“11 Days on the Colorado” Program/Book Signing Oct. 24

The staff of the Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives in La Grange is excited to host a Texas history program and book signing at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 24th with James E. Brasher, author of the newly released 11 Days on the Colorado: The Pivotal Battle Unfought. Brasher will provide a fascinating look at the movements of Sam Houston and the Texian Army in our area in March 1836 between the fall of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.

Typical publications on the Texas Revolution tend to focus on the major battles, but few concentrate on the Texian army’s movements between those battles. 11 Days on the Colorado, which was published by the Texas State Historical Association Press, investigates the Texian army’s time encamped on the Colorado River.

As General Sam Houston arrived in Gonzales on March 11, 1836, to take command of the gathered Texian forces there, he soon learned that the Alamo had fallen. Realizing that his small command was not equipped to meet the full force of the Mexican army, he ordered a rapid withdrawal to the Colorado River. Shortly afterward, the Mexican army, commanded by General Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma, encamped opposite the Texian camps. New volunteers poured in, and several skirmishes ensued.

As the title suggests, a pivotal battle seemed inevitable. However, just as the two armies seemed prepared to engage, General Houston unexpectedly ordered a withdrawal to the Brazos River, resulting in panic among the civilian population and outrage among his troops and officers.

From the time of the Texian Army’s withdrawal from Gonzales to the unexpected order to retreat from the Colorado, Sam Houston made some curious decisions. A day-by-day examination of events will help to ascertain Houston’s mindset and offer some justifications for his decisions.

Additionally, the book and program highlight some lesser known and under-appreciated individuals that were important to this part of Texas history, including some early Fayette County residents. Brasher’s wife, Amanda Danning, a nationally recognized sculptor and artist, provided the book’s beautiful illustrations.

James E. Brasher is a Weimar native who holds an advanced degree in geology. He worked 26 years in the oil industry before moving to Columbus where he has worked the past 16 years in groundwater conservation.

Besides his many technical papers on subsurface geology, Brasher authored a magazine article about the Texian army’s withdrawal from Gonzales to the Colorado River which served as a forerunner to this book.

The program will be held in the meeting room of the Fayette Public Library, 855 S. Jefferson, La Grange. Please use the rear meeting room entrance facing Franklin Street.

Brasher and Danning will both be on hand to sell and sign books after the presentation.

The Archives will later have a few signed copies for sale, but the book is also available from TSHA Press or any major online book retailer. For more information about this program, please ask for Rox Ann Johnson in the Archives at (979) 968-3765 or email archives@ cityoflg.com.