The Life of Sam Houston

• The man himself--Sam Houston was a man of towering proportions and an immense personal presence. There was his height, which was variously reported as short as six feet, two inches, to as much as six feet six. Regardless, the man was tall and handsome, with a warm rich voice. In later years an observer described him during one of his speeches.

  There he stood, and old man of seventy years, on the balcony ten feet above the heads of the thousands assembled to hear him, where every eye could scan his magnificent form, six feet three inches high, straight as an arrow, with deep-set and penetrating eyes, looking out from heavy and thundering brows, a high forehead, with something of the infinite intellectual shadowed there, crowned with white locks, partly erect, seeming to give capillary conduction to the electric fluid used by his massive brain, and a voice of the deep basso tone, which shook and commanded the soul of the hearer, adding to all this a powerful manner, made up of deliberation, self-possession, and restrained majesty of action, leaving the hearer impressed with the feeling that more of his power was hidden than revealed.² (See Books)

• Family--Sam Houston came from a lineage of Scots who had settled in the Great Valley of Virginia in the early 1700s. His father, also named Samuel Houston, was a member of Morgan's Rifle Brigade during the Revolutionary War, and had a lifelong commitment to military affairs.

• Born--Sam Houston was born March 2, 1793 near Lexington, Virginia. He was the fifth child and fifth son of the family, and was named after his father. In total there were 9 children--7 boys and 2 girls. His father died while he was still a teenager. Sam Houston loved books, particularly the ancient classics, and his education came mainly from his father's library. He committed much of Homer's Iliad to memory.

• The move to Tennessee--In the spring of 1807, after the death of his father and around his fourteenth birthday, Sam moved to eastern Tennessee with his mother and family. His father had gone bankrupt just before his death, and the Tennessee land was bought with the proceeds of the sale of the family estate. Their new home was near Maryville, just south of Knoxville, in the western shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains. The family became prosperous in their new home, but Sam was a free spirit. He had a talent for shirking work and skipping school, but he was a hard boy to scold. He was definitely not cut out to be a planter, so the family found him a job in a store in Maryville, but Sam was still restless.

• The Raven--One morning, at the age of 15, Sam did not appear for work at the store. It was weeks before the family learned that their wayward son had crossed into Indian country and was living with the Cherokees. Sam spent some three years, off and on, with the Indians and was adopted as a son by the chief Oo-loo-te-ka, which translated means "He-Puts-the-Drum-Away." His new father gave him the name Co-lon-neh, which was the word for "Raven."

  It was the moulding period of life, when the heart, just charmed into the feverish hopes and dreams of youth, looks wistfully around on all things for light and beauty...
  [Sam Houston, on his boyhood with the Cherokees]¹ (See Books)

• A man in two worlds: red and white--Sam Houston's boyhood stay with the Indians was in his formative years and it shaped his outlook on life. He developed a life-long call to the wilderness, and an instinct bred from a life as the Raven. Many said that at times of conflict, Houston's planning and cunning were those of an Indian--carefully listening and stalking. He could talk in the poetry and images of the Indian. Listen to the words of a letter written when he was President of Texas to an Indian friend who had lost his son named Flaco:

  My heart is sad! A dark cloud rests upon your nation. Grief has sounded in your camp. The voice of Flaco is silent....His life has fled to the Great Spirit....Your warriors weep....The song of birds is silent....Grass shall not grow in the path between us.
  Thy brother Sam Houston.² (See Books)

• School teacher--At the age of 19, after returning from his life with the Cherokees, Sam Houston looked for work and then decided to open a school. The school was successful, but only remained open for six months until Sam had enough money to pay his debts. It was 1812, and there was war talk. Andrew Jackson was assembling a militia, and when the recruiters came through Maryville in March, 1813, Sam Houston joined up. To join, a new recruit picked a silver dollar off the drumhead of the drummer who stood next to the recruiting sergeant.

