Texas Rising?

[ShootDontTalk]

I watched the lead-in program to the History Channel series "Texas Rising" the other night with some incredulity. It seems the revisionist and fantasy historians have struck again with their ridiculous take on Emily West. You can find out about her at the Texas State Historical Society website. I also read through some UT and TA&M stuff on her.

I guess now the only way some historians can make a living is to sit around dreaming up alternative theories to anything and everything and thereby getting subsistence grants. The truth is no one really knows much about her. To attribute her dallying with Santa Anna in his tent to the reason for the defeat of his army flies in the face of sanity and serves to trivialize those who fought and died for Texas' independence.

As you can tell, my take is that the "History Channel" is a misnomer.

[LSUTiger]

I briefly saw tiny bits of the promo and confused it with The Alamo (2004) with Dennis Quaid and thought haven't I seen this before? Then later realized that Bill Paxton was playing Sam Houston. No wonder I thought Dennis Quaid looked funny!

[ShootDontTalk]

Since Bill Paxton is a descendant of Sam Houston, you'd think he would blow the whistle on the foolishness in the story line but maybe not.

This was not the advertisement, but something called "The Road to Texas Rising" IIRC. One hour program recounting the battle of the Alamo.

[JSThane]

What did you expect from the channel that promotes "Ancient Aliens" as a valid historical show?

[Charles L. Cotton]

I'm no fan of the History Channel's lack of respect for accuracy. However, the "Yellow Rose" is not something that the History Channel came up with for the movie. That rumor has been around since the smoke cleared at the battle of San Jacinto. If the movie implies that her actions, if any, are the reason the Texans won, then it's absurd. All Santa Anna did was ignore his generals, then run like the coward he was when it was clear that his army was going to lose. If he was preoccupied, then the only thing that was delayed was his fleeing the battlefield.

Chas.

[ShootDontTalk]

Chas.
I agree. But the identity of the "Yellow Rose" certainly is up for discussion - from a factual historical perspective. I was hoping someone else saw this "preview" because, in all fairness, the series is not out yet. But the preview, which introduced the main characters (actors) Houston, Deaf Smith, and West seemed to focus mostly on West. While the characterizations of Houston and Smith seemed normal, Emily West was presented as larger than life and perhaps the most influential character involved in the whole issue of Texas Independence. I not going to hold my breath about the series changing my opinion.

[BigGuy]

I caught the first episode last night. Not promising. They have Emily West at the Alamo, watching her brother executed by Santa Anna. They also have her and Sam Houston as ex-lovers.

I am not a historian, but my understanding is that she was kidnapped/captured while she worked as an indentured servant at a hotel in Morgan point Texas, and was with Santa Anna during the battle of San Jacinto. This is the first I've ever head of her having a relationship with Sam Houston, or being at the Alamo.

[Jim Beaux]

I caught a little of it and found it beyond ridiculous.

[brhalltx]

I recorded it, but it doesn't sound like it's worth watching...

[G.A. Heath]

It. Was. Hard. To. Pay. Attention. To. It. So I turned it off. The guys at the Come And Take It Podcast tore it up on twitter, check them out at http://Brainstaple.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and keep in mind that one of our forum members contributes to their podcast research regularly. Also note that they podcast about Texas history, and are not associated with the OC group.

[chuck j]

In the by gone days of yesteryear I watched the History channel every night ................till the aliens showed up . The aliens were probably players in the Alamo affair . There could have been some supernatural force at work that helped defeat the Texans there . Santa Anna may have been an alien ? Perhaps Sam Huston was in contact with the mother ship at San Jacinto ?

LOL , don't waste your time watching the 'history' channel folks , it turned into stupid several years ago .

[Crossfire]

Despite all the historical fiction, the thing that annoys me most is the geographical inaccuracy. How can they be so arrogant as to portray all of Texas as only caprock? When they show a scene of cliffs and canyon with not a tree in sight and label it "Nacogdoches", that is just maddening!

[sugar land dave]

...
As you can tell, my take is that the "History Channel" is a misnomer.

Perhaps you might like their historical perspective on ancient aliens better.

http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens

[suthdj]

Its entertainment folks nothing more watch it for entertainment not fact.

[BigGuy]

Its entertainment folks nothing more watch it for entertainment not fact.

The problem is that it's on the History channel where it is (make that should be) reasonable to assume it is fact. Many will take it that way. The History Channel should make it absolutely clear that this is nothing more than a drama based loosely on an historical event.

As others have pointed out, this channel has long since abandoned historical accuracy.