Lacking actual photographs and video taken at the time on scene, it can be difficult to envision what the battles at the Alamo and San Jacinto looked like.
In more recent times, movies about the battles—most recently, The Alamo (Touchstone Pictures, 2004) with Billy Bob Thornton playing Davy Crockett and Dennis Quaid playing Sam Houston—have helped fill the gap to a point.
Back in the day, though, one pictured the events through the eyes of the artists who researched the events and painted the scenes. Two artists created historically significant works that visitors to the state Capitol building can enjoy today.
Two of these paintings hang in the Senate Chamber. Both were created by Henry McArdle (1836-1908) of Austin.
In the first painting, Dawn at the Alamo (1905), we see the commander of the Texas garrison, Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis, on the north wall of the Alamo complex, leading the way. The chapel stands at left.
McArdle was conscientious about how he portrayed the people and the scenes. Yet he also took some artistic liberties with the painting. He depicts James Bowie, another of the Texas garrison’s leaders, as being in the middle of the action. In fact, Bowie was on a sickbed and was killed there.
McArdle’s second painting, The Battle of San Jacinto (1895), depicts the Texan Army’s surprise, and successful, attack on the Mexican Army. In it, we see General Sam Houston, hat in his left hand, his arm pointing towards the Mexican Army camp, exhorting the Texans to charge.
After the battle of San Jacinto, Mexican President Santa Anna fled the scene. He was captured and brought back to meet with Houston. The artist William Henry Huddle (1847-1892) of San Antonio depicts the scene in his painting The Surrender of Santa Anna (1890).
In it, we see Santa Anna, dressed as a private so as not to call attention to himself when he fled the scene, brought before Houston, who had been wounded during the battle.
Huddle’s painting was commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battle. He took a year to research and create the painting.
Huddle’s painting hangs today in the south foyer of the Capitol building.