men liked him and they worked hard for him. He knew many of the people living in the area, and they would give us information when they could.

  The government of Mexico sent troops to Texas to try and control the growing movement toward independence. There were small clashes between the soldiers and the Texans, but nothing too serious. One day Juan and I were out riding when we saw a rider coming toward us. As he got closer we could see it was one of our men. He pulled his horse to a stop and tried to catch his breath.

  “What’s wrong, Jose?” Juan asked.

  The rider took a deep breath. “Juan, you need to get back to the ranch. The men are all there. There’s a battle at Gonzales.”

  Chapter Seven

  We rode as fast as we could back to the ranch. As we rode through the gates I could see several men talking excitedly in small groups. We got off our horses and walked up to one of the men.

  “Andres, what’s happening?” Juan asked.

  Andres took off his hat and wiped his forehead.

  “There’s fighting at Gonzales. I’ve been riding around the country telling everyone to go to Gonzales to help fight.”

  Juan rubbed his chin. “Why would fighting start now? What caused it?”

  “Do you remember the small cannon that the government had given to Gonzales to help them fight the Indians?” Juan nodded.

  “The government sent some soldiers to take the cannon back. The people of Gonzales didn’t want to give it back. They made a flag with a drawing of the cannon. The flag said ‘Come and Take It.’”

  Juan shook his head. “The last time I saw that cannon it wouldn’t even fire. It doesn’t seem worth starting a war over a broken cannon.”

  “The people see it as a symbol. They believe that the Government is taking away their rights. They’ve decided to take a stand over the cannon.”

  “Well, I can understand that,” Juan said. “I knew that sooner or later there would be a war. I guess the time is now.” Juan waved to the men standing around the yard. “Mount your horses, my friends. We’re going to help our neighbors in Gonzales keep their cannon.”

  The men cheered as they climbed on their horses. We rode as fast as we could, but the fighting was over before we reached Gonzales. The men were disappointed, but Juan spoke to them.

  “My friends. Don’t be disappointed. We missed this fight, but I have a feeling that there will be many more. Santa Anna isn’t going to let this battle go unanswered. Go on home. I’ll call you when I find out what’s going on.”

  The men rode away. I looked at Juan. He frowned as he watched the men ride off.

  “What’s wrong, Juan?” I asked.

  “I think that there’s going to be a bad war. Santa Anna will want to punish Texas for fighting him. Most of these men don’t respect Santa Anna. I think that’s a mistake. He’s going to send an army against us. I just hope we’re ready. Come on, Pablo. Let’s go find Stephen Austin.”

  * * *

  We found Stephen Austin several days later. He was in command of a small army. The camp was full of activity as we stopped in front of Austin’s tent. He smiled as we walked in.

  “Juan, it’s good to see you. I was hoping you’d show up.”

  “It looks like you are wanting a fight, Stephen,” Juan said.

  Austin sat down and rubbed his eyes. “I’m not a fighting man, Juan. You know that. I was asked to take charge of this army and I agreed, but I don’t know how long I can keep command. We need real fighters in the army. That’s why I’m glad to see you.”

  Austin wrote a message on a piece of paper. When he had finished he looked up at Juan.

  “I have appointed you a captain in the army. I want you to raise a company of men. Get men who know the area well. I want you to scout the countryside and report on any enemy troop movements you see. I know that Santa Anna’s going to come up here with an army. I want to be sure we have plenty of notice before he gets here.”

  Juan read the paper Austin had wr
itten.

  “I can raise a company of men, but I want to take part in the fighting. I don’t want to just be a scout. Texas is my home. I’m ready to fight to defend it from Santa Anna.”

  Austin laughed. “I imagine that you’ll get to be in plenty of fights. We need men like you, but it’s important that we know what’s happening down on the border. How soon can you have your company ready?”

  “It’ll take a couple of days. They should be here by the end of the week.”

  Austin smiled. “Good. By the way, your old friend Jim Bowie is here. I’ve asked him to take Captain Fannin and some troops and go check out the old mission at Concepcion. You might see if he needs any more men.”

  Juan smiled. “I think I will. Thanks, Stephen. You can count on me and my company.”

  We walked outside the tent. Juan turned to me. “Come on, Pablo. We need to get the men together. We have a war to fight.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jim Bowie looked up as we walked into the small room where he sat talking to some other men. He looked tired and he coughed a lot, but he smiled and shook Juan’s hand.

  “Juan, it’s good to see you. You too, Pablo. Have a seat. I was just talking to these fellows about a little trip that Stephen Austin wants us to go on for him.”

  Juan nodded to the other men. “I’ve just left Mr. Austin. He told me you were going to check out the old mission at Concepcion. He made me a captain and told me to raise a company of men. I came by here to see if we could go with you.”

  Jim slapped his hand down on the table. “Didn’t I tell you, Fannin? I told you Austin would get us some more men. These men know this country better than anybody else. With Captain Seguin and his men along, it’ll be easy to get to that old mission and scout it out. We’ll be there and back before the enemy knows we’ve left here.”

  Fannin sat back in his chair and shook his head.” I don’t know, Colonel Bowie. I hear Santa Anna has spies everywhere. I think he’s going to have soldiers waiting for us at the old mission.”