Parker's Crossroads and Brownsville

Parker's Crossroads was a blast last weekend, despite the sweltering heat. My friend Alex and I drove over on Saturday morning and stayed till Sunday afternoon. During the daytime, our tent was like a greenhouse, but in the evening it turned very cold. It was only a small taste of the hardships our ancestors had to endure.

We took part in three battles Saturday and one on Sunday. I was also able to share about the drummer boy's life and sign some books. Unfortunately, we did not take any pictures at Parker's. However, the Lexington Progress caught me on the fife. View it here: Lexington Progress.

On Sunday evening, we stayed with my grandmother in Arlington then hit the trail again to Brownsville, Tennessee where I demonstrated the drummer boy's life at the Elma Ross Public Library (pictured below). Alex did a great job sharing how to load the musket and cap and ball pistol. Thank you to all the librarians who did an excellent job at organizing this event.






Pictured below is Alex, me, Katherine Horn of the library, and two young history enthusiasts.

In Brownsville we stopped by the monument to the Confederate dead, located in front of the courthouse. In our uniforms, we paused by the monument to play a few songs on the fife and honor our soldiers.

This is my grandmother and me when we stayed at her home.

Photos from Brownsville

Monday, April 7

We are back in Pocahontas after an eventful 1,000 mile drive from Brownsville. View the pictures of our trip.

U.S.-Mexican War re-enactors touch off a cannon at Palo Alto National Battlefield in South Texas.

A re-enactor of a Mexican soldado shows spectators his weapon.



Many of our heroes of the War for Southern Independence had their start in the U.S.-Mexican War and were likely influenced by their tour. For example, why did Stonewall eat lemons and call his wife, "esposita"?


Hands were extended across the border at the International Charro Days Parade in Brownsville, the only international parade in the U.S. Charro is a Mexican word for cowboy.


Spectators watch a vaquero performing rope tricks.


A young Mexican cowboy waves to the crowd during the Charro Days Parade.





A building sports the "Running W" brand at the King Ranch, an over 800,000 acre ranch based in Kingsville, Texas.





Our next-door neighbor in Brownsville was Jian Golder, a Chinese journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Green Light Press. She asked to do an article about our homeschooling and my book. She holds a copy-in-progress of The Orphan and the Beaten Drum.

martes, 26 de Febrero

Beautiful Southern Texas is my home indefinitely. I have been enjoying 70-80 degree weather here in the Rio Grande Valley. Taking a stroll along the Rio Grande while peeling a fresh grapefruit has been my occupation. For the first time, I have tasted the salty ocean air and seen the billowing waves of the Gulf of Mexico. For this land-lubber and son of the Mid-South, it was quite an experience. On the way home tonight, we were stopped by a border patrol who wanted to make sure we were American citizens. He did not ask for I.D., so I guess the hot Texas sun has failed to brown our skin to an unrecognizable degree.

We also visited Palo Alto Battlefield, a controversial National Park that commemorates the first battle of the Mexican-American War. It was an honor to see the flags that marked the places where once battle lines had been drawn. Texas is also not void of Southern Independence history. Brownsville was called the "back door" of the Confederacy during the war. The South smuggled their cotton across the border into Matamoros and shipped the textile unharmed by the Yankee blockade into Europe. Also, the last battle of the war was fought nearby at Palmito Ranch.

It has been a challenge, as well as a learning experience, to try to communicate with the locals. I have learned to order "limonada" instead of lemonade, and have seen that the Tex-Mex of the central-South does not compare with real Mexican food. Taquitoes are sold everywhere. Popular meat choices are pollo, bistek, and fajita, and the frijoles charros (cowboy beans) are out of this world!

While the days have been filled with many sweet hours, the reason that brought us to Brownsville was a bitter one. We are here to sell my grand-father's house after he passed away last November. His love for everything cowboy reverberates from his pictures of Buffalo Bill and Roy Rogers to the historic Chisolm Trail. And somehow, I think his passion for history has passed to the next generation---as a heritage.

Bryce A. Chandler
Brownsville, Texas