DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker at Arroyo Hondo has to say, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, 1842 was not a quiet year on the Texas frontier. Not even close.
The Mexican Army came across the border not once, not twice, but three times that year — three invasions into Texas, each one aimed at reclaiming territory lost during the Texas Revolution. Three. And if that number doesn't give you pause on a lonesome South Texas road, well, keep drivin' and let it sink in.
The first wave came in March. Colonel Rafael Vasquez led his army straight into San Antonio and briefly occupied the city. Briefly — but the message was loud and clear.
Then in July, Texans found themselves fighting Colonel Antonio Canales' forces near San Patricio. Two invasions down, and the year wasn't done with Texas yet. Then came General Adrian Woll.
His Mexican forces advanced through South Texas and on September 11 — September 11 — captured San Antonio. Again. The city fell, and the call went out across the Republic.
Texan volunteers answered. More than two hundred men gathered under the command of Matthew Caldwell at Salado Creek, six miles east of San Antonio. On September 18, those men fought with the Mexican Cavalry right there at that creek.
There were losses on both sides. When the smoke settled, the Mexicans pulled back briefly into San Antonio — but they weren't stayin'. Woll's army began its march toward the border.
Now here's where the story takes a turn that should've gone differently. Additional Texan forces marshaled to cut Woll off, to meet his army one more time before it crossed out of reach. September 21.
Another battle — this one at Hondo Creek, right near this very site. The Arroyo Hondo. And this is the part the marker doesn't let anybody pretty up.
Texan and Mexican accounts of that engagement varied considerably — everybody remembered it a little different — but reliable sources tell a consistent story. The Texans were plagued by dissension. They lacked clear leadership.
And when the moment came to rout the Mexican forces, they failed. The Mexicans returned home. Woll's army made it back across the border.
Three invasions, and the Republic of Texas was left to reckon with what had happened. The Texas government's answer came later that same year — the Somervell Expedition. The marker calls it ill-fated, and it doesn't elaborate.
Sometimes two words are enough. Right here at Arroyo Hondo, the ground remembers a September afternoon when the outcome hinged not on courage or numbers, but on whether men could agree long enough to fight together. They couldn't.
And the Mexican army walked away whole.
What the marker says
In 1842 the Mexican Army launched three invasions into Texas to reclaim territory lost during the Texas Revolution. Col. Rafael Vasquez's Army briefly occupied San Antonio in March, and in July Texans fought with Col. Antonio Canales' forces near San Patricio. When Gen. Adrian Woll's Mexican forces advanced through South Texas and captured San Antonio on September 11, Texan volunteers gathered for battle. More than 200 men under the command of Matthew Caldwell assembled at Salado Creek six miles east of the city, where on September 18 they fought with the Mexicn Cavalry. With losses on both sides, the Mexicans returned briefly to San Antonio before beginning their march toward the border. Additional Texan forces marshaled to meet Woll's Army, and on September 21 another battle occurred at Hondo Creek (Arroyo Hondo) near this site. Although Texan and Mexican accounts of the engagement varied considerably, reliable sources indicate that the Texans, plagued by dissension and a lack of clear leadership, failed in their attempt to rout the Mexican forces. The Mexicans returned home and the Texas government, in response to the 1842 invasions, mounted the ill-fated Somervell Expedition later that year. 1992