The Magnificent Barbarians: Little-Told Tales of the Texas [Paperback]

Bill Walraven (Author), Marjorie K. Walraven (Author)

Book Description

A readable collection of stories about the real people of early-day Texas, some famous and some not so famous, with special attention paid to the role of the Tejanos-native-born Mexican Texans-and African-Americans. The book also raises some intriguing questions about the role the United States played in the Texas Revolution and documents the incredible story of a young man who fought in every major battle of the revolution. He died an unknown hero, but his legacy is monumental.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's troops were startled as a Texas army seemingly rose out of the ground a couple hundred yards away.

The tall gringos had approached in silence without being seen. Now they were coming at a trot after leaving the cover of a swale. A drum was beating, fifes were playing, and the earth was shaken by cannon shot. The faces of the grimy figures, who wore brown and black buckskin or homespun rags, could be seen as they sighted down their rifles to fire. Faces were contorted with rage, and they were screaming an unintelligible grito. . . . The furious giants, now crashing the barricades and swinging rifle butts and Bowie knives, were seeking a terrible revenge for the deaths of their friends and relatives at the Alamo and at Goliad. Suddenly over the din of battle, amid the terrible screams, came a booming roar: Recuerden el Alamo! Recuerden La Bahia! The deep bass voice was that of Antonio Menchaca, sergeant in Capt. Juan Seguin's troop of Tejanos."

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Eakin Pr; 2 edition (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571680454
• ISBN-13: 978-1571680457
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,181,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Walraven is a guy who says he had the best job in the world for 15 years--writing a general column for the Corpus Christi Caller. Walraven grew up in the Masonic Home and School in Fort Worth, Texas, and served on a PT Boat--not 109-in World War II. After the war he tried to become an engineer but found out he was better suited for journalism. As a general columnist he wrote about whatever he wanted to and found that humor and history were two of his favorite subjects. Real Texans Don't Drink Scotch in Their Dr Pepper was a lot of fun, and The Magnificent Barbarians, which contains proof of U.S. troops at the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto where Texas won its independence from Mexico, is a valuable historical contribution. His latest work, The General Said Nuts, tells first-hand stories of American war heroes, most of them from World War II.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Having on your bookshelf, March 9, 2004

By 

Peter Stines (Anahuac, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Magnificent Barbarians: Little-Told Tales of the Texas Revolution (Hardcover)

More than just an "historical trivia book" MAGNIFICENT BARBARIANS covers a variety of Texana related to the War for Independence. From famous and almost forgotten Tejanos and Black patriots to the U.S. Army involvement at San Jacinto. Good quality sketches liven the text. This is well worth having on your bookshelf. (Since it's out of print, you might have to steal a copy)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Texas Tales, June 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Magnificent Barbarians: Little-Told Tales of the Texas (Paperback)

A lively exploration of some of the less told tales of early Texas history. A newspaper columnist from Corpus Christi, Walraven readily admits that he is writing a pop - as opposed to academic - history. While this makes for an easy read, it can also leave the reader wishing for stronger substantiation of some of his claims. Still, the author largely avoids the unsubstantiated rumors and wild speculations that so often plague the genre. As the title suggests, Magnificent Barbarians portrays the heroes of early Texas as real people with often conflicting goals and motivations. In so doing, the book serves as a happy balance between the overzealous idolization of many earlier books on the subject and the wild demonization one often finds in more recent revisionist works. Overall Magnificent Barbarians is enoyable, informative, and at times even insightful.