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Home , Antonio Gaona (general), Battle of Coleto, Battle of San Jacinto, Consultation (Texas), James Fannin, Runaway Scrape

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2 The Why It Matters Now The Battle of San Jacinto ended Mexican rule over . TERMS & NAMES OBJECTIVES MAIN IDEA José Urrea, James W. Fannin, 1. Explain the significance of Fannin’s The intensified after reconnaissance, Battle of surrender at Goliad. the Battle of the Alamo. Mexican Coleto, Goliad, Sam , 2. Describe the contributions of Sam and Texan troops continued to clash , Battle of Houston to the Texas Revolution. as Santa Anna marched across Texas. San Jacinto, skirmish, 3. Explain the significance of the Battle The final battle occurred at San cavalry of San Jacinto. Jacinto, where and 4. Identify the significance of the year Santa Anna faced off. 1836.

In 1834 Andrew A. Boyle moved from New York to San Patricio, Texas. On January 7, 1836, 17-year-old Boyle joined the fight for Texas’s freedom, serving under Colonel . After two and a half months, Fannin’s troops were taken prisoner by the Mexican army. Boyle Mission at Goliad today later told of his experience after he had been captured. Upon our arrival at Goliad we—the wounded—were placed in the hospital; the rest of the command was guarded in the yard of the fort. Just one week after the surrender, all wounded men were marched out of the fort in separate divisions and shot. Soon after, a Mexican officer came into the hospital, and ordered me to tell all those able to walk to go outside. . . . In the meantime, four Mexican soldiers came in and began to carry out those who were too severly wounded to walk. I was assisted by two comrades who were but slightly wounded. As we passed the door, an officer told me we were all to be shot. This I told the men. Andrew A. Boyle, “Reminiscences of the Texas Revolution”

General Urrea Marches North While Santa Anna battled the Texans at the Alamo, the other divi- sion of the Mexican army encountered several armed groups nearer to the coast. This division, commanded by General José Urrea, took the Atascosito Road and marched northeast from the southern tip of Texas. At San Patricio on February 27, 1836, Urrea met and defeated about 50 Texans commanded by Colonel Francis Johnson. Only Johnson and Flaming bomb emblem worn by Mexican four of his men got away. On March 2 Urrea’s army clashed with about grenadiers, troops armed with grenades 50 men led by Dr. James Grant. This time six Texans escaped death.

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Fighting at Refugio Urrea and his army continued toward the presidio at Goliad. There, Colonel James W. Fannin commanded about

▲ James W. Fannin 300 revolutionaries. They were at that time the largest armed and his troops were group in Texas opposed to Santa Anna, but they lacked deci- imprisoned and shot at Goliad. The town sive leadership. While the battle at the Alamo raged, Travis of Fannin, Texas, sent a letter asking Fannin to bring reinforcements to San which was named Antonio. On February 28 Fannin and his men set out, but for him, is not far from where he was one of the wagons broke down, and supplies ran short. executed. ● How did Meanwhile, Fannin sent Captain Amon B. King with Fannin’s indecision lead to his defeat at about 30 soldiers to Refugio to escort civilians to safety. Urrea’s the ? army arrived while King’s men were still there. Fannin ordered Lieutenant Colonel William Ward and 100 men to help King. Once Ward arrived, King led some men on a reconnaissance mission. Urrea’s reconnaissance a survey soldiers discovered them and killed or captured all of them. Ward’s troops made to gather information tried to retreat to Victoria but were captured and sent to Goliad. about an enemy

Battle of Coleto With Urrea now so close, Fannin could not go to . Even if he had tried, he would have arrived too late. On March 14 Fannin received orders from General Sam Houston to retreat to Victoria. Houston wanted to assemble all the troops in one place. He hoped to delay further battles until the troops were better organized. Fannin, however, remained in Goliad until March 19, waiting for word from King and Ward. After finally beginning his retreat, Fannin stopped in an open prairie a few miles east of Goliad near Coleto Creek to give his men and oxen a rest. Urrea’s men quickly surrounded the Texans on the prairie. Fannin commanded only about 300 men, who were outnumbered by Urrea’s troops. Fannin arranged his men in a square to defend themselves from all sides. Urrea ordered several charges, but each time the Texans drove the Mexican troops back. Several Texans, including Fannin, were wounded in the first day of fighting. Early the next morning, Urrea received additional troops. After a brief exchange of fire on the morning of March 20, Fannin surrendered his command. The surviving Texas soldiers were taken captive by the Mexican army.

