Manuel Flores (Jose Manuel Nepomunceno Paublino Flores; ca. 1801–1868) served as a volunteer in the Texas army in 1835–1838. Fighting and commanding, he rose through the ranks to reach sergeant status during the fight for Texas independence and was commissioned a captain during the Republic years.

Family history – early years

Manuel Flores was born in Spanish Texas on June 16, 1799,Birth date most commonly used and referenced in the ''Handbook of Texas'', is 1801 in La Villa de San Fernando de Bexar. He was a skilled vaquero and ranchero that lived on the San Antonio River below San Antonio. He married Maria Josefa Courbière in 1835. He married Margarita Garza in 1858. He was the son of Jose Flores De Abrego and Maria Rodriquez de la Teja (1991), p. 18. They were a prominent family of Bexar, rich in the ranching history of Texas and steeped in the cause of secession from Mexico. Supporting the 1835–1836 Texas independence movement were four Flores De Abrego sons, Captain

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 ...

Captain Manuel Flores,Handbook of Texas Online, s.v.
FLORES, MANUEL [1801-1868] , The Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)
accessed September 28, 2016. Lieutenant Nepomuceno Flores,Banks (2001), p. 51. and Private Jose Maria Flores, having participated in the Texas Revolution, serving at BexarMatovina (1995), p. 34. and San Jacinto. Manuel was the brother-in-law of Col. Juan Nepomuceno Seguín.Groneman (1990), p. 97.

Texas Revolution

Battle of Gonzales

Anticipating the

Battle of Gonzales The Battle of Gonzales was the first military engagement of the Texas Revolution. It was fought near Gonzales, Texas, on October 2, 1835, between rebellious Texian settlers and a detachment of Mexican army soldiers. In 1831, Mexican authoriti ...

, a meeting would be held late in September 1835 at the

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and th ...

Ranch, that would organize a volunteer force of Texas ranchers that would favor the impending revolution.de la Teja (1991), p. 77. In Gonzales, immigrants, colonists, and Texian volunteers continued gathering. The

Texian Army The Texian Army, also known as the Revolutionary Army and Army of the People, was the land warfare branch of the Texian armed forces during the Texas Revolution. It spontaneously formed from the Texian Militia in October 1835 following the Ba ...

would become a mixture of all peoples, interested in the cause of democracy. Manuel Flores would be in favor, and volunteer his services to Texas. Manuel Flores would be the courier to inform

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 ...

that Juan N. Seguin's volunteer company would join in at Béxar, against General Cos.

Siege of Bexar

The attention of the commander of 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 ...

volunteer forces,

, now focused towards a Béxar campaign. Manuel and his brother, Salvador Flores, along with Manuel Leal, organized 41 volunteers from ranches southwest of San Antonio,de la Teja (1991), p. 24. where they 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.Tovares (2004)
pbs/wgbh/american experience/alamo/timeline/1835 American Experience , Remember the Alamo , Timeline , PBS
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 also gathered 70 men to aid Commander Stephen F. Austin.Barr (1990) p.18Lindley (2003), p. 133. Manuel Flores entered the company with Juan Seguin elected as commander. In December 1835, after a two-month siege of Bexar, that finally ended in ferocious house-to-house fighting, Manuel Flores participated in the removal of Gen. Martín Perfecto de Cos at the

Siege of Bexar A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...

.de la Teja (1991), p. 66.

Battle of the Alamo

Seguin stated that he brought 15 men into the Alamo along with him. Lindley believed that the Flores brothers were defending the Alamo some time near the beginning of the siege. Manuel and the volunteers entered the Alamo on February 23.Lindley (2003), p. 134. His brother had been one of the 100 or so that had served at the

and remained in the Alamo with Colonel

James C. Neill James Clinton Neill (c. 17881848) was a 19th-century American soldier and politician, most noted for his role in the Texas Revolution and the early defense of the Alamo. He was born in North Carolina. Early life and career James Clinton Neill w ...

. At some point later in the siege, after Seguin's departure as a courier, the Flores brothers exited the Alamo, thus making them survivors of the Alamo siege. In 1907, Alamo survivor Enrique Esparza stated that Santa Anna called an armistice for three days and he remembers the Flores brothers leaving at that time.Matovina (1995), p. 82. They had entered the Alamo hastily when the Mexican army arrived and now they took the chance to check on the condition of their families, who had been left alone in their homes. After securing the safety of their families, they regrouped and recruited a few more men from the area, gaining a few more Flores brothers. They then rendezvoused with Seguin in Gonzales. There, the native Texan defenders were joined by other men from Gonzales and proceeded westward to reinforce the Alamo.de la Teja (1991), p. 107. There, on the Cibolo, they waited to team up with Fannin's army. Fannin never made it to the Cibolo, thus the Alamo fell before they could reach it.Groneman (1990), p. 98.

