Description
Two forgotten weeks in 1836—and one of the most consequential events of the Texas Revolution—come vividly to life in this groundbreaking historical and archaeological study. In the aptly named “Sea of Mud” in present-day Wharton County, more than 2,500 Mexican soldiers and 1,500 camp followers became mired, their retreat descending into disaster.
In 1996, a pediatrician and avocational archaeologist began uncovering artifacts from this overlooked chapter of history. Combining hands-on excavation with meticulous archival research—including Spanish-language sources never before translated into English, the author reconstructs the movements of the Mexican army from April 21 to May 9, 1836. The book presents the actions of generals Vicente Filisola and José de Urrea in their own words and documents the bitter rivalries and chaos that sealed the fate of Santa Anna’s campaign.
Hundreds of artifacts, munitions, arms, uniform fragments, and personal items discovered during the excavations bring an unparalleled tangibility to the story. This is a remarkable achievement in historical and archaeological scholarship, offering the most complete account of this critical period of the Texas Revolution and establishing itself as a definitive reference for historians, students, and enthusiasts alike.
