Edward Burleson (December 15, 1798 – December 26, 1851) was the third vice president of the Republic of Texas. After

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

was annexed to the United States, he served in the State Senate. Prior to his government service in Texas, he was a commander of

Texian Army The Texian Army, also known as the Revolutionary Army and Army of the People, was the land warfare branch of the Texian armed forces during the Texas Revolution. It spontaneously formed from the Texian Militia in October 1835 following the Bat ...

forces during the Texas Revolution. Before moving to Texas, he served in militias in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, and fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. Burleson was the soldier who was given Santa Anna's sword when he surrendered.

Early life

Known as the "Old Indian Fighter", Burleson was a veteran of the

and had served in the Missouri and Texas

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

s. In October 1835 he was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the Texas army and served under Stephen F. Austin in the opening stages of the Texas Revolution. During the Siege of Béxar, Burleson served as the second-in-command to Gen. Austin, and in November 1835 he was elected Major General of Texas Volunteers and took command of the

volunteer army The Volunteer Army (russian: Добровольческая армия, translit=Dobrovolcheskaya armiya, abbreviated to russian: Добрармия, translit=Dobrarmiya) was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from ...

besieging San Antonio de Béxar and received the surrender of Mexican general Martín Perfecto de Cos. In March, he was appointed a Colonel of Texas Regulars and led the First Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the

Runaway Scrape The Runaway Scrape events took place mainly between September 1835 and April 1836 and were the evacuations by Texas residents fleeing the Mexican Army of Operations during the Texas Revolution, from the Battle of the Alamo through the decisive B ...

and at the Battle of San Jacinto. With the capture of Antonio López de Santa Anna at San Jacinto, the Mexican general rode double into Sam Houston's camp on the horse of

Joel Walter Robison Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

, a soldier in most of the revolutionary battles and later a member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abo ...

from Fayette County. Burleson continued to serve in the Republic of Texas army after the war and was eventually promoted

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

of Texas Regulars. His brother Jacob was killed and mutilated in a battle with Comanches in 1839.

Political service

On account of his military credentials, Burleson was elected to the Texas Senate in September 1838, as a local representative for Bastrop, Gonzales, and Fayette Counties. He served as

Vice-President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Me ...

in President Sam Houston's second term from 1841 to 1844. He was a Presidential candidate in the Texas Presidential election of 1844, but he was defeated by

Anson Jones Anson Jones (January 20, 1798 – January 09, 1858) was a doctor, businessman, member of Congress, and the fourth and last President of the Republic of Texas. Early life Jones was born on January 20, 1798, in Great Barrington, Massachu ...

. Although he served under Sam Houston, the two despised each other. Burleson was also involved in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the ...

(1846–1848), after Texas was annexed by the U.S. The location of his grave is in what later became the Texas State Cemetery, in Austin.

Private life

Edward was the son of James B. Burleson, a company captain in the volunteer American army in the

and later a participant in the Texas Revolution, as a Captain under his son's command. Edward learned of life in the field as an aide to his father, who could neither read nor write. Aaron Burleson, his grandfather, had fought as a minuteman in the Revolutionary War. He was a second cousin of Baylor University president Rufus Columbus Burleson. Edward married Sarah Griffen Owen on April 25, 1816, in Madison County, Alabama. In May 1830, Burleson arrived at San Felipe de Austin as a prospective settler. After scouting the land around the upper Colorado River, Burleson submitted an application to be a colonist. He then returned to Tennessee, where the rest of his family was living at the time, and brought them to Texas. Upon their arrival, Burleson and his family settled near the fledgling community of Bastrop. In the ensuing years, Burleson would become heavily involved with local affairs affecting Bastrop, Gonzales, and Fayette Counties, as he was elected to the Texas Senate in September 1838.

Memorials

* Burleson County, Texas

Early life

Political service

Private life

Memorials

See also

References

External links