Every July, we’re reminded of our hard-fought freedoms here in the U.S. Over the years, Texans have played a pivotal role in the U.S. military, even before Texas was a state. Today, Texas is a hub for the military and home for many veterans. This overview pays homage to Texas’ military history and how it shaped America.
How Colonist From Texas Helped During the American Revolution
Believe it or not, people living in what is now known as Texas participated in the American Revolutionary War. It’s surprising given that Texas wasn’t a part of the U.S. at the time. It was under the control of Spain in 1775, which was advantageous for America.
A well-known figure in Texas history is Spanish Gen. Bernardo Galvez. He was the governor of Louisiana at the time, but had a past helping Tejanos in the Texas region ward off attacks by Native American tribes. He’s also known to have helped General George Washington win more than one battle against the British.
Spain had long been at odds with England over control of the “New World”, and they were currently in control of Texas. With the help of Texas it was easy for Galvez to aid the American colonists who wanted to break free of English control. But Galvez didn’t work alone. He had to convince the Governor of Texas, Domingo Cabello, to send the cattle to feed the troops. Mexican cowboys known as vaqueros also helped supply the American military with cows and fought in some of the battles.
Texas’ Own War of Independence
After the dust settled from the Revolutionary War, there was a relatively quiet period until Mexico began fighting for its independence from Spain around 1811. In 1821, Mexico persevered and the first Mexican Empire was established.
But the new empire changed pretty quickly. At the time that Mexico won its independence, Sam F. Houston negotiated a deal with the Mexican government that allowed him to help 300 families settle around the Brazos River. Ultimately, many other families followed suit. Soon there were more Americans in the area than there were Mexicans.
Texans are familiar with what followed. By the end of 1885 the Texas Revolution was well underway. After the Alamo, Texas forces were able to defeat Santa Anna and capture him. The defeated dictator then recognized Texas as an independent state, although it wasn’t quite yet a part of the United States. That would come about 10 years later just before the start of the Mexican-American War.
Texans Fight as Americans for the First Time in the Mexican-American War
From 1846 to 1848 America was at war with Mexico, and it all started with Texas becoming the 28th U.S. state. Mexico had already made it known that if the U.S. granted Texas statehood and took control it would be grounds for war. It seems Mexico liked having an independent Texas as a buffer zone.
The Mexican government also had concerns given that the newly elected U.S. President James K. Polk had tried to purchase Mexican territory along the southwest. He had plans to expand the U.S. to the Pacific Ocean. When buying his way there didn’t work Polk tried another strategy. He sent American troops down to a contested border area. Not surprisingly, a battle broke out and the Mexican-American War was underway.
Less than two years later the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo established the Rio Grande as the new border between American and Mexican territories. The treaty also recognized Texas as a U.S. state and arranged for the sale of Mexican territory north of the Rio Grande from Texas to California to America.
Texans Soon Find Themselves in a Civil War
Not long after Texas became a state it had to make a choice. Stand with the North or side with the South in the Civil War. It chose the latter. Texan forces ended up fending off soldiers on the ground and holding off naval sieges on the coast. In total, around 90,000 Texans fought in the war.
Texas played a prominent role in the Civil War in another key way. It’s where the war ended. The last battle was fought just outside of Brownsville – a month after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered.
WWI to Today
Texans continued to show their military might after the Civil War. During WWI, Texas helped overseas and at home. The state had 19 Army posts for training and air grounds. Soldiers from around the U.S., Britain and Canada came to Texas to train for the war. Among the military service members were 200,000 Texans.
Texans were noteworthy infantrymen. Some of them were Harlem Hellfighters, the 369th Infantry Regiment made entirely of African Americans, dozens of which were from Texas.
But that was nothing compared to the force Texans showed during WWII. Texas contributed a larger percentage of military members than any other state during the war. And once again, Texas served as a hub for military training. This time around factories also sprang up and aided the war with the production of weapons, medical supplies and much more.
Over the course of WWII 1.5 million service members came to Texas, and many of them stayed. The state population swelled by 33% because of the war. Texas also forever connected itself to the military, with the number of major military installations growing to 142 in the state. Areas like San Antonio were dramatically changed.
Given the military presence, it’s not surprising to find that Texas is home to many veterans and active service members today. Currently, over 9% of active duty service members live in Texas. The Watson Institute at Brown University found that 11.3% of new military recruits are from Texas.
National Cemeteries in Texas Provide a Final Resting Place for Veterans
Today there are a number of monuments and national cemeteries located in Texas, which makes a lot of sense when you look at the statistics above. With more than our fair share of veterans having connections with Texas, it’s understandable that there are more resources in the state for military funeral services.
Funeral benefits for veterans significantly reduce the financial hardship associated with death care services. Rather than having to pay for a burial plot or cremation niche at a private cemetery, veterans can have a final resting place for free at a national cemetery or veterans cemetery.
At Cremation.Green we are honored to work with the family members of veterans to provide respectful death care services. Give us a call, text or email at your convenience.
