deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Texas (/ˈtɛksəs/^ⓘTEK-səss) is the most populous state in the Southern United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and southwest, that forms a natural boundary delineated by the Rio Grande. Texas has a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Covering 268,596 square miles (695,660 km²) and with an estimated population of over 31.7 million residents in 2025,^[10] it is the second-largest U.S. state by area and population. Texas is nicknamed the “Lone Star State” for the single star on its flag, symbolic of its former status as an independent country, the Republic of Texas.

Why fly this easily recognizable flag today? [Overall it is a good flag design and symbolism, ranking high on us Vexillologists’ scorecards – many saying it is the second best flag in the country only behind New Mexico.]

Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. The Battle of San Jacinto(Spanish: Batalla de San Jacinto), fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Deer Park, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texan Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna‘s Mexican army in a fight that lasted just 18 minutes.

About six weeks after the fall of the Alamo [The battle cry ‘Remember the Alamo’ is still a mantra in Texas,] Sam Houston led 800 soldiers against Santa Ana’s Mexican troops in small skirmishes throughout the night. The Mexicans were poorly positioned and their leadership was disorganized. The Texians attacked screaming: “Remember the Alamo!” and overwhelmed the Mexican defenses and who surrendered after 18 minutes.

From 1836 until 1845 Texas operated as an independent republic. In 1845 Texas entered the United States as the twenty eighth state. (In 1846 it was the primary reason for the ‘Mexican American War’). It came into the United States as a slave state and seceded in 1861 to join the Confederate States during the Civil War.