Historical tales have always been part of life for Pat Vargas Morales, whose local roots go back to at least 1889, the year her grandmother was born in Goliad. 24, 3, Dallas, TX: Southern Methodist University, April 1939. You will also note that the name Fannin seems to be misspelled in both inscriptions. They were marched back to Goliad to face the same fate as the rest of Fannin's command.[11]. No one stirred. Thirty-nine were killed inside the fort under the direction of Captain Carolino Huerta of the Tres Villas battalion, with Colonel Garay saving one, Jack Shackelford. [27] Spared men were given white arm bands and, while wearing them, could walk about freely. Refresh the page, check Medium 's. But Portilla's volleys at Goliad, together with the fall of the Alamo, branded both Santa Anna and the Mexican people with a reputation for cruelty and aroused the fury of the people of Texas, the United States, and even Great Britain and France, thus considerably promoting the success of the Texas Revolution. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war." For information about how to add references, see, Matthew Ellenberger, "HORTON, ALBERT CLINTON," Handbook of Texas Online (, Harbert Davenport and Craig H. Roell, "GOLIAD MASSACRE," Handbook of Texas Online (, Craig H. Roell, "MILLER, WILLIAM PARSONS," Handbook of Texas Online (, Castaneda, H.W. [22], Fannin's retreat and the Battle of Coleto, Harbert Davenport and Craig H. Roell, "GOLIAD CAMPAIGN OF 1836," Handbook of Texas Online, Craig H. Roell, "REFUGIO, BATTLE OF," Handbook of Texas Online, Francisca (Francita, Panchita or Pancheta) Alavez, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goliad_Campaign&oldid=1075168209, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, est. The Texians were then fired on at point-blank range only a few hundred yards from the fort. Goliad Tourism Goliad Hotels Goliad Bed and Breakfast Goliad Vacation Packages Flights to Goliad Goliad Restaurants Things to Do in Goliad Goliad Travel Forum Goliad Photos Goliad Map Goliad Travel Guide All Goliad Hotels; Goliad Hotel Deals; A Mexican consular official initially said only one of the dead. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Goliad County. The guard, which was to serve also as a firing squad, included the battalions of Tres Villas and Yucatn, dismounted cavalry, and pickets from the Cuautla, Tampico, and Durango regiments. Captain King and all but one man were executed in short order. Urrea complied to the extent of issuing an order to shoot his prisoners, along with those captured in the battle of Agua Dulce Creek, but he had no stomach for such cold-blooded killing; and when Father Thomas J. Malloy, priest of the Irish colonists, protested the execution, Urrea remitted the prisoners to Matamoros, asking Santa Anna's pardon for having done so and washing his hands of their fate. [7][8] Although shot in the thigh, Fannin continued to lead the fight until darkness fell. They had first given this account at a ranch where they had taken refuge after the escape. Fannin ordered the bulk of his army to retreat from Goliad on March 19, in the hopes of joining the forces of General Sam Houston. Capt. Clarence R. Wharton, Remember Goliad (Houston: McCurdy-Young, 1931). Inside the walls of the Presidio, the wounded Texian commander, Col. James W. Fannin was executed at point blank range. The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law. At a prearranged moment, or upon a given signal, the guards fired upon the prisoners at a range too close to miss. Urrea departed Goliad, leaving Colonel Jos Nicols de la Portilla in command. Morales has long put her heart into the community that raised her. The sound of a second volley, from a different direction than the first just then reached our ears, and was followed by a confused cry, as if those at whom it had been aimed, had not all immediately been killed. Joseph E. Field, Three Years in Texas (Greenfield and Boston, Massachusetts, 1836; rpt., Austin: Steck, 1935). Facing extremely long odds, the men chose to stay and fight. Instead of taking cover in the nearby woods, Fannin ordered his men to form a square on an open prairie near Coleto Creek. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. They were advised not to take off the arm band, since Mexican troops were hunting for those few who had escaped from Coleto, Victoria, and the massacre itself. captured in other encounters) were shot on March 27, Palm Sunday. Many were killed or captured. Surprised by an overwhelming Mexican force, most were chased off and escaped, but 18 were captured and marched back to Goliad. Fannin hoped to retreat to Victoria, but he hesitated for several days. 