Battle of Velasco Memorial
The February 6, 1833, edition of the Arkansas Advocate printed an article that reported that the survivors of the 1832 Battle of Velasco intended to raise funds to build a memorial monument for their fallen comrades. The reason for the monument was noted: "We know of none more deserving of this honor, or who have imposed more strongly that patriotic duty on their fellow citizens, than those who nobly fought and fell on the plains of Velasco.”
The article provided exact details of the planned dimensions and inscriptions. The publication reports that “It is the intention, to deposit in the marble Urn which crowns the Monument, the names of those who have subscribed to it, printed on parchment – the privilege of subscribing being exclusively confined to the citizen soldiers who were present n the action – and the whole being intended to commemorate the event, as an important epoch in the early history of our country.”
However, the monument was never built due to a variety of reasons. Foremost was a devastating cholera epidemic in 1833, which claimed John Austin, his two daughters, and many other settlers. The project was then derailed due to the Texas Revolution in 1835 and 1836. Maps of the time indicate only that the town included “Monument Square.”
More than 190 years after the battle, the Old Fort Velasco Historical Association raised the funds and commissioned a memorial that was unveiled on June 27, 2023. The only modification was using granite instead of marble, so it would withstand the harsh salt air of the coastal climate.
Are you a descendant of someone who fought at the Battle of Velasco?
We are searching for descendants of the men who fought at the Battle of Velasco and descendants of the men and women who supported them (women who cast bullets and made patches, the men who went to Anahuac, to other areas of the state to call men to report for duty, etc.)
Download the current list here.