  ...when a young man in Tennessee I kept a country school, being then about eighteen years of age, and a tall, strapping fellow. At noon after the luncheon, which I and my pupils ate together out of our baskets, I would go into the woods and cut me a sour wood stick, trim it carefully in circular spirals and thrust one half of it into the fire, which would turn it blue, leaving the other half white. With this emblem of ornament and authority in my hand, dressed in a hunting shirt of flowered calico, a long queue down my back, and the sense of authority over my pupils, I experienced a higher feeling of dignity and self-satisfaction than from any office or honor which I have held since.
  [Sam Houston, about the joys of being a teacher]¹ (See Books)

• The Soldier and the Gold Ring--Houston had to have the permission of his mother to join the army because he was still not 21. His mother, Elizabeth Houston, agreed and she gave her son two gifts: a gold ring and a musket. Inscribed inside the gold ring was the word "honor," because she said this one word epitomized the creed that should forever be a part of Sam Houston's life. Houston wore this ring until his death.

  ...my son, take this musket and never disgrace it; for remember, I had rather all my sons should fill one honorable grave, than that one of them should turn his back to save his life. Go, and remember, too, that while the door of my cottage is open to brave men, it is eternally shut against cowards.
  [Elizabeth Houston, on giving her son Sam a musket and ring when he left for the army]¹ (See Books)

• The Battle of Horseshoe bend--Sam Houston followed Andrew Jackson to Alabama to fight in a war against the Creek Indians (see the information on the Creek Indian War on page 11). The British supplied the Creeks, and these Indians had attacked settlers. The battle was fought at a place the Indians called To-ho-pe-ka, which means horseshoe, because there is a horseshoe bend in the Tallapoosa River where the Creek Indians had set their defenses. Houston led several courageous charges during the battle and was wounded from an arrow, as well as from bullets to the arm and shoulder. The arrow wound was particularly dramatic because Houston forced a young lieutenant at the point of a sword to pull the arrow out of his leg in the midst of the battle. Andrew Jackson took notice of the bravery of the young officer that day. This was the start of a lifelong friendship between the two men. Sam stayed in the Army until 1818. Originally he had planned on a military career, but John C. Calhoun, the Secretary of War under President Monroe, played politics with the young officer, and Sam Houston resigned in disgust.

• Nashville--Sam Houston then went to Nashville and studied to be a lawyer. He began his practice in Lebanon, Tennessee, which is east of Nashville, and quickly began to rise in Tennessee politics. He became a part of the inner circle of advisors to Andrew Jackson. In 1823, he was elected to the United States Congress. Four years later, in 1827, he was elected governor of Tennessee.

• Eliza Allen--On January 22, 1829 governor Sam Houston married Eliza Allen, a young girl of 18 from Gallatin, Tennessee, but within a few short weeks the people of Tennessee learned that Eliza had gone home to her parents and that she and Sam Houston were separated. As it turned out the separation was to be permanent. What actually happened became one of the great mysteries of Sam Houston's life, because he refused to tell any other man or woman the story. He carried the secret of Eliza to his grave. The Allen family in their own right protected their daughter and her honor. There were attempts at reconciliation, but pride or perhaps poor communication stood in the way. What had happened? It was known that Eliza had resentments toward Houston from the start, and was perhaps an unwilling bride. Houston himself was a prideful man, and perhaps he thought his wife was unfaithful. There were indications that Houston was deeply unhappy that his new bride might not love him. On April 16, 1829, Sam Houston officially resigned as governor because of a sense of personal disgrace.

  April 9, 1829
  Mr. Allen, the most unpleasant & unhappy circumstance has just taken place in the family, & one that was entirely unnecessary at this time. Whatever had been my feelings or opinions in relation to Eliza at one time, I have been satisfied & it is now unfit that anything should be averted to....Eliza stands acquitted by me. I have received her as a virtuous wife & as such I pray God I may ever regard her, & trust I ever shall.
  She was cold to me, & I thought did not love me. She owns that such was one cause of my unhappiness. You can judge how unhappy I was to think I was united to a woman that did not love me....
  [portion of a letter from Sam Houston to John Allen, father of Eliza, at the time of the separation]¹ (See Books)

