The El Paso Legion surrendered after only four days, a development that completely caught Houston by surprise.
According to Houston's estimates, even if General Anthony were incompetent, he should have been able to hold out for several months.
Previously, over a hundred men at the Alamo had managed to persist for sixteen days, proving that the Mexicans had no real expertise in siege warfare.
The El Paso Legion numbered over two thousand, supported by volunteers continuously arriving from across the United States, and Houston had even left a regiment in Austin to provide reinforcement.
Yet, the El Paso Legion lasted only four days and lost half of all the artillery in Texas in the process. Austin was also in a precarious state; Houston's main force, combined with the volunteers from Boston, totaled only 1,500 men.
Houston now faced two choices
One was to continue toward the United States, hoping that American troops would arrive in time to rescue Austin.
Of course, this was nearly impossible. Even if the United States dispatched troops, they could not reach Austin within a few days. If the defenders of Austin truly waited for American support, the entire city would likely have been reduced to scorched earth before help arrived.
The second was to return to Austin immediately, gathering every available resource and soldier along the way to hold the city at all costs while waiting for American relief.
Naturally, he was just as likely to be swallowed by the flames of war, much like the Alamo and El Paso Legions before him.
But Austin was a fortified city with high walls, deep moats, and ample provisions; it was also the final barrier protecting the northern plains of Texas.
Once Texas fell, the northern plains would be left defenseless. Once the Mexicans established a foothold in Austin, driving them out would require a massive cost.
After a fierce internal struggle, Houston decided to go back and stand with his soldiers.
Ultimately, Houston succeeded in returning to Austin before the Mexicans could completely blockade its roads.
On May 25, 1836, the Siege of Austin officially began.
On May 28, the southern wall of Austin collapsed.
On May 30, the southern wall fell.
On June 1, the Texan army retook the southern wall.
On June 2, the southern wall fell again.
On June 3, the Texan army retook the southern wall once more.
On June 4, the Mexican army used mining techniques to plant explosives beneath the north gate, blowing it open.
On June 5, the walls of Austin fell entirely.
On June 6, the Mexican army demanded the surrender of the Austin defenders, but they were refused. That day, the Mexican army shelled the barricades within the city districts.
On June 9, the Mexican army ordered the citizens of Austin to leave the city; the Texan army ordered the citizens not to leave their homes.
On June 10, street fighting began.
Because the Austin defenders resisted tenaciously, the Mexican army was forced to search house by house and occupy street by street, with both sides paying a heavy price.
At the same time, this combat was an ordeal for the residents of Austin.
They never knew when someone would burst into their homes to steal their food or take their lives.
If they did not resist, they would die; if they took up arms to resist, they would be mistaken for enemy soldiers by both sides and shot dead.
By June 15, the Mexican army's casualties in the siege had exceeded 3,000. Tassan Anna demanded a halt to the offensive and ordered the city to be set ablaze.
On June 18, the fires burned for three days and three nights. Perhaps heaven could no longer bear to watch, for rain began to fall.
Watching the drizzling rain and the gradually dying flames, Houston knew that when the rain stopped, it would be the moment the Mexicans launched their final assault.
Houston looked at his men. They had been fighting continuously for nearly a month, almost everyone was wounded, yet no one wanted to surrender. This brought him great solace.
It was then that Houston delivered the final speech of his life.
"In the Houston Legion, some come from Tennessee, some from Boston, and some from Texas. There are wealthy merchants, commoners, cowboys, and soldiers; there are Anglo-Saxons, Germans, and Jews.
You are all true Americans. We are industrious and we are strong. Perhaps you were once unwelcome, but on American soil, you can enjoy equality and freedom.
We labored on this uninhabited land, multiplied, and enjoyed unbridled liberty. And now! The Mexican dictator, Tassan Anna, comes with his hounds, claiming this is Mexican land. They seek to take our land and our freedom.
We shall fight to the end. Perhaps every one of us will die, but the American spirit shall live forever.
Friends, look after your comrades, for they too will give their lives for you. Our enemy is cruel and cunning, but I promise you, I will fight to the last moment. I will not abandon a single brother, nor will I let a single enemy pass.
I now need volunteers. You will stay with me to hold back the Mexican advance so that our compatriots can break through. Someone must know what happened here.
God bless America!"
In the end, about a hundred Texans decided to stay and fight to the death against the Mexican army.
The rain stopped. The sound of gunfire and cannon fire erupted once more.
In front of the Austin City Hall, General Houston stood covered in blood. Facing the surging Mexican soldiers, his men decided to resist until the very end, fighting with rifles, bayonets, hands, and teeth.
However, the breakout party was ambushed by the Mexican army, suffering heavy casualties.
After the battle, the Mexicans cleared the battlefield. In front of the City Hall, they found hundreds of mutilated corpses, but they found no trace of General Houston.
A day later, someone accidentally caught a Texan deserter dressed in civilian clothes among the ruins.
But when this deserter was brought into the makeshift prisoner-of-war camp, someone immediately recognized him: "General Houston!"
Houston sat on the ground, speechless. Soon, he was taken away by a Mexican officer and two Mexican soldiers.
Houston thought he would likely face humiliation at the hands of Tassan Anna, but to his surprise, he met someone else—someone who should have been dead.
"Jimmy?!"
"Long time no see, Mr. Houston." In the few months since they had last met, Jimmy had grown taller and more tanned, looking much like a Mexican-born white man.
"Jimmy, I thought you were dead."
"Yes, I was dead. After that blow from the rifle butt, I should have died." Jimmy took off his hat and pointed to the scar on his forehead.
"Jimmy, I had no choice."
"I have already forgiven you. After all, you didn't just abandon me; if you hadn't been captured this time, you would have abandoned even more people."
"Listen to me, Jimmy, this is war. We are all victims..."
"Mr. Houston, you said you would fight with us until the very last moment. I hope you can keep your promise."
"Son, we have already lost. Don't do anything foolish." Thinking that Jimmy intended to continue fighting the Mexican army, Houston tried to dissuade him.
But Houston had completely misunderstood Jimmy's meaning. Jimmy walked up to Houston, grabbed him by the hair, and as Houston tried to resist, he was pinned down by the Mexican soldiers nearby.
Jimmy pulled a dagger from his boot and said to Houston
"Let us be together forever, in another way."
Afterward, Jimmy had a new pair of leather shoes, and he could not bear to part with them.
The Mexican-American War has ended. I will write about something else tomorrow.
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(End of Chapter)