In the fiery days of 1835, a powerful symbol emerged from the Texan wilderness—a symbol that would ignite the flames of revolution. This symbol was the Gonzales "come and take it" cannon, a magnificent Spanish-made bronze artillery piece, a six-pounder that would go down in history.

It all began with a letter, as many tales do. In the year 1831, Green DeWitt, a brave pioneer of Gonzales, put pen to paper, beseeching Ramón Músquiz, the political chief of Bexar, to provide his colony with a cannon for protection against the menacing Indian threats that loomed on the horizon. It took time, but on March 10, 1831, James Tumlinson, Jr., a fellow colonist, laid his hands on a bronze cannon, destined for Gonzales.

This cannon, however, was not immediately fitted for battle. It sat silently, likely swivel-mounted within one of the sturdy blockhouses constructed back in 1827, its very presence serving as a stern warning to any hostile Indian forces in the area.

But the cannon's silence was shattered in September 1835 when Col. Domingo de Ugartechea, the commander of Bexar's military, sent Corporal Casimiro De León and a handful of soldiers to reclaim it. The spirited folks of Gonzales, however, had other ideas. They took the soldiers prisoner and buried the cannon deep within George W. Davis's peach orchard, calling upon neighboring settlers for armed assistance.

In response, Ugartechea dispatched Lt. Francisco de Castañeda with 100 troops, demanding the return of the cannon. Meanwhile, on September 29, 1835, a militia company led by Capt. Robert M. Coleman arrived in Gonzales, ready for action. With grit and determination, they unearthed the cannon, wheeled it to John Sowell's blacksmith shop, and prepared it for battle.

As the Texian "Army of the People" took shape under Gen. Stephen F. Austin, the cannon found a new home in Capt. James C. Neill's artillery company, journeying with them to San Antonio. When the Texians captured Bexar in December 1835, the cannon stood sentinel at the Alamo, one of the twenty-one prized artillery pieces taken from the Mexican army.

Its name, "Come and Take It," echoed the spirit of the Texian rebels. On that fateful morning of October 2, 1835, Lt. Castañeda demanded the cannon's return, citing its loan to DeWitt's Colony. The Texians pointed defiantly at the cannon, standing tall about 200 yards behind them, and declared, "there it is—come and take it."

In the heat of the conflict, the women of the settlement hastily crafted a flag that would fly proudly over the cannon—a white banner bearing a black cannon in the center, boldly proclaiming the motto "Come and take it!" above and below.

But the tale doesn't end there, for history is a tapestry woven with mystery. Some have claimed that the Gonzales cannon was an iron six-pounder, but primary documents suggest otherwise. The true identity of this legendary cannon remains shrouded in doubt.

In July 1936, the floodwaters of Sandies Creek unveiled a small iron salute cannon downstream from Hardy's Bluff, sparking speculation that this was the Gonzales cannon. Yet, this gun failed to match the characteristics described in primary sources. The mystery persists, but one possibility remains: the cannon may have met its fate in the scorching fires of Antonio López de Santa Anna's army, which melted down countless bronze guns after the fall of the Alamo.

The Gonzales "come and take it" cannon, an emblem of defiance and the spirit of revolution, remains a legend in the annals of history, its final chapter still veiled in mystery. 

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