Ben Milam Cypress - San Antonio, TX
N 29° 25.509 W 098° 29.540
14R E 549243 N 3255197
This double-trunked Cypress tree is famous for being used by a Mexican sniper on Dec. 7, 1835 to shoot Ben Milam, an early leader of the Texian militia when they attacked Mexican forces in a fight for control of San Antonio.
Waymark Code: WMZKVX
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/26/2018
Views: 3
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."