areas of Texas. Battle of San Jacinto Castrillón saw no further fighting until April 21, 1836, when Texas General Sam Houston launched a surprise attack on Mexican forces at the Battle of San Jacinto. As Texian forces jumped the makeshift barricades surrounding the Mexican army encampment, Castrillón, Santa Anna, and Colonel Juan Almonte all began shouting orders, some contradictory, in the hopes of rallying their troops to mount a defense. Castrillón took charge of the men operating the army's single cannon, the "Golden Standard". Within a few moments, most of the Mexican artillerymen had been killed by Texian riflemen. The surviving troops fled, shouting at Castrillón to join them. According to reports from survivors of the battle, Castrillón shouted back that "I have been in forty battles and never showed my back. I am too old to do it now." He then turned back to the cannon. His bravery impressed Thomas J. Rusk, the acting Secretary of the War for the new Republic of Texas government. Rusk rode along the Texian lines, shouting at his men to spare the general. At one point, he knocked aside rifles that were trained on Castrillón. His efforts were in vain; other Texian troops rode straight past Rusk and shot and killed Castrillón. Many Texians held Castrillón as a hero who chose to fight when he could have run. Santa Anna, however, later decried Castrillón as an incompetent fool whose actions led to the Mexican defeat. Castrillón's body was claimed by his friend Lorenzo de Zavala, a member of the Republic of Texas cabinet, and buried in the nearby de Zavala family cemetery. The cemetery is located at 3523 Independence Pkwy, La Porte, Texas. See also Timeline of the Texas Revolution Footnotes References Further reading Hardin, Stephen L.; Texian Iliad-A Military History of the Texas Revolution; University of Texas Press; Roberts, R. & Olson, James S.; A Line in the Sand-The Alamo in Blood and Memory; Simon & Schuster; External links Fernández Castrillón (Handbook of Texas History) Photo of Gen. Castrillon 1780s births 1836 deaths Mexican generals Independent Mexico People of Mexican side in the Texas Revolution Military personnel killed in action