'Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!'

169 years ago today, an 18-minute battle changed the course of history:

In just 18 minutes, Gen. Sam Houston led his Texian troops to a decisive victory over Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his Mexican army. The battle, fought near the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River, began the securing of Texas' independence from Mexico and led to the addition of more than a million square miles to the United States.

For you Yankees out there, here's the quick version of what happened: After suffering the loss of the Alamo and the execution of more than 300 Texian prisoners at Goliad, the Texian army was pissed off. Gen. Sam Houston's force of 910 vengeful Texians charged a 1,400-strong Mexican force during the afternoon siesta, taking the Mexicans by surprise. The result:

	Texians	Mexicans
Killed	9	630
Captured	0	730

The battle turned the tide of the Texas Revolution, eventually expanding the United States by nearly a million square miles. The battlefield is now marked by the tallest monument tower in the world, 15 feet taller than that Yankee-built two-tone monstrosity in D.C. Take a look at the Handbook of Texas for more information on what a wild band of pissed-off Texans can do to an unjust government. Comprende, Fred Hill?