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April 21, 1836:
On this day, Texas won its independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto, and there was an unexpected hero who may or may not have proved that lust is a battlefield.
As the story goes, General Santa Anna, after moving his troops into position to attack Sam Houston’s army, captured a slave girl named Emily Morgan. When Houston climbed a tree to spy on Santa Anna’s camp, he spotted Morgan in the general’s tent. So, with Santa Anna “distracted”, Houston moved his men into the woods nearby.
At just the right moment – wrong for the Mexican army – Houston launched a surprise attack on Santa Anna’s camp, taking hundreds prisoner, including Santa Anna. As for Morgan? Well, she would become known as “The Yellow Rose of Texas”.
Do you believe “The Yellow Rose” legend? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet our host, Michael Callahan, @MCallahanTV using #ForgottenDayHOU, and he’ll tweet you back.