San Jacinto Day

I got to work bright and early yesterday morning at my usual 5:00 AM, when I was greeted by my group leader who stormed up to me frothing at the mouth.

"Why didn't you come in at 4?" she demanded to know.

"I didn't know I was supposed to come in at 4," was my reply.

"We were all going to come in at 4, but me and [other coworker] were the only ones who showed up," she groused.

"Well, you have to tell me these things.  I can't read your mind, you know,"  I said.

So, today, I went in at 4:00 AM.  Before I left for the day, I asked her if I was supposed to come in at 4:00 AM tomorrow.  She said yes, but I said no.  Tomorrow, I'm going in at 5:00.  I appreciate the overtime, but that 4 is just too early.  Once a week, I'll give it to you, but not every day. 

All that to say that I was going to post something this morning about it being San Jacinto Day, but getting up in an hour that begins with the numeral 2 pretty much nixed that right away.  So you get your brief Texas History lesson now.

After the fall of the Alamo, on March 6, 1836, the Texas Army, let by General Sam Houston, spent 6 weeks running from the relentless pursuit of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana.  On April 21, on the banks of the San Jacinto River, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution was fought.

It lasted just 18 minutes, and culminated with the capture -- and surrender -- of Santa Ana.  Against all odds, the Texas Revolution was won, and Texas became an independent republic, until they joined the United States by treaty in 1845.

And this is the song those soldiers played as they marched into battle: