Henry Karnes | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byHenry Arthur McArdle, 1905. | |
| Born | September 8, 1812 Tennessee |
| Died | August 16, 1840 (aged 27) San Antonio, Texas |
| Allegiance |  Republic of Texas |
| Service | Texas Army Texas Rangers |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles / wars | |
Henry Wax Karnes (September 8, 1812 – August 16, 1840) was notable as a soldier and figure of theTexas Revolution, as well as the commander of General Sam Houston's "Spy Squad" at the Battle of San Jacinto.
Henry Wax Karnes, a native ofTennessee, first visitedTexas in 1828. He returned to Texas during the Texas Revolution; he was one ofSam Houston's most important spies and worked closely withDeaf Smith. He fought with Smith,Seguín, andJames Bowie in thebattle of Concepción and then joined thesiege of Bexar. While serving in a volunteer company, Karnes was sent withSmith to learn the fate of theAlamo. Henry Wax Karnes, along with Deaf Smith, was sent to learn the fate of the Alamo. They encountered Susanna Dickinson on her way to Gonzales, where she informed them of the fall of the Alamo12. Karnes and Smith then accompanied Dickinson to Gonzales, where she delivered the news to Sam Houston. By the time of theBattle of San Jacinto, he had become acaptain and later was acolonel.
After the war, he served in theTexas Rangers. Karnes and Seguin teamed up as part of a campaign to calm the Comanche threat in Texas.[1] He was wounded by an arrow in theArroyo Seco Fight, an operation against theComanches in August 1838.[2] He died ofyellow fever during 1840 inSan Antonio, Texas.
Karnes was buried outside of Old Campo Santos Cemetery as he was aProtestant, and onlyCatholics were allowed to be buried there. This cemetery was later moved and Santa Rosa Hospital was built in its place across from Milam Park. A monument to Karnes was erected in the park in 1932, as this was the closest to his grave that the city knew of.
BothKarnes County andKarnes City, itscounty seat, are named after him.[3]
There is a historical marker dedicated to Karnes located in San Antonio.[4] He is also commemorated in theTexas Heroes Monument.
The SS Karnes, aHaskell-classattack transport acquired by theU.S. Navy for use in World War II, transported troops to and from battle areas in the Pacific. It was named after Henry.
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Municipalities and communities ofKarnes County, Texas,United States | ||
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