| History of Texas | |
|---|---|
This article is part of a series |
|
| Timeline | |
| French Texas (1684–1689) | |
| Spanish Texas (1690–1821) | |
| Mexican Texas (1821–1836) | |
| Republic of Texas (1836–1845) | |
| Statehood (1845–1860) | |
| Civil War Era (1861–1865) | |
| Reconstruction and Gilded Age (1865–1899) | |
| State of Texas | |
|
Texas Portal |
Henry Wax Karnes (September 8, 1812 – August 16, 1840) was notable as a soldier and figure of the Texas Revolution, as well as the commander of General Sam Houston's "Spy Squad" at the Battle of San Jacinto. Karnes City, a city in Karnes County, Texas, United States is named after Henry Karnes. It is the county seat of Karnes County also named after Henry Karnes.
Contents |
Henry Wax Karnes, a native of Tennessee, first visited Texas in 1828. During the Texas Revolution, he was one of Sam Houston's most important spies and worked closely with Deaf Smith. While serving in a volunteer company, Karnes was sent with Smith to bring word about the fate of the Alamo. Karnes was one of the men who found Susanna Dickinson after the fall of the Alamo. By the time of the Battle of San Jacinto, he had become a captain and later was a colonel.
After the war, he served in the Texas Rangers. Karnes was wounded by an arrow in the Arroyo Seco Fight, an operation against the Comanches in August 1839. He died of yellow fever the next year in San Antonio, Texas.
Karnes was buried outside of Old Campos Cemetery as he was a Protestant and only Catholics were allowed to be buried there. This cemetery was later moved and Santa Rosa Hospital was built in its place across from Milam Park. A monument to Karnes was erected in 1932 in Milam Park as this was the closest to his grave that the city knew of. The monument remains there to this day.
Karnes is the great great uncle of Patsy Yvonne Karnes (aka Patsy Swayze), the mother of actors Patrick and Don Swayze.