Remember Goliad ANGEL OF GOLIAD The fate of the captives at Coleto is the subject of much debate. Señora Francisca Álvarez, Most of them were recent immigrants from the United States. They had who was the wife of a Mexican traveled to Texas for adventure and perhaps future land grants. Many officer, pleaded for the lives of had not taken the oath as Mexican citizens. As a result, they expected to the Texans as they were about be sent back to the United States. Some believed their lives would be to be executed at Goliad. Later spared because they had surrendered and had not fought to the death. referred to as the “Angel of Although Fannin signed an unconditional surrender, most historians Goliad,” Álvarez helped rescue believe that Urrea told him that his troops would not be executed. Santa 20 or more Texas soldiers. Anna decided differently. He ordered all of the captives to be shot.

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▲ Texas captives were sent to Goliad, where they were held for a week. Then they were marched out, unaware of their approaching death. ● What events led to the mass execution at Goliad?

The Texans were marched back to Goliad and held for a week. On March 27, men who could walk were divided into three columns and marched out of the compound. Some hoped they were being sent home. Medallion believed worn by Mexican Instead, the guards began shooting all but a handful who escaped heavy cavalry during the confusion. The rest of the men, including Fannin, were executed later. Sam Houston Assumes Command Sam Houston had been named commander of the Texas army by the first . He became frustrated when commanders such as Fannin did not follow his orders, so he returned to East Texas. While he was there, he negotiated a peace treaty with the Cherokees. The Cherokee leaders agreed to remain peaceful so the Texans would not have to fight Native Americans and Mexicans at the same time. In return, Houston promised that the new government of Texas would issue the Cherokees titles to their land. Houston was reappointed commander of the Texas army when the second meeting of the Consultation took place in early March 1836. He arrived in Gonzales on March 11 and found 374 men who had gathered GOLIAD SURVIVOR to join the defenders of the Alamo. Lacking a leader, and not knowing the fate of those at the Alamo, they had stayed in Gonzales. Houston Andrew A. Boyle was spared from execution by the order sent Erastus “Deaf ” Smith toward San Antonio on a scouting expedi- of General Francisco Garay. tion. Smith returned with Mrs. , her daughter, and Garay, second in command of Travis’s servant. They told Houston that all the men at the Alamo had Urrea’s division, was repaying been killed. the kindness of Boyle’s sister. Texan troops wanted revenge. However, Houston realized his men Garay and his troops had were not prepared to fight the Mexican army. He needed more time to stayed at the home of Boyle’s sister during the Battle of San get his troops ready to go into battle. He ordered Gonzales abandoned Patricio. At the time, she and burned. Then he led the men to the east. He paused at the Colorado refused payment for his stay River and then moved on to the . He headed north to the and asked only that Garay plantation of Jared Groce, a well-known landowner in Texas. Houston treat her brother kindly if he and his men camped on Groce family land for about two weeks of train- were ever captured. ing before continuing the retreat to the east. At each stop, the men grew more restless. They were ready to fight.

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Battles of the Texas Revolution February–April, 1836

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. R . Anahuac 30˚N Burnham’s Groce’s Juan Seguín G uada Crossing Plantation San Jacinto lupe R. Gonzales Harrisburg uan Seguín, son of Erasmo Fort J Co Bend Seguín, helped his mother run San Antonio San Felipe lo r (Alamo) Sa de Austin a Columbia F n d the San Antonio post office r A o io n t Coleto R R o

n . . io Creek Victoria Brazoria when he was young, while his Presidio del R . Matagorda father served in the Mexican Goliad Congress of 1824. Seguín Nu Refugio ece served with Travis at the Alamo s R . Gulf of San Patricio but was sent out as a messen- ger. Seguín organized a Tejano Houston’s forces company that served as Sam Santa Anna’s forces Houston’s rear guard as Hous- Urrea’s forces ton retreated from Gonzales. He Battle site and his men fought bravely at San Jacinto. Seguín later served Rio Gr 0 100 Miles an as the only Mexican Texan in d e 0 200 Kilometers the Senate of the Republic and then as mayor of San Antonio. Matamoros 100˚W 95˚W ● Why was Seguín an excellent ▲ The Texans and the Mexicans clashed several times as they marched across Texas. ● Which choice to become senator of Mexican army fought in more battles with the Texans? the new Republic?

Runaway Scrape The families living in the Gonzales area panicked when they learned of Santa Anna’s advance and Houston’s retreat. Certain that Santa Anna intended to kill all Anglo Americans in Texas, many settlers abandoned their homes and fled. When word of the massacres at the Alamo and at Goliad reached Anglo settlers, they gathered up their belongings and went east as quickly as they could. Some fled all the way to Louisiana. Others stopped in eastern settlements such as Nacogdoches and to await the outcome of the war. Their flight is known as the Runaway Scrape. Dilue Rose Harris was ten years old when her family left their home and joined the Runaway Scrape. She later wrote about her experiences.

