DEAF SMITH
Erastus
Smith, commonly known as Deaf Smith, is responsible for helping determine the history of Texas. Despite his
significant hearing loss, Smith made major contributions to his society. He obviously focused on his talents to
make his life better, rather than being limited by his difficulties. Those around him must have looked past his
challenges and given him the opportunities to serve that he had.
Born on April
19, 1787, in New York, Deaf Smith moved to the Mississippi Territory at about 11 or 12 years old. (Huston, 1973)
His parents were strict Baptists who thought morals and education were very important. (Huston, 1973) From birth
or a childhood illness, Deaf Smith experienced a partial hearing loss. (Griffis, 1958; Huston, 1973) While he
could converse face-to-face (Huston, 1973), and may have been a good lip-reader (Griffis, 1958), he could not
follow ordinary conversation, especially in a crowd. (Huston, 1973) When he got lost in the conversation, he
tended to walk away and stare into the distance. (Huston, 1973) His voice was weak and high-pitched. (Huston,
1973) He had an independent personality, always liked being alone and loved being outdoors. (Griffis, 1958;
Huston, 1973) Because of his hearing loss, Erastus was known as “Deaf Smith.” (Griffis, 1958) Smith was also
sickly as a child and while living in Mississippi developed some long-term lung illness, often called as
consumption. (Griffis, 1958; Huston, 1973)
Deaf Smith
moved to Texas in 1821 at the age of 34 permanently. (Huston, 1973) He brought hornless cows with him, the first
of these type cows in Texas, and drove them 200 miles from Velasco to Mission San Jose. (Griffis, 1958; Huston,
1973) This adventure made him an expert in the geography and terrain of the area, which would come in handy later
in his life. (Huston, 1973)
In 1821,
Smith settled down in the Mexican town of San Antonio de Bexar, and in 1822, he married a Mexican widow who
already had 3 children. (Griffis, 1958; Huston, 1973) Together they had 4 more children. (Griffis, 1958) Smith
learned Spanish and Mexican customs so that he easily fit into both cultures. He wore a hat to hide is reddish
hair that made him different. (Huston, 1973) His Spanish nickname became “El Sordo,” meaning the deaf one.
Deaf Smith
spent much time away from his family, off in the wilderness or on adventures. (Griffis, 1958; Huston, 1973) He
enjoyed hunting, especially buffalo, and trained a dog to quietly warn him of danger. (Griffis, 1958; Huston,
1973) In 1825, Smith assisted in starting the development of land near Gonzales, Texas, that 400 families were
going to colonize. (Huston, 1973) Smith acted as a guide through the lands for the Texan colonists who began
arriving in great numbers. (Huston, 1973)
The Mexican
central government and the Texan colonists coming into the area began to struggle for control. Deaf Smith, with
his feet in both cultures, avoided picking a side. However, when Deaf Smith tried to ride home to evacuate his
family from the danger of fighting, Mexican General Cos’s men tried to capture him, hitting him on the head with a
saber and knocking off his hat as Smith was escaping. (Huston, 1973) Because of this, Smith rode immediately to
Army General Stephen Austin of the Texas Volunteers to offer his services as a scout and spy. (Huston, 1973)
Between 1835
and 1836, Smith rose to the status of a war hero. Soon after joining the Texans, he became the chief spy, and was
known as “the eyes of the army.” (Huston, 1973) As a scout, he helped guide Texan forces over the land he knew
so well. He also led a group of recruits known as the New Orleans Grays. (Huston, 1973) At the Battle of
Concepcion, he marched at the head of command into the city. (Griffis, 1958; Huston, 1973) There his excellent
rifle skills, leadership and bravery helped the Texans force General Cos to retreat. (Huston, 1973) He was again
important in a skirmish known as the Grass Fight. (Griffis, 1958; Huston 1973) After that, he was a leader and
sharpshooter when the Texans descended upon the city of San Antonio de Bexar, his old hometown, which led to
General Cos’s surrender.
