Eighteen Minutes: The Battle of San Jacinto and the Texas Independence Campaign

by Stephen L. Moore

It was the decisive eighteen-minute Battle of San Jacinto where the famous words "Remember the Alamo!" were first shouted. In Eighteen Minutes, Stephen L. Moore describes the momentous battle that established the independent Lone Star Republic. Told largely through the eyes of the participants, the recollections included here are words from over 120 Texan and Mexican soldiers. The book follows General Sam Houston as he takes command of the Texas Volunteers to lead them to victory six weeks after the fall of the Alamo at San Jacinto, the town since known as the birthplace of Texas liberty. The battle and its aftermath are covered in great detail and include the capture of Santa Anna, the "Yellow Rose" controversy, and the death of a woman on the battlefield. Special features include rosters of all Texans involved in the battle, a list of casualties, and the details on other companies involved in the campaign. Eighteen Minutes is a comprehensive history of how revenge for the defeat of the Alamo was at last achieved.

Genres: History, American History

544 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2003

Reviews

[Porter Broyles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty straight forward coverage of the events.

[Richard West · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been many books written about the Texas revolution of 1835-36 and everything has seemingly been covered in such depth, you would think there wasn't anything else left to say or cover. While much of the information contained in this book has been in other books - if you have any doubt about that just look at the Bibliography at the end of the book. However, the author has done an excellent job of putting much of it all in one place when it comes to the Battle of San Jacinto - an 18-minute affair (hence the title) which assured Texas' independence from Mexico.

Want to know who served in what company of San Houston's rag-tag army? It's in here. Want to know who got wounded, or killed? It's a short list, but it's here as well. Want to know who the Mexicans were who served? Sorry, that's not in here although there is a listing of Mexican officers who were killed or captured. Presumably, the Mexican army didn't keep records that extended to the enlisted men. All this is preceded by 428 pages of narrative that essentially goes over the reasons for everything that happened, the movements of Houston's army and the Mexican army as they both worked their way toward Buffalo Bayou near present-day Houston.

And some of the narrative does get a bit tedious - particularly the part where volunteers were listed as to who joined what company, then moved to another company and what they did before the conflict started. Perhaps there is a such a thing as too much information!

Well-written, very readable, and meticulously researched, this is for the person who is interested in more than what some books will tell you - it gets into the battle in great detail and is for the person who wants just a bit more and who isn't satisfied with an overview, but who wants to know who did what to whom and when. Highly enjoyable reading.

[Lee Overby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book that describes the entire San Jacinto campaign from the Texan viewpoint. The author uses all primary sources, which provides the reader the perspective of those who participated. Some Mexican sources are used. However, I would like to have seen more perspectives from the Mexican side. Very good book overall, and I recommend it.

[Scott Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the Battle of San Jacinto! Well researched, covered various myths and debates about the battle. Although thorough, still very readable. I would expect nothing less from a fellow Lumberjack.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent, highly detailed look at the San Jacinto Campaign. I mean, very detailed. So detailed, that the narrative can at times get bogged down. For that reason, although I loved this book, I wouldn't recommend it for those not already familiar with the campaign or with Texas' War of Independence. For those who already know the story and most of the principal characters, I would heartily recommend this book, as you are bound to find something that you didn't know before.

[Jeff Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eighteen Minutes is a very detailed book about the Battle of San Jacinto. The book starts after the Alamo and goes all the way until after the Battle of San Jacinto and the aftermath. If you want a detailed book about the battle, this is it.