The Last Knight: Don Bernardo Gutierrez De Lara Uribe, a Texas Hero

By José Antonio López

The Last Knight

The Story of
Don Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara Uribe (1774-1841), a Texas Hero
(By Jose Antonio Lopez)

Once there was a magical land called Tejas. Here is where our Spanish-Mexican ancestors settled to raise families, build their homes, and ranching communities. They were a rare breed of men and women; a hearty stock, strong of both mind and body. They tamed what historian Jerry Thompson calls the Wild and Vivid Land of South Texas. In so doing, they invented the ranching and cowboy phenomena. However, all was not well. Spain ruled Tejas with oppressive and unjust laws.

In response for direction to rid America of European colonial rule, several great American-born leaders answered the call to duty during those turbulent times of the late 1700s and early 1800s. Among these were George Washington, Simon Bolivar, and Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara Uribe. While most people may have heard of the first two, few are familiar with Don Bernardo. The Last Knight is the story of this great Texas hero.

To begin with, Don Bernardos life has the drama, action, and intrigue of a Hollywood movie, but it is a true story. He was born in Revilla (now Guerrero), on the southern bank of the Rio Grande back when the Rio was just another South Texas river. (The shape of Texas was very different than it is today.)

As a young man, Don Bernardo decided to get involved in bringing social change in his community and throughout Texas and Mexico. It was in this restless period of early Texas history that Don Bernardo volunteered to help Father Miguel Hidalgo in his struggle to gain Mexicos independence from Spain. That is why September 16th is today celebrated in Texas.

Don Bernardo was appointed a Lt Colonel in the Republican Army. After a trip to the U.S. to seek help and volunteers, he began his revolution in Nacogdoches. That the struggle began here in the Louisiana border was very significant in a historical sense. Nacogdoches and Los Adaes represented the eastern boundary of New Spain. As a matter of fact, Los Adaes is the first capital of Texas. On April 17, 1813, he wrote Texas first Declaration of Independence and its first constitution. He won a series of battles. He became the first President-Protector (governor) of the Independent State of Texas. However, his hope of victory over the Spanish forces vanished quickly, when he was relieved of command and forced to move to Natchitoches, Louisiana in exile.

When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Don Bernardo was asked to return to his homeland. He did so in 1824. Upon arriving, he became the governor of the new state of Tamaulipas. He also was appointed to several military posts, including Commandant General of Tamaulipas and Commandant General of the Eastern Interior States (Texas, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo Leon.)

He died in 1841 after an illustrious career as a rancher, military leader, Indian fighter, gifted communicator, skilled diplomat, governor of two states (Texas and Tamaulipas), and commandant general of four states. He was a man who possessed rare leadership qualities. We owe our gratitude to this great hero who shared in the first vision of a free and independent Texas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 19, 2008
• ISBN: 9781462822683

José Antonio López

Mr. Jos Antonio (Joe) Lpez was born and raised in Laredo, Texas. USAF Veteran. He is a direct descendant of Don Javier Uribe and Doa Apolinaria Bermdez de Uribe, one of the earliest families that settled in what is now South Texas in 1750. He is married to the former Cordelia Jean Cordy Dancause of Laredo. He has college degrees from Laredo Jr. College and Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX. He earned a Masters Degree in Education. Other books by the author: The Last Knight (Don Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara Uribe, A Texas Hero), Nights of Wailing, Days of Pain (Life in 1920s South Texas), The First Texas Independence, 1813 (a reprinted bilingual version of his first book The Last Knight), Preserving Early Texas History (Essays of an 8th Generation South Texan), and Friendly Betrayal. Mr. Lopez is also a newspaper columnist who writes about issues affecting Spanish-surnamed citizens in the Southwest. He and his wife visit school campuses and meet with genealogy, history, and social service groups throughout South Texas sharing the Spanish Mexican roots of Texas and Southwest. Mr. Lopez is the founder of the Tejano Learning Center, LLC, and www.tejanosunidos.org , a web site dedicated to Spanish Mexican people and events in U.S. history that are mostly overlooked in mainstream history books.

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Copyright © 2008 by Jose Antonio Lopez.

