Part 2

Cuellar, Jesus “Comanche” Cuellar served as a guide for Ugartechea in November 1835 and fought under Cos during the siege of Bexar. He deserted the Mexican forces, reported to Edward Burleson the weaknesses in the defenses, and guided the Texans into San Antonio. He joined James Grant for the proposed Matamoros Expedition, but attached himself to James W. Fannin’s command at Goliad. He devised a plan for defeating Urrea’s army, but Fannin was unable to put it into effect. Cuellar was sent to Refugio to warn Ward of Mexican army operations, and from there he joined the Texas Army.

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de Zavala, Lorenzo A prominent Mexican Federalist and a Texas empresario, de Zavala moved his family to a home on Buffalo Bayou in December 1835. He supported the colonists in both their attempt to restore the Constitution of 1824 and in their later move for independence. He represented Harrisburg in the Consultation and in the Convention of 1836. He was elected interim vice president on March 17, 1836. His home was used as a hospital for the wounded after the battle of San Jacinto.

Declaration of Independence Issued by the Convention of 1836, the document called for complete independence from Mexico. Written by George Childress, the declaration was approved by the Convention on March 2 and was signed on March 3, 1836. The original document was deposited in the United States Secretary of State’s office; five other copies were sent out to cities in Texas. The five copies were lost, but the original document was returned to Texas in 1896.

Declaration of November 7, 1835 Adopted by the Consultation, the document set out the reasons for making war against Santa Anna. Among its provisions were 1) Texas pledged support of the Constitution of 1824, whose terms Santa Anna had violated; 2) Texas was no longer bound by the compact of union because of this violation; and 3) Texas had the right to set up an independent government within the federation, and it would support any other Mexican state willing to take up arms in defense of federal principles.

Dickinson, Mrs. Almeron (Suzanna A.) Mrs. Dickinson and her daughter were in the Alamo with her husband Almeron Dickinson when the Alamo fell. One of the few survivors, Mrs. Dickinson was given a Mexican escort when she and her child left San Antonio after the battle.

Dimmitt, Philip Dimmitt (also spelled “Dimitt” and “Dimmit”) joined George M. Collinsworth in the assault on Goliad in October 1835. He remained at Goliad as captain, but Stephen F. Austin replaced him after receiving complaints about Dimmitt’s conduct from the alcalde of Goliad and former Governor Agustin Viesca. He participated in the siege of Bexar, then returned to Goliad. Dimmitt helped to frame the Goliad Declaration of Independence. He resigned his command on January 17, 1836. Dimmitt left the Alamo on February 23 and returned to Dimmitt’s Landing where he maintained a small force of men throughout the Revolution.

Duval, Burr H. Duval gathered a band of Texas sympathizers, called the Kentucky Mustangs, and set out for Texas in November 1835. Arriving at Quintana, the men set out for Goliad where they joined James W. Fannin’s command. He fought in the battle of Coleto, and was executed on March 27.

Duval, John Crittenden Duval joined his brother’s volunteer force and was with him in the battle of Coleto. John Duval, however, was able to escape. His description of the Goliad massacre, his escape and subsequent adventures became a Texas classic.

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Eleven League Grants Under the Mexican Law of March 24, 1825, the government of Coahuila and Texas could sell eleven league grants only to Mexicans—an attempt to place some restrictions on land speculation by Anglo American settlers and to reward loyalty to the Federalist cause. However, the colonists found it easy, once a grant was issued, to transfer these titles to themselves. Traffic in eleven league grants increased markedly after 1830.

Espada Mission Pursuant to an order by General Stephen F. Austin, James Bowie and James Fannin proceeded to San Francisco de la Espada Mission to gather information and supplies. On October 22, after a short engagement with the enemy, men in Bowie and Fannin’s detachment captured the mission. They were able to repel a Mexican attack on the 24th successfully.

