Ben Milam Cypress - San Antonio, TX - Historic Trees on Waymarking.com

The fight for Texas independence ended when General Sam Houston defeated Mexican General Santa Anna at San Jacinto, east of Houston. However, the battle began in earnest in Goliad, Gonzales, and San Antonio (often referred to then as Bexar). The Siege of Bexar was instrumental in establishing that the Texian army could, in fact, win against a strong Mexican force. The Texians were waning in their desire to continue fighting, but Ben Milam rallied them to attach sooner rather than later and as a result, the Texians defeated the Mexican troops. The Mexican General Cos surrendered the city back to the Texian force on Dec 9, 1835; but, unfortunately Milam had been shot and killed by a sniper who had hidden in this cypress tree on Dec 7, 1835. The sniper used the tree to shoot at the Texian soldiers as they went to the river to get water and to snipe at those who lingered in the open around the houses within rifle range.

Ben Milam had been a Colonel in the Mexican Army in the 1820s!! He was technically a Mexican citizen at one point. He was arrested and put in a Mexican prison twice in his life, once in Mexico City and once in Monterrey. However, he supported and inspired those around him to push on for the cause of independence from Mexico and while he was alive, he helped fight and win significant battles. Although he died before the Battle of the Alamo, it is almost certain that had he been alive, he would have been inside the walls of the Alamo fighting the Mexican army as they stormed in on March 6, 1936.

The "sniper tree" history:
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Other link to the tree and its famous name sake:
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The Ben Milam Cypress is on occasion called "The Sniper Tree" or "The Twin Cypress." For some unknown reason, there is a tradition among the caretakers of the trees along the Riverwalk to refer to the Ben Milam Cypress as "Geronimo."

Website: [Web Link] Historic Event: San Antonio, TX was one of the largest towns in Texas at the time around 1835-1836. It was known then as Bexar, but later became established as San Antonio. Colonel Ben Milam was an inspiration to his troops and inspired over 300 men to attach Bexar, were the Alamo was located, and to drive out the Mexican force that has overtaken the town earlier. In December 1835, Milam was involved in a siege on the town to defeat the Mexican army. On Dec 7, 1835, a sniper climbed up this cypress tree and shot Milam in the head, killing him. Two days later, the Texian army finally defeated the Mexican army and Mexican General Cos surrendered. This greatly inspired the pioneer settlers to continue to resist Mexican rule and fight for independence and San Antonio (Bexar) continued to be a pivotal factor in the overall fight. Year: 1835 Species: Baldcypress Approximate Age: 230 Location: San Antonio, TX, in downtown along the Riverwalk.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/01/2023 wanderfish visited it 12/10/2018 WayBetterFinder visited it

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