For the Tejanos of San Antonio, the brutal impact of the Battle of Medina rippled out for years as a symbol of brutal unchecked tyranny. For the Spanish Royalist forces, however, the victory over the Army of the Green Flag was not tyranny, but the suppression of an illegal revolt that had brought instability and war to New Spain's fragile northern border. Both sides grappled with justifying their actions, creating a turning point not only for Texas, but for the people involved.
In the third episode of Re-Collections of the Revolution, "War, What is it Good For?" we explore the dramatic tale from a 19-year-old Spanish officer's perspective of his first military march into the rebellious state of Tejas.
Learn More:
Joaquin de Arredondo’s Report of the Battle of the Medina, August 18, 1813 Translated by Mattie Austin Hatcher (The Texas Historical Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Jan 1908), pp. 220-23)
The Original Texas Declaration of Independence from the Finding Medina Podcast created by Brandon Seale
Book: Santa Anna of Mexico by Will Fowler
Book: Arredondo: Last Spanish Ruler of Texas and Northeastern New Spain by Bradley Folsom