The Battle of San Jacinto was the important turning point in the conflict. Texan
women and children were fleeing their homes to avoid Mexican President Santa Anna’s advance. (Huston, 1973) The
Battle of San Jacinto stopped Santa Anna’s push to drive Texans out of the area. Before the battle began, Smith
was responsible for capturing a messenger sent by General Cos to Mexican General Santa Anna, giving away Santa
Anna’s location. (Huston, 1973) Next Smith went into Santa Anna’s encampment disguised as a poor Mexican to
gather information. (Huston, 1973) Then, on the orders of General Houston, Smith destroyed Vince’s Bridge to
prevent any retreat or reinforcements. (Gartman, 2006; Griffis, 1958; Huston, 1973) Smith also joined in the
fighting at San Jacinto. The Mexicans, outnumbering the Texans by far, fled. First, Santa Anna was captured and
then Smith captured General Cos. (Huston, 1973) Finally, General Houston relied on Smith to relay a message from
Santa Anna to his general Filisola telling Filisola to retreat back to Mexico. (Huston, 1973)
After the
Battle of San Jacinto, Smith acted as a scout and spy to monitor the retreat of the Mexican army. (Huston, 1973)
During that time, he learned of another planned attack and was able to stop it. After that, he headed up a
company of rangers which monitored a strip of land that both Mexicans and Texans claimed. (Huston, 1973) In
February 1837, he and his rangers battled the Mexicans near Laredo and, although outnumbered, they suffered many
less casualties. (Wilcox, 2007) Smith’s goal was to "to raise the flag of Independence on the spire of the
Catholic Church at Laredo," but the rangers never made it to Laredo. (Wilcox, 2007) Smith left the rangers and
soon after died on November 30, 1837. (Huston, 1973)
“There were
but few men that did more than Erastus Smith did in 1835 and 1836 in winning and maintaining the Independence of
the Empire of the State of Texas,” according to Moses Austin Bryan in a letter dated May 26, 1880. (Griffis,
1958, Preface) Smith “engaged in most of the hard fighting that has occurred in Texas, happening always to ‘drop
in.’ as if by chance on the eve of battle,” according to the Matagorda Bulletin, September 6, 1837. (Griffis,
1958, Preface)
Not much is
mentioned about how Smith communicated in all these roles. He may have been a good lip-reader. (Griffis, 1958)
While acting as a scout, he probably could communicate face-to-face which would make understanding easier. Huston
(1973) mentions one instance of someone being assigned to Smith in battle to help Smith talk with others. People
around him probably took the time and energy needed to communicate with Smith in order to take advantage of
Smith’s valuable services. Even having the name “Deaf” and “El Sordo” might have reminded people to pay more
attention when trying to talk with Smith. Perhaps his hearing loss also made Smith develop other senses better,
which maybe led to better scouting, spying and leadership skills.
After his
death, Smith was honored with his face on the five-dollar bill of the Republic of Texas in 1840 and with his name
as the name of a Texan county, as well as on various monuments. (Huston, 1973)
The history
of Deaf Smith reveals a determined man who lived life his own way. The skills he built up over his lifetime of
doing what he loved were put to good use by the Texan leaders. Brave, confident, adventurous, resourceful, and
intelligent are just a few of the obvious characteristics that made this person the legend he is today.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ellis, L. Tuffly, Pohl,
James W. and Tyler, Ron (ed.) (1996) Erastus Smith (1787-1837). The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State
Historical Association, 1996. Retrieved 15 Apr. 2007:
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/fsm10.html
Gartman, Barbara. Battle
of San Jacinto recalled. The Monitor, April 20, 2006.
Griffis, Faye Campbell.
(1958). The Nine Lives of Deaf Smith. Dallas, Texas: Banks Upshaw and Company.
Huston, Cleburne. (1973)
Deaf Smith, Incredible Texas Spy. Waco, Texas: Texian Press.
Kemp, Louis Wiltz.
(1932) Erastus Smith. Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library of San Jacinto Museum of History Association.
Retrieved 15 Apr. 2007:
http://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/Herzstein_Library/Veteran_Biographies/Browse_Biographies/biographies/default.asp?action=bio&id=3581
McKeehan, Wallace. (2006)
The Battle of San Jacinto and the San Jacinto Campaign. Texas A&M University, Sons of DeWitt Colony Texas.
Retrieved 15 Feb. 2007:http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/batsanjacinto.htm.
Wilcox, Seb S.. "Laredo
during the Texas Republic", Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online Volume 42, Number 2, Retrieved 22 May
2007: http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v042/n2/contrib_DIVL1579.html