Texas Tidbits: The Texas Revolution, March, 1836

The Tree of Liberty must sometimes be watered with the blood of Patriots

For the last few days, we have been covering a time line of the events that eventually concluded in Texas gaining its independence from Mexico. The day before yesterday, we took a look at Gonzales, where the first shot of the Revoltion took place, and its importance to the Texas Revolution. Yesterday's time line took us through the month of February and many of the circumstances leading up to the Battle of the Alamo. If you missed either of these posts, I urge you to take a look at them so you can refresh your memory of the events of the day in the Texas Revolution.
Today we are going to tackle the month of March and see what happened day by day that brought Texas ever closer to her freedom from tyranny. Just a reminder here, that we will delve more deeply into some of the events listed on the time lines as we near the Anniversary of the Siege of the Alamo. If you remember, yesterday's time line got us to the point where the Mexican Army had arrived at the mission and combat had begun.

A look at March, 1836:

		Political Events                                     Military Events
		March 1 The Convention of 1836 of elected delegates convenes at Washington-on-the-Brazos. Thirty-two to sixty men from Gonzales of the "Gonzales Company of Mounted Volunteers" enter the Alamo at 1:00 A.M. March 2 Texas Declaration of Independence is signed and the Republic of Texas is declared. David G. Burnet is elected interim president by the delegates. Texans defeated at the Battle of Agua Dulce. March 3 James B. Bonham arrives back at the Alamo telling Travis that Fannin was not coming. March 4 Sam Houston is appointed commander of Texas forces. Santa Anna holds a council of war with generals Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma, Martín Perfecto de Cos, Manuel F. Castrillón and Colonels Juan Almonte, Agustín Amat, Francisco Duque and Manuel Romero to plan the final assault. March 5 Mexican artillery stops shelling the Alamo. March 6 Battle of the Alamo: the Alamo falls. Approximately 180-250 Texans, Tejanos, and Anglos die. The thirteen-day siege resulted in the deaths of all of its defenders, including William B. Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie. Several civilians survived. March 8 Mexican General Gaona arrives with his artillery at the Alamo. March 10 Mexican General Andrade arrives at the Alamo. March 11 Houston begins his retreat from Gonzales precipitating the Runaway Scrape. March 12 Battle of Refugio begins: Texan troops commanded by Lt. Col. William Ward and Amos King are attacked by General Urrea. After several hours of fighting, the Texans retreat. King's troops are captured by the Mexicans. March 19 Battle of Coleto: General Urrea defeats Colonel James Fannin near Goliad. Fannin surrenders. March 21 Battle of Copano. March 27 Goliad Massacre: James Fannin and nearly 400 Texans are executed by order of Santa Anna. Houston and his army camp near San Felipe de Austin. March 28 Houston orders Wiley Martin and Mosley Baker to guard his retreat thus delaying Santa Anna's crossing the Brazos River.
		As you read through the time line, you can see that at this point the Alamo had fallen and the Goliad massacre had taken place. These are a couple of the events that we'll look at more closely as time goes on. Imagine for a moment, yourself at either of these two historic military engagements on either side of the conflict. The Texan Revolutionaries with a few hundred fighting men, or the Mexican Army with a few thousand soldiers. What must have been going through the minds of all these men fascinates me. I will, over the next few weeks, try to locate some more personal correspondence from Mexican soldiers as well as Texan soldiers and civilians who were eyewitnesses to history - the History of Texas.

Texas Tidbits : Remember Goliad!

When the subject of  Texas' war for independence from Mexico is brought up, people reflexively conjure up thoughts of the Alamo, myself included. This is as it should be, for one of the most famous battles in the history of warfare. When an event of the magnitude of the Battle of the Alamo happens, it becomes a hallmark of a larger series of events that define history, in this case the Texas Revolution. My question is : what major event preceded the Battle of the Alamo that made it of such import? Answer : The Goliad Massacre . The skinny : Colonel James Fannin and his force of 350 men had engaged the 900 man army of Mexican General Urrea near Goliad . Fannin lost about 20% of his men in the battle and concluded that surrender  - his men had no water or supplies - was his best option.  He signed a surrender deal with General Urrea and Fannin's men were marched back to Goliad and held captive, and under Urrea's orders were to be treated humanely. That was the case until Mexican General Santa Ana heard about it and overrode Urrea's order and declared that all prisoners would be executed immediately. On Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, Fannin and his men were divided into groups and marched out of Goliad in different directions and brutally slaughtered.  As the news of this mass murder spread like a Texas wildfire, the citizenry of Texas were enraged that such a horrific thing could happen, especially after Fannin and his men were promised that they would be treated humanely upon surrender. Texians, as the people of Texas were called at the time, were both appalled and inspired at the same time by this turn of events. And the rest, as it said, is history. Santa Ana was victorious at the Alamo, then promptly got his bloodthirsty ass handed to him at San Jacinto.  While Goliad will always take a back seat to the Alamo in terms of history, come next March 27, hold a moment of remembrance for 350 Texians, our forbears, who, like the brave men at the Alamo, gave their lives so that today, Texans can live in free of tyranny. We owe them that much. Remember the Alamo! But also, Remember Goliad!

Photo from scrapperguide.com