San Jacinto Day marks the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, near present‑day La Porte in Harris County. This battle was the final and decisive clash of the Texas Revolution, where General Sam Houston’s Texian army defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s Mexican forces.
The battle was astonishingly brief — about 18 minutes — yet its impact was enormous. The Texian army killed 630 Mexican soldiers, captured 730, and suffered minimal losses themselves. Santa Anna was captured the following day, effectively ending the conflict.
This victory led directly to the creation of the Republic of Texas, which remained independent for nearly a decade before joining the United States in 1846.