Art of the Revolution
Details of the Texas Revolution, from the Battle of Gonzales to the standoff at the Alamo and ultimate victory at San Jacinto, are contained in primary sources, books, and artistic representations. Future generations gain a sense of history from a blend of the facts, retellings, and recreations collected over time. The State Archives houses the everyday military and government records that, years later, become key to understanding historical episodes and show the participants operating in the context of events. In addition to his famous “Victory or Death” letter, for example, William B. Travis wrote to the Texas government with information about his status leading volunteers, the position of the enemy, and James Bowie’s problematic behavior. Many more documents in the collection help shape the story of the republic.
The State Archives also preserves items created from primary sources that become important in their own right. The personal research of the artist Henry McArdle, who painted Dawn at the Alamo and The Battle of San Jacinto, provides rich source material for others who wish the learn about these major events and individuals from Texas history. He wrote to key figures requesting information to help him visualize the events and create his most well-known works. General Lopez de Santa Anna himself explained his motives in a letter. The artist’s son organized and bound two “McArdle Notebooks,” which were included as part of the sale of the paintings to the state in 1927. TSLAC has created custom boxes to protect the ledgers from damage and digitized the entire contents of each volume.
Dawn at the Alamo, 1905, by Henry Arthur McArdle. CHA #1989.081. Courtesy of The State Preservation Board, 
Austin, Texas.
Map of the State of Coahuila and Texas, 1836. Texas State Archives Map #0040.TSLAC. The map was published in Texas, by Mary Austin Holley, J. Clarke and Company, Baltimore, 1836, frontispiece. Click or tap thumbnail image to view larger version.
Meeting of the Citizens of San Felipe, 1836. Broadsides and Printed Ephemera Collection, Broadside #744. TSLAC. This broadside reprinted the text of the Travis letter, requesting reinforcements. Click or tap thumbnail image to view larger version.
The Hymn of San Jacinto, by Mollie E. Moore Davis, undated. McArdle Companion Battle Documents, Volume 2, The Battle of San Jacinto. Artifacts Collection, ATF0042b. TSLAC. Click or tap thumbnail image to view larger version.
McArdle Companion Battle Documents, Volume 1, Dawn at the Alamo, 1876 to 1905. Artifacts Collection, ATF0042a. TSLAC.
Henry Arthur McArdle (1836 -1908) was a native of Belfast, Ireland, and emigrated to America with an aunt at the age of 14 after the death of his parents. He studied art and went on to serve the Confederacy as a draftsman during the Civil War, later joining the staff of General Robert E. Lee as a mapmaker. After the war, he and his wife Jennie moved to Independence, Texas, where he taught art at Baylor Female College (now the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor). McArdle became interested in Texas history while conducting research for his painting Lee in the Wilderness. McArdle and his family moved to San Antonio, where he set up a studio and began a series of portraits and action canvases associated with Texas subjects. Dawn at the Alamo and The Battle of San Jacinto, which now hang in the Texas Senate Chamber, remain among the best known of his surviving works. The notebook contains the artist’s extensive research materials. View the McArdle Notebooks online.
Portrait of Susanna Dickinson, given by her to artist Henry McArdle when she was Mrs. Hannig. The McArdle Notebooks, 2005/017-1. TSLAC. Susanna Dickinson was a civilian survivor of the battle of the Alamo that took place on March 6, 1836. She and her young daughter Angelina had gone to the fort in February to join her husband Almeron Dickinson before the fighting began. Almeron was killed along with the rest of his fellow soldiers in battle, but she and her child were spared and returned to the town of Gonzales. Her recollections of the battle are discussed in McArdle’s notebook.
William Barret Travis to Governor Henry Smith, February 13, 1836. Texas Adjutant General Department’s Army Papers, 401-1213. TSLAC. William Travis wrote from the Alamo to Texas Governor Henry Smith regarding the command of the post and the conduct of Jim Bowie. Travis requests more troops and money and reports that the enemy is at the Rio Grande and “one thousand strong.” View transcription of the William Barret Travis to Governor Henry Smith, February 13, 1836 letter. (PDF) Click or tap thumbnail images to view larger versions.
William Barret Travis, from the painting by Henry Arthur McArdle, 1901. People Collection, 1/102-562. Prints and Photographs. TSLAC. Click or tap thumbnail image to view larger version.
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