Many were killed or captured. The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law. The Battle of Coleto ended with a Texian surrender on March 20. Section 107 related to Copyright and Fair Use for Non-Profit educational institutions, which permits the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), to utilize copyrighted materials to further scholarship, education, and inform the public. Duval and the few other men who escaped the massacre were heavily pursued by Mexican troops for the following days. [4], The Mexicans took the Texians back to Goliad, where they were held as prisoners at Fort Defiance (Presidio La Bahia). Jack Shackelford, commander of the Red Rovers under James W. Fannin at Goliad, was a survivor and chronicler of the battle of Coleto and the Goliad Massacre. SAN ANTONIO John Willingham long has been fascinated with the horrific "Goliad Massacre," which came three weeks after the 1836 Battle of the Alamo and further riled the Texans in their . Unhurt myself, I sprang up and, concealed by the thick smoke, fled along the hedge in the direction of the river, the noise of the water for my guide. The Apache tribes disliked the Mexicans so, that when the United States went to war against Mexico, the Apache promised to provide them with safe passage through their lands. According to the written terms, Fannins men were to be treated as prisoners of war under international custom and would be released back to the United States. Please improve this article by adding a reference. Upon his death in 1897 at the age of 81, Duval was the last living survivor of the Goliad Massacre.[10]. Joseph E. Field, Three Years in Texas (Greenfield and Boston, Massachusetts, 1836; rpt., Austin: Steck, 1935). [2], On February 27, 1836, Urrea's advance patrol surprised Frank W. Johnson and about 34 men, initiating the Battle of San Patricio, where they killed about 10 and took 18 prisoners. [13][18], The next day, Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, Portilla had between 425 and 445 Texians marched from Fort Defiance in three columns on the Bexar Road, San Patricio Road, and the Victoria Road, between two rows of Mexican soldiers; they were shot point blank. Had Fannin's and Miller's men been dumped on the wharves at New Orleans penniless, homesick, humiliated, and distressed, and each with his separate tale of Texas mismanagement and incompetence, Texas prestige in the United States would most likely have fallen, along with sources of help. Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna et al., The Mexican Side of the Texan Revolution, trans. His literary contributions, including Early Times in Texas, were said to have inspired the famous short story writer (and one-time GLO employee) O. Henry. [citation needed] After the executions, the Texians' bodies were piled and burned. In April 1885 a memorial was finally erected, in the city of Goliad rather than on the site, by the Fannin Monument Association, formed by William L. Hunter, a massacre survivor. [8] Fannin had chosen to keep his troops at Goliad mainly because it had a fort, from which he believed it would be easier to fight than out in the open. The outcome was The Goliad massacre, set in the town of Goliad on March 27, 1836, was the killing of Republic of Texas soldier-prisoners and their commander, James Fannin, during the Texas Revolution by the Mexican Army under orders from General and President of Mexico Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. We'll send you a couple of emails per month, filled with fascinating history facts that you can share with your friends. You will also note that the name Fannin seems to be misspelled in both inscriptions. [citation needed], On March 22, William Ward and the Georgia Battalion (80 men plus Ward) surrendered after escaping from the Battle of Refugio. While the livestock ate, the rebels stomachs rumbled since they forgot to pack any food. He assured Fannin that there was no known instance where a prisoner of war who had trusted to the clemency of the Mexican government had lost his life, that he would recommend to General Santa Anna acceptance of the terms proposed by Fannin's men, and that he was confident of obtaining Santa Anna's approval within a period of eight days. According to Mexican law, foreign fighters taken on Mexican soil were to be executed for piracy. Carolino Huerta of the Tres Villas battalion. [11] Weighted down with cannon and 500 extra guns, Fannin burned his extra supplies in an attempt to lighten the load. This is the first page of a list that covers 17 pages. The Goliad Massacre occurred March 27, 1836, just three weeks after the battle of the Alamo. William Kennedy, Texas: The Rise, Progress, and Prospects of the Republic of Texas (London: Hastings, 1841; rpt., Fort Worth: Molyneaux Craftsmen, 1925). When the Mexican general reported to Santa Anna that he was holding the San Patricio prisoners, Santa Anna ordered Urrea to comply with the decree of December 30. They were later marched to Matamoros. Her father was a history teacher, so she grew up immersed in history books and spent her holidays tramping around battlefields, graveyards and museums. In this critical predicament, Colonel James Fannin and his staff had voted to surrender the Texian forces on the 20th. Within his journal, John recounts adventures involving fellow Goliad survivors, a Mexican lion, Indians, rattlesnakes, and much more before he was able to reach civilization around May 4, 1836.[8]. Capt. Nell White, Goliad in the Texas Revolution (M.A. King's company, the others "one by one" (see REFUGIO, BATTLE OF). The common grave remained unmarked until about 1858, when a Goliad merchant, George von Dohlen, placed a pile of rocks on what was believed to be the site. William Lockhart Hunter [127] William Lockhart Hunter No Portrait Available William L. Hunter 1809 - 1886 Born in Virginia, June 5, 1809 Died at Austin, Tex. Urrea, however, urged his commander to be lenient. [28] Nearly one month later, word reached La Bahia (Goliad) that Santa Anna had been defeated and had surrendered while trying to flee at the Battle of San Jacinto. His diary, edited by Hobart Huson, was published in 1949 and is considered one of the best sources of information for the period. he was the commander of the troops at the battle of Goliad. Gammel & Co., 1892; Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1986), XV. His troops easily defeated Johnson's small force at the Battle of San Patricio on February 26. [17] He also had a similar order sent directly to the "Officer Commanding the Post of Goliad". Two physicians, Joseph