Andrew Jackson Montgomery

Duane's take

The official marker's the word on this one, and here's how Duane tells it. Now, Texas has a way of pulling people in, and Andrew Jackson Montgomery was no exception. Born in 1805 — in Alabama, according to the marker — he made his way to Texas in 1830, riding alongside his brother John.

Two brothers, one destination, and a young territory that was about to become something the whole world would have to reckon with. Then again, there's a supplemental plate on this marker that wants a word. It says Montgomery was born in Tennessee in 1801, and that he came to Texas as far back as 1819.

Now, the marker gives us both versions and doesn't settle the argument, so we're not going to either. What we can say is that by whatever road and whatever year, Andrew Jackson Montgomery arrived in Texas, and that arrival mattered. Because here's where the story earns its place in the history books.

Andrew Jackson Montgomery stood in the ranks at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was a member of Captain James Gillaspie's Company — one of those men on that field on that day when Texas changed forever. You don't get added to a marker like this for staying home.

The State of Texas thought enough of that to put his name in stone in 1957. A man, his brother John, a disputed birthplace, and a battlefield that echoes all the way down to today.

What the marker says

Born in Alabama in 1805. Came to Texas in 1830 with his brother John. Participated in the Battle of San Jacinto as a member of Captain James Gillaspie's Company. Erected by the State of Texas 1957 [supplemental plate: Born in Tennessee in 1801 Came to Texas in 1819]