Customer Reviews

Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution

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If all you know of the Alamo is via Walt Disney and John Wayne, you will probably find this book a shocker. Both the Mexicans and the Texians were courageous and cowardly, brilliant and stupid by turns. This book is real history. But in the final analysis, real people are better heros than Hollywood images.

I can't claim to have read every book written on the Alamo battle, but I have read a few. This book is the best I know of.

Reading this book, seeing his numerous appearances in historical documentaries and hearing him lecture, has set Stephen Hardin apart as the consummate authority on Texas history. In his book, TEXIAN ILIAD: A MILITARY HISTORY OF THE TEXAS REVOLUTION, Hardin goes far beyond the usual narratives on Texas history, which often tend to narrow their scope to selected events such as the Alamo, San Jacinto, or possibly Goliad. Here, you will find a detailed account of the events, which led up to the revolution as Hardin begins his narrative with the 1824 overthrow of the constitutional government by Santa Anna and ends with his capture at San Jacinto.

Of particular note is how dysfunctional the Texian militia was. Hardin concisely depicts the seemingly endless power struggle and how many of the volunteers followed their own leader and ignored "high command", such as it was. Most people are fairly familiar of the power struggle between Travis and Bowie, but those two merely scratched the surface of squabbles among the Texian forces. Hardin also does a much better job than most historians at portraying the valuable contributions of the tejanos, led by Juan Seguin.

The book is also laden with wonderful illustrations, maps, photographs and portraits. It concludes with forty pages of author's notes and perhaps the most comprehensive bibliography available on Texas' struggle for independence. If your goal is the best accounting of the Alamo, there may well be superior sources, but for an overall narrative of the entire history of the Texas Revolution, this book is at the top of the list.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

Finally, an easy-to-read book that reads like a story, not a textbook. TEXIAN ILIAD is a wholly appropriate title. And Dr. Hardin is the right man to write the Iliad of Texas. It is a story worthy of the manner in which it is told.

Hardin's captivating writing style is the key to this book's success. He clearly describes events in colorful detail that provide a masterful interpretation of this key era in Texas History. His approach to the Texas Revolution has just the right mix of political, social, and military perspectives to provide a refreshing well-balanced look at the birth of Texas. It is a joy to read.

At last, the Battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto are put into their proper context with the Battles of Gonzales, Conception, San Antonio, Goliad, the Grass Fight, and the ill-fated Matamoros Expedition. Hardin expertly pieces these events and others together to form the patchwork quilt that is the Texas Revolution. The roles of unsung heroes like James Neill, Robert Williamson, and true military professionals like Mexican General Jose Urrea are finally brought to light. Hardin enables the readers to a new level of understanding about this difficult period.

Hardin's chapter on the Alamo is the most honest and detailed to date and is worth the cost of the book alone. Gary Zaboly's illustrations and Hardins narrative paint a picture that allows us to understand the detailed flow of the final assault.

Reading TEXIAN ILIAD is a MUST for all Texans and students of history. Not only is it extremely enjoyable reading, it is a well-balanced, accurately-told history. If I were a Texas history teacher, this would be my primary text.

Even though it doesn't read like a textbook.

To do justice to this excellent book would require a much longer review than I'm sure Amazon visitors are prepared to read. Put quite simply, anyone interested in Texas history in particular, or 19th century America in general, should own Texian Iliad.

Stephen L. Hardin's book, meticulously researched and carefully written, successfully appeals to both an academic audience and the history reading general public. The author's deft descriptions put you in the midst of the action, whether it's with Travis at the Alamo or riding beside Houston at San Jacinto. And the art work is simply great. Gary S. Zaboly's well researched illustrations are not only a magnificent complement to the text, but rare in the quality of their historical accuracy. His rendition of a Mississippi volunteer in the Texas army, with his purloined chickens and jug of spirits, is alone well worth the price of the book. In addition, Zaboly's maps and illustrations of the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto are among the clearest and most useful to be found anywhere.

Texian Iliad has received considerable recognition from the historical profession, including the Kate Broocks Bates Award from the Texas State Historical Association, the Summerfield G. Roberts Award, the T. R. Fehrenbach Award, and the American Association for State and Local History's Certificate of Merit. Professor Hardin's credentials as a historian and writer include membership in the prestigious, invitation-only Texas Institute of Letters as well as numerous other professional organizations.

In short, if you want a good historical read, you'll have a hard time finding one better than Texian Iliad.

