battle history in northwest San Antonio (Galveston, Mission: house, living in, restaurant) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

JayTrishSA · 10-24-2009, 08:54 PM

I used live off or Eckhert Rd between Huebner & Bandera. We lived in our house for over 15 years. When we first bought the house I had a very vivid dream about a battle that took place on the area where our house was. It was very real. Over the years, we had numerous ghost sittings. And after moving I was talking to an old neighbor who mentioned that he used to see a ghost in his home that was dressed in a military uniform. Prior to his confession, I had never mentioned my earlier dream.

Needless to say.. I am intrigued. Considering the history of the area, I think there could have been a real battle that occurred in that area. Any suggestions on where I can find this information?

doss1 · 10-24-2009, 09:01 PM

Oooh, I just threw away a map today that had battle points in that area.

majormadmax · 10-24-2009, 09:09 PM

We have lived in the NW part of town for over seven years, and I have never heard of any monuments for battles around here. Can you give us any idea of what war you may be thinking of? I ask because outside of the Battle for the Alamo, there really weren't any "major" battles fought in this area that I know of, just the ones listed below...

In 1813, the Mexicans led an insurrection against Spanish troops in San Antonio at the Battle of Medina.

The second battle of the Texas Revolution was the Battle of Concepcion on October 28, 1835 when James Bowie, James Fannen, and 90 Texans stormed the fortified Mission Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion de Acuna in San Antonio and defeated 450 Mexican troops.

And of course there was the Battle of the Alamo, 23 February 23 – 6 March, 1836.

There were no Civil War battles here, and only five in Texas total (the first and second battles of Galveston, the Battle of Pamito Ranch, and the first and second Battles of Sabine Pass). None of which were of any significance.

So if you can provide any details as to what timeframe you think this battle occurred, it would be easier to research.

Oh, and that area was a stagecoach route (http://epay.sanantonio.gov/historic/hddetail.aspx?id=8879 - broken link), as the Huebner-Onion Homestead was a stop, and I was once told the Grady's BBQ restaurant (the old Texas Star Inn) was as well; but there is no mention of it in that link.

Cheers! M2

wCat · 10-24-2009, 09:27 PM

There is quite a bit written up on the Battle of Salado and Dawson's Massacre....along with historical monuments near both sites. Dawson's massacre was a horrible bloodbath. However neither are in the NW.

There are plenty of undocumented skirmishes that do not consist of a "war" so to speak. Lot's of Indian raids, and ground skirmishes that would take place along the El Camino Real, including Spanish and Mexican soldiers. There could have been small posses of 5-10 soldiers staked out on stage coach route for protection. Some are mentioned here and there, but their exact locations are long lost.

The best place to go is to the DRT Library to get help with research, or the Texana Dept. of the downtown library branch. Be sure to talk to Frank....he's the head librarian and is a walking text book of local history.

wCat · 10-24-2009, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasNick

Oooh, I just threw away a map today that had battle points in that area.

TNick...DO NOT tell me you threw a MAP AWAY!!! LOL! I will come find you!

sapphire · 10-24-2009, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wCat

TNick...DO NOT tell me you threw a MAP AWAY!!! LOL! I will come find you!

I'm so glad you are taking care of that. There should be swift, severe punishment. See to it.

Deep Forest · 10-24-2009, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayTrishSA

I used live off or Eckhert Rd between Huebner & Bandera. We lived in our house for over 15 years. When we first bought the house I had a very vivid dream about a battle that took place on the area where our house was. It was very real. Over the years, we had numerous ghost sittings. And after moving I was talking to an old neighbor who mentioned that he used to see a ghost in his home that was dressed in a military uniform. Prior to his confession, I had never mentioned my earlier dream.

Needless to say.. I am intrigued. Considering the history of the area, I think there could have been a real battle that occurred in that area. Any suggestions on where I can find this information?

Details (if available) of the type of military uniform the ghost was wearing and details of your dream would narrow down the search tremendously. Quite possibly the ghost was related to the Spanish occupation in the 1800's as the Spanish were having a difficult time with indians in and around San Antonio and many skirmishes between the two factions frequently happened. Here's a link to read about Indians in and around San Antonio and the Mexican Army.

Handbook of Texas Online - INDIANS

wCat · 10-24-2009, 09:38 PM

Maj.....she is talking about a ghost. She wouldn't know the time period, necessarily. Just because a skirmish was undocumented does not mean it was insignificant. There were a lot of stagecoach stops, but most raids did not take place at the station....they were out in the remote areas with little protection. There is a whole book on the Texas Pony Riders that has a lot of great information about that dynamic of living in the wild.

That area would have been significantly distant from town and ranchers and farmers would have been subject to anything. If you read the history of the Guenther family (available at most book stores) or "True Women", there are great examples of the hostile human element of early settlers. This was truly the wild west.....buffalo stampedes through downtown on a regular basis! Can you imagine?

Deep Forest · 10-24-2009, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayTrishSA

Needless to say.. I am intrigued. Considering the history of the area, I think there could have been a real battle that occurred in that area. Any suggestions on where I can find this information?

If you provide details there's people on here that will glady research it for you. The key is details..the more that's known the easier it will be to narrow down the time frame.

majormadmax · 10-25-2009, 08:36 AM

Exactly, even estimates of how many people were involved (hundreds? thousands?), the uniforms (color, differences, hats) or any other details (horses, cannons, severity of fighting, casualties seen, etc?) would be helpful. There are several differences between a skirmish and a real battle (size, duration) and if you can recall more aspects of your dream it may be useful in determining what event it may be tied to...