In the book Sleuthing The Alamo, James E. Crisp focuses on trying to uncover hidden truths with regards to the Battle in 1836. In his prologue, he argues in which he states that very little of what has been published on the Texas Revolution and Alamo can be trusted, and it is worth understanding. He wrote about his investigation on Sam Houston’s speech that he makes to the soldiers at Refugio. Crisp was determined to investigate Houston’s speech because he noticed that his speech was not even in correlation to his actions. Almost like everything Houston stood for was a contradictory in a way. However, Crisp basically saves Sam Houston’s reputation by believing his speech was incorrect, he researched his speech in detail, and disproved all
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Houston’s famous speech was known through history for showing his racial prejudices against the Tejanos. Crisp responded by saying, “ The words of the speech were harsh. They accused the Tejanos, the Mexicans living in Texas, of aiding the enemy of great numbers” (38). Houston spoke negatively about the Tejanos, which comes across as racist and later insults them by calling them half- Indians. “The last drop of our blood would flow before we would bow under the yoke of these half-Indians” (38). Crisp was shocked that Houston would insult the Mexicans in this way, as well as, speak badly about the Indians.
“For some reason, my most vivid recollection form the memoir was of Ehrenberg’s overheated description of some bizarre characters in a Mexican coffee house
and gambling den in Nacogdoches that he had visited with his comrades form the New Orleans Grays” (53). Later, Crips was researching in With Milam and Fannin; Adventures of a German Boy in Texas, written by Charlotte Churchill, he found an interesting discovery. He discovered that the story of the Mexican coffee house was not there. “My curiosity aroused, I flipped back to read Churchill’s translated description of the New Orleans Gray’s stop over in Nacogdoches--- and their visit to that Mexican coffeehouse I so clearly remembered. The entire “Coffee- Haus ” section was gone”
Houston’s famous speech was known through history for showing his racial prejudices against the Tejanos. Crisp responded by saying, “ The words of the speech were harsh. They accused the Tejanos, the Mexicans living in Texas, of aiding the enemy of great numbers” (38). Houston spoke negatively about the Tejanos, which comes across as racist and later insults them by calling them half- Indians. “The last drop of our blood would flow before we would bow under the yoke of these half-Indians” (38). Crisp was shocked that Houston would insult the Mexicans in this way, as well as, speak badly about the Indians.
“For some reason, my most vivid recollection form the memoir was of Ehrenberg’s overheated description of some bizarre characters in a Mexican coffee house
and gambling den in Nacogdoches that he had visited with his comrades form the New Orleans Grays” (53). Later, Crips was researching in With Milam and Fannin; Adventures of a German Boy in Texas, written by Charlotte Churchill, he found an interesting discovery. He discovered that the story of the Mexican coffee house was not there. “My curiosity aroused, I flipped back to read Churchill’s translated description of the New Orleans Gray’s stop over in Nacogdoches--- and their visit to that Mexican coffeehouse I so clearly remembered. The entire “Coffee- Haus ” section was gone”