Another post discussed the Rape of Nanking and there was a mention that hardly anybody knows about it now and it is not taught in the schools apparently.
It brought to my mind the sacking of Zacatecas by Santa Anna's centralist army in 1835. The Zacatecans, like the Texans, were fed up with Santa Anna's seizure of dictatorial powers and the centralists' attempts to control everything in the country from the federal district. So they kept their own militia and advised Mexico City that they were happy to govern themselves.
Santa Anna marched up, attacked, and destroyed their militia army and then turned his troops loose for a couple of days to loot and engage in other activities that conscript armies are prone to enjoy.
The Texans of the following year knew about this episode in Mexican history and expected worse. That was one reason why they did no go gladly into that good night or leave much around for the dictator's army to feast upon when they fled.
I was in high school in the '60s and college in the early '70s and barely heard of this event; is it discussed in Texas history classes or American history, when the Texas revolt or annexation are discussed?
I know some historians now like to promote the idea that slavery was a prime cause of the Texas revolt of 1835-6 but is the federalist/centralist dispute even mentioned? Or Santa Anna's history of purposeful engagement?
It brought to my mind the sacking of Zacatecas by Santa Anna's centralist army in 1835. The Zacatecans, like the Texans, were fed up with Santa Anna's seizure of dictatorial powers and the centralists' attempts to control everything in the country from the federal district. So they kept their own militia and advised Mexico City that they were happy to govern themselves.
Santa Anna marched up, attacked, and destroyed their militia army and then turned his troops loose for a couple of days to loot and engage in other activities that conscript armies are prone to enjoy.
The Texans of the following year knew about this episode in Mexican history and expected worse. That was one reason why they did no go gladly into that good night or leave much around for the dictator's army to feast upon when they fled.
I was in high school in the '60s and college in the early '70s and barely heard of this event; is it discussed in Texas history classes or American history, when the Texas revolt or annexation are discussed?
I know some historians now like to promote the idea that slavery was a prime cause of the Texas revolt of 1835-6 but is the federalist/centralist dispute even mentioned? Or Santa Anna's history of purposeful engagement?