Manuel Antonio Santiago Tarín (1811–1849) (also known as Manuel Leal) was a Mexican soldier and a recruiter and participant in the Texas Revolution on the
Texian
Texians were Anglo-American residents of Mexican Texas and, later, the Republic of Texas.
Today, the term is used to identify early settlers of Texas, especially those who supported the Texas Revolution. Mexican settlers of that era are referr ...
side.
Early life
He was born in ''San Antonio de Béxar'' (now
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, United States). He married María Luisa Cásares by 1846 and had at least two children.
The son of a military officer, Vicente Tarín and his wife, Juana Isidora Leal, he was grandson of rancher Joaquin Leal and great-great-grandson of
Juan Leal
Juan Leal Goraz (1676–1742 or 1743), also called Juan Leal Gonzal, was a Spanish settler and politician who served as the first '' alcalde'' (a municipal magistrate with both judicial and administrative functions) of La Villa de San Fernando, ...
, first
alcalde
Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...
(mayor) of San Antonio. Tarín was baptized at the ''San Antonio de Valero'' Mission ("the
Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...
") two days after his birth.
In 1813, there was much political turmoil in the region. His father, a Spanish officer, joined the invasion forces of the Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition. After the defeat at the
battle of Medina
The Battle of Medina was fought approximately 20 miles south of San Antonio de Bexar (modern-day downtown San Antonio in the U.S. state of Texas) on August 18, 1813, as part of the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish authority in Mexico ...
, he fled the Spanish repercussions. He went into exile in the
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
territory leaving Manuel and his mother in the care of a Catholic priest. Though his father was given a conditional pardon in 1814, he refused it and chose to remain in exile, continuing in the rebellion against the
Spanish crown
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
.
By 1830, Manuel Tarín became a soldier in the
Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras
Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras, also known as the Álamo de Parras Company, were Spanish lancers from San José y Santiago del Álamo in Coahuila. Their 1803 occupation of the San Antonio de Valero Mission is reputed to be the reas ...
(''Álamo de Parras''), serving first at the Alamo and then
Fort Tenoxtitlán
Fort Tenoxtitlán was established by Mexico in 1830 in what later became Burleson County, Texas. The fortification was in accordance with the Law of April 6, 1830 to deter colonization from the United States. The name literally means "prickly pear ...
. The Mexican government's failed support of its frontier outposts forced its men and their families to suffer under the harshest of conditions. Tarín deserted twice, but was returned to duty both times. His unit ultimately returned to San Antonio and the Alamo.
Texas Revolution
Tarín was largely dissatisfied with the Mexican army as was demonstrated when he was apprehended with his own brother, José Vicente and other accomplices after trying to steal guns and ammunition from the Alamo stores.
By 1835, he deserted the Mexican army and enlisted in the Texas army. On February 22, 1836, Tarin mustered into Juan N. Seguín's company of
Tejanos
Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in the ...
.Barr (1990), p. 18.
Salvador Flores
Salvador Flores (Jose Salvador Ramon Flores) (ca. 1806–1855) served as a volunteer in the Texan Army in 1835–1836. He was instrumental in organizing and commanding Texian volunteers in support of the Texas Revolution. He participated in ...
and Manuel Leal recruiting and organizing 41 Tejano volunteers from ranches southwest of San Antoniode la Teja (1991), p. 24. reinforced the Texan forces on the
Salado Creek
Salado Creek ( ) is a waterway in San Antonio that runs from northern Bexar County for about to the San Antonio River near Buena Vista.pbs/wgbh/american experience/alamo/timeline/1835 . a few days after
Juan Seguin
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
Brands (2005), p. 274.Edmonson (2000), p.218. and
Plácido Benavides
Plácido Benavides (1810–1837) was an early Mexican-born settler in De Leon's Colony, Victoria County, Texas. Benavides earned himself the sobriquet of the Paul Revere of Texas for his 1836 journey from San Patricio to Goliad to Victoria, warn ...
of Victoria had gathered almost 70 men to aid Commander Stephen F. Austin.Barr (1990) p.18 He fought at the
siege of Béxar
The siege of Béxar (or Béjar) was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texian army defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar (now San Antonio, Texas). Texians had become disillusioned with the Mexican governmen ...
under the command of
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...
.
Although traveling with Seguín to the
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto ( es, Batalla de San Jacinto), fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Pasadena, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engaged ...
, illness prevented him from being in the final fight.
Tarín left the military in July 1837. For his service as a Corporal with the Texas army, he was awarded several hundred acres in donation land grants and bounty warrants.
He died sometime after 1849.