San Jacinto Battleground Map
The First Published Map of San Jacinto
Henderson Yoakum came to Texas in 1845, settling in Huntsville to practice law. He was a West Point grad, class of 1832, and had served in the Tennessee Senate.
When the Mexican War broke out the following year, he joined the First Regiment, Texas Mounted Volunteers, better known as the Texas Rangers.
After the war he returned to Huntsville to again practiced law, and for a time was director of the State Penitentiary. Yoakum was also Sam Houston's attorney and trusted friend.
But Yoakum's greatest claim to fame is derived from his pen. He authored the thousand-plus page History of Texas from Its First Settlement in 1685 to Its Annexation to the United States in 1846.
That work, considered the first serious history of Texas, contained the map you see here. Using the drafting skills they taught him at West Point, Yoakum created the first published map of the San Jacinto Battleground.
Sam Houston himself had treated his friend to a guided tour of the field, pointing out the various positions and giving him the play-by-play. Add to that his access to many of the men who were there and you have a historical gem of a map and a reliable account of the battle.
Which brings us to the text you see beneath the map. It's Yoakum's chronicle of the battle from his monumental work.
The combination of the map and the text make it a real attention holder. A Texas history lesson on your wall.
Something Odd
Something odd about the map you probably noticed right off. It's not oriented with North at the top like most every other map you've ever seen.
The top of this one is Southwest. This gives you an insight into how people in the nineteenth century who visited the San Jacinto Battleground conceptualized it. They didn't have our network of roads, and invariably approached it from the water.
Physical Details
- 18 by 24 inches
- Limited Edition of 254 Copies
- Each one is hand-numbered
The paper is acid free, cold press cotton watercolor with an elegant ever so lightly textured finish. This surface allows the inks to 'bite', reproducing the shading and tonality of the original map vividly, beautifully, and exactly.
The inks are guaranteed color-fast for 80 years, which means you won't need to lay out the extra money for UV glass. You can hang your map in direct sun and it will be just as bright when they are passed on to the next generation it is the day it ships.
It's an instant heirloom. Get yours before they're gone...and get one to give to a friend. He'll owe you!
