The first declaration for the independence of Texas wasn’t signed at Washington-on-the-Brazos. The bloodiest battle to occur on Texas soil wasn’t in 1836. Santa Anna’s first war in Texas wasn’t part of the Texas Revolution. The only battle to involve over half of Texas’s population—Tejanos, Native Americans, Anglos and former Spanish royalists alike—is one that has been all but forgotten by historians: The Battle of Medina. Fought somewhere near San Antonio and the Medina River in August of 1813, the actual location of the battle was forgotten and lost, but perhaps it will soon be found.
Brandon Seale, the author of A New History of Old Texas Podcast will join Danielle Brissette, curator of the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, to speak about the quest to find this forgotten battlefield and remind Texans that our independent spirit has deeper roots than we may think. Mr. Seale dedicated an entire season of his podcast and years of his life to recounting the history of the Battle of Medina and the quest of a dedicated crew of historians, archeologists, researchers, and enthusiasts to find that battlefield and answer long-standing questions.
This event is part of the History at Night Series sponsored by the Friends of San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site.