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Silk Star Secession Cockade from Creative Cockades

Lone Star Cockades

"We have observed, for a few days past, a number of blue cockades, surmounted by metallic five-pointed stars, worn on the hats or coats, of many of our citizens. The cockade is the badge common to the citizens of the Southern States. The star is peculiar to Texians. The combination of the two emblems seems particularly appropriate to the times."

This report from an 1860 newspaper raises an interesting question: How did the star become "peculiar to Texians"?

Today is a good day to look at that story. You know why? Today is Texas Independence Day, and that's where the story of the Lone Star cockades originates!

Two Stars in Mexico

The story starts in 1821 when Mexico won its independence from Spain. In 1823 it became the United Mexican States and created a constitution in 1824. Coahuila y Tejas was one of the states of this new republic. Their flag was the Mexican tricolor of red, white and green with two gold stars in the center. The two stars stood for the two areas of Coahuila and Tejas.

Map of Coahuila y Tejas in 1833

The area of Coahuila y Tejas that is now Texas was pretty sparsely populated at the time, except for the violent Comanche Indians. Therefore, Mexico was quite pleased to welcome American immigrants to the land. Stephen Austin led 300 American settlers there in 1823 and others followed, bringing prosperity to the area. Unfortunately for Mexico, they also brought American ideas on religion and politics. This led to clashes with the Mexican government.

Santa Anna - A heroic looking 1852 lithograph on the left and a less romantic looking photograph from 1853 on the right

Mexico insisted that all settlers in the region become Mexican citizens and also become Catholics. That was the Problem A. Mexico also outlawed slavery in 1829, but the Texans didn't follow suit. That was Problem B.

In April 1833, General Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón was elected Mexico's president. (Fortunately, the guy went by "Santa Anna" for short!) In the name of reforming the government, General Santa Anna took Mexico from a republic to a dictatorship. That was Problem C.

As tensions rose, Stephen Austin traveled to Mexico City to negotiate with Santa Anna. Unfortunately, dictators aren't usually the negotiating type and Santa Anna threw Austin into jail for 18 months. Naturally, this did nothing to decrease tension.

Flags of the Alamo

Two Stars Over the Alamo

By October 1835 open war had broken out between the Americans and Mexico. The American settlers initially had some victories but by February 1836 Santa Anna was on his way to personally retake Texas and avenge Mexican honor.

Apparently Santa Anna felt he didn't have enough problems so in 1836 he centralized the government. This made a lot of people mad, including Mexicans as well as Americans.

Me at the San Jacinto Monument. Notice the Lone Star on top!

So it's not surprising that on March 2, 1836, the state of Coahuila y Tejas seceded from Mexico. As the secessionists fought against Santa Anna, eyewitnesses reported they flew a red, white and green flag with two stars on it - a star for Coahuila and a star for Tejas. Mexican Col. Juan Almonte, wrote in his journal about the Battle of the Alamo that, "the enemy, as soon as the march of the division was seen, hoisted the tri-colored flag with two stars, designed to represent Coahuila and Texas."

Though the Battle of the Alamo was technically lost, "Remember the Alamo" galvanized Americans throughout the United States as well as Texas to gather in support of Texas' independence. On April 21, an army under Sam Houston won the Battle of San Jacinto and captured Santa Anna.

Coahuila y Tejas was now independent of Mexico.

Hood's TX Brigade flag, and Republic of Texas currency both showing the Lone Star design

The Lone Star of Texas

Coahuila and Texas separated after they seceded and became independent republics. Texas now flew its own flag: Blue with a lone star in the center. Though this flag only flew a few years, it remains a Texas symbol and was used during the Civil War by the Volunteers of the Fifth Infantry Regiment, Hood's Texas Brigade.

In 1839 the current flag of Texas was adopted and was kept even when Texas gained American statehood in 1845. It too includes the iconic Lone Star of Texas.

So it's no surprise that by the 1860s, Texas cockades just naturally included stars!

Lone Star Cockades

The Ranchero noted on December 1, 1860, "Many citizens are wearing the blue cockade, surmounted by metalic five-pointed stars. The Telegraph notices the appearance of the blue cockade on the streets of Houston, worn by numbers of citizens, and gives the following descrïption of it: It consist of a neat blue rosette, pinned to the hat, having a silver five-pointed star in the centre. It means that the wearers pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to resistance to abolition encroachments, and that they can see no way of successful resistance but in the withdrawal of their State from the Union."

And this is my favorite quote, from the Dallas Herald: "Many of our citizens appear on the streets of Dallas wearing the cockade of our national colors, blue ribbon with a golden star. Some wear cockades of red. An aged farmer said in our presence that 'he wanted to wear it over his heart and in front, that all the world might see it and know his position.'"

Below are some original Texas items sporting the Lone Star. If you'd like to read more about Texas' flag history, click here. And of course, if you need a Texas cockade, feel free to contact me! :)