by Charles M. Yates
In November of 1835, William Ward, of Macon, Georgia, organized three infantry companies to serve in Texas' fight for independence. The companies were equipped with arms from the Georgia Arsenal and much of their other equipment was paid for by Ward, himself. In Knoxville, Georgia, on their way to Texas, the volunteers were presented with a beautiful blue and white flag created by the young Joanna Troutman. Upon landing in Texas, the volunteers were formed into the Georgia Battalion, with Ward as their Commander, and placed under the overall command of James Walker Fannin. Ward and his men served bravely and honorably in Texas' fight for independence, but were captured by the Mexican forces. On Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836 they, along with the rest of Fannin's command, were marched out of Presidio La Bahia and executed. These men gave their last full measure of devotion for their adopted country and should always be remembered.
On the weekend of November 13-14, Georgia's Crawford County Historical Society will host the Old Knoxville Days Celebration and the theme of this year's event is "The Lone Star Legacy: Honoring Our Texas Ties." The Texas Rev. reenactment community has been invited to take part in honoring the men from Georgia who were instrumental in the formation of our great state. This is a rare opportunity to be able to formally thank the people whose ancestors sacrificed everything in order to help us enjoy the land and life we have today. This is an important event and we want to make it very clear that it is open to anyone who feels it is important to honor these Texas patriots. The Texian Legacy Assn. will provide a safety officer at the event and general coordination, communication and information for the Texian side of the event, but the event should be considered open to all Texas Rev. reenactors who want to take part.
Knoxville, Georgia is just west of Macon, or about 950 miles from Austin, so this is not a short trip. I'll probably be leaving Austin on the 10th and coming back on the 15th. We already have a number of people interested in going and if folks want to carpool or fly and have someone who is driving take their equipment, that can all be arranged. The folks in Knoxville are very excited about having the Texian contingent take part and are planning a lot of events around our attendance. If you're interested in going, let me, Charlie Yates, know and PLEASE pass this on to any of your friends or fellow reenactors who might be interested.