Benjamin Franklin Highsmith came to Texas with his family by wagon train in 1823, and they settled near the present site of La Grange. At age 15, he fought in the Battle of Velasco (1832). He was involved in all the major actions of the Texas Revolution, the Battle of Concepcion, the Grass Fight, and the Siege of Bexar. He remained in Bexar after the siege until Feb 19, 1836, when he carried the appeal for aid sent by Alamo commander William B Travis to Col. James Fannin, Jr. at Goliad. When he returned to San Antonio, he found that the Alamo and its garrison had been surrounded by the Mexican Army. Highsmith next served as a courier for Gen. Sam Houston and, slong with David Kent, carried the message to Fannin from
Gen. Houston that ordered Fannin to abandon Goliad. Highsmith fought in the Battle of San Jacinto as a member of Capt. William Ware's company. After the revolution, Highsmith had a long career with the Texas Rangers, and during the U. S. - Mexican War, he fought in the battles of Monterrey, Palo Alto, and Buena Vista.

Married Sept. 12, 1853 Bastrop, Bastrop, TX
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The Highsmith family came to Texas in 1823 by land and crossed the Sabine River by raft on 23 December with four interrelated families among as many as 33 individuals. They settled on the Colorado River above La Grange in Castleman's Spring (named after John Castleman) and later Manton's Big Spring, but forced to move to Rabb's Mill because of Indian raids.
According to author A.J. Sowell, "Uncle Ben Highsmith" participated in almost every major action against both the centralista Mexican government and hostile Indians in Texas. In 1897 when he went out to interview him in BanderaCo on Blanket Creek between Sabinal and Frio Canyons, he was "found sitting in front of his door, with his hat pulled down, shading his eyes, for he is nearly blind.....To my greeting, he called out 'How are you, Jack? I know your voice, but I can not see you. Get down.'" (From Texas Indian Fighters by A.J. Sowell).

Ben Highsmith, although only 15 years old at the time, is listed among the men in Capt. Aylett Buckner's company at Velasco in 1832 where Buckner was killed at the confrontation with Mexican central authorities . As described above, Highsmith's role was usually as a scout and messenger. He was the messenger sent by Capt. Jack Hays from San Antonio that alerted FayetteCo men of the Vasquez invasion in 1842.
January-March 1836: Gonzales Rangers and The Alamo. During January 1836, son David Boyd Kent with Ben Highsmith, Jesse McCoy and other Gonzales residents became members of the Alamo garrison. Teenagers Kent and Highsmith served primarily as messengers and foragers since they appeared multiple times both in Gonzales and the Alamo in San Antonio during the month. In the period between 30 February and 6 March, possibly 5 Mar, David Boyd Kent met his friend Ben Highsmith who arrived in Gonzales with a letter from Col. Travis to Col. Fannin at Goliad and with it Col. Fannin's negative reply. According to Highsmith family legends and other's who knew Highsmith, he had returned to Powder House Hill overlooking the Alamo with Fannin's reply to Col. Travis. From his position he had a panoramic view of his colleagues walking the walls of the Alamo surrounded by the Mexican forces. Spotted by mounted Mexican scouts, he was chased for over 6 miles and did not stop to water his horse until 18 miles out on the Cibolo River. Highsmith is thought to have been the last member of the Alamo garrison to see his close friends and comrades alive, if only from a distance. He returned to Gonzales.
In 1878, Ben Highsmith claimed indigence and received a pension from the Texas government for his service under Captains Alley and Hill in the Texas revolution. Source: Used with permission from
SONS OF DEWITT COLONY TEXAS
Wallace L. McKeehan, All Rights Reserved