  ...publish in the Nashville papers that if any wretch ever dares to utter a word against the purity of Mrs. Houston I will come back and write the libel in his heart's blood.
  [Sam Houston to representatives of the Allen family]² (See Books)

• The camp of Oo-loo-te-ka--After the resignation, Houston left Tennessee a broken man. He retreated to the western wilderness, and travelled to his old friends the Cherokees, to the home of Oo-loo-te-ka, the Cherokee "father" of his youth. Oo-loo-te-ka had led his small band of Cherokees to new lands along the Arkansas River in modern-day Arkansas. This was before the eventful years of the "Trail of Tears," along which many other Cherokee groups suffered (see the information on the Trail of Tears on page 9). Oo-loo-te-ka had hoped he could move beyond the westward advance of white settlers. Sam Houston adopted Cherokee dress, and proclaimed himself a "citizen" of the Cherokee nation. During this period of his life he took a Cherokee wife, named Tiana Rogers, a widow, whose family became an important part of native-American heritage. Tiana's nephew, several generations removed, was Will Rogers, the beloved American humorist. Sam Houston built a large log house along the Neosho River in eastern Oklahoma, near an apple orchard he planted. The home became known as "Wigwam Neosho."

• Sam Houston: Cherokee Ambassador--Through the force of his personality, Sam Houston became a leader among the Indian tribes of the area, serving for them as an ambassador to Washington. He came to Washington dressed Indian-style, which was quite unique. Imagine Sam Houston, tall and forceful, appearing before the President, his friend Andrew Jackson, arrayed in carefully woven blankets, a new one for each occasion, with an elegantly patterned turban tied off to the side of his head, a ruffled shirt collar, a buckskin coat with metal ornaments that tinkled pleasantly as he walked, his face clean shaven in the Indian style.

• The Stanbery affair--Sam Houston's time on the western frontier was a low period in his life, following his broken marriage and his resignation as governor. There were several trips to Washington, as well as to Tennessee. On one occasion he returned to Tennessee to his mother's side where she lay on her death bed. Both his mother's death and the Stanbery affair changed his life. While Houston was in Washington in early 1832, a man named William Stanbery made accusations about Sam Houston in a speech on the floor of Congress. Houston later met Stanbery on the street, and there was a scuffle. Houston proceeded to beat Stanbery with a hickory cane. The Congress ordered the arrest of Houston, and he was forced to defend himself. The trial before Congress dominated the news of the capital for days. Although Houston was found guilty, he was only lightly reprimanded, because his defense had been eloquent and inspiring. The debate and the speeches restored his confidence and his sense of personal destiny, and he then decided to seek a new arena of political fortune. In 1832, Sam Houston left for Texas.

• Nacogdoches, Texas--Texas had been on the mind of Houston for some time. It was a land of opportunity. Texas was a part of Mexico at that time, but in the 1820s American settlers had been given land. They had to swear allegiance to Mexico and agree to live under Mexican laws. This worked well for a time, but by the 1830s there was political turmoil in Mexico, and the man who was to become dictator, Antonio López de Santa Anna, known simply as Santa Anna, was consolidating his personal power. The Americans in Texas resented actions taken by the Mexican government, and dissatisfaction was widespread. The stage was set for dramatic and moving events, and Houston entered at just the right moment to take a lead in those changes. In December, 1832, Sam Houston crossed the Red River into Texas. After riding to most of the key cities, he settled in Nacogdoches (pronounced 'Nak-ah-dough'-chez"), an old Mexican frontier city close to the Louisiana border, where he again took up a law practice.

• The Texas Revolution--In the fall of 1835, there was armed rebellion by the Texans against Mexico (see the information on the Texas Revolution on pages 9-10). Sam Houston's role was as the commander of the Texas forces, which were nothing more than scattered bands of settlers and adventurers from the United States. Santa Anna advanced across Texas and Sam Houston retreated while he assembled an army and looked for a favorable place to fight. In April, 1836, Santa Anna arrived at the mouth of the San Jacinto River, where it empties into Galveston Bay southeast of modern-day Houston, to find Houston's Texans blocking his way.