H. Barnard and John Shackelford, were taken to San Antonio to treat Mexican wounded from the battle of the Alamo; they later escaped. Victor Marion Rose, History of Victoria (Laredo, 1883; rpt., Victoria, Texas: Book Mart, 1961). The two sides clashed and fought until dark with Urrea's soldiers suffering heavy casualties,[12] when Colonel Ward received word from Fannin to rendezvous at Victoria. King and a group of men had been executed on March 16 at Refugio, but some 15 to 18 prisoners were marched to Goliad to serve as blacksmiths or mechanics. Not much is known about Francita Alavez's life. Harbert Davenport and Craig H. Roell. [11] On March 13, King was surrounded by elements of the Mexican army and sent out a plea for help to Fannin, who sent Lieutenant-Colonel William Ward and the Georgia Battalion to reinforce him. Even then we could hardly believe that they meant to shoot us, for if we had we should assuredly have rushed forward in our desperation, and weaponless though we were, some of our murderers would have met their death at our hands. Although shot in the thigh, Fannin continued to lead the fight until darkness fell. John J. Linn, Reminiscences of Fifty Years in Texas (New York: Sadlier, 1883; 2d ed., Austin: Steck, 1935; rpt., Austin: State House, 1986). John C. Duval was college-educated, and descended from a distinguished family his father served as the first U.S. territorial governor of Florida, and his family had ties going back to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. "[20] Other people known to have rescued some prisoners were: Juan Holzinger (saved two German Texians captured among Capt. The Goliad Massacre Location: Presidio La Baha, Goliad Date: March 27, 1836 Casualties: 342 killed On my visit to Presidio la Baha, in Goliad, I began connecting the dots linking Spanish. Also spared were the 75 soldiers of the Miller and Nashville Battalion, who were given white arm bands. General Urrea departed Goliad, leaving command to Colonel Jos Nicols de la Portilla. [1], Forty Texians were unable to walk. Determined to quash the rebellion, Santa Anna began assembling a large force to restore order; by the end of 1835 his army numbered 6,019 soldiers. The exact fate of others captured at Refugio is not known. As he prepared to subdue the Texas colonists Santa Anna was chiefly concerned with the help they expected from the United States. [1] Urrea arrived in Matamoros and worked to secure cooperation from the local inhabitants on January 31, 1836. King and his men had infuriated their enemies by burning local ranchos and shooting eight Mexicans seated around a campfire, and these enemies were clamoring for vengeance. [6], The entire Texian force was killed except for twenty-eight men who feigned death and escaped. Henderson K. Yoakum, History of Texas from Its First Settlement in 1685 to Its Annexation to the United States in 1846 (2 vols., New York: Redfield, 1855). [20] The soldiers took his belongings, shot him in the face, and burned his body along with those of the other Texians killed that day. Lightboxes. Refresh the page, check Medium 's. The execution of James W. Fannin, Jr.'s command in the Goliad Massacre was not without precedent, however, and Mexican president and general Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna, who ultimately ordered the exterminations, was operating within Mexican law. Texas: Graphic Ideas. That afternoon, Urrea's cavalry encircled the Texians. 465 people were taken prisoner and of those people 342 were killed. They are going to shoot us! and at the same instant [John] heard the clicking of musket locks all along the Mexican line.[7], Dodging the first round of fire and avoiding a close encounter with the end of a bayonet, John C. Duval was subsequently able to reach the San Antonio River without being struck by the barrage of bullets that followed. Hermann Ehrenberg, Texas und Seine Revolution (Leipzig: Wigand, 1843; abridged trans. Portilla suffered an unquiet night weighing these conflicting orders, but he concluded that he was bound to obey Santa Anna's order and directed that the prisoners be shot at dawn. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Portilla wrote that the total number of his prisoners was 445, exclusive of William P. Miller's eighty men, who had been captured without arms at Copano and were thus to be spared. Jos Enrique de la Pea, With Santa Anna in Texas (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1975). The death toll would have been even higher if not for a Mexican woman known as the Angel of Goliad who convinced a Mexican colonel to spare the lives of approximately 20 doctors, orderlies and interpreters. The prisoners held little suspicion of their fate, for they had been told a variety of stories-they were to gather wood, drive cattle, be marched to Matamoros, or proceed to the port of Copano for passage to New Orleans. [3] The following month, Texians declared themselves part of a state independent from Coahuila and created a provisional state government based on the principles of the Constitution of 1824. The slaughter of Colonel James W. Fannins troops in the Goliad Massacre, perpetrated three weeks after the fall of the Alamo, resulted in the single largest loss of life for the Texians during the Texas Revolution. Some of the prisoners taken at Refugio but not executed with King's men are known to have been at Goliad, where they were again spared because they were serving the Mexican army as blacksmiths, wheelwrights, or other artisans. The set of casualties included commander James Fannin. Those not killed by the gunshots were butchered with bayonets. The Goliad Massacre of March 27,1836 By: Jackson Kolb The massacre of Goliad the Goliad massacre was the termination of the survivors of the Alamo and battle of Goliad. [11], On March 19, Urrea had quickly advanced and surrounded 300 men of the Texian Army on the open prairie, near La Bahia (Goliad). bw. [28] Their charred remains were left in the open, unburied, and exposed to vultures and coyotes. [11] The wounded and dying were then clubbed and stabbed. [citation needed], The Goliad massacre contributed to the frenzy of the Runaway Scrape. Civil Society Lone Star Life Texas History Today in Texas History: Massacre at Goliad On March 27, 1836, over 350 Texian soldiers were murdered by Mexican firing squads near Goliad after having surrendered days earlier. John C. Duval was one such man who made it to safety and was able to share his harrowing story of imprisonment and escape with future generations of Texans. 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