Battle of San Jacinto

A company was reorganized in Gonzales during the first week of March 1836, and Manuel Flores became Captain Seguin's first sergeant.de la Teja (1991), p. 136. This force would now split up. Salvador Flores formed the western rear guard and would maintain this position offering protection from Mexican and Indian attack,Moore (2004), p. 60. while Sergeant Manuel Flores, with his brothers and brother-in-law gathered their company to follow Houston eastward. This company blocked the Mexican army from crossing the Brazos river, preventing them from overtaking the Texians.Groneman (1998), p. 98. Sergeant Manuel Flores together with Captain Juan Seguin, Corporal Nepomuceno Flores, Private Jose Maria Flores and their

Tejano 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 ...

company would then join in with Houston and Rusk to overtake Santa Anna's army, in the rout at 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 ...

.Hardin (1994), pg. 209 Manuel Flores is credited for taking the lead in the final charge against Santa Anna's army at San Jacinto. Although originally a cavalry company, they would fight with

Sidney Sherman Sidney Sherman (July 23, 1805 – August 1, 1873) was a Texian general and a key leader in the Army of Texas, Texas Army during the Texas Revolution and afterwards. Early life Sherman was born in Marlboro, Massachusetts, a son of Michah and Sus ...

's force as infantry. José Maria Rodriquez states in his book ''Memoirs of Early Texas'', that during the final charge, the Texans fired and fell to the ground waiting for a volley from the Mexican camp, but Manuel Flores remained standing and challenged the Texican Army to "get up" and follow his lead, for the Mexicans were running. They got up and pursued the Army, taking many prisoners.Rodriquez (1913), pg. 3–15

Republic of Texas

After the Texas Revolution, he was commissioned as first lieutenant in Company B of the Second Regiment of Cavalry. Next he was commissioned the captain of a cavalry company in defense of the new republic, participating in much the same way a ranger company would.Lozano (1985), p. 43.He is often confused with the Mexican emissary also named Manuel Flores, who was killed at the battle of the San Gabriels in 1838. In 1838 he established a ranch on the south side of the Guadalupe River near a natural rock

waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

and directly across from

Seguin, Texas Seguin ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Guadalupe County, Texas, United States; as of the 2020 census, its population was 29,433. Its economy is primarily supported by a regional hospital, as well as the Schertz-Seguin Local Government C ...

. Being one of the larger operating ranches of the time, it was visited in 1846 by German geologist

Ferdinand von Roemer Carl Ferdinand von Roemer (5 January 1818 – 14 December 1891), German geologist, had originally been educated for the legal profession at Göttingen, but became interested in geology, and abandoning law in 1840, studied science at the Univer ...

, who described the home and the Flores Falls in his works ''Die Kreidebildungen von Texas and ihre organischen Einschlüsse'' (1852). In 1842, San Antonio was overrun twice, by

Santa Anna Santa Anna may refer to: * Santa Anna, Texas, a town in Coleman County in Central Texas, United States * Santa Anna, Starr County, Texas * Santa Anna Township, DeWitt County, Illinois, one of townships in DeWitt County, Illinois, United States. ...

's forces. During March 1842, the citizens of San Antonio sought refuge at Manuel Flores Ranch in the city of

.de la Teja (1991), p. 116. There, a counterattack was planned and Manuel Flores was a member of the party that pursued the army of Ráfael Vásquez.de la Teja (1991), p. 94–95. Even though his brother-in-law,

had also joined in the pursuit that chased the invaders from Texas,de la Teja (1991), p. 44&117. Seguin was doomed to be blamed for the invasion.de la Teja (1991), p. 118. The Flores ranch in Seguin would again become a base camp when General

Adrian Woll Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...

attacked San Antonio in September 1842.

Legacy

In later years, the Flores descendants were the ones to donate the land for the establishment of the City in Texas that bears their name:

Floresville, Texas Floresville is a city in Wilson County, Texas, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population was at 7,203 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Wilson County. The city is also part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statis ...

. A Texas State Historical Marker was placed at the Floresville courthouse during the 1986 Texas sesquicentennial. It now stands in honor to Manuel Flores and his family for their service to Texas.

Tejanos who served under Juan Seguín

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. ",

(accessed April 27, 2013). {{DEFAULTSORT:Flores, Manuel 1801 births 1868 deaths People of Spanish Texas Alamo defenders Alamo survivors People of the Texas Revolution People from Floresville, Texas Military personnel from San Antonio People from Seguin, Texas Tejano people