• San Jacinto--The following day, April 21, 1836, Sam Houston led the charge in what was to become one of the most significant battles in American history--the Battle of San Jacinto (pronounced by English-speaking Texans today with a "j" as in "just" and a "c" as in "cinch"). Some 800 Texas soldiers mounted a surprise attack against the Mexican encampment. Although outnumbered and outgunned, the Texans attacked during the afternoon and caught the Mexicans during siesta. Santa Anna, the President of Mexico was captured alive, and Sam Houston then dictated to him the terms of Texas independence.

• President--Texas was a republic from 1836 to 1845, and Houston was elected its first President. He served from 1836 to 1838, and again from 1841 to 1844. A President was not allowed to succeed himself, and so from 1838-1841 Mirabeau B. Lamar was in office. One of Houston's chief objectives was to have Texas admitted to The United States, but this was prevented because of the slavery question. The North did not want another state in which slavery was legal. To keep the United States interested in annexation, Houston courted the favor of both Britain and France. Another of Houston's problems as President was the lack of money and development. Resources and trade in the floundering nation were raw and poorly developed, and revenues to the public treasury were meager. Also, to the south, Mexico continued to threaten the nation with invasion.

• Margaret Lea Houston--While he was President, Sam Houston married Margaret Lea. They were wed May 9, 1840 in Marion, Alabama at her mother's home. For Margaret, it was apparently love at first sight. She was in her twenties when they were formally introduced by Margaret's sister in a garden in Mobile, Alabama. They were at a "strawberry festival." Margaret was warned of General Houston as a man of rough history and habits, but none of this mattered, for she was following her heart. Margaret's mother was a strong woman, the daughter of a Baptist preacher, and she travelled to Texas first to meet Houston and make investments before she would permit the marriage. At this time, Houston was free to marry because he had been granted a divorce from Eliza, and Tiana, his Cherokee wife, was dead.

• Senator--After Texas was admitted to the Union, Sam Houston served as U.S. Senator for Texas from 1846 to 1859. During this time the United States went to war with Mexico because the annexation of Texas had angered the Mexican government (see information on the Mexican War on pages 10-11).

• Governor--In 1859, two years before the start of the War Between the States, Houston ran for Governor of Texas on an antisecession platform, which meant he was opposed to having Texas secede from the Union. However, in 1861, Texas voted to secede anyway. Houston refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new Confederacy, and he was removed as governor. There were rumors that Houston would fight to keep Texas in the Union. Abraham Lincoln wrote him to say that Federal troops could be transported to the Texas coast to support his cause. But he refused Lincoln's offer.

  Some of you laugh to scorn the idea of bloodshed as the result of secession, but let me tell you what is coming....Your fathers and husbands, your sons and brothers, will be herded at the point of the bayonet....You may after the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives, as a bare possibility, win Southern independence...but I doubt it. I tell you that, while I believe with you in the doctrine of state rights, the North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction...they move with the steady momentum and perseverance of a mighty avalanche; and what I fear is, they will overwhelm the South.
  [Sam Houston, with a prophetic warning at the time of the secession of Texas from the Union]² (See Books)

• Retirement--Houston then retired to private life to the town of Huntsville, north of modern-day Houston. He kept up with politics and followed the fortunes of his son, Sam, Jr., who fought for the Confederates and was wounded in Tennessee. Sam Houston died in Huntsville in July, 1863, while the Civil War still raged. Margaret was at his bedside at the end. His final words were "Texas-Texas!-Margaret-"

  The sunlit balm of Indian summer lay upon the rolling landscape. In a corner of the lawn, under a great oak, General Houston loved to sit and smoke, with a blue velvet cap on his head, soft yellow moccasins on his feet and the San Jacinto leg on a stool. Shadows played on the green hills and the melodies of Stephen Foster floated from Margaret's piano. The General's chair was the dependable rawhide bottom one that had twice served him while president of the Republic...

  Thus an old man under an old tree, smoking and thinking, still on the bourne of the dream world that had drawn into the forest a boy with a book and a rifle--half mystic, half showman; half poet, half sage.² (See Books)