Gonzales Fired the First Shot of the Texas Revolution

In 1831, Mexican authorities gave Gonzales colonists a small bronze cannon to defend against raids. By 1835, relations had broken down. Mexican soldiers arrived to take the cannon back. The colonists sewed a flag with a cannon image and the words "Come and Take It" and refused. The skirmish on October 2, 1835 is considered the first battle of the Texas Revolution. The city of Gonzales earned the nickname "The Lexington of Texas."

A smaller companion cannon, an esmeril, was found after a 1936 flood and is now on display at the Gonzales Memorial Museum in town. The Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas documents this history in detail at tshaonline.org.