The Texas army marched all day and all night. On the morning of April 20, they reached the San Jacinto plain. Buffalo Bayou was on one side, a football field wide, and 30 feet deepnot wadeable. On the other side ran the San Jacinto River, and near the bottom of the dry land was a shallow mudhole known as Peggy's Lake. Beyond that was marshlands. And the thick forest was greatly positioned. [see battlefield] They made their camp here in the trees, with their wagons and Colonel Neill's artillery in the forest as well(Hoyt 149). Three hours later Santa Anna arrived with his 650 men. The Texas government had escaped, but Santa Anna was confident of victory; he had reinforcements coming the next day and he knew that the Texas government's connection with the Texas army had been severed. If Santa Anna won that day the war would be over. Santa Anna gave the order to pitch camp. He chose the land between Peggy Lake and the river, the only solid ground available to him. On his right was a thick forest and behind him was a dense marsh(Hoyt 150).Colonel Delgado the artillery officer took one look at the site and shuddered. "Any youngster could have done better in choosing a site. What ground did the Mexicans have for retreating in case of a catastrophe?" When he cornered General Castrillin with the question. The general could only sympathize; Santa Anna's arbitrary nature was well known(Hoyt 150).A small skirmish broke out among some restless soldiers and the Mexican lancers. The Texans had two injured and several horses lost, but the Mexicans' twelve-pound cannon, the Golden Standard, was stranded on the battlefield. The rest of the afternoon was quiet, except for occasional rifle fire from both sides. Seeing the Golden Standard abandoned on the field, Col. Sidney Sherman, commander of the Texas cavalry, asked permission to try to capture the gun. Permission was refused by General Houston, who knew and respected the strength of th...
