Twin Sisters: A historical novel based on Texas history

Burnet to the Texas Committee in Cincinnati on July 22, After several unsuccessful attempts to get cannons to the Texas army under Sam Houston , which was retreating toward the Sabine before the forces of Gen.

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They were sent from Brazoria to Galveston on the Pennsylvania , then to the mainland aboard the schooner Flash , and to Harrisburg on the Ohio , where they were hauled by B. Breeding's oxen to Bernardo. A thirty-man artillery "corps" was immediately formed to service the guns, the only artillery with the Texas army, and placed under the command of Lt. Only nine days later the Twin Sisters saw their first action during a skirmish between the armies of Houston and Santa Anna on April In this fight Neill was wounded, and command of the guns passed to George W.

The next day, April 21, , saw the battle of San Jacinto and the securing of fame for the Twin Sisters. That afternoon near the banks of Buffalo Bayou the Texas army struck at Santa Anna's unsuspecting troops. The Twins were probably near the center of the Texans' line of battle and ten yards in advance of the infantry. Their first shots were fired at a distance of yards, and their fire was credited with helping to throw the Mexican force into confusion and significantly aiding the infantry attack.

During this battle the Twins fired handfuls of musket balls, broken glass, and horseshoes, as this was the only ammunition the Texans had for the guns. Among the crews serving the guns were several men who later made prominent names for themselves in Texas history, including Benjamin McCulloch , a future Confederate general who endeavored to bring the Twins back from oblivion in In the Twins were moved, along with other military stores, to Austin, where on April 21, , they were fired in celebration of the fifth anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto.

When Sam Houston was inaugurated as president of the republic that year, the Twins were fired as Houston kissed the Bible after taking the oath of office. In the Twins were placed on the summit of President's Hill in Austin to defend the river crossing against an attack by Mexican troops that occupied San Antonio. They were inventoried in Austin in , where they remained for another twenty years; reports of them being sent to Baton Rouge after Texas was annexed to the United States in were incorrect.

Then came the election of Abraham Lincoln and the secession crisis. Even before Texas called the Secession Convention , men were beginning to think about preparing for war. McCulloch, recalling his service with the Twin Sisters at San Jacinto, thought that these guns should once again be on Texas soil. He wrote to Governor Houston informing him that he thought the Twins were located in Louisiana and should be returned to Texas. Houston agreed and wrote to the United States secretary of war asking for the return of the Twins. Before action could be taken on this matter, however, Texas had seceded from the Union.

The Texas Secession Convention appointed a commission to ask Louisiana for the return of the Twin Sisters, but inquiries showed that the cannons had been sold to a foundry in Baton Rouge as scrap iron some years before.

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Instead of being the Twin Sisters, the cannons sent to Louisiana were two iron 6-pounders acquired by Thomas Jefferson Chambers for Texas in George Williamson, commissioner for Louisiana to the state of Texas, discovered that one of the guns was still at the foundry, although in poor condition, and that the other had been bought by a private citizen in Iberville Parish. Having found the cannons, Williamson asked the Louisiana legislature to purchase and repair them before presenting them to the state of Texas.

The guns arrived on April 20, , the twenty-fifth anniversary of the original firing of the Twins at San Jacinto. The next report of the Twins was on November 30, , when Maj. Dickinson, commander of the Confederate post at San Antonio, reported that they were in the rebel arsenal at Austin, although in very poor condition. On February 8, , Lt. Blow wrote to Col.

Rip Ford , who was preparing an expedition to recapture the Rio Grande from invading federal troops, that he was preparing to send the Twins to San Antonio so that they could accompany Ford's command. Blow's February report is the last official and certain mention of the Twin Sisters. Ford took six cannons to Brownsville, including two 6-pounders that were likely the Twins. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.

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I do remember the last time they, or rather one of them was fired before the war. It was in , when Sam Houston was elected governor. Because of his pronounced Union views many of his former friends opposed him and he had a hard fight. When the news of his election was received, his friends got the "Twin Sisters" with the intention of firing a salute in honor of his victory. The guns were taken to a grassy hill, corner of Fannin and Commerce Streets. They rushed to the other gun, but found it spiked also.

