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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, In the autumn of 1835, the citizens of Gonzales |
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bravely defied the authority of the Mexican government and, by |
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their action, set Texas on an irrevocable course toward |
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independence; and |
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WHEREAS, Established in 1825 near the confluence of the San |
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Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers, Gonzales was the westernmost Anglo |
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settlement in Texas at the time; in 1831, the Mexican government |
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loaned the town a six-pounder cannon for protection against |
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Indians, but four years later, as tensions grew between Texans and |
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the Mexican government, the military commander at San Antonio de |
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Bexar, Colonel Domingo de Ugartechea, sent a corporal and five |
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soldiers to retrieve the cannon; the residents of Gonzales refused |
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to return it and took the soldiers prisoner; and |
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WHEREAS, On September 27, 1835, Colonel Ugartechea sent |
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Lieutenant Francisco de Castaneda and 100 dragoons to take back the |
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cannon; when Lieutenant Castaneda arrived on the west bank of the |
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Guadalupe, his forces were denied passage across the river by 18 |
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Texan militiamen; more Texans arrived over the next several days, |
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and at sundown on October 1, Lieutenant Castaneda moved his men to |
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another camp upriver; that same night, the Texans crossed to the |
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west side of the river with their cannon and followed him; and |
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WHEREAS, Early on the morning of October 2, the Texans |
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launched a surprise attack on the Mexican forces; during a lull in |
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the fighting, Lieutenant Castaneda and a party of Texans led by John |
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Henry Moore met for a parley in the middle of the battlefield; when |
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Lieutenant Castaneda asked for the return of the cannon, the Texans |
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gestured to the weapon 200 yards behind them and said, "There it is, |
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come and take it"; when fighting resumed, the cannon was fired, |
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killing one of Lieutenant Castaneda's men, and the Mexicans |
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withdrew; and |
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WHEREAS, With this fateful encounter, the Texas Revolution |
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began; Gonzales became known as the "Lexington of Texas," and a |
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banner fashioned from a silk wedding dress by the women of the town, |
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which featured the defiant slogan "Come and Take It!" and an image |
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of the cannon, became the first Texas battle flag used in the |
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conflict; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the citizens of Gonzales continue to honor |
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their community's important role in the struggle for independence |
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with their three-day "Come and Take It" festival every October, and |
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this important date in the history of the Lone Star State is truly |
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deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate October 2 as "Come and Take It" Day; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That in accordance with the provisions of Section |
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391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remains in effect |
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until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is passed. |