Edward Isaac Johnson

Edward Isaac Johnson was born to Edward Isreal Johnson and his wife Elisabeth David in 1816, in Portsmouth, England. After relocating to America, the E I Johnsons became one of the prominent families in Cincinnati.

Summer of 1835 - during the Texas Revolution, Edward Isaac joined a company of volunteers in Maysville, Kentucky. Their destination was Texas. The volunteers were promised land for their participation in the Revolution fights (800 acres in case they survived/1600 if they were killed).
November of the same year - together with Capt. Thomas K Pearson's company, the man landed at Matagorda. The company soldiers hauled a cannon retrieved from the San Felipe schooner. It was delivered to Bexar, where Gen. Edward Burleson's army was stationed.

After the siege of Bexar, E. Johnson was a man of Capt. A B King's company and he took part in the battle of Refugio. When the Company commander was killed, Edward marched to Goliad, where he joined Capt. B H Duval's unit. During the executions of the Texan prisoners in Goliad, Edward Isaac Johnson set off the explosion of the gunpowder storage area and perished, killed by the detonation. It happened on Palm Sunday, 27 March 1836.

Fort Martin Scott, Fredericksburg, TX

More about
Siege of Bexar: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/bexar-siege-of

Battle of Refugio: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/refugio-battle-of

Goliad Campaign of 1836: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/goliad-campaign-of-1836

Goliad Massacre: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/goliad-massacre

Source:
"The Jewish Texans. The Texians and the Texans ", Institute of Texan Cultures, University of Texas, Institue of Texan Cultures, San Antonio, 1996.
Texas Handbook Online

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This post is part of our series: They Lived in Texas

Song

Sometimes I wake up in the night with a song on my mind. Usually, the song gets stuck to me for some time until I hear it sung by a singer. Recently, it has been the song which starts with  "Jedno życie masz..."/"One life you have...". I learned it at primary school, and I sang it then with the school choir. Most of the lyrics I had forgotten, that was only that one verse:

 

"Jedno życie masz, komu dasz ten kwiat, nie idź za rzekę zginiesz tam"/

"One life you have, who will you give that flower to, do not go across the river, you will perish there."    

 

 I remembered that the original version in English was sung by Joan Baez, so I looked for a video on youtube.

Interestingly, looking for the Polish version of "Dona, Dona", I also learned that it is actually a traditional Jewish song with lyrics in Yiddish.

 

Well, there is always something new to learn. I like the red dress by the way.

The Polish lyrics were not about cows going to slaughter, though. It was more like an anti-war song.
 

Finally, it is, I found the words I had learned at school.

 

"Jedno życie masz, 

komu dasz ten kwiat? 

Nie idź za rzekę zginiesz tam.

 

Komu dasz ten kwiat? 

Życia swego kwiat? 

Kiedy zza rzeki padnie strzał? 

 

Ludzie, ludzie nie gińcie,

Wy ocalicie świat.

Ludzie, ludzie szkoda was. 

To wojna zginąć ma.

 

Dona Dona Don..."

Which is

 

"One life you have,

Who will you give that flower to?
Don't go across the river,

You will perish there.

 

One life you have,

Who will you give that flower to?
The flower of your life?

When the shot from across the river will be fired.

 

People, people do not perish,

You will save the world.
People, people do not perish,

The war is that one to die.

 

Dona Dona Don..."

 

 
I did not manage to find any live version of the song sung in Polish (with the particular lyrics mentioned above), so the song is still here Dona Dona Dona Dona...