That broke up the salute, of course, but it was a fitting thing that the last time one of the "Twin Sisters" spoke in time of peace should have been in honor of the hero of San Jacinto. In early days there were a great many survivors of San Jacinto living in or near Houston and San Jacinto Day, April 21, was always celebrated in great style.

The "Twin Sisters" were taken down to the corner of Commerce Street and a salute was fired, after which the town was literally turned over to the heroes of San Jacinto.

Texas History Page - The Twin Sisters

I remember well one of the most conspicuous of them. He was Tierwester, an old Frenchman. At the battle of San Jacinto he had a powder horn slung to his neck. This powder horn was a cow's horn scraped very thin and had a wooden plug at the large end and a small plug at the little end of the horn. During the battle a Mexican bullet struck this horn and entered through one side, but did not have enough force to go out the other.

Tierwester never removed the ball, but on San Jacinto Day he came to the reunion wearing his horn round his neck and the drunker he got the louder he told the story and rattled the bullet. But these San Jacinto celebrations were not always fun alone. Tragedy cropped up occasionally. The "Twin Sisters" had been taken out, as usual, for the salute. A man named Tom Ewing took charge of the big end of the gun and volunteered to hold his thumb on the vent hole, a necessary precaution to keep the gun from exploding after it became heated.

Warren Stansbury performed the duty of loading the piece. Instantly the piece discharged and Stansbury's arm was so badly mutilated by the rammer that amputation was necessary. He recovered and lived several years afterward. Of course all has been done that can be done to locate the "Twin Sisters," but there is one question that can be and should be settled: Which Twin Sisters were used at San Jacinto?

Those presented by the ladies of Cincinnati or those by General Chambers.

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An newspaper article supports Dr. Young's account of the Twin Sisters being located in Houston, Texas and of salutes being fired by the Twin Sisters on special occasions. The celebration of the third anniversary of our national independence was conducted in a very interesting and appropriate manner by our citizens. A procession was formed at the court house at 12 o'clock, which, under the escort of the Milam Guards, proceeded to the capitol, where an oration was delivered by Judge Thompson, before a very large and respectable audience.

Among those present, we noticed the president and vice president, the heads of the several departments, the honorable Alcee LaBranch and several other distinguished foreigners. At sunset a national salute was sounded by the "Twin Sisters" in front of the capitol, and the proceedings of the day closed without accident or disturbance of any description. On pages and Lubbock describes the use of one of the Twin Sisters at the second inauguration of Sam Houston in Austin in I was not present at the inauguration of President Houston at Austin, but I gathered this account of it from contemporaneous newspapers and other sources considered reliable: After several days of elaborate preparation, the inauguration of General Houston came off at the old wooden capitol, on December 13, The day was beautiful, and thousands had collected from every part of the Republic to witness the imposing ceremonies.

To accommodate the sightseers, who swarmed on the ground at an early hour, a staging had been erected, and seats prepared under a beautiful awning spread in the rear of the capitol. These seats were occupied by both houses of Congress and a brilliant assemblage of ladies and gentlemen. President Lamar and President-elect Houston were escorted in military style by the Travis Guards from the President's house to the capitol.

President-elect Houston and Vice-President-elect Burleson, attended by committees, made their appearance at 11 a. Prayer was offered by Judge R. Baylor, and the Speaker of the House administered the oaths.

When General Houston kissed the book as a seal to his official oath, one of the "Twin Sisters" belched forth her hoarse approval, and the multitude, taken by surprise, joined in with bursts of applause. On conclusion of the ceremonies, both houses of Congress dined with the President, on his invitation, at the Eberly House. The inevitable inaugural ball followed at night. Lubbock explains how the Twin Sisters came into the possession of the United States Government on page By the terms of annexation Texas ceded to the United States her public edifices, navy, ports, arms, and armaments.

In this delicate matter I understand Lieut. Tennison, of our navy, was agent for Texas, and that Hiram G.



Runnels represented the United States. Among other arms transferred were the "Twin Sisters," the two cannon used at San Jacinto. Salyer of Galveston, Texas, located a couple of articles in The Galveston Weekly News concerning this event in the April 16, edition.