out between Texas and Mexico, and General Sam Houston led
the Texan soldiers in their fight for independence. He had many noted
American pioneers[4] and hunters in his little army: one of them was
the brave Colonel Travis[5] of Alabama; another was Colonel Bowie[6]
of Louisiana, the inventor of the "bowie knife"; still another was
Colonel David Crockett of Tennessee, whose motto is a good one for
every young American--"Be sure you're right, then--_go ahead_."
These men were all taken prisoners by the Mexicans at Fort Alamo--an
old Spanish church in San Antonio--and were cruelly murdered.

Not long after that General Houston fought a great battle near the
city which is now called by his name.[7] The Mexicans had more than
two men to every one of Houston's; but the Americans and Texans went
into battle shouting the terrible cry "_Remember the Alamo!_" and
the Mexicans fled before them like frightened sheep. Texas then
became an independent state, and elected General Houston its
president. The people of Texas raised a flag having on it a single
star. For this reason it was sometimes called, as it still is, the
"Lone Star State."

[Illustration: THE "LONE STAR" FLAG.]

Texas was not contented to stand alone; she begged the United States
to add her to its great and growing family of states. This was done[8]
in 1845. But, as we shall presently see, a war soon broke out (1846)
between the United States and Mexico, and when that war was ended
we obtained a great deal more land at the west.

[Illustration: Map showing the extent of the United States after we
added Texas in 1845. The black and white bars show that the ownership
of the Oregon country was still in dispute between the United States
and Great Britain.]

[Footnote 3: Alamo (Al'a-mo).]

[Footnote 4: Pioneers: those who go before to prepare the way for
others; the first settlers in a country are its pioneers.]

[Footnote 5: Travis (Tra'vis).]

[Footnote 6: Bowie (Bow'e).]

[Footnote 7: See map in this paragraph.]

[Footnote 8: See map in this paragraph.]

231. General Sam Houston in the great war between the North and the
South; what he said.--We have seen the part which General Sam Houston
took in getting new country to add to the United States. He lived
in Texas for many years after that. When, in 1861, the great war broke
out between the North and the South, General Houston was governor
of the state. He withdrew from office and went home to his log c