Quote:
Originally Posted by Stitchawl
...The song is based on a Texas legend from the days of the Texas War of Independence. According to the legend, a woman named Emily D. West (also known as "Emily Morgan") — a mulatto, and hence, the song's reference to her being "yellow" — who was seized by Mexican forces during the looting of Galveston seduced General Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico and commander of the Mexican forces. The legend credits her supposed seduction with lowering the guard of the Mexican army and facilitating the Texan victory in the Battle of San Jacinto waged in 1836 near present-day Houston. Santa Anna's opponent was General Sam Houston, who won the battle literally in minutes, and with almost no casualties.
The basic facts appear to be that Emily West migrated to Texas from New York City in late 1835. Sources describe her as a teen or as a woman of twenty.
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Fascinating. I found
this page on the song that has some of the various lyrics over the years. However, it seems to be that the link to
Emily D. West was invented in the 1960s.