On this day in history, April 18, 1836, Houston and his army arrive at Harrisburg, only to find it in total ruin. They continue their march east, following the south bank of Buffalo Bayou. Meanwhile, Santa Anna and his army arrive at the town of New Washington, a coastal town at the mouth of the San Jacinto River. New Washington today goes by the name of Morgan’s Point. He burns the town to the ground, but not before abducting a young woman named Emily West and forcing her to be his “traveling wife.” Emily is a free African-American of mixed race, with blond hair. She works in the employ of Col. James Morgan, for whom the town of Morgan’s Point was later named. She is engaged to be married to a musician whose name has been forgotten to history. After the war, Emily and the musician get married and he composes a song in her honor named, “The Yellow Rose of Texas.”
On this day in history, April 18, 1836, Houston and his army arrive at Harrisburg, only to find it in total ruin. They continue their march east, following the south bank of Buffalo Bayou. Meanwhile, Santa Anna and his army arrive at the town of New Washington, a coastal town at the mouth of the San Jacinto River. New Washington today goes by the name of Morgan’s Point. He burns the town to the ground, but not before abducting a young woman named Emily West and forcing her to be his “traveling wife.” Emily is a free African-American of mixed race, with blond hair. She works in the employ of Col. James Morgan, for whom the town of Morgan’s Point was later named. She is engaged to be married to a musician whose name has been forgotten to history. After the war, Emily and the musician get married and he composes a song in her honor named, “The Yellow Rose of Texas.”