Happy birthday, Texas hero Deaf Smith

It is the birthday of Texas revolutionary hero Deaf Smith (1787), whose intelligence gathering during the Texas war for independence helped lead to the victory over the Mexican Army and the establishment of the Republic of Texas. At first Smith, who had settled in the San Antonio area after moving from Mississippi in the early 1820s, refused to become involved in the growing dispute between the Mexican government and Texian settlers. But when he returned from a hunting trip and Mexican soldiers wouldn’t let him return to his home, Smith was furious. He joined the Texian Army and spent the rest of the war spying on the Mexicans. Later, he formed a company of Texas Rangers.