Jump to content

Juan Seguín

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 68.77.19.213 (talk) at 23:44, 3 October 2011 (→‎Legacy). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Juan Nepomuceno Seguín
Juan Seguín
Born(1806-10-27)27 October 1806
San Antonio, Texas
Died27 August 1890(1890-08-27) (aged 83)
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
AllegianceThe Republic of Texas
Service/branchTexian Army, Republic of Texas Militia, Republic of Texas Army
Years of service1835-1836, 1836-1842
RankColonel
UnitTexian volunteer and regular army
Battles/warsBattle of Concepcion

Siege of Bexar
Siege of the Alamo

Battle of San Jacinto

Juan Nepomuceno Seguín (October 27, 1806 – August 27, 1890) was a 19th-century Texas Senator, Mayor, Judge, and Justice of the Peace and a prominent participant in the Texas Revolution.

Early life and family

Juan Seguín was born in San Antonio de Bexar on October 27, 1806. He was the older of two sons of Erasmo Seguín and María Josefa Becerra. As the son of a postmaster, he would assist his mother in the business, while his father was off writing the Mexican Constitution of 1824. In 1825, he married María Gertrudis Flores de Abrego. They had ten children. He was elected an alderman in December, 1828 and served on numerous electoral boards before becoming the San Antonio alcalde (mayor) in December 1833. He then served as political chief of Bexar in 1834, when the previous chief became ill. In 1835, he led a relief force to Monclova, when the Federalist Governor appealed for help.

Texas Revolution

Main article: Texas Revolution

As a teenager in Mexico, he had a strong interest in politics. When, Antonio López de Santa Anna repealed the Mexican Constitution of 1824, he was very critical of his contemporary Mexican leader and gladly joined the Texas Revolution to rid Texas of Santa Anna's rule.[1] In 1835-1836, Seguin recruited and commanded troops for the Texian Army.[2] [Note 1] He was commissioned a captain by Stephen F. Austin in October 1835[3] and would be tasked with the burden of supplying the Texian troops with food and provisions.[4] Juan sent out scouting parties to the Missions of San Antonio in search of a suitable base camp for the Texians [5] and participated in the early successful Battle of Concepcion[6] and the 2 month long, Siege of Bexar,[7] that drove the troops of Santa Anna out of Texas.

In January 1836, he was commissioned as a Captain in the regular Texas army.[Note 2] Upon the return of Santa Anna's army, Juan would join William B. Travis on February 23, in the battle of the Alamo.[8] Although serving at the Alamo, during the thirteen day siege, he did not actually participate in the final battle of the Alamo [9] but was a very significant part of the battle of San Jacinto.[10] Because Seguín spoke some English and Spanish, he was chosen to carry the Alamo message through enemy lines,[11] that the Texans "shall never surrender or retreat." Seguín got that message through to the other soldiers, on the Texian side.[9] He then returned with men to reinforce the Alamo, but it had already fallen to Santa Anna's army.[12]

Surrender of Santa Anna by William Huddle, depicts Santa Anna's surrender to the wounded Sam Houston, while Juan Seguín on left, over-views the proceedings.

After the Alamo, he would reform cavalry companies at Gonzales and act as the rear guard, providing protection for fleeing Texas families during the Runaway Scrape[13] His company, with Captain Moseley Baker's company, would block the Mexican army from crossing the Brazos river, preventing them from overtaking the Texians.[8] His cavalry command, participating as infantry with Sherman's company, would fight in the victorious Battle of San Jacinto.[10][14] In May 1836, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.[15] On June 4, as a representative of the Republic of Texas, he would accept the formal surrender of the Mexican forces in the Alamo.

