Posted on 03/27/2018 11:14:04 AM PDT by iowamark
On this day in 1836, the Goliad Massacre takes place. Most of you have heard “Remember the Alamo!” Did you know that “Remember Goliad!” was another battle cry used by Texans?
The events at Goliad occurred just two short weeks after Texans were defeated at the Alamo.
Colonel James Fannin was then at Goliad, building reinforcements around the presidio there. When the Alamo fell, Fannin received orders from Sam Houston to withdraw. But Fannin was in a bit of a bind. Against orders, he had sent some of his soldiers to help with other expeditions. He awaited their return, and he seemed oblivious to the danger that was so quickly approaching him: Mexican General Jose de Urrea was marching toward his position with 1,000 men.
Fannin did eventually attempt a retreat, but he procrastinated too long—with fatal results.
As Fannin’s men attempted a go, they were met by Urrea and his men. A two-day battle ensued. The Texans took losses, but held their own on the first day. And to their credit, they did not attempt to escape in the middle of the night, when they could have, because they did not want to leave their wounded behind. But the next day, Mexican reinforcements arrived and the Texans were overwhelmed. Fannin surrendered on March 20, on the condition that his men be treated as prisoners of war.
Now Urrea was the one with a problem. He was not authorized to agree to such terms. The Mexican Congress had passed a law requiring that captured Texans be treated like pirates—i.e. they were to be shot. Fannin and his men were marched back to Goliad. Accounts vary, but apparently many of them thought that they would be treated honorably like prisoners of war.
Urrea wrote Mexican General Santa Anna, asking for clemency, but he apparently failed to mention that he’d agreed to Fannin’s terms. Santa Anna wrote back with an order that the Texans be executed. Not trusting Urrea to comply, he then ordered Col. José Nicolás de la Portilla to perform the execution.
Finally, on Palm Sunday, March 27, those Texans who could walk were marched out of Goliad. They were told various stories about where they were going. Less than a mile out, the guards stopped the captives and began firing at close range. Those who were too wounded to march were executed, separately, behind the presidio. Roughly 340 men were massacred that day. A little less than 30 men escaped. A few, such as doctors, were spared because of the services that they could provide.
Fannin was among the last to be shot. He had just a few requests: He did not want to be shot in the face, he wanted his personal belongings to be sent to his family, and he wanted a Christian burial. He was denied every one of these requests.
The Alamo and Goliad were dark days for the Texan effort. But the Battle of San Jacinto was just around the corner! Texans were mere weeks away from earning their independence.
Primary Sources:
WE still have his artificial leg in a museum somewhere. Mexico wants it back.
And that, boys and girls, is why you still can’t trust the word of Mexican politicians.
Here are a couple articles about the renovation project.
Not sure what the final outcome will be.
Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad,
but most of all,
Remember San Jacinto.....................>>
Thanks. Those ladies were doing a good job and he took it away from them for selfish, political purposes. This will probably hurt him more than anything.
George P. Bush has turned the sacred ground of The Alamo into an interpretive center and gift shop, stripped of all mentions of honor, bravery and sacrifice of the Caucasians who fought and died there.
For him, it’s all about the Mexicans.
He is an enemy alien.
He is the enemy of my people.
exactly
“Mexican Troops used hollow point copper bullets with the hollow being filled with copper sulfate, i.e., poison bullets. These bullets had been outlawed by international treaty for over a century at that time. Virtually all wounds resulted in death by copper poisoning.”
Copper sulfate is a poison for some microorganisms, we use it a lot here in Bordeaux, as fungicide in vineyards.
But is not a poison for mammals. It’s even a food additive, for humans and cattle. I doubt there has been any case of poisoning by it, even at massive doses.
The Mexicans must have filled their bullets with real poison, like arsenic. But such stories must probably be taken with a pound of salt.
Even their body parts are here illegally.
I agree. And I have ancestors who were born and raised and died in Texas.
I have a ancestor that was married at Mission Alamo in the 1790's.
That was during Spanish rule and control.
*The records are in Spain, but Mom got them to send over a copy
Ping!
WTF are Elgato and hocndoc?
The mexicans acted without honor. I can’t really see any change in the country since. The casually accepted criminality that is a part and parcel of mexican life is one reason I really dislike illegal aliens because they bring this casual attitude towards criminality with them.
Didn’t do Santa Anna much good. It simply convinced the Texians that surrender meant certain death. That made them fight harder, more angry, and made him lose in the end.
Like the Germans murdering soldiers at Malmedy. Like the Union Army when it found Andersonville survivors.
That kind of thing angers soldiers deeply.
What treaty on ammunition existed from the mid 1700s that existed during the Mexican war. I can’t find any treaty or even a movement discussing such a topic before 1850.
Elgato:
https://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:elgato/index?brevity=full;tab=comments
hocndoc:
https://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:hocndoc/index?brevity=full;tab=comments
We were late comers. One of my great grandfathers was born in TX during the Republic.
The family came to this county in 1889 from Coryell County, this county was not cut up until 1885. There was nothing here when they came. We have owned/operated farms here since then.
Railroad came though about 1907.
Town peaked at about 1200, is 600 now. The population of the county is less than 6,000.
I have a house in town, but we are in process of remodeling my grandparent’s home at the farm. Moving back there when it’s done.
We’re in the middle of the Big Nothing. It is a very nice place to be.
Most in the Alamo were Mexican citizens anyway.
Correct! And a lot of the Tejanos had enough of Santa Anna’s corruption and joined the Texians in the War of Independence.
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