Texian troops storm the Mexican lines during a reenactment of the Battle of San Jacinto. The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, near Lynchburg, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texas Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen minutes. Hundreds of Mexican soldiers were killed or captured, while only nine Texians died.