TEXAS VOICES We had been at Liberty three weeks. ...One Thursday evening all of a sudden we heard a sound like distant thunder. When it was repeated father said it was cannon, and that the Texans and Mexican were fighting....The cannonading lasted only a few minutes, and father said that the Texans must have been defeated, or the cannon would not have ceased firing so quickly. We left Liberty in half an hour.... We travelled nearly all night, sister and I on horseback and mother in the cart. ...We were as wretched as we could be; for we had been five weeks from Pitcher home, and there was not much prospect of our ever returning. carried during the Dilue Rose Harris, “Reminiscences of Mrs. Dilue Rose Harris” Runaway Scrape

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Santa Anna Closes In After the Battle of the Alamo, Santa Anna had regrouped his troops and set out in search of any remaining Texas forces. He divided his army and sent one group up the road to Nacogdoches under the command of General . With the divi- sion under General Sesma’s command, Santa Anna followed Houston’s army. However, he soon ordered Gaona and his troops to rejoin him. In addition to suffering great losses at the Alamo, the Mexican army was beginning to run low on rations. In most of Mexico, where there were many towns, troops would have been able to get food from local citizens. However, in Texas there were few towns, and supply centers were far away. The Mexican army had to survive on the supplies they carried. When their food and ammunition ran out, there was no place to find more. To make matters worse, Sam Houston had burned fields and houses on his retreat from ▲ This painting shows Sam Houston Gonzales. What few supplies there might have been for the mounted on his horse Saracen while Mexican army had been destroyed. As a result, Mexican troops in Texas leading Texas troops into battle. ● How did Houston prepare his troops were short on food and ammunition by April 1836. for battle? As both armies marched eastward, Houston managed to stay ahead of Santa Anna. To gain time, Santa Anna pulled away from the slow- moving army with only about 700 men. He captured Harrisburg, the headquarters of the temporary Texas government, and burned it to the ground. The leaders fled, and Santa Anna pursued them southward. He skirmish a brief fight among a arrived just in time to see them leave on a boat bound for Galveston. small number of troops When Santa Anna returned to the north on April 20, he found Houston’s cavalry soldiers who are mounted army waiting. on horseback Battle of San Jacinto There is still a debate about how Houston’s army arrived at the Battle of San Jacinto. Critics claim that he wanted to reach safety in Louisiana, but his men turned south toward Santa Anna. Houston’s supporters believe that he allowed the men to decide when to fight. Regardless of how the battle came about, on the afternoon of April 20, a skirmish developed The San Jacinto Monument between the Mexican army and the Texan cavalry. The major part of the honors the heroes of the Battle of San Jacinto and all others battle took place on the afternoon of April 21. At first, Houston’s troops who helped win the independ- of about 800 outnumbered Santa Anna’s army. During the night and ence of Texas. The monument morning, Santa Anna received reinforcements, swelling his ranks to more stands majestically near Hous- than 1,300 soldiers. ton, towering 570 feet into the Houston ordered to burn Vince’s Bridge, which would air. It stands 15 feet taller than prevent the Mexican army from retreating. At about 3:00 P.M. as the the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. The monu- Mexican army rested for the battle they expected to occur the next morn- ment was constructed between ing, Houston arranged his men on the field. They marched to the beat of 1936 and 1939 with federal a drummer and three fifers playing “Will You Come to the Bower?” They and state funds totaling $1.5 struck the right flank, or side, of the Mexican army, pushing the troops million. back into each other all down the line. The Texans shouted “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!” as they crossed the battleground.

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▲ Battle of San Jacinto by Henry Caught unprepared for an attack, the Mexican leaders scrambled in McArdle portrays one of the most important battles of Texas history. confusion. The battle lasted about 18 minutes, but the Texans continued ● Why was the victory at San Jacinto to capture scattered Mexican troops until dark. In the end, the Texans significant? suffered two deaths and 30 wounded, seven of whom died later. Houston’s official report states that 630 Mexicans were killed and 730 were captured. Santa Anna escaped during the battle, disguised himself, and hid in a barn. He was captured the next day and brought to General Houston, who had been wounded in the leg during the fight. The Mexican general called Houston a “man of destiny” because he had captured Santa Anna.

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Terms & Names Organizing Information Critical Thinking have been different for Identify: Use a sequence-of-events 1. What impact did Fannin’s the Texans if it had been •reconnaissance chart like the one below to defeat at Goliad have on fought south of the Rio • skirmish document, in chronological the rest of the Texas army? Grande? • cavalry order, some of Event: 2. What role did Sam A Real-Life Story the important Date: Houston play in the Details: Review A Real-Life Story on events that Texas Revolution? page 222. Why do you think took place 3. How did the events of Event: Santa Anna ordered that the during the Date: 1836 and the outcome of prisoners be executed? Texas Revolu- Details: the Battle of San Jacinto tion after the affect Texas history? Battle of the Event: Date: 4. How might the outcome Alamo. Details: of the Texas Revolution Go to www.celebratingtexas.com ACTIVITY to research the Activity topic. Research additional information about the Texas Revolution. Then create a visual display such as a History poster or multimedia presentation of the major events of the Texas Revolution.

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