Texas Revolution Battles

SWBAT explain the issues surrounding significant events of the Texas Revolution. SWBAT explain the roles played by significant individuals during the Texas Revolution. A series of defeats in South Texas threatened the Texans’ cause.

Texan Forces Are Defeated

Why did the Texan army suffer defeat in a number of battles in South Texas?

Santa Anna had divided his army into two parts to invade Texas. The forces directly under his command had marched toward San Antonio. General José de Urrea led the other part of the Mexican army with about 1,000 soldiers. Urrea was a skilled military leader, as the coming campaign would prove. Urrea’s force advanced from Matamoros up to South Texas. His goal was to strike the settlements near the coast and the Texans who held the old La Bahia Presidio in Goliad.

Urrea Drives Northward

The Texans’ first encounter with Urrea’s troops was a result of the Texans’ misguided plan to attack Matamoros. Frank W. Johnson and Dr. James Grant had been among those ordered to carry out this attack. Rather than being with Colonel James Fannin at Goliad, they had small groups of soldiers in and around San Patricio. On February 27, 1836, Urrea’s army defeated Johnson’s forces, and only Johnson and four others escaped. Three days later Urrea’s forces defeated Dr. Grant and about 30 soldiers at Agua Dulce Creek.

As Urrea advanced, the civilians in his path felt threatened. Some asked Fannin at Goliad for help. Fannin sent Captain Amon B. King and a small force of soldiers to bring the civilians to safety. King’s troops ran into part of Urrea’s army, however, causing the Texan force to take refuge in the mission of Señora del Refugio. While there, they asked Fannin to send more troops.

When he sent King to rescue the civilians, Fannin had disobeyed Houston’s orders to not divide his force. Fannin made the situation worse when he sent Colonel William Ward and more than 100 Texans to relieve King. In the fight with Urrea’s troops that followed, King and most of his men were killed or captured. Ward escaped with some troops back to Goliad, but his losses were heavy.

The Battle of Coleto

In late February, Fannin told the government that he thought he should withdraw from Goliad, but he was ordered to stay. The fall of the Alamo altered the situation. Fannin’s troops were farther west than any other Texas forces, making them vulnerable. They were also short on supplies.

On March 14, Fannin received orders from Houston to retreat toward Guadalupe Victoria. Fannin did not move right away, however. He waited several days, hoping King and Ward would return. Not until March 19 did he finally begin to withdraw.

Fannin’s withdrawal from Goliad was badly managed. Instead of dumping heavy cannons in the river, as Houston had instructed, he took them along. This slowed his army. Wagon breakdowns caused further problems. On the afternoon of March 19 he allowed his soldiers to rest and eat. Once again, Fannin made a poor decision.

Fannin’s approximately 300 troops were in an open prairie about two miles (just over three kilometers) from the shelter of woods by Coleto Creek. Suddenly, Urrea’s troops appeared and surrounded the Texans. Fannin assembled his soldiers in the shape of a square to meet Urrea’s attack. Each of the three times the Mexican troops charged, they were driven back by Fannin’s troops. Seven Texans were killed and 60 were wounded—including Fannin—during the day’s fighting. The Texans held their ground, although the battle was not over yet.

The Texans spent a miserable night. They were short of water, and they could not care for their wounded. The water shortage also meant that they would not have enough the next day to cool the cannons each time they were fired. That meant the cannons would be less effective. Rain and a cold norther added to their discomfort. Also, expected reinforcements failed to arrive.

Urrea, who had hundreds more troops in the area, did receive reinforcements, as well as artillery. In the early morning of March 20, Mexican cannons opened fire on the Texans. After a discussion with his officers, Fannin decided that there was no point in continuing to fight and lose men. He signed an agreement of surrender.

Drawing Conclusions How did Fannin’s leadership contribute to the losses in South Texas? Skills Practice

Retell part of the lesson about Texan forces to a group of classmates. Use pictures to support important points and explain how the picture supports the text. A Disastrous Surrender

What effect did the execution of Texan troops at Goliad have on the Texas Revolution?

Fannin and the Texans he led expected to be treated fairly as prisoners of war. Urrea was willing to grant them mercy, but the orders from Santa Anna were clear: no rebel should live.