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Contents

ILLUSTRATIONS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

POSTSCRIPT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

RECOMMENDED READING

Appendices

APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 2

APPENDIX 3

APPENDIX 4

APPENDIX 5

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In memory of my mother,

Maria de la Luz Sanchez Uribe de Lopez.

Mom, thanks for your inspiring leadership.

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ILLUSTRATIONS

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Texas Map (Excerpt) (El Camino Real de los Tejas)

Source: www.elcaminorealtx.com

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Route of Don Bernardo’s 1811 Trip to Washington DC

PREFACE

There were seven flags over Texas.

The green flag—it is the first flag of Texas independence.

It is the spark that lit the revolt for liberty in our state.

Starting as a gentle glow of a peasant’s lantern, it expanded to a beacon’s potent light, beckoning Don Bernardo to lead his army in answering the call for freedom.

It was not a flag of conquest, but a flag of self-rule.

It was not a flag to build an empire, but to end an unjust one.

It was a precious flag, wrapping those who carried it with the ideals of equality.

It was the first breath of a new life,

                                         the first step of a long journey,

                                                      the sign of a new beginning.

It is the green flag, the first flag of Texas independence.

INTRODUCTION

My mother grew up in San Ygnacio, Texas, and was especially proud of her strong pioneer ancestry that went back to the time that Texas was part of New Spain. Citing it as convincing proof of her cowboy roots, Mother loved to share the fact that her father was on a trail drive when she was born. She would sing to us the old trail driver songs that served as oral chronicles, recording the key events of long and grueling cattle drives.

She was a great teller of stories. As such, she would entertain my brothers and me with stories of our ancestors that she had heard when she was growing up. Her face would shine with pride when recounting their adventures. She would often include the phrase "Es tu herencia sin igual" (It is your heritage without equal). I still have vivid memories of most of the stories she told us. However, three in particular are etched in my mind to this day.

The first one involves the critical turning point in our family’s history in South Texas. In 1822, Mom’s great-great-grandmother, Dona Ignacia Gutierrez de Lara Uribe, a widow, and her two young boys (Blas Maria, age eleven; and Juan Martin, age nine) moved from Guerrero (Revilla) across the Rio Grande to present-day Zapata, Texas. At the time, the Rio Grande was not a political boundary as it is today, but rather it was a local river that Spanish Mexican families had settled on both sides starting in 1750.

What made that relocation more significant was the fact that Dona Ignacia crossed the Rio Grande from Guerrero with no one else’s help. She did it on her own. Making her brave stand in the middle of the South Texas brush country, she single-handedly fought off constant Indian raids. Enduring droughts, storms, and other hardships, she was able to survive and thrive. Facing uncertainty with an uncanny firm resolve, she established Rancho Uribeno. It was here that with her faith, grit, and a determination to succeed, she was able to raise her two boys.

Of special note is the fact that Blas Maria, my great-great-grandfather, became a successful businessman, merchant, and a leader in the community. Relying on the work ethic tenacity he had learned firsthand from his mother, he operated a number of livestock enterprises, including a freight business. His rancho was a well-known and important stop on El Camino Real de los Tejas that ran from Monclova and points north all the way to the Louisiana border.

The second story involves the captive experiences of two of our earliest ancestors. In 1815, cousins Cosme Martinez and Jose Villarreal, both born in Revilla, were captured by Comanches. On their way to be sold as slaves to another tribe, they escaped their captors near present-day Austin. Traveling at night and using the stars as their guide, they made it safely back home. Jose, a self-taught astronomer, built the Jesus Trevino House sundial in San Ygnacio.

The Jesus Trevino House, still standing today, is our ancestral home in San Ignacio, Texas. It was the first permanent residence in the area. It is a fortlike home with thick, massive walls that is designated as a Texas state historical site. Our ancestors and their neighbors gathered here during emergencies, such as sieges by unfriendly Indians and bandits.

As children, we would marvel at the old building and be impressed by its sundial, the only one of its kind we had ever seen. We would stand by the sentry post next to the gate, resting a long wooden stick on our shoulders meant to be a rifle and yell out "quien pasa? (Who goes there?), taking turns pretending to be the sentry. We peered through the troneras" (peepholes) through the thick walls by which the defenders fired their weapons at intruders.