Peter Sides and the Other Battle
for Texas Independence
By Mary Jane Bell
What would be your first thought if I mentioned a fight for Texas Independence,
Santa Anna, and the bloodiest battle ever fought on Texas soil? Of course, you
would
answer without any hesitation, it is the Battle for the Alamo in 1836. And just
as quickly I
would answer that you are wrong. It was the Battle of Medina fought in 1813 just
a few
miles south of San Antonio. Your thoughts are now probably running something
like
mine were a few months ago when I first came upon the Battle of Medina while
researching my genealogy. As a native Texan and occasional student of Texas
History, I
thought I had a pretty good handle on the War for Texas Independence, but I had
no idea
what happened in Texas 23 years prior to the Alamo. I was especially curious
when I
found that my four times great grandfather, Peter Sides (or Seitz), who had
previously
fought the British in the War for American Independence, came to Texas at the
age of 63 to
lead a unit in this new battle for independence. He fought and died in this
battle. All of
this was a total surprise to me since I had never heard of the battle and never
heard of
this ancestor. So now I am wondering just who is this fellow Peter Sides; is he
really
related to me; why did he come to Texas; what is the Battle of Medina, how does
it figure
into Texas History, and why haven't I ever heard of it or him before. I've
managed to
find a few of these answers and would like to share them with you. Maybe someone
else has
a few more answers.
We
don't have a lot of specifics about the beginnings of Peter Sides, although
there are several possibilities as to his early family line and there is quite a
bit of research
work being done in this area. His family name was originally Seitz and they
probably
came from Germany by way of Switzerland and probably settled first in the
Lancaster
area of Pennsylvania.1
It is very likely that the family was a part
of the Palatine
Anabaptist movement in Switzerland, where many Germans headed who were
Mennonites.2 Some of the earliest records of Peter Sides are from
North Carolina so it
appears that he was either born there or his family moved there from
Pennsylvania
shortly after his birth around 1750. Sometime around 1774, Peter married Barbara
Carpenter. Barbara's Swiss family name was Zimmerman and that was translated
literally into Carpenter when the family came to America. There is a document in
Tryon
County, North Carolina3
signed by Peter Sides and his father- in- law,
Christian Carpenter
and
other patriots in the area vowing to resist British forces. And that he did. He
fought
as
an Ensign in the 2nd North Carolina Battalion in November 1776 and later
received a
land grant in Davidson County, Tennessee in appreciation for his service. Sides
was one of
the earliest settlers in the area of Tennessee that would eventually become
Nashville.
There are records in Tennessee showing Sides as a lieutenant in the local
militia. He is
documented there on tax rolls in 1787. At some point he moved his family to
Logan
1
There is currently an ongoing DNA
project to determine exactly how the various Sides/Seitz families are related.
http://www.sideslines.org/SidesDNAProject.asp
2
The Mennonite religion began about
1525 in Switzerland.
3
Tryon County has been divided into
several other counties around Mecklenburg and is not a current county in North Carolina, but
there are numerous websites referencing it and its history and genealogy.
County, Kentucky4 where his son, John, was born. In 1799, the family
moved to East
Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana along with the Kuykendalls and some of Barbara
Carpenter's family. One of Peter's daughters would eventually marry a
Kuykendall.i
This was a time of much upheaval in the history of East Baton Rouge. This area was
claimed by both the French and Spanish as a part of various treaties. The only
problem was that most of these treaties failed to properly define the boundaries
and thus the
control of the area was difficult to ascertain. It appears that Spain was in
control of
East Baton Rouge when Peter Sides moved his family there in 1799. The government was
still undecided a few years later when the United States purchased the huge
Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. Spain was still laying claim to the
area around
Baton Rouge and the entire Gulf coast strip. They claimed that this territory
had never
belonged to France and thus they had no right to sell it to the United States.
This was the
situation when the local settlers revolted against Spanish rule in 1810. The
result of this
successful revolt was the establishment of the independent Republic of West
Florida5.
This Republic lasted only a short time before being ceded to the United States.ii
We
do not know much about Peter Sides' stay in Baton Rouge. Although he
apparently did not follow the peace-loving trends of many Mennonites, we cannot
draw any
conclusions about his religion. It is known that his descendants were
instrumental in the
founding of the Zoar Baptist Church in East Baton Rouge in 1868. It is also
unknown if
Peter Sides was involved in the armed struggle for independence from Spain that
led to the
Republic of West Florida, but everything we have discovered about his history
and his
proximity to this struggle would indicate his probable participation. It is
amazing that
sometime during all this fighting and moving, Peter and Barbara Sides managed to
give
birth to at least 6 children, including my ancestor, James Sides. There are
indications that at
least 2 of his sons, John and Jacob, followed in their father's military
footsteps and
fought in the War of 1812 which was brewing about this time and eventually
culminated in
1815 with the nearby victory in New Orleans. That brings us up to 1812 and the
events that brought Peter Sides to Texas.
