The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, July 1912 - April, 1913 Page: 113

THE
SOUTHWESTERN HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
VOL. XVI* OCTOBER, 1912 No. 2
The publication committee and the editors disclaim responsibility for views expressed by
contributors to THE QUARTERLY.
RECOLLECTIONS OF GENERAL SAM HOUSTON
A. W. TERRELL
General Sam Houston will always be conspicuous in history
as one of the most remarkable men of the past generation. Much
has been written about him that is misleading. This was natural,
for his career was marked by fierce antagonisms, and men generally
regarded him either from the standpoint of partiality or prejudice.
I who knew him intimately in his later years now comply with
the request of friends in giving my recollections of him, with
incidents of his strange. career, many of which I had from his
own lips in social converse from time to time while he was gov-
ernor of Texas and I a young district judge. meeting him almost
daily in Austin. I know of no other living man who, knew him
well, and a natural curiosity is felt by this generation to know more
of his appearance, his disposition, his habits, incidents illustrating
his character, and the peculiarities that distinguished him from
other men.
His Early Life.-On the forty-third anniversary of his birth
(March 2d, 1836) he signed the Declaration of Texas Independ-
ence. When left an orphan at a tender age by his father's death,
his mother crossed the mountains from Virginia with him and
her other children, and settled in Maryville, Blount county, Ten-
nessee. The family was poor, and after working on a small farm
and obtaining such common school education as a new country
*Volumes I-XV published as TIHE QUARTERLY of the Texas State His-
torical Association.