The occasion gives Americans the opportunity to\u00a0reflect on the historic events that led to the American Revolution. <\/p>\n
Those include, thanks to researchers like Thonhoff, little-known stories like how Texas contributed to the nation\u2019s fight for independence.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/RobertThonhoffCollection_TAMUSALibrary_Texas250_RanchingHistory_TheTexasConnection_WithTheAmericanRe.webp\")
A hardcover copy of Robert Thonhoff\u2019s \u201cThe Texas Connection with The American Revolution\u201d is part of Texas A&M University-San Antonio\u2019s special collection. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n
Texas\u2019 role in American Revolution<\/p>\n
The author\u2019s research consumes several shelves in a corner of the Texas A&M University-San Antonio Archives and Special Collections department at the library. It includes materials and maps that detail how Texans came to side with the rebel cause \u2014 in a very Texan way, with cattle.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was the one I think that really brought attention to that really specific role that Texas cattle and Texas ranches played,\u201d in the American Revolution, said Amy Porter, professor of history at Texas A&M-San Antonio.<\/p>\n
On June 21, in 1779, Spain stepped up to help the rebelling American colonists by formally declaring war on Great Britain. Tejas, as it was known at the time, was a remote colonial province within the Viceroyalty of New Spain.<\/p>\n
When Spanish forces requested a delivery of Texas cattle to support Bernardo de G\u00e1lvez\u2019s assault on British territory from Louisiana, aiding the revolutionist cause, Tejanos stepped up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rounded up between 1779 and 1782, the cattle came from the missions and ranches like those owned by Manuel Delgado, Ignacio Calvillo, Vizente Alvarez Travieso, Do\u00f1a Leonora Delgado and many others who are listed in Thonhoff\u2019s research. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/CityClerk_MunicipalArchives_COSAMuseum_SanAntonioHistory_CityArtifacts_04_10.30.2025_AmberEsparza.jp.webp\")
Traditional Canary Island wardrobe and 18th century Presidio soldier clothing is displayed in the City of San Antonio\u2019s Municipal Archives Museum that opened in October 2025. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n
Much of the cattle in the region grazed on land surrounding the missions, including Mission Concepci\u00f3n which still stands today, and some of the herds were also likely from ranches run by women, Porter said.\u00a0Many were Canary Island families<\/a> who arrived in 1731 from the Spanish archipelago off the African coast.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring this period of time, you have a very different legal system in the Spanish colonies than you have in the English colonies, and then in the early United States,\u201d she added. \u201cUnder Spanish law, women could own property,\u201d which often occurred due to high rates of widowhood in that era of the American West.<\/p>\n At Rancho de la Mora, on the west bank of the San Antonio River west of what is now Falls City, a missionary in 1779 reported the ranch provided 180 cattle to the herd of 970 delivered to G\u00e1lvez. <\/p>\n In addition to cattle, Spain\u2019s subjects in Texas paid a tax of one silver peso and contributed soldiers to the cause, said Mari Tamez, outreach manager at the Bexar Heritage Center, where maps and other displays showcase the history of the era.<\/p>\n \u201cG\u00e1lvez made sure that his men were abundantly supplied with food, and it paid off with victory after victory,\u201d wrote Thonhoff. Meanwhile, \u201cthe British ran critically short on food, especially during the siege of Pensacola\u201d in Florida, which secured Spain\u2019s control of the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n Filmmaker Ken Burns summed up the result in episode 6 of his documentary, \u201cThe American Revolution<\/a>.\u201d \u201cAfter the Spanish victory at Pensacola, many, many people in Britain think it\u2019s time to stop this war before it gets any worse.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s history many people do not know, Tamez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll hear about George Washington \u2026 but what they might not hear about is someone like them, like a Carlos Martinez or a Hernandez or Delgado, who all played a significant role,\u201d in the Revolution, Tamez said. \u201cThat brings it closer to home. That\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Somebody believes in us\u2019<\/p>\n Thonhoff\u2019s trove of research, correspondence, maps and other materials collected for his book and other works is the first special collection acquired by Texas A&M University-San Antonio for preservation and research. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very special to us because it was the first collection we ever received, giving us that foothold and saying that somebody believes in us as an archival repository,\u201d said Leslie Stapleton, head of archives and special collections at the university.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since then, the department has grown to include a collection of papers and correspondence from people like aviation entrepreneur Dee Howard and former Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio), and other materials such as past issues of the Spanish-language newspaper, La Prensa.