Brother Sam Houston & The Surrender of Santa Anna
Brother Sam Houston was a member of several Lodges in several states. He was initiated into Cumberland Lodge No. 8, A.F. & A.M. in Nashville, Tennessee on April 19, 1817. He passed his Fellowcraft on June 20, 1817, and was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on July 22, 1817. Houston demitted from Cumberland Lodge on November 20, 1817, but re-affiliated on June 21, 1821. As the city of Nashville grew, new Lodges were formed out of Cumberland Lodge No. 8. Among the newly formed Lodges was Nashville Lodge No. 37, chartered in 1821 but surrendering its Charter in 1828. It is thought that during this time, Houston was a charter member of Nashville Lodge No. 37. At a stated meeting of Cumberland Lodge in November 1822, a committee was appointed to request of Brother Houston that he deliver an oration during the installation of Lodge officers on St. John’s Day 1823. Houston accepted the Lodge’s request on December 27, 1822, and delivered his oration on Tuesday, June 24, 1823, St. John’s Day. At the sated meeting in January 1823, a vote of thanks was returned to Brother Sam Houston, “for the very able and eloquent oration delivered by him on the anniversary of St. John the Evangelist,”
He served as Cumberland Lodge’s Junior Warden and attended The Grand Lodge of Tennessee Annual Communication in 1824. “The records of the first meetings of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee show the Lodge admitted 36 Past Masters of Cumberland Lodge, of which, only five were actual Worshipful Masters. These Brethren who had not held the chair were known as “nominal” Past Masters, the Grand Lodge having conferred upon them the Past Master’s degree with all the rights and privileges of an actual Past Master. Among the men granted Past Master’s status were, Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston.
In some biographical accounts, there are references to Houston being suspended from Cumberland Lodge for un-masonic conduct. The following Cumberland Lodge minutes were published by the Tennessee Lodge of Research in 2014 and provide proof of Houston’s actions.
“Lodge Minutes reflect that at a Called Meeting on November 2, 1826, the Lodge was opened for the purpose of filing Un-masonic Charges against two Cumberland Lodge members, Sam Houston and John P. Erwin for dueling. The Lodge minutes read: With a sense of the deepest regret this lodge has heard of the dissentions among members of the fraternity which have resulted in personal altercations and in some instances in a resort to personal combat. Under any circumstances the laws of Society are violated and disturbed when such evils exist. Taken in connection with the intimate and more than social duties that bind the Mason to his Brother such disputations and acts of violence tend to prostate and entirely overthrow the most sacred ties of the Craft.
Therefore, Resolved that in the opinion of this lodge Bros. Sam Houston & Wm White in engaging in a personal combat (on motion it was resolved that a standing resolution of this lodge requiring a committee to be appointed to investigate any differences that may exist between Brothers be in the present case dispensed with) and Bro. John P Erwin in sending a challenge to Bro. Houston to fight a duel have acted contrary to their duty as Masons and in consequence deserve the highest punishment of the lodge. But in tender regard to human frailties and under the peculiar circumstances that produced such evils this lodge is not disposed to proceed to any further Judgment and do earnestly recommend to all concerned a restoration of that harmony which ought to exist among Masons. (Pages 118–119)
After much investigation and deliberations, the Lodge minutes dated, January 20, 1831, reflects that Sam Houston was discharged for Non-Payment of Dues (page 272) and it appears the need for a Masonic trial came to a conclusion.”
Houston transfers his affiliation to Holland Lodge No. 36 of Louisiana on 13 November 1837. On 20 December 1837, President Sam Houston presided over a meeting of representatives of the three chartered Lodges in Texas. The meeting was held in Houston, Texas and the lodges present were Holland Lodge No. 36, Milam Lodge No. 40, and McFarland Lodge No. 41. The meeting established the Grand Lodge of Texas, electing Anson Jones as the first Grand Master of Texas. Houston became a charter member of the Grand Lodge of Texas in 1837 and served on the Committee on Correspondence in 1838. During the first Grand Lodge Communiqué, Holland Lodge No. 36 becomes Holland Lodge No. 1 of Texas. He demitted from Holland Lodge July 14, 1842. Houston became a member of Forest Lodge No. 19, Huntsville, Texas, in 1854. He was knighted, a Royal Arch Mason by Washington Commandery No. 1, Washington, D.C., on February 3,1853. He is recorded as a visitor to the Grand Lodge of Kentucky in 1825 and the Grand Lodge of Alabama, December 6, 1849. He was also present at the dedication of Washington-Centennial Lodge No. 14, Washington D.C. on January 13, 1853.
“I would give no thought of what the world might say of me, if I could only transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man.”
Sam Houston
"The great misfortune is that a notion obtains with those in power that the world, or the people, require more governing than is necessary. To govern well is a great science, but no country is ever improved by too much governing. Govern wisely and as little as possible! Most men think when they are elevated to position that it requires an effort to discharge their duties and they leave common sense out of the question."
