(The Center Square) \u2013 As part of Texas\u2019 celebration of the founding of the United States, a new monument was unveiled in Austin commemorating 69 patriots who fought for U.S. independence who later came to Texas.<\/p>\n
Texas is also celebrating its first U.S. Navy fleet week in state history<\/a> in the Houston area, where roughly 1,000 sailors and Marines are participating in nearly 200 events as part of the America 250 celebration. This also includes commemorating the Texas Navy, which helped win Texas\u2019 independence from Mexico 190 years ago this April, The Center Square reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gov. Greg Abbott and the leaders of the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument<\/a> honoring Texas revolutionary war patriots at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.<\/p>\n Abbott, a direct descendent of a patriot who supported the cause of American independence, was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received the Silver Good Citizenship Medal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is appropriate to remember that today, April 18th, 251 years ago, the Battles of Lexington and Concord<\/a> occurred with the shot heard around the world,\u201d Mel Oller, president of the Texas Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, said.<\/p>\n On the evening of April 18, Paul Revere rode from Boston to Charlestown warning colonists that British troops were coming. Several hundred Minute Men and colonial militia fought British soldiers the next morning in Concord and Lexington, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n The commemoration in Austin was important \u201cto reflect on the courage, sacrifice and enduring principles that gave birth to the United States of America,\u201d Oller said. \u201cThis monument stands as a tribute to those patriots and reminder to future generations of the ideas that continue to shape our Republic.\u201d<\/p>\n “Texans played a role in the war too, and it\u2019s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe history that is etched the United States into the annals of the greatest country in the history of the world,\u201d Abbott said. As others try to rewrite American history or \u201ctry to condemn the glory of what America has been able to achieve,\u201d Abbott said Texas was focusing on teaching children about U.S. and Texas history. \u201cWe must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from just a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere could hardly be a better time to dedicate this monument than during our 250th celebration of freedom, of independence,\u201d he said. It\u2019s \u201can enduring testament to the heroes who fought for that freedom that is unique to America.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the greatest gifts Revolutionary War heroes gave Americans was freedom, Abbott said, \u201cbut freedom is not a one-time event. The fight didn’t end with the Treaty of Paris. It\u2019s an everyday process, perpetually. Just as the patriots took to the hillsides to battle the Red Coats, modern day Patriots\u201d continue to fight for freedom, including the failed policies of Marxism, he said. Many Texans\u2019 ancestors \u201cdied for a country they would never get to see. Stories of these heroes must be told. Generations of Americans must be reminded of who they are and what they fought for.\u201d<\/p>\n There are 69 American Revolutionary War heroes listed alphabetically on the monument who later settled in Texas, including native Tejanos who fought for American independence, according to TSSAR<\/a>.<\/p>\n Listed first is John Abston<\/a>, who enlisted in the militia in Virginia when he was 18. He fought alongside and under men like John Crockett, father of Davy Crockett, in one of the most pivotal battles of the war: the Battle of Kings Mountain, in South Carolina. He later moved to Collin County, Texas.<\/p>\n Another is Jos\u00e9 Santiago Segu\u00edn<\/a>, the grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Segu\u00edn<\/a>, the first and only Tejano to be elected to the Republic of Texas Senate. He also fought with Sam Houston in the Battle of San Jacinto.<\/p>\n Another is Peter Sides, who fought with a North Carolina regiment against the British. He later joined the Gutierrez-Magee expedition in 1812 and was killed in 1813 at the Battle of Medina in what is now Bexar County. The battle is \u201cknown as the bloodiest battle on Texas soil. The rebels\u2019 bodies were desecrated and their body parts were removed and scattered,\u201d the TSSAR explains<\/a>.<\/p>\n