Houston Mourns Death Of San Jacinto Scout

Sam Houston was so shaken by the Nov. 30, 1837, death of Deaf Smith, the famed San Jacinto scout, that he took a month-long leave of absence from the presidency of the Lone Star Republic.

Even though Erastus Smith was among the earliest of Anglo immigrants to the Mexican province, he was a last-minute convert to the cause of independence. Hoping the climate would cure his ailing lungs, the Mississippian moved to San Antonio in 1821, married a local woman, and for the next 14 years quietly raised a family.

But a personal conflict with a Mexican officer in October 1835 propelled the 48-year-old spectator into the vanguard of the rebellion. In spite of a severe hearing loss, he combined unmatched tracking skill with clear-headed courage to become the Texans