John "Jack" Coker

The idea of burning the bridge was Coker's own, by one comrade's account. Young Perry Alsbury, who rode with him, wrote in 1858 that Coker said from the saddle: "Boys, before many hours we will have one of the damndest, bloodiest fights that ever was fought," and proposed burning the bridge to stop reinforcements and cut off retreat for both sides. Coker signed that account on January 17, 1858. At San Jacinto he served in Deaf Smith's spy company and lost a horse valued at $175. He had applied for land in Austin's colonies as a single blacksmith.

What the plaque says

John "Jack" Coker (May 10, 1789-Jan. 4, 1861) Came from South Carolina to Texas in 1834. Served in Battle of San Jacinto in Texas War for Independence, 1836. Was one of a party with "Deaf" Smith that destroyed Vince's Bridge near Pasadena. This deed may have kept Santa Anna's army from retreat or reinforcement, thus insuring Texan victory. In recognition, the Legislature of Texas awarded to Coker 1,920 acres, where he and his brother Joseph founded Coker community. Recorded - 1968

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• The Alamo — 9.0 mi
  Mission San Antonio de Valero before it was a fort: a church its builders never finished, a thirteen-day siege in 1836, and the Army gable of 1850-52 that became its emblem.
• Spanish Governor's Palace — 9.1 mi
  The last visible piece of the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar: a presidio captain's house with a 1749 keystone, a century as shops and saloons, and a romantic 1930 restoration.
• San Fernando Cathedral — 9.1 mi
  The Canary Islanders' parish church on Main Plaza, where Bowie married and Santa Anna raised a red flag, rebuilt in Gothic Revival around the walls of the 1750s church.
• Casa Navarro State Historic Site — 9.2 mi
  The adobe and caliche-block home of José Antonio Navarro, a native-born signer of the 1836 declaration, and the last remnant of the Tejano neighborhood called Laredito.

More markers nearby

• Jefferson Davis Smith — steps away
• Route of El Camino Real — 3.7 mi
• King's Highway - Camino Real - Old San Antonio Road — 3.7 mi
• Lockhill School — 5.5 mi