Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and Sam Houston
O Santy Anna gained the day.
Hooray, Santy Anna!
O Santy Anna gained the day
All on the plains of Mexico!
O General Taylor ran away.
Hooray, Santy Anna!
He ran away at Monterey
All on the plains of Mexico!
... is not a song you wouldn't expect to hear much north of the border. But truth to tell it is a popular enough sea chanty whose origins appear to be English.
And yet hunt as you might, there are few (if any) traditional folk songs about Samuel Houston. There was one horribly treacly song from the 19th century, but it's so bad that they didn't even bother printing the actual notes.
But then Sam Houston was not the type of person you would expect to become President. After all he was married three times and drank too much and didn't listen to advice. Then when things got tough he'd just up and leave.
Well, maybe he is someone you would expect to be President.
Of course, Sam was President of the Republic of Texas, not of the United States. A minor enough detail.
And we all know that when Texas joined Los Estados Unidos Sam became governor of the new state. He died in 1863 only three years after his youngest son, Temple, was born. And Temple was a pretty interesting character in his own right.
As far as what became of Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna, well, that's actually a topic most Anglos don't know or even care much about. But it's actually more interesting than you'd think, particularly since his later life in his old age affected los Americanos far more than his years as a military man.
So for a little about Sam, Antonio, and their lives and times - and how Antonio made a major contribution to modern American dietary culture - just click here.