Life under the Republic of Texas

After becoming a Republic, he would be the head of the San Antonio military, commanding a force to defend the western frontier.[16] In 1837, Colonel Seguín would direct the burial of the ashes of the slain Alamo defenders.[8][17] In 1839, Seguín, captain of a Texas force of about fifty-four men would again protect the colonists in the Henry Karnes campaign against the hostile Comanche Indians.[18]

Seguín was elected as a Texas Senator in 1839 and worked closely with Congressman José Antonio Navarro, to ensure legislation that would be in the best interest of the citizenry of Texas, who were quickly becoming the political minority. In 1839, at a town thirty miles east of San Antonio, he was honored by parade and celebration. That newly named town would now bear his own name, Seguin. In 1840, he resigned his congressional seat in order to join a controversial campaign against the Centralist government in Mexico City.[1] Juan became mayor of San Antonio in 1841.

Texas became flooded by adventurous and land hungry North Americans that were unfamiliar with the native history[19] and their loyal support of Texas.[20] His leadership and loyalty would be challenged by these newcomers.[21] Refusing to burn San Antonio to the ground by order of the new head of the Texas military was just the beginning.[8]

In 1842, San Antonio would be overrun twice, by Santa Anna's forces. During March 1842, Colonel Seguin and the citizens of San Antonio would seek refuge at Manuel N. Flores Ranch in the city of Seguin, Texas.[22] A counter attack was planned and even though Seguín had pursued the army of Ráfael Vásquez, chasing them from Texas;[23] he was doomed to be blamed for the attack.[24]

Seguín would resign from office in April, due to threats on his life.[25] Opposition to his defense of Texas rights, adversities, and false charges that he was aiding the Mexican army, proved too much to bear. He fled to Mexico to "seek refuge amongst my enemies," where he was captured, arrested and coerced to enlist in the Mexican army as a staff official. He would return to San Antonio with the opposition army of Adrian Woll[25] in September 1842 and later served under Santa Anna in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.

Later life

In February 1848, Juan requested permission to return to Texas. By years end, he had returned to Texas,[26] establishing a home adjacent his father Erasmo Seguin's house, and ranching in Floresville, Texas.[21] He was elected to two terms as Justice of the Peace of Bexar County in 1852 and 1854. He became a founding father of the Democratic Party in Bexar county.[27] [Note 3] In 1858, he published his life memoirs. Seguin served as County Judge in Wilson County in 1869. However, business dealings occasionally took him back to Mexico. And around 1883, he settled in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, to be near his son Santiago, who was mayor. He died there on August 27, 1890. His remains were returned to Texas in 1974 and reinterred in his namesake town, Seguin,[8] during ceremonies on July 4, 1976. A large monument, depicting him on horseback waiving his saber, now honors his service to Texas, in the downtown Seguin Central Park.[28]

Legacy

In 1838, the city of Seguin, was named him and there he rode on horseback, in a parade, celebrating the event.

Over the years, the attitude to Juan Seguin was mixed. On one hand, he was recognized as the Alamo hero, on the other, he was often labeled as traitor, both by Texans and Mexicans.[29]

In the 1960 film The Alamo (by John Wayne), Joseph Calleia played Juan Seguin, a San Antonio political figure who leads Texas volunteers to help defend the Alamo.

In the second half of the 20th century, interest in Juan Seguin grew. He was portrayed in the TV drama: American Playhouse: Seguin (1982), directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño, where he was played by A. Martinez.[30]

In the 2004 film The Alamo (by John Lee Hancock), Juan Seguin was played by Jordi Molla. Playing as a supporting character, his role in the film was important, because the director considered this character as a "moral bellwether of the story".[31]

In a September 2001 ceremony, Park Road 1836, which connects Battleground Road (formerly Texas State Highway 134) to the San Jacinto Monument Grounds near Houston, was renamed in Seguin's honor and the Interstate 610/Texas State Highway 225 interchange in southeast Houston was bestowed with the name of "Juan N. Seguin Memorial Interchange."Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Juan Seguin married María Gertrudis Flores de Abrego, a member of one of San Antonio's well known ranching families. There were four Jose Flores De Abrego sons, (brother-in-laws to Juan Seguin), that joined in with him. (see de la Teja (1991), p. 18) Captain Salvador Flores, Captain Manuel N. Flores, Lieutenant Nepomuceno Flores, and Private Jose Maria Flores all participated in the Texas Revolution, on the Texian side.
  2. ^ According to records, Seguin did not appear at the Convention to accept his appointment in the regular army. Jesus (Comanche) Cuellar would fill in for him. He instead, took the position to become the first judge of San Antonio. According to Lindley, he was not regular army until after departing the Alamo as a courier on February 25. See de la Teja pg.79, Lindley pg.113
  3. ^ Notable is that while Seguín is being nominated to co-chair the Democratic party in 1855, his relative, Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín battles and defeats dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna, which ultimately leads to the return of a constitutional democratic government in Mexico

