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Hello yall. Its been close to a year since my last TL ended and and I've started to kinda get the urge to write another one. Anywho I wrote this pilot potential opening post for a new TL to get yalls opinion and see if this is worth pursuing further. Thanks for the input





The East Texas sun was setting on a day who's afternoon had been filled with violence and death. In minutes Santa Anna's army had been shattered with revenge killings causing the deaths of hundreds more. With the Texans closing in Santa Anna fled the field of battle attempting too escape capture. The only real exit however, Vince's Bridge, had been destroyed by the Texans trapping him. Santa Anna new that him being captured was a near certainty, and if his identity was discovered he would surely be killed. He had two choices either attempt to hide his identity and be mistaken for a simple enlisted soldier, or to attempt and quietly slip through Texan lines and escape. Positive his identity would eventually be discovered near midnight Santa Anna began to make his escape.



In the woods near McCormick's Lake Corporal Bedford Cunningham and Sergeant Nathaniel Caldwell were making their way back to camp. Like many others they had spent hours after the battle ended chasing fleeing Mexican soldiers and enacting their revenge for the Alamo and Goliad. The violence had begun to die down and with their blood lust sated they were ready to turn in. As they neared the edge of a clearing a figure was seen moving across it. Upon calling out a challenge the figure began to run the two men opened fire and the unknown fell limply to the ground. On viewing the body Bedford saw that the man seemed to be simply a dragoon private. When he saw the body however, Sergeant Caldwell saw that this was no ordinary Mexican. Napoleon of the West himself, the infamous Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna lay dead at their feet.



The death of Santa Anna caused the majority of Texian Army to erupt in celebration. One of the few that wasn't celebrating was General Sam Houston who feared that without Santa Anna, the war against Mexico would continue on.



Within a few days word of the death of Santa Anna and the destruction of his army reached General Vicente Filisola who was now the ranking general in Texas. Upon learning the tragic news Filisola halted further advances and waited to rendezvous with General José de Urrea and his army to discuss future moves. The two generals had different opinions. Urrea wished to use their superior numbers to press forward and deliver the Texans a crushing defeat and endthe rebellion. Filisola however, with food and supplies very low, much of the ammunition ruined in the spring rains and the men exhausted from marching nee deep in mud down near impassable roads, falling ill from dysentary and other diseases, along with being extremely demoralized that the general felt the best course of action was to withdraw and south and regroup and refit. Eventually, Urrea convinced Filisola to make one last move to bring the Texans into battle and destroy them before they could rebuild. As word spread throughout the camp that the war would go on one seemingly insignificant sergeant slipped away from the army and headed northeast. His name was Lieutenant Alejandro Vasquez of the Texian Army who had been spying on the Mexicans for weeks.



Lieutenant Vasquez arrived at the Texian camp on May 24 informing Major General Thomas Jefferson Rusk, the army's commanding general since the wounded Houston was sent to the US to recover, that the Mexican Army was readying to move on his force. Since San Jacinto more and more American volunteers had been traveling to Texas bringing the strength of the Texian Army up to around 1900. However with Filisola's army at over 3000 they were still far outnumbered. The Texans did have the element of suprise however, as well as the luxury of being reasonably well supplied. Six days after Vasquez's arrival General Rusk ordered the Texans to break camp and prepare to go on the attack.



General Filisola had begun his slow march north from Fort Bend on May 30 unaware that the Texans were already on the move. Hoping to move around Filisola's flank and suprise him, Rusk quickly marched his men inland. Late in the evening on June 1 first contact between the Texans and Mexicans occured when Texas cavalry spotted Mexican patrols near the village of San Felipe. Wishing to gain as much an edge as possible Rusk didn't immeadiatly send his forces to battle. Instead he waited for the cover of darkness in a daring night attack.



At around 4am on June 2 Texas troops formed their lines and began to quietly move towards the Mexican force. Plans were to be there shortly after daybreak and use suprise to overhelm the Mexicans. However, just before 5am an alert Mexican picket soldier saw the moving Texans. Though he was quickly killed it did't come soon enough as he was able to get a shot off alarming the rest of the army. Soon the Battle of San Felipe began as flashes from rifles filled the still dark sky. As the sun began to rise General Filisola's army was now fully engaged in the battle. By 8am, although suffering numerous casualties, Mexican forces began to push the still fiercly fighting Texans back. As they did this however they brought more men forward leaving virtually no rear guard. This would prove a fatal mistake.



At around 930am Brigadier General Mirabeau B. Lamar and 300 cavalrymen, who had largely been absent from the engagement, began their attack into the Mexican rear. With just the breifest of fighting Filisola's 6 artillery pieces had fallen with Texas crews soon turning them on the Mexicans as the cavalrymen continued forward. Generals Filisola and Urrea would have only a moments notice that something was very wrong before the Texans were upon them. Fighting was short but viscious as pistol and sabers were used in their deadly trade. Within five minutes the fight had ended with virtually all Mexican soldiers killed or captured. Filisola was wounded but alive. General Urrea though lay dead almost decapitated. Not far from him however lay General Lamar with a pistol round in his gut. Dispite Texas doctors best efforts to save him the wound was mortal and Lamar would die that afternoon being the highest ranking Texan to die that day.



Even with their leaders dead or captured the Mexicans would fight on for nearly an hour before the realization that they were now leaderless and virtually surrounded began to sink in. Then they began to flee or surrender in droves. As the Battle of San Felipe came to a close there were around 1800 dead and wounded Mexicans and over 1000 captured. Though they suffered more than 500 casualties themselves the Texans had wiped out all major Mexican military forces in Texas outside the garisson in the Alamo. With more volunteers arriving every day the Texian Army for once had numerical superiority and General Rusk was determined to use it to fully secure Texas independence at last.
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