True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young. Page: 105
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HOUSTON AND HOUSTONIANS 106
"Presented to the Republic of Texas by the Ladies of Cincinnati."
These guns seemed to be under no particular care and the boys
pulled them about, sighted them and mowed down whole imaginary
armies of Mexicans and Indians and played with them to
their hearts' content without let or hindrance. To the boys of
that day the "Twin Sisters" were as familiar objects on market
square as are Dick Dowling's monument and the fountain to
those of the present day. These guns were used by a Confederate
battery during the war, but in 1871 or 1872 I saw one of
them near the land office in Austin and read the inscription on
it. Being so familiar with the subject, I was a bit amazed when
I saw the "Twin Sisters" referred to as iron pieces and as having
plates screwed on their sides stating that they were presented
to the republic of Texas by General Chambers. Up to that time
I was sure that I was the only man in the company who was keeping
step and that all the others were wrong. Then I read Governor
Frank Lubbock's Memoirs and when I found there an account
of the iron guns known as the "Twin Sisters" being turned
over to Texas by Louisiana during or after the war, I began to
wonder if I had not best catch step with the others.
That two guns known as the "Twin Sisters" were used by the
Texans at San Jacinto is a matter of history, but whether those
guns were the iron pieces presented by General Chambers is
the question, for now there can be mn doubt that there were four
guns in existence instead of two. Thus Instead of settling the
question it becomes more involved for all four are not only lost,
but when, if ever, they may chance to be found, it will have to be
determined whether they are genuine or not. That the "Twin
Sisters" that were so long on market square were brass pieces
I know beyond doubt, and the fact can be proven by Colonel W.
M. Stafford of Galveston, Mr. I. C. Lord, Mr. Owen Cochran and
Mr. Henry Thompson of Houston and no doubt by others who
were raised in Houston, whose names escape me just now.
When our war broke out these cannon were turned over to
some Confederate company, but I know nothing of their history
during the war. I do remember the last time they, or rather one
of them, was fired before the war. It was in 1860, When Sam
Houston was elected governor. Because of his pronounced Union
views many of his former friends opposed him and he had a hard
fight. When the news of his election was received, his friends
got the "Twin Sisters" with the intention of firing a salute in
honor of his victory. The guns were taken to a grassy hill, corner
of Fannin and Commerce Streets. One gun was fired and a
bag of powder was rammed down the other, but when they started
to prime the piece they found some one had spiked it. They
rushed to the other gun, but found it spiked also. That broke
up the salute, of course, but it was a fitting thing that the last
time one of the "Twin Sisters" spoke in time of peace should
have been in honor of the hero of San Jacinto.
In early days there were a great many survivors of San Jacinto
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Young, Samuel Oliver. True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young., book, 1913; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth24646/m1/105/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.