From the birth of the republic through annexation and secession two men in Texas politics loom in bitter opposition---Sam Houston and David C. Burnet. Of the former much is known. The first good history of Texas was by his follower, Henderson Yoakum. John Henry Brown, Hubert Howe Bancroft, and a host of others broadcast the fame and immortalized the name of the "Victor of San Jacinto." By the close of the nineteenth century "Old Sam" was signally preeminent. In 1901, however, a youthful scholar gave the friends of Houston pause when he raised again the ever-haunting question posed by Burnet and countless others: In Houston's retreat from the Colorado, which is the key to San Jacinto, did not the general display gross misjudgment, and hence, is not Houston's entire military fame totally unwarranted?
It is over half a century since Eugene C. Barker published his critical study of the Campaign of San Jacinto---and three decades since his reinterpretation. With Barker's later reevaluation the publicists recaptured the field: Clarence R. Wharton wrote his San Jacinto, the Sixteenth Decisive Battle of the World, Andrew Jackson Houston published his Texas Independence , and Marquis James won the Pulitizer Prize for his novel, The Raven.
From the retreat, where they began their rivalry, through a long series of clashes closing with the latter's death at the Civil War, Burnet and Houston captured the attention of the Republic. Others could oppose the General: Lamar, Burleson, Sherman, Green were but a few who did---but their tenure was brief compared to that of the "Old Puritan." Arriving in Texas over a decade before Houston, Burnet was to live to see the South downtrodden and himself, its chosen representative, turned from the doors of the capitol. President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, United States Senator-Elect, Burnet has long merited a suitable published work; yet none has appeared. In an effort to remedy an obvious defect, the author submits this monograph on "The First President of Texas."
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:RICE/oai:scholarship.rice.edu:1911/18215 |
| Date | January 1954 |
| Creators | Chambless, Beauford |
| Source Sets | Rice University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Text |
| Format | application/pdf |
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