This is a very engrossing book and a quick read. Dr. Hardin writes in a very accessible style. You need not be a Texas history buff to find this book enjoyable. I recommend it strongly.

The author presents a well-balanced story of the revolution, with equal weight on the heroism and perfidy practiced on both sides. For example, I found myself equally moved by the valor of Colonel Travis and of General Castrillon. The butchery at Goliad and San Jacinto were equally repugnant.

I have only one regret. The book is simply too short. I found myself wanting more detail at almost every turn. Dr. Hardin's easy-to-read-style could have supported a longer book without the risk of ponderousness.

Stephen L. Harden's "Texian Iliad" is a military history of the Texas Revolution. He delves into such details as the inferior quality of the gun powered used by the Mexican army. "As one veteran noted: "On examining the powder, we found it little better than pounded charcoal..."" Harden also tries to identify who these participant solders were and what was their background. The most pleasant surprise to me was the illustrations by Gary S. Zaboly. Mr. Zaboly does an excellent job in bring humanity the revolution through his illustrations, then describes them in detail. This is a great book by itself, the illustrations make that much better.

There are not enough stars in my opinion, for this book. I was thrilled to see a book that addresses ALL the issues of the Texas Revolution - the hesitance of so many of the "leaders" of the Army of Texas; Santa Anna's inhumane treatment of POW's; the intense dislike of superiors on BOTH sides of the conflict. I was thoroughly impressed with Hardin's work.

If you want a concise, accurate view of the conflict from both sides, this is the book for you. I was particularly happy with the commentary from the Mexican side, since that is not something easy to come by on this side of the border sometimes.

On a note of accuracy, there have been some who call to question de la Pena's account of the fighting. Hardin used the de la Pena diary in his research, and I commend that. When I was reading reviews for this particular diary, I was dismayed to see people discrediting it based on weather! Whether or not folks realize it, YES it has been known to snow, even in South Texas, and YES there have been recorded blizzards IN SOUTH TEXAS. This reminds me of that statement, just because you haven't seen a million dollars doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Or better yet, Isaac Cline's statement in 1891 that Galveston could not possibly sustain a direct hit by a hurricane.

I'll take my soapbox home now, but if you're a fan of 19th century warfare, this is a book that is a must have!

As someone who not only reads for enjoyment but also for an "academic filling", I can definitely recommend this record of the Texas Revolution.

Dr. Hardin takes some difficulty to relate both sides of the conflict, a departure from recent retelling of the Texas conflict. His narrative style makes it more than academic piece of drudgery. His view of this as "a personal war of settlers" with the veteran Mexican army "just doing their job" has come alive on these pages.

Having lived down the road from the San Jacinto battlefield all my life, it has opened my eyes to terrible and barbaric blood-letting that passed there. I had always considered it a prime picnic site! It is easy and enlightening to perceive how the U.S. - Mexico relations are still affected from the outcome of this conflict today.

The 2 quibbles I have with the author are: (1) I would have like to have seen more development of the Mexican side of the Revolution. (2) The author makes the claim that General Sam Houston shows two images in his command. But he never really completes the argumentative stand in his text for one or the other.

But really these are very minor in comparison with a great re-telling of what for me is an old story come to life.

Though I've lived in Houston all my life, the only knowledge I had of the Texan Revolution was what I remembered from my high school text books. Biased history books to say the least. I learned more from this one book about the war with Mexico than I ever learned in a high school classroom. Texian Iliad gives an excellent, honest account of the war and the battles and skirmishes that were fought. Views from both sides are delivered. The image Houston's men had of him was a surprising revelation for me as was the unorganization and in-fighting of the Texians. Illustrations by Zaboly greatly enhance the book as each drawing is given an in-depth description. Also included are photographs and paintings of the participants. I do think the book could have been longer and gone into even more detail, perhaps shedding more light on the character of the major players - Santa Anna, Bowie, Travis, Houston... But for a play by play account of the Texas Revolution, I doubt this book can be beat.

Like often happens in marathons, this book ran a good race for for 18-20 miles, but hit a wall at the end. Political correctness overcame balance as the author left the impression that the Texians were bloodthirsty savages, while the Mexicans were somehow more valiant. Somwhere the idea of annihilation of a surrounded enemy in an inconsequential fortress and the execution of unarmed combatants was overlooked as possible motivators for the carnage at San Jacinto. War can be ugly and it spewed from both sides.

The overall analysis of the sequence of battles/encounters of the war were extremely helpful and clear, right up to Mile 18.