In
order to understand what was going on in Texas at this time, it is necessary to do
a little review of Texas History. The first step is to remember that "Six Flags
Over
Texas" is more than just a clever name for an amusement park. Texas belonged to
Spain in
1812, as did all of Mexico. Spain laid claim to this territory in 1519 as the
result of
various early explorers and that claim had continued uninterrupted except for a
brief
period of about 15 years when La Salle had attempted to claim the land for the
French.
Spain, however, had done little to settle the land and most of the inhabitants
in 1812,
other than the Native American tribes, were from other Mexican states or from
the United
States. These settlers were not happy about Spanish control and encouraged by
the recent
revolution in Louisiana, planned their own revolution. On Aug 7, 1812, The
Gutierrez-Magee Expedition crossed the border from Louisiana into Texas. They drew in many
settlers from Louisiana, such as Peter Sides, with their promise of a League
6 of land.
They also drew in many Tejanos and Indians. Their first successful target was
the
Spanish Garrison at Nacogdoches in East Texas. This was a relatively easy battle
and the
4
James Bowie of Alamo fame was also
born in Logan County, Kentucky in 1796 and his family also later moved to Louisiana. Although
younger than Peter, the families may have been acquainted
5
West Florida is not to be confused
with East Florida which was primarily the present state of Florida.
6
A league is bout 4228 acres.
Spanish Flag was quickly replaced by the Green Flag of the Republican Army of
the
North, as this expeditionary force was called. The expedition proceeded through
Texas
and
left their Green Flag flying at Trinidad de Salcedo7
and La Bahía8,
where Magee
died, and finally at San Antonio, where independence was declared on April 6,
1813.
Thus was formed the first Republic of Texas. Unfortunately, this republic would
only
have a life span of about 4 months. Even though of short duration, this period
should
mark a 7th flag over Texas, but it appears that the "Green Flag"
has been lost to history.
During their short stay in San Antonio, many men of the expeditionary forces
stayed in the
Alamo.
Many things conspired against the new republic, including internal leadership
strife, poor planning, and the Spanish Army that was advancing from Mexico. San
Antonio at this time had a population of about 4000 and rather than stand their
ground
there, The Republican Army decided to head south and meet the Spanish forces
outside of
town. The two armies met about 20 miles south of San Antonio near the Medina
River on
August 18, 1813. The Republican Army numbered about 1400 and the Spanish forces
numbered about 1830. Theoretically, the fight might have been about equal, but
lack of
proper leadership and training and poor planning led to confusion, withdrawal,
and
eventual slaughter of all but about 100 of the Republicans in the bloodiest
battle ever
fought on Texas soil. It was all over in 4 hours. The Spanish forces under
Commandant
Joaquín de Arredondo and his Lieutenant, Antonio López de Santa Anna, won a
complete
victory with losses of only about 55 of their men. Santa Anna would gain some
valuable
military experience during this battle that he would use 23 years later at the
Battle of the
Alamo. The Spanish commander, wanting to make a lasting statement about this
insurrection, buried his own dead with dignity, but ordered that the bodies of
the fallen
revolutionaries were not to be touched. The bodies remained in the field where
they had
fallen for 9 years. Finally in 1821, the Spanish government in Mexico was
overthrown and
the newly established Mexican government in Texas allowed the burial of the
remains in a mass grave under a large oak tree on the banks of the Medina.iii
Peter Sides, who had fought many battles during his life, was 63 at the time of
his
death in the Battle of Medina. The story is told that he led his troop into
battle with a cry of,
"Come on boys!" Unfortunately, many of the "boys" turned tail and ran. We can
only
speculate as to what would motivate a man of his age to take on this fight. It
may have
been the promise of land or the chance to make another stand for freedom or
maybe just a
quest for adventure. Whatever it was, it seems apparent that his fight may not
have been
popular with his family. Instead of dying a hero with tales told from one
generation to
another, his name was essentially not mentioned until fairly recently. He may
have been
forgotten altogether if it weren't for some legal papers filed by his family and
uncovered by
some family researchers. One document asked that he be declared dead so that his
daughter could inherit his estate. Another action involved the disposition of
his slaves and
yet another involved a debtor hearing in Kentucky. It is assumed that the stigma
of
losing the battle was something that caused the family shame and regret and that
little was
mentioned about him to the next generation. It also appears that many Texans
must
have felt the same way about this battle since so few have even heard of it.
7
Just beyond the northern boundary
of present Madison County near Midway, TX.
8
Presidio La Bahía is located one
mile south of Goliad, Texas on U.S. Highway 183 (77A).
My
own connection to Peter Sides is through his son, James. James married
Dorothea Key, daughter of Benjamin Key and Marie Brumfield, on March 18, 1810 in the
Catholic Church in Baton Rouge. It is doubtful that they were Catholic, but the
Spanish occupation at that time only acknowledged weddings in the Catholic
Church.