The Goliad Massacre

Fannin and his men were marched back to Goliad. Urrea wrote to Santa Anna, requesting that the lives of the prisoners be spared. In his reply, Santa Anna ordered the immediate execution of the Texans. Santa Anna did not want to let Fannin and his men go to continue to fight. He also referred to a Mexican law that stated that the penalty for rebellion against the government was death. Urrea was reluctant, but considered it a “cruel necessity” to follow orders.

While the two Mexican commanders exchanged letters about the fate of Fannin and his men, other Texans that had been captured were brought to Goliad. On March 27, any question as to the captured Texans' fate was gone. All able-bodied prisoners were divided into three columns and marched out onto the prairie. The Texans thought they might be asked to perform a work detail or that they might be released. On a signal, the Mexican soldiers fired at them. Other prisoners, who had been unable to march because they were wounded, were executed later that morning. It is believed that about 340 Texans were killed on this day. The Mexicans spared a few prisoners—including two doctors—because of their special skills. About 28 other men managed to escape what became known as the "Goliad Massacre."

General Urrea deeply regretted the killings. He wrote the following in his diary:

“Nothing could be more painful to me than the idea of sacrificing so many gallant men, and particularly the [friendly], spirited, and soldier-like Fannin. They certainly surrendered in the full confidence that Mexican generosity would not be [cold] in their regard.… I… did not fail to exert all my influence with the General-in-Chief to engage him to save them from the threatened carnage, and more especially Fannin; but all I obtained from His Excellency was a serious reply, stating that a cruel sense of duty compelled him to follow out the orders of the Government, and ratifying his previous orders.”

—General José de Urrea

Other Mexicans also disagreed with Santa Anna’s decision. Some soldiers aimed over the heads of the Texans, which allowed some to escape. Señora Francita Alavez, the wife of a Mexican army officer, helped several Texans avoid execution by urging that the doctors and some others be spared. Survivors called her the “Angel of Goliad.”

Rallying Around the Alamo and Goliad

Santa Anna had achieved two significant victories in March 1836. His forces had overrun the Alamo, and with Goliad, they had taken two strongholds that controlled roadways to the main Texas settlements. Santa Anna had demonstrated his willingness to go to great lengths to punish the rebels. With thousands of troops in the field, he was in a position to drive out the remaining Texan fighters.

Texans saw the situation differently. The stand at the Alamo had inspired them and Goliad outraged them. While Santa Anna’s army was strong, the fighting had cost him a considerable number of professional soldiers. Texans were still willing to fight.

However, it was clear that changes had to be made. One historian wrote that never before had Americans managed their affairs so poorly while fighting more bravely than in Texas. Dividing authority between volunteer and regular armies and the ill-fated attempt to capture Matamoros had been disastrous. The defeats at the Alamo and Coleto also convinced General Sam Houston that he must not allow his forces to be separated into small groups. The recent losses also revealed that Texan forces were not cooperating. The Texan army learned some valuable lessons from these problems and setbacks. Houston would work hard not to let them happen again.

In the meantime, word of the defeats at the Alamo and Coleto as well as the massacre at Goliad spread rapidly throughout Texas. “Remember Goliad” now joined “Remember the Alamo” as a rallying cry in the struggle for Texas independence.

Finding the Main Idea Why did Santa Anna order the execution of Fannin and the other Texan prisoners? Lesson 3 Review

Reviewing Vocabulary

TEKS: 3C, 22A

1. Use the word civilians in a sentence about the action in South Texas. TEKS: 21B

Answering the Guiding Questions

2. Identifying Cause and Effect What was the major cause in the outcome of the fights at San Patricio, Agua Dulce, and Refugio? TEKS: 3B, 3C, 21B

3. Summarizing What were Colonel Fannin and his troops doing at Coleto as they were attacked, and how might that have affected the outcome of the battle? TEKS: 3B, 3C, 21B

4. Identifying Cause and Effect How did Santa Anna’s treatment of most of the Texan prisoners at Goliad affect the rebellion? TEKS: 3B, 3C

5. Describing What lessons did Sam Houston learn from the defeats at the Alamo and in South Texas? TEKS: 22D

6. EXPOSITORY WRITING Based on what you have read in this lesson, write a paragraph describing the military circumstances that the Texans faced in early 1836 and how they responded.