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Fannin, James Walker, Jr. Fannin participated in the battle of Gonzales as captain of the Brazos Guards. With James Bowie, Fannin led the Texan forces in the battle of Concepcion and the capture of the Espada Mission. Fannin was offered the position of Inspector General of the Texan forces by the General Council, but he took, instead, an honorable discharge on November 22, 1835. He then spent time campaigning for a larger army. On December 7, Sam Houston commissioned Fannin a colonel in the regular army; on December 10, the General Council ordered him to enlist reinforcements and contract for war supplies. As agent for the government, Fannin began recruiting forces for the proposed Matamoros Expedition on January 9. He was elected colonel of the Provisional Regiment of Volunteers at Goliad on February 7, and he acted as commander-in-chief of the army from February 12 to March 12, 1836. Learning that Urrea had occupied Matamoros, Fannin and his men fell back on Goliad and began fortifying the city. Ordered to relieve William B. Travis at the Alamo, Fannin made a short-lived effort to transport supplies and ammunition. When the transport wagons broke down, the soldiers voted to return to Goliad. After the fall of the Alamo, Houston ordered Fannin to retreat to Guadalupe Victoria. Fannin delayed, however, staying in Goliad until March 19. Urrea’s forces surrounded Fannin’s troops at Coleto Creek, and, after two days of pitched fighting, Fannin was forced to surrender. He and his men were executed at Goliad on March 27.

Federalists A Mexican political party which supported a federal system of government. The federalists opposed Santa Anna’s proposal to do away with the Mexican Constitution of 1824. The party also advocated separate statehood for Texas. These men assisted the Texans during the 1835 campaign, abandoning the Texan cause only when the colonists declared independence from Mexico.

Filisola, Vicente An Italian general, second in command to Santa Anna, Filisola supervised the troop crossings at the Colorado after the army left San Antonio. He joined Gaona in the march eastward. On April 23 Filisola received news of Santa Anna’s capture. Ordering the men under his command to congregate near Fort Bend, Filisola tried to surrender command. When his fellow generals refused to accept the resignation, Filisola led the Mexican retreat.

_Flash_ The _Flash_ was a privateer fitted out for Texas in the spring of 1836. The ship picked up victims of the Runaway Scrape on the Brazos and took them to Morgan’s Point. At Morgan’s Point, the _Flash_ took on the Texan provisional government and transported its members to Galveston, narrowly escaping capture by Almonte’s forces.

_Flora_ An American schooner, the _Flora_ took Sam Houston to New Orleans for medical treatment after the battle of San Jacinto.

Fort Bend Santa Anna transported his troops across the Brazos at this point. Later, as the Mexican forces retreated before the Texan army, Filisola gathered his available forces here and attempted to resign command.

Fort Defiance James Fannin wrote the government in February to say that the men of Goliad, after strengthening the fort there, had elected to rename it “Fort Defiance.”

Fort Jessup The federal fort across the border in Louisiana. Secret messages from the fort’s commander, E. P. Gaines, to Sam Houston offered assistance in the pursuit of the war. Troops from Fort Jessup did, in fact, come onto Texan soil when rumors of Indian uprisings in the Nacogdoches area were received.

Four Hundred League Grant The Coahuila and Texas legislature passed an act on March 14, 1835, authorizing the government to sell 400 leagues of land without regard to the size of individual grants—a violation of previously legislated limitations on the amount of land which could be purchased by one individual. The scandal divided Texans throughout much of the Revolution. Attempts to protect these extensive land purchases were the basis for repeated efforts to mount a Matamoros Expedition.

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Gaines, Edmund Pendleton At Stephen F. Austin’s invitation, General Gaines led a troop of United States soldiers into east Texas to quell a threatened Indian uprising. They remained in the Nacogdoches area until the Texan government had been organized after the end of the war.

Galveston Members of the _ad interim_ government fled to Galveston in April 1836. It became the temporary capital of the Republic, until the government was sworn in at Columbia in October 1836.

Gaona, Antonio Gaona was a general in the Mexican army. Santa Anna ordered him to march to Nacogdoches by way of Bastrop. These orders were changed on April 15. Gaona was to proceed from Bastrop to San Felipe to join Santa Anna’s forces. Gaona’s men became lost in the “desert” around Bastrop, causing them to miss their rendezvous with Santa Anna and participation in the battle of San Jacinto.

Goliad Formerly called La Bahia, Goliad was a major point of military operations in both 1835 and 1836. Texans captured Goliad on October 9, 1835. Supplies captured in this battle allowed Stephen F. Austin and his men to carry on the siege of Bexar. James W. Fannin marched his command to Goliad and set up headquarters near the presidio. He remained committed to the defense of Goliad, seeing it as the most suitable location for a supply depot for the Texan forces in the field. James B. Bonham’s arrival from the Alamo, requesting men and supplies to relieve William B. Travis, caused Fannin to attempt a rescue mission. The effort failed, and Fannin remained at Goliad until March 19. As Urrea’s forces neared Goliad, they fought a number of skirmishes with troops under the command of Johnson, Ward, King, and Grant. The survivors of these conflicts—when there were any—rallied to Goliad, only to be captured at Coleto, marched back to Goliad and executed.