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. "The Mexican Side of the Texas Revolution". What is the date for the 2019 Goliad Massacre Reenactment? Thirty nine were killed inside the fort, under the direction of Captain Carolino Huerta of the Tres Villas battalion, with Colonel Garay saving one. The Goliad Massacre hardened attitudes toward Santa Anna throughout the United States and inflamed and unified the Texas resistance. [18] Three known survivors escaped to Houston's army and participated in the Battle of San Jacinto. The bullets whistled round me as I swam slowly and wearily to the other side, but none wounded me. On March 12, they encountered a group of Texian soldiers, under the command of William Ward at Refugio. [6] In late December, at his behest, the Mexican Congress passed the Tornel Decree, declaring that any foreigners fighting against Mexican troops "will be deemed pirates and dealt with as such, being citizens of no nation presently at war with the Republic and fighting under no recognized flag". In 1930 some Goliad Boy Scouts found charred bone fragments that had been unearthed over the years by animals, and an excursion to the site by Goliad residents on New Year's Day, 1932, succeeded in attracting an investigation of the site by University of Texas anthropologist J. E. Pearce. 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. Instead, the Mexican commanding officer shot Fannin in the face, burned his body with the others and kept the timepiece as a war prize. Santa Anna responded to this entreaty by repeatedly ordering Urrea to comply with the law and execute the prisoners. he was the commander of the troops at the battle of Goliad. 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. [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. [14] The 75 soldiers of William Parsons Miller and the Nashville Battalion were captured on March 20 and marched to Goliad on March 23. Urrea wrote in his diary that he "wished to elude these orders as far as possible without compromising my personal responsibility." Fannin's men delivered up their arms, and some 230 or 240 uninjured or slightly wounded men were marched back to Goliad and imprisoned in the chapel of Nuestra Seora de Loreto Presidio at La Baha, the fort they had previously occupied (see FORT DEFIANCE). [3] The company, known as the Mustangs, came under the command of Colonel James W. Fannin once they arrived in Texas. Thirty-three Americans were captured in the course of the fighting at Nuestra Seora del Refugio Mission, half of them with Capt. [1][5], The next day, Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, Colonel Portilla had the 303 Texians marched out of Fort Defiance into three columns on the Bexar Road, San Patricio Road, and the Victoria Road, between two rows of Mexican soldiers; they were shot point-blank, and any survivors were clubbed and knifed to death. Age 32, he was taken by Mexican soldiers to the courtyard in front of the chapel, blindfolded, and seated in a chair (due to his leg wound from the battle). The guard on the right of the column of prisoners then countermarched and formed with the guard on the left. At selected spots on each of the three roads, from half to three-fourths of a mile from the presidio, the three groups were halted. Hobart Huson, El Copano: Ancient Port of Bexar and La Bahia (Refugio, Texas: Refugio Timely Remarks, 1935). But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! 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. He said the Texan prisoners and American volunteers numbered about 400, while the Mexican captors totaled 700, in addition to cavalry and smaller groups of Mexican soldiers he saw gathered on the prairie. The Texians repulsed Mexican attacks for several days. Carolino Huerta of the Tres Villas battalion. The Mexican soldiers who stood at about three paces from us, leveled their muskets at our breasts. Texan Leader James w. Fannin. ", A more difficult situation confronted him on March 20 after James W. Fannin's surrender (see COLETO, BATTLE OF). The site of the massacre is now topped by a large monument containing the names of the victims. Therefore, the massacre cannot be considered isolated from the events and legislation preceding it. Texan sources specify the number of prisoners as 407, exclusive of Miller's men. The Alamo! The Mexicans received overwhelming reinforcements and heavy artillery. Although overshadowed by the fall of the Alamo, the Goliad Massacre claimed the lives of twice as many Texas rebels. Because of the intervention of Francita Alavez (known as the "Angel of Goliad"), 20 more men, including Shackelford,[20] were spared to act as doctors, interpreters, or workers. bw. [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. Hurry, Early Registration for the 2023 Annual Meeting in El Paso ends soon. 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. 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