Field Trip

This year instead of attending the homeschooling fair, we've decided to take a little field trip with the boys. It turns out that on the same weekend as the fair it is also the anniversary of a historical Texas event, the 171st anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto.

San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment

The most popular event of the day is the battle reenactment, one of the largest in the state. The battle begins at 3 p.m. - complete with cannons, muskets, horses, pyrotechnics and hundreds of reenactors - replicating the Runaway Scrape (Texians gathering the few belongings they could to flee the advancing forces of Santa Anna,) the march of the Texas army from Gonzales to San Jacinto, the cannon duel, and the final battle between the two forces. The reenactment ends with the surrender of Mexican Army General Santa Anna to Texian Army General Sam Houston, followed by the laying of wreaths to honor the sacrifices of both armies. This is truly one of the most important battles of American history. On April 21, 1836 - in 18 short minutes - General Sam Houston led his Texian soldiers to victory over the Mexican Army, officially securing Texas' independence from Mexico and eventually leading to the addition of one million square miles to the United States. This year will also mark the 100th anniversary of the battleground being the first state park in Texas.

So for the next few weeks around the house we will be learning about Texas history focused on this time period. Seriously what boy wouldn't enjoy a battle re-enactment! This is going to be fun!!