Designating the cannon as the official state gun of Texas.

89(R) HCR 89 - House Committee Report version - Bill Text

89R15489 CW-D

By: Hefner

H.C.R. No. 89

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Throughout the long and colorful history of Texas,

the cannon has been an important weapon in the state's fight for

liberty and independence as well as a symbol of the defiance and

determination of its people; and

WHEREAS, The very first conflict of the Texas Revolution, the

Battle of Gonzales, was fought over a cannon; on October 2, 1835,

the 150 Texian rebels at Gonzales refused to surrender their bronze

six-pounder to Mexican dragoons; they pointed instead to the cannon

and declared, "Come and take it!"; during the ensuing battle, this

memorable catchphrase and a painted image of the cannon itself were

raised on a makeshift flag that was created by the women of

Gonzales; the legendary flag has since become one of the iconic

images of the Lone Star State; and

WHEREAS, In 1836, the defenders of the Alamo boasted the

largest artillery contingent west of the Mississippi, an assortment

of 18 to 21 artillery pieces, and after the Mexican army captured

the fort, the cannons were destroyed or abandoned nearby; when the

Alamo was avenged six weeks later by the Texian victory at the

Battle of San Jacinto, the famous Twin Sisters, two six-pounders

that had been donated to the rebellion by the people of Cincinnati,

Ohio, played a decisive role in the defeat of Santa Anna's army; and

WHEREAS, A cannon featured in a memorable incident in the

early years of the Texas Republic; in 1842, Austin residents feared

that President Sam Houston wanted to move the republic's capital

from Austin to Houston, and when he sent Texas Rangers to take the

government's archives, an Austin innkeeper named Angelina Eberly

fired off a cannon on the corner of Sixth Street and Congress

Avenue, rousing the city's population and blowing a hole in the

General Land Office; and

WHEREAS, Today, vintage artillery pieces can be seen at

county courthouses, military installations, and historical sites

across Texas; two 24-pound howitzers made especially for the new

republic by Major General Thomas Jefferson Chambers in the 1830s

guard the south entrance of the Texas Capitol, while two 12-pound

field guns and a wrought iron cannon are also situated on the

Capitol grounds; a cannon reputed to be the "Come and Take It" gun

is on exhibit at the Gonzales Memorial Museum, a cannon used by

Colonel James Fannin at the Battle of Coleto Creek is displayed in a

park in Goliad, and a bronze cannon believed to have been used at

the Alamo is on permanent loan to the Shrine of Texas Liberty by the

San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy; and

WHEREAS, The firing of a cannon continues to be an honored

tradition at celebrations and commemorations across Texas; cannons

help recreate Texas history, such as the fieldpiece fired for

visitors by the "Living History" reenactors at the Fort Davis

National Historical Site; and

WHEREAS, These historic weapons serve as powerful reminders

of our state's epic struggle for freedom, and they further

highlight the unique heritage shared by all those who are proud to

call Texas home; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas

hereby designate the cannon as the official state gun of Texas.