Goliad

Since I spaced yesterday, here's the catch up. Today in Texas History On the trail to Texas independence. Mar 19, 1836 – The Battle of Coleto Creek – Col James Fannin lingered for days as a 1,400-man army led by Santa Anna’s chief lieutenant, General José de Urrea, closed in on Goliad. Whether indecisive, or stubborn, or loyal to the rebels away on missions whom he did not want to abandon, Fannin remained in Goliad until the morning of March 19. By the time the colonel ordered the retreat, it was too late. Urrea’s advance riders had already spotted the Texan defenses, and the main army was just hours behind. Even on the move, Fannin’s long-delayed retreat advanced at a sluggish pace. When one of their carts bearing a cannon fell into the San Antonio River, the colonel told his men to halt and retrieve it. Over the protests of his officers, Fannin also ordered his troops to stop for more than an hour to allow their oxen to graze. While the livestock ate, the rebels’ stomachs rumbled since they forgot to pack any food. When the Texans finally resumed their march in the afternoon, they quickly encountered the Mexican forces. Instead of taking cover in the nearby woods, Col Fannin ordered his men to form a square on an open prairie near Coleto Creek. With cannons stationed at each corner of the square, the Texans held firm. Although shot in the thigh, Fannin continued to lead the fight until darkness fell. Encircled by the enemy and low on ammunition and water, the desperate Texans worked through the night to dig ditches and haul overturned carts, dead horses and even fallen comrades to buttress the walls of their earthworks. When dawn broke, however, so did the realization that the arrival of Mexican reinforcements during the night had made their situation hopeless. Faced with annihilation, the Texans raised a white flag and were marched back to Goliad and incarcerated in the presidio chapel at Fort Defiance along with other rebels captured in the nearby area. Earlier, Col Albert Horton had been sent to examine the crossing of Coleto Creek. Upon hearing artillery fire, he returned to find that Fannin and his troops had been surrounded and possibly overrun, Horton and his men, after assessing the situation, turned and retreated towards Victoria, where reinforcements were expected to be located. Mar 20, 1836 – At Coleto Creek, General José de Urrea receives reinforcements. Mexican troops now total near 1000. Col James Fannin surrenders after Urrea's reinforcements arrive fearing heavy losses among his men. Pictures: The Battle of Coleto Creek map, The Battle of Coleto Creek reenactment, Goliad, Colonel James Fannin, General José de Urrea, Colonel Albert Horton