DUANE
Duane's take
The way this marker tells it, here's the story of Major Robert McNutt — and I'll give it to you straight from the official record. Now, May 1, 1795. Remember that date.
Because on that day, somebody came into the world who would one day stand at the center of one of the most consequential battles in Texas history. Robert McNutt didn't arrive at San Jacinto without a resume. He'd already seen the smoke and fire of the War of 1812 — so by the time Texas needed men who knew what a fight looked like, McNutt was not exactly a stranger to the concept.
And then came San Jacinto. That April afternoon when the fate of Texas hung in the balance, Major Robert McNutt was right there in it — commandin' the Texas forces at the Harrisburg Camp. The Harrisburg Camp.
Not on the periphery, not watching from a ridge somewhere. He was in command of Texas forces at that camp during the Battle of San Jacinto itself. He carried that distinction for the rest of his life.
Soldier. Major. A man who had stood where Texas history turned.
He died August 31, 1853. But the marker doesn't leave him alone. Standing right beside his name is Mary Jackson McNutt, born October 6, 1796, died December 28, 1867.
The State of Texas saw fit to put both their names on this stone when it was erected in 1963 — and there's something right about that. She outlasted him by years, and history remembered her too. Two lives.
One marker. And a battle that made Texas what it is.
What the marker says
Born May 1, 1795 Commanded the Texas forces at the Harrisburg Camp during the Battle of San Jacinto. Soldier in the War of 1812 Died August 31, 1853 His Wife Mary Jackson McNutt Born October 6, 1796 Died December 28, 1867 Erected by the State of Texas 1963