References

  1. ^ a b Todish (1998), p. 109. Cite error: The named reference "Todish109" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 77.
  3. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 135.
  4. ^ Edmonson (2000), p. 219.
  5. ^ Hardin (1994), pg. 29
  6. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 78.
  7. ^ Lozano (1985), p. 34.
  8. ^ a b c d e Groneman (1998), p. 98. Cite error: The named reference "groneman98" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b de la Teja (1991), p. 79.
  10. ^ a b de la Teja (1991), p. 83.
  11. ^ Lord (1961), p. 111.
  12. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 80.
  13. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 81.
  14. ^ Lindley (2003), p. 160.
  15. ^ Lozano (1985), p. 36.
  16. ^ Matavoina (1995), p. 19.
  17. ^ Edmonson (2000), p. 411.
  18. ^ Moore (2006), p. 228.
  19. ^ Edmonson (2000), p. 412.
  20. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 113.
  21. ^ a b Nofi (1992, pp. 85–86.
  22. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 116.
  23. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 117.
  24. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 118.
  25. ^ a b Groneman (1998), p. 99.
  26. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 50.
  27. ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 51.
  28. ^ Visit Seguin, Texas
  29. ^ Seguin Family History
  30. ^ American Playhouse Seguin (1982)
  31. ^ "Texas Monthly, Texas History 101"

Bibliography

  • De la Teja, Jesus (1991), A Revolution Remembered: The Memoirs and Selected Correspondence of Juan N. Seguin, Austin, TX: State House Press, ISBN 0-938349-68-6
  • Edmondson, J.R. (2000), The Alamo Story-From History to Current Conflicts, Plano, TX: Republic of Texas Press, ISBN 1-55622-678-0
  • Groneman, Bill (1990), Alamo Defenders, A Genealogy: The People and Their Words, Austin, TX: Eakin Press, ISBN 0-89015-757-X
  • Hardin, Stephen L. (1994), Texian Iliad – A Military History of the Texas Revolution, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, ISBN 0292730861, OCLC 29704011
  • Lindley, Thomas Ricks (2003), Alamo Traces: New Evidence and New Conclusions, Lanham, MD: Republic of Texas Press, ISBN 1556229836
  • Lozano, Ruben Rendon (1985), Viva Texas: The Story of the Tejanos, the Mexican-born Patroits of the Texas Revolution, San Antonio, TX: The Alamo Press, ISBN 0-943260-02-7
  • Lord, Walter (1961), A Time to Stand, Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0803279027
  • Manchaca, Martha (2001), Recovering History, Constructing Race: The Indian, Black, and White Roots of Mexican Americans, The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Series in Latin American and Latino Art and Culture, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, ISBN 0292752539
  • Matovina, Timothy M. (1995), The Alamo Remembered: Tejano Accounts and Perspectives, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, ISBN 0-292-75186-9
  • Moore, Stephen L. (2006), Savage Frontier: Rangers, Riflemen, and Indian Wars in Texas, Volume II, 1838-1839, Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press, ISBN 1574412062 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  • Nofi, Albert A. (1992), The Alamo and the Texas War of Independence, September 30, 1835 to April 21, 1836: Heroes, Myths, and History, Conshohocken, PA: Combined Books, Inc., ISBN 0938289101
  • Todish, Timothy J.; Todish, Terry; Spring, Ted (1998), Alamo Sourcebook, 1836: A Comprehensive Guide to the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, Austin, TX: Eakin Press, ISBN 9781571681522


Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Juan_Seguín&oldid=453795943"