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stapleton, with Archivist and History Librarian Catarina Garza, is caretaker of the growing collection that also recently obtained documents from the historic Union Stockyards of San Antonio, which shuttered in 2001.<\/p>\n The Thonhoff materials make for a valuable collection because he was such a well-known and respected researcher, Stapleton said. <\/p>\n It\u2019s also important because the donation makes the research more accessible to others studying Texas history, including events and topics such as the Battle of Medina and South Texas ranching, she said.<\/p>\n The Thonhoff collection is partially on public display in the university library to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.\u00a0<\/p>\n To view the full collection, contact the university\u2019s Archives and Special Collections<\/a> department.<\/p>\n Professor Katzenjammer<\/p>\n Thonhoff was born in Colorado in 1929 and moved to Texas following military service in 1953, according to his obituary<\/a> following his death in 2023. Thonhoff and his wife Victoria Thonhoff retired from teaching in 1988 and lived in Karnes City before moving to San Antonio in 2012.<\/p>\n During his years as a researcher for the UT San Antonio Institute of Texas Cultures, Thonhoff participated for 35 years in the annual Folklife Festival as an emcee, playing the character, \u201cProfessor Katzenjammer.\u201d<\/p>\n He wrote or edited numerous books, essays and monographs on South Texas history, including 67 historical entries on various topics for the Texas State Historical Association<\/a>, where he served as president from 1994-95.<\/p>\n His work on the Spanish colonial period of Texas history led to Thonhoff being named an honorary member of the Order of Granaderos de G\u00e1lvez<\/a>, a civic-patriot organization with chapters across Texas and the South, and in Spain.<\/p>\n \u201cOur mission is very simply to educate the public about Spain\u2019s participation in the American Revolution while highlighting the valor, leadership and military exploits of Bernardo de G\u00e1lvez,\u201d said Joe Gonz\u00e1lez, governor of the San Antonio chapter of Granaderos y Damas de G\u00e1lvez.<\/p>\n Thonhoff also was made an Alcalde of the City of San Antonio, an honorary admiral of the Texas Navy, an Honorary Son of the Republic of Texas, a Knight of San Jacinto, and historian of the Texas Connection to the American Revolution Association. <\/p>\n Gonz\u00e1lez met Thonhoff at a symposium about the Battle of Medina<\/a>. He credits the author with connecting the dots through all of his research on Texas history and the American Revolution. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a history undergrad major \u2026 and I can tell you without a doubt that we never knew about any of this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Thonhoff collection is partially on display in the university library to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking for more history?\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Spanish Governor\u2019s Palace<\/a>, the Texas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution<\/a> and the City of San Antonio\u2019s World Heritage Office placed a plaque in 2022 recognizing the contributions made by Spanish ranchers in the quest for American independence.<\/p>\n At the Bexar Heritage Center, copies of the old Spanish maps are on display along with other information about the era and participation in the war.\u00a0The center is located at 100 Dolorosa St., Ste. 110, steps from Main Plaza.<\/p>\n On July 31, the center will host a tri-county symposium on the era from 1776 to 1783 in Bexar County. Find more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/TAMUSA_Thonhoff_004.jpg\")
A selection of dates and numbers of cattle delivered by Texas cattle drivers and ranches are listed, found in Robert Thonhoff\u2019s research and educational materials collected by Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Credit: Courtesy \/ Texas A&M University-San Antonio Archives and Special Collections<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782647955_831_RobertThonhoffCollection_TAMUSALibrary_Texas250_RanchingHistory_TheTexasConnection_WithTheAmericanRe.webp\")
A row inside Texas A&M University-San Antonio\u2019s archives room is shelved with materials from the university\u2019s special collections. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782647955_615_RobertThonhoffCollection_TAMUSALibrary_Texas250_RanchingHistory_TheTexasConnection_WithTheAmericanRe.webp\")
Leslie Stapleton, head of archives and special collections at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, sorts through a few pulled boxes from the Robert H. Thonhoff in one of the research rooms at the university library on June 11, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Robert-Thonhoff-with-Wurstfest-Opa-Band-and-Folkdancers.jpg\")
Stage emcee Robert Thonhoff dances at the Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio, Texas in August 1994. Credit: Courtesy \/ UT San Antonio Libraries Special Collections<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782647956_663_RobertThonhoffCollection_TAMUSALibrary_Texas250_RanchingHistory_TheTexasConnection_WithTheAmericanRe.webp\")
A small selection of materials from Texas A&M University-San Antonio\u2019s special collection on Robert H. Thonhoff and his research is on display for public viewing in the university library. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n