Narrative on Herrera, Blas Maria (1802-1878)
The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a major armed resistance of colonists from Tejanos and the United States against the centralist government of Mexico. One of the most important native Texans who took part in the armed resistance is Blas Maria Herrera (1802-1878). Herrera served as a courier, soldier and scout during the revolution. However, despite his input in the resistance, his name is not popular and has received minimal recognition for the role he played in the Texas War of Independence. Herrera played an active role during the Siege of Bexar that took place in the year 1835 where he served under the command of Colonel Juan Seguin. Col. Seguin assigned Herrera to spy and monitor the activities and movements of the Mexican troops and report to his seniors how the Santa Ana’s troops were advancing. Unfortunately, his seniors ended up discounting his reports after they reached Col. Travis. His dedication to service led him to be selected as a part of the military group accompanying Jose Francisco Ruiz and Jose Antonio Navarro when the travelled to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence. General Sam Houston would later order Herrera to serve on intelligence assignments during the battle of San Jocinto.
Herrera’s knowledge and skills were of great significance during the Texas revolution. His masterly of the countryside enabled him to be selected to serve under Gen. Sam Houston during the battle of San Jocinto, where he was mainly deployed for intelligence assignments. A letter by his father in law, José Francisco Ruiz, from Columbia stands as testimony to the nature of missions that Herrera undertook. In the letter, Ruiz shows concern for Herrera’s safety due to the delicate and dangerous missions that he was involved in the cause of Texas independence.
He married Maria Antonia Ruiz in 1828 and the two had ten children. The family set up their home at Paso de las Garzas, otherwise referred to as “Garza’s Crossing.” After completing his military service, Herrera became a farmer and rancher although he also became in political affairs. There are a variety of controversial cases that plagued his property with some resulting in prominent legal proceedings (Texas State Historical Association, 2015).
References
Texas State Historical Association. (2015). Handbook of Texas Online, Adolph Casias Herrera, “Herrera, Blas Maria,” accessed November 23, 2017, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe73.