Sam Houston
On April 21, 1836, the long awaited battle to avenge all deaths of those Texans who had lost their lives to a brutal dictator had come. It is written that the morning was beautiful and bright. At approximately 3:30 PM, Houston deployed his forces while the Mexicans were taking their afternoon siesta. The Twin Sisters were wheeled into position and the whole line began the attack, shouting “Remember the Alamo!”, “Remember Goliad!”. The Battle of San Jacinto was over in eighteen minutes. Texas won its independence. Of the original Mexican force of approximately 2500 men, 630 were killed, 208 were wounded and 730 were captured. Only 743 Texans were in the battle; 6 were killed and another 25 wounded to include General Sam Houston.
On the morning of April 22, 1836, the day after the battle and the defeat of the Mexican Army, General Sam Houston’s men captured El Presidente Antonio López de Santa Anna who had retreated during his defeat to avoid capture. When captured, Santa Anna was dressed in common clothes disguising himself as a Mexican Army Private and describing himself as such to his captors. However, one of the captors noticed the splendid shirt he was wearing, and when questioned, immediately Santa Anna said he was an aid to Santa Anna, and then burst into tears.
The prisoner was taken to General Houston, and along the way, Mexican prisoners recognized him and cried, "El Presidente!” As Santa Anna approached, Houston was laying under a large oak tree, his left ankle shattered from a musket ball. Santa Anna announced, “Soy Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, Presidente de la Republica Mexicana y General-en-Gefe del Ejercito de Operaciones”. Translated, “I'm Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of the Mexican Republic and General-in-Chief of the Army of Operations.38 In pain, Houston received Santa Anna without emotion.
Houston sent for Moses Austin Bryan and Lorenzo de Zavala to act as interrupters. Fearing mob violence, Santa Anna pleaded with Houston, “You can afford to be generous,” he whined; “you have captured the Napoleon of the West. To which Houston replied, “when you showed none at the Alamo or at Goliad?”39 Justifying his actions, Santa Anna replied that the Mexican government had a right to defend itself against rebellious persons threating to overthrow his lawful government and the Alamo defenders refused to surrender. Regarding Goliad, Santa Anna acted with surprise when confronted with the fact that Fannin and his men were murdered under the terms of surrender. Santa Anna said he was deceived by General Urrea and knew nothing of the surrender and that Urrea would be punished. In fact, Santa Anna gave the order to massacre Fannin and his men at Goliad while under the terms of surrender. 40
The majority of the men in the camp wanted Santa Anna executed, but Houston, a Freemason refused and stood by his decision. The interim government established on March 1, 1836, at Washington–on- the-Brazos would assume negotiations with Santa Anna. Santa Anna sent a dispatch to General Filisola to retire from Victoria, that an armistice was agreed to and “the war will cease forever”.
In November 1836, now President Houston defied the Texas Congress and moved to send Santa Anna to Washington to meet President Jackson removing him from the possibility of harm and quite possibly for public relations reasons. Santa Anna’s release to Jackson would technically make any agreements Mexico made with the United States binding since Santa Anna would no longer be a prisoner of Texas. Texans had won their independence from Mexico and established their own government. Houston believed that Texas’s only hope for survival lay in annexation into the United States and believed that Santa Anna was the key. Releasing Santa Anna to President Jackson was essential politics toward annexation. Without Santa Anna’s support in the Mexican Congress the Treaties of Velasco, “ending all hostilities against the people of Texas during the present war for independence” would not be binding.
Because of Santa Anna’s heinous treatment of the brave heroes of the Alamo and Goliad, a definite possibility existed of a lynching, if Santa Anna’s route was discovered. One can only speculate that Santa Anna’s route was carefully planned with stops at the homes of those Texans who supported President Sam Houston’s argument, that Santa Anna was more important alive than dead: a political decision vital to Texas’ annexation into the Union. On 16 November 1836, Santa Anna began his journey to Washington escorted by Col. George W. Hockley of Tennessee, Maj. William H. Patton also from Tennessee and Col. Bernard E. Bee of South Carolina as well as his aide-de-camp Col. Juan Almonte. The cloak of secrecy was Santa Anna’s savoir until he left the Republic of Texas.
Brother George Alexander Pattillo was a Unionist, a friend, a Freemason and supporter of President Houston’s views on annexation. Pattillo volunteered for military service under General Sam Houston in 1836 and arrived at San Jacinto one day after the famous battle was fought. It is possible that Pattillo witnessed the capture of Santa Anna the day he arrived at San Jacinto. According to a published biography about Elisha Allen, Pattillo’s brother-in-law, Santa Anna was sent by President Sam Houston by way of New Orleans to Washington to meet President Andrew Jackson; “while on his way to New Orleans, he and his escort of four men stopped at the home of Mr. Pattillo and stayed all night.” Brother George Alexander Pattillo was a Charter Member of Beaumont Masonic Lodge 286.