There is even some indication that Dorothea's father may have been Jewish.
Later,
Dorothea was listed in the membership of the Bethel Baptist Church in Newton,
Mississippi. They had two girls, Susannah and Mary "Polly" who were born in East
Baton Rouge in 1810 and 1812, respectively. They were born shortly before their
grandfather, Peter, died in Texas. The census for East Baton Rouge in 1820 shows
James
Sides with his family of 3 and 3 slaves. James is listed as a farmer. Apparently
he did
follow in his father's footsteps. At some point, James moved his family to
Mississippi.
There are records of land purchases there in 1825 and 1826. In
1829, James' older daughter, Susannah, married Lewis Bruce McClendon in
Copiah County, Mississippi. After moves to the counties of Hancock and Jasper in
Mississippi, L.B. and Susannah McClendon settled in Newton County, Mississippi
in
1839. They eventually had 10 children which included my great grandfather,
Charles
Washington McClendon (1846 – 1924). Susannah and Lewis both died in 1886 in
Newton County, Mississippi.
James Sides' younger daughter, Mary Polly, married John Shelton in 1829 in
Baton Rouge. They had 1 daughter, Susan who was born in 1832. Shortly after her
birth, her
mother, Mary Polly, died of yellow fever and her father moved to Copiah County,
Mississippi, where he married again and started a new family. We don't know for
sure
what happened to the infant, Susan Shelton, but we find her at 18 living with
her
grandmother, Dorothea Sides, who is now a widow, in the 1850 Newton County,
Mississippi Census, living just a few miles from Lewis Bruce and Susannah
McClendon. It
is possible that she was raised by her grandmother.
Charles Washington McClendon (or C.W.) must have picked up some of his great
grandfather's flair for battle since he joined the confederate forces in 1863 at
the age of 17.
He served until the end of the war and later is said to have slept with a pistol
under his
pillow for most of his life. After the war he married Martha (Mattie) Bufkin
(1850 –1928) and they moved to Falls County, Texas around 1884 to settle in the land
where his
great grandfather, Peter Sides, had fought and died. C.W. and Mattie had 11
children
which included my grandfather, Charles Davis (Dave) McClendon (1882 – 1955). I
don't
think that Dave had a fighting bone in his body. He was a kind and gentle man
who
worked for the postal service on the railroad. He loved to tell stories,
especially funny
stories to his 8 children. The strange thing is that I don't think he ever told
any stories
about Peter Sides. That would lead me to believe that he had not heard of this
ancestor.
When I started looking for information, I quickly came to Lewis Bruce McClendon
and his
wife, Susannah Sides, from family information, but I had to do a bit of digging
to find her
father, James Sides. Then it took quite a lot of digging to find the connection
to Peter
Sides and his fight for Texas Independence.
I
am proud of my connection to this freedom fighter. Even though this battle was a
total defeat, it was still an important part of Texas History with many
parallels to the
later Battle of the Alamo. I am not sure why it has become a forgotten part of
Texas
History. I know there are a number of people who have recently been working to
try to
preserve and publicize the story of the Battle of Medina and of Peter Sides and
his fellow
patriots, many unknown, who died there. On Saturday, August 19, 2006, there will
be a
special ceremony under that oak tree near the Medina River to commemorate the
192nd
anniversary of this battle and to honor these men just as there has been for the
last two
years. Tom Green who is President of the Texas Society of the Sons of the
American
Revolution has been instrumental in planning and executing these ceremonies.
Tom's
son- in- law, Brian Childs, is a descendant of Peter Sides through his daughter,
Elizabeth who
married Jonathan Kirkendall.
I
didn't know about the previous events, but I have set my calendar to be there
for the
ceremony this year. I hope that many of my McClendon relatives will also plan to
be
there that day to reclaim their heritage along with their Sides and Kuykendall
cousins and
others interested in Texas History and to pay homage to Peter Sides, our lost
ancestor. If
you have additional information or corrections about any of the people or
events mentioned in this article, I would love to hear from you. You can also
contact me if
you want more information or directions for the ceremony this summer to honor
the
Texas patriots in Medina.
M.J. Bell
2720 Cordova Circle
Denton, TX
940-387-1656
mjbell1@flash.net
http://www.geocities.com/mjbell1@flash.net/
i
Early family information was
obtained from Sides researchers Martha Hardcastle Guthrie and Bob
Gartman and from various census
documents available through Ancestry.com.
ii
Wikipedia contributors (2006).
West Florida. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:11, April
21, 2006 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Florida&oldid=49177485.
iii
Handbook of Texas Online,
s.v. "MEDINA, BATTLE OF,"
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/MM/qfm1.html
(accessed April 21, 2006).
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