Goliad Campaign

The Goliad Campaign refers to a series of battles which occurred in 1836 as part of the Texas Revolution in the Mexican state of Texas which ultimately led to the Goliad massacre.

Background

By 1835, thousands of Americans, mostly from the southern states, had emigrated to Mexican Texas. As internal political changes caused Mexican government policy to become more repressive to them, many colonists living in Texas decided to rebel against Mexico to form their own independent country. These "Texians" then proceeded to seize a number of key towns and forts, including the Alamo in San Antonio and the Presidio La Bahia in the town of Goliad.

The Texians

In Goliad, Colonel James Fannin commanded the Texian force of nearly 500 trained soldiers and militia. Colonel 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. Fannin also believed that, by occupying Goliad, he could prevent Mexican commander Antonio López de Santa Anna from drawing supplies from the Gulf of Mexico. However, Fannin was called to assist William Travis at the Alamo. On February 26, 1836, he attempted to march to San Antonio, but turned back at the San Antonio River due to inability to travel with the artillery and arms. Meanwhile, Mexican forces under General Urrea were quickly reaching Goliad and defeated three Texian forces at the Battle of San Patricio on February 27, the Battle of Agua Dulce on March 2, and the Battle of Refugio on March 12.

The Battle of Refugio

Fannin sent Captain Amos King on a mission to Refugio on 11 March, to remove several noncombatant families out of the path of Urrea's army. On the 13th King was surrounded by elements of the Mexican army and sent out a plea for help to Fannin, who sent William Ward and the Georgia Battalion to reinforce him. Urrea, meanwhile, heard of their presence and marched a flying column of 300 Mexican troops to Refugio, hoping to overtake the Texans. On 14 March the two sides clashed and fought until dark, when Captain King led his men in an independent escape attempt. They were overtaken shortly and surrendered for lack of munitions. Captain King and all but one man were executed in short order. The Georgia Battalion attempted to escape to Victoria, where they expected to link up with the balance of Fannin's command. After wandering lost on the coastal prairie for several days, the Georgia Battalion reached Victoria, only to find it in the possession of the Mexican army. Short on munitions and supplies, with no hope of rescue, the majority of Ward's men voted to surrender under good terms. Only then were they made aware that Colonel Fannin and his men had already surrendered following the Battle of Coleto. They were marched back to Goliad to face the same fate as the rest of Fannin's command.

Fannin's Retreat and the Battle of Coleto

Main article Battle of Coleto

Fannin was ordered by Sam Houston on 11 March 1836 to abandon Goliad and retreat to the Guadalupe River near Victoria. However, he had sent most of his carts and horses with Ward to Refugio and had no cavalry. He sent couriers to Ward, but all of them were intercepted by Urrea's cavalry. Fannin hoped to retreat to Victoria, but hesitated for several days. Urrea, meanwhile, sent cavalry to surround and isolate Goliad. He linked up with several more units of Mexican infantry, bringing the total number of Mexican troops in the area to 1,500.

Fannin Takes Action

On 18 March, Urrea's advanced scouts were viewing Goliad. Not until the morning of 19 March did Fannin finally begin his retreat from Goliad. Weighted down with cannons and 500 extra guns, Fannin burned his extra supplies in an attempt to lighten the load. The Texans had traveled only six miles from their fort when on 19 March, the Mexican army engaged the Texans on an open prairie. The Texans were less than one mile from the safety of the tree line of Coleto Creek. That afternoon, Urrea's cavalry encircled the Texians on open prairie near Coleto. After several hours of fighting, the Mexicans had suffered an estimated 200 casualties and the Texians about nine killed and sixty wounded. Fighting was halted that day due to darkness. Fannin, seeing Urrea having received a hundred more men and three more artillery pieces, agreed to terms of surrender. Fannin met to discuss terms with Colonel Juan Holzinger.

The Massacre

The Texians were marched back to Goliad and held as prisoners. On 26 March 1836, at 7 p.m., Portilla received orders from Santa Anna in triplicate to execute the prisoners. At around 8 a.m. on Palm Sunday, 27 March 1836, Colonel Jose Nicolas de la Portilla; commander at Goliad, had the 342 Texians marched out of Fort Defiance into three columns on the Bexar Road, San Patricio Road and the Victoria Road. Urrea wrote: ..wished to elude these orders as far as possible without compromising my personal responsibility.

Once the columns reached their selected location the Mexican soldados formed into two ranks on one side of the captives. The defenseless and unarmed Texians were then fired on point-blank a few hundred yards from the fort. The wounded and dying were then clubbed and stabbed. Those who survived the initial volley were run down by the Mexican cavalry. Fannin's men wounded in the Battle of Coleto were shot or bayoneted where they lay. Colonel Fannin was the last to be executed, after seeing his men butchered. Their bodies were stacked into piles and burned. There were twenty-eight Texians who did manage to escape by feigning death and other means. Three known survivors escaped to Houston's army and participated in the Battle of San Jacinto.

Goliad Campaign: Encyclopedia BETA

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