American Literature: Romanticism research assignment Student Research Submissions 2013

Carlos Zelaya

Juan N. Seguin

My interest in Juan Seguin developed in my American Romanticism literature course. At first, I was very skeptical when I saw a person with a Hispanic last name listed on the agenda of the class. First of all, I thought, what does Juan Seguin have to do with the period of Romanticism? Second, I was surprised to see the inclusion of a Texas historical character in a literature class. After this chain of thoughts, my curiosity to learn more about Juan Seguin only deepened, so I embarked on a journey to learn more about this remarkable person.

            Juan Nepomuceno Seguin was born on October 27, 1806. He was fourteen years old in 1821, when his father, the Alcalde (Mayor) of San Antonio, welcomed Stephen F. Austin to Texas. The Seguin family, and others of the upper class in Mexican Texas, supported Mexico’s colonization policy of allowing foreigners to settle the area in the early 1820’s. A liberal like his father, Juan Seguin entered politics, and in 1834 was appointed as the chief administrator of the San Antonio district. He was an outspoken champion of the Texans’ demand for more self-government, and was very critical of the dictatorial policies of President Santa Ana (Seguin, 3^rd Great Grandson).

            In September 1835, with the advance of the Mexican General Cos against the rebellious Texans, Seguin recruited a company of Mexican ranchers and joined the Texas forces at the Battle of Bexar. On February 3, 1836, he was among the twenty five men who accompanied Colonel William Travis into the Alamo. Seguin also served bravely at the Battle of San Jacinto and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He later served three terms in the Texas Senate (Seguin, 3^rd Great Grandson).

            After the Texas Revolution, Seguin was branded a Mexican sympathizer and was shocked to see how many towns in Texas moved to expel all of their Tejano residents. In a ploy to turn Anglo Texans against him, a Mexican commander stated publicly that Seguin was still a loyal Mexican subject. Seguin’s formal Anglo comrades also accused him of treason. Vigilantes drove him from the city where he had been born and forced him to flee to Mexico. Seguin’s hopes that the Texas Revolution would mean freedom for all Texans were shattered. He wrote in 1858, “I sought for shelter amongst those against whom I fought; I separated from country, parents, family, relatives, friends, and what was more, from the institutions, on behalf which I had drawn my sword, with an earnest wish to see Texas free and happy" (PBS).

            The Mexican government hardly welcomed Seguin with open arms. Upon his arrival in Nuevo Laredo in 1842, the authorities arrested him and offered him a choice between serving in the army or extended imprisonment. He chose to join the army, and fought in the Mexican-American war against the United States. After the war, Seguin received permission to return to Texas, and did so, but in 1867 continued harassment again prompted his return to Mexico. He died in Nuevo Laredo, just across the Rio Grande from the land for whose independence he had fought, in 1890. The remains of Colonel Juan N. Seguin are now buried under a motte of live oaks on a hillside near the Seguin Activity Center and Guadalupe County Coliseum ("Visit Seguin").

            On October 28, 2000, a larger than life size statue of Juan Seguin on a horse ready for battle at San Jacinto was unveiled in Seguin, Texas. The city of Seguin was renamed in his honor for his service to Texas in its fight for independence. This is a long overdue honor and recognition of a native-born Texan whose service to Texas was long ago forgotten ("Visit Seguin").

            After contacting the San Antonio Central Library, I was referred to some primary documents found at the University of Texas. The library at UT has written letters sent to Seguin in Spanish and translated into English. The University of Stephen F. Austin also has letters from Juan Seguin written to Sam Houston in 1838. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has letters from Juan Seguin to Captain Pratt written in March of 1836 (“Seguin”).

            The two most current pieces of information that I found about Juan Seguin came from newspaper articles. The first one is that an art collector and dealer in Texana purchased in Denmark in 2009 an authentic painting of Juan Seguin. The other important information that I found came from the Wilson County News. The information is an advertisement dated March 22, 2010 in which descendants of Colonel Juan Seguin are invited to a family reunion. The family reunion took place all day Saturday, July 31, in Seabrook, Texas ("Juan Seguin Family Reunion").

Work Cited

"PBS ." People from the West. N.p.. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/seguin.htm>.

"Juan N. Seguin." Seguin Gazette. Seguin Gazette. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <http://seguingazette.com/news/article_36749560-4777-11e0-baf4-001cc4c03286.html?

Seguin, Albert. "Juan N. Seguin." Seguin Family History. N.p.. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <www.seguinfamilyhistory.com/jnsmason.html>.

"Seguin." Juan N. Seguin. N.p.. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/smu/00074/00074-P.html>.

"Juan Seguin Family Reunion." Juan Seguin Family Reunion. N.p.. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <http://www.wilsoncountynews.com/article.php?id=28429>.

"Visit Seguin." Visit Seguin. City of Seguin. Web. 28 Mar 2013. <www.visitseguin.com>.