Goliad Declaration of Independence A document drafted by Philip Dimmitt and Ira Ingram, the Declaration was read to the citizens of Goliad on December 20, 1835. 91 signatures were attached, and the document was sent to the General Council. It arrived just as the government was deep in negotiations with sympathetic Federalists. The Declaration did not have any immediate effect on the Texan’s conduct of the war or their reasons for fighting. It did, however, alienate popular Mexican support for the Texan cause.

Goliad Massacre James W. Fannin’s men captured at Coleto along with survivors of units commanded by Ward and Grant were returned to Goliad after the battle of Coleto. When Fannin surrendered, he understood that the men would be treated as prisoners of war, and Urrea did request that the prisoners be so regarded. The Mexican government, however, had passed the Black Decrees. Anyone taking up arms against the Mexican government was to be considered a pirate and was subject to immediate execution. Santa Anna wrote back ordering immediate execution, and he backed that order up with a similar one to Nicolas de la Portilla, the commander at Goliad. On Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836 unwounded Texans were divided into three columns and were marched down three roads to points about a half mile outside Goliad. Ordered to halt, the men were cut down by firing squads. Men from two of the columns, halted near wooded areas, were able to make an escape and to carry the news of the slaughter. Fannin, who had been wounded at Coleto, and about 40 men were killed at the fort.

Gonzales, Battle of An engagement fought four miles above Gonzales, the battle took place on October 2, 1835. When, in the latter part of September, Domingo de Ugartechea demanded the city surrender its cannon, the colonists refused. They buried the cannon in George W. Davis’s peach orchard on September 29. When the men under Francisco Castaneda marched on the town, the colonists dug up the cannon, mounted it, and fired the first shot of the Revolution. When the Mexican army learned that the unit sent to capture the cannon was taken prisoner, it stopped west of the Guadalupe.

Gonzales, Jose Maria A federalist colonel, Gonzales escorted former governor Agustin Viesca in his flight to Texas. In San Antonio, Gonzales issued a proclamation calling on Mexicans to support the Texan cause and to restore the Constitution of 1824. In January, he led a force against the Mexican town of Mier. Urrea marched to intercept the army, and, although he captured 24 federalist rebels on January 22, Gonzales and the rest made their escape. The captives were used as guides and scouts for Urrea’s army as they marched through Texas.

Grant, James Dr. Grant joined the siege of Bexar. He was elected the Goliad representative to the consultation, but remained in the field during that body’s deliberations. In early spring 1836, Grant and F. W. Johnson organized a Matamoros Expedition and proceeded as far as San Patricio. Grant and a party of 15 volunteers were attacked at Agua Dulce Creek on March 2. Grant was killed, and most of his men who escaped were taken prisoner and marched to Goliad where they were executed on March 27.

Grass Fight On the afternoon of November 26, James Bowie with about 100 men attacked a pack train believed to be carrying supplies and pay for the Mexican troops in San Antonio. The engagement took place about a mile from San Antonio. Seeing the battle in progress, Cos began firing from the Alamo. Bowie’s detachment was joined by the main army. The Mexicans eventually retreated to San Antonio. The packs, when opened, were found to contain only grass for the Mexican cavalry horses.

Groce’s Landing Located on the site of the Bernardo Plantation at the Maelina or Coushatta Crossing of the Brazos in present-day Waller County. Leonard H. Groce was operating the plantation at the outbreak of the Revolution. The Texas Army camped there on the west bank of the river, one-half mile from the ferry, from March 31 to April 14, 1836.

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Hall, Warren D. C. Hall was a member of the Committee of Safety at Columbia. David G. Burnet appointed him adjutant general, and he served as secretary of war while Thomas J. Rusk was in the field with the Texas army.

_Hannah Elizabeth_ On November 19, 1835, the American schooner _Hannah Elizabeth_ was attacked by the Mexican armed vessel _Bravo_. On November 21, the Texan privateer _William Robbins_, which had received letters of marque and reprisal from the Texas government, landed 20 volunteers, the captain and 3 crew members. They took the _Hannah Elizabeth_ from the Mexican captors. Considering the ship as salvage, the Texans eventually sold its cargo at auction, an action which led to considerable criticism from other Texans as well as protests from the United States.

Harrisburg The General Council designated Harrisburg as the seat of government for the newly-created Municipality of Harrisburg. On April 16 Santa Anna burned the entire town, leaving only John W. Moore’s residence standing.

Horton, Albert Clinton Horton came to Texas with the Mobile Grays in late December 1835. In the spring, Horton raised a cavalry unit to go to James W. Fannin’s relief. They arrived at Goliad on March 16, and on March 17, the unit fought a brief skirmish with Urrea’s troops. His men were sent out to investigate the crossing at Coleto Creek on March 19, but when they returned, they found Fannin already surrounded by Urrea’s forces. Horton fell back, seeing the hopelessness of rendering any practical aid to Fannin.

Horton, Alexander Horton served in the Consultation as the representative of Ayish Bayou. After Sam Houston was named commander-in-chief of the Texas Army in 1836, Horton became his aide-de-camp. He fought in the battle of San Jacinto.

Houston, Sam A delegate to the Consultation, Houston was elected major general of the regular Texas Army by the General Council on November 12. He left to join the Texas forces at Goliad and Refugio on January 8. When he arrived, however, the volunteers refused to serve under him because of Houston’s opposition to the Matamoros Expedition. Houston went to east Texas and spent February negotiating peace treaties with the Indians. He represented Refugio in the Convention of 1836, and he was appointed commander-in-chief of all army units—regular, volunteer, and militia—by that body. He took command at Gonzales on March 11. Two days later he ordered a retreat eastward after receiving news of the fall of the Alamo. Finally halting at Groce’s Landing, Houston spent the next month training the raw recruits who made up the remaining Texas Army. On April 14 he then began the march which culminated in the battle of San Jacinto on April 21. Houston was severely wounded in the ankle in that engagement, and on May 5 he went to New Orleans for medical treatment.

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_Independence_ This Texas Navy schooner was formerly the United States Revenue Cutter _Ingham_. The _Independence_ was flagship of the Texas Navy, and on January 10, 1836, took her first cruise to Mexico under the command of Captain Charles E. Hawkins. On March 20, she undertook a second cruise to Mexico, during which she destroyed a number of small Mexican vessels. In early April, she exchanged fire with the Mexican brigs of war _Urrea_ and _Bravo_, but the Mexican ships withdrew before the _Independence_’s fire. She returned to Galveston on April 28. On May 5, Santa Anna, President Burnet and the Cabinet sailed on the _Independence_ for Velasco, arriving there on May 8.

_Invincible_ McKinney and Williams purchased the _Invincible_ and sold her to the Texas government on January 5, a move strongly opposed by Governor Smith. Jeremiah Brown was commissioned as her captain on March 12. The _Invincible_ engaged the _Bravo_ and wrecked her on April 3. During this fight, the American ship _Pocket_ sailed up and was captured by the _Invincible_. For this action, the United Stated declared the _Invincible_ a pirate ship. The U. S. sloop _Warren_ captured her and took the ship and crew to New Orleans on May 1. They were tried on May 4, but were not convicted.

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Jack, William H. He was a member of the Committee of Safety from Brazoria. During the revolution, Jack participated in the Grass Fight and the battle of San Jacinto. From April 2 to October 22, 1836, he was Secretary of State under President Burnet.

Jameson, Green B. Jameson served under Bowie as aide and chief engineer. At the Alamo he was responsible for strengthening the defenses and remounting the cannon. He was killed in the fall of the Alamo, March 6.

Johnson, Francis White At the beginning of the Revolution Johnson was appointed adjutant and Inspector General under Stephen F. Austin and Edward Burleson. He led one of the divisions into San Antonio during the siege of Bexar and was in command at the taking of the Alamo in December. In January, he ordered an expedition to Matamoros, in spite of opposition from Governor Smith and General Houston. On February 27, Johnson with a detachment of fifty men was surprised by Urrea at San Patricio. All but Johnson and four men were killed.

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Karnes, Henry Wax Karnes fought in the battle of Concepcion and in the siege of Bexar. He organized a company of cavalry at Gonzales on March 20, 1836. Before the battle of San Jacinto, Karnes was sent on a spy mission with Erastus (Deaf) Smith to report on Mexican troop movements around Harrisburg. He and Juan N. Seguin followed the Mexican army’s retreat to protect Texan property.

Kimbro, William Kimbro raised a company of volunteers for the army in September 1835. This company fought under his command in the battle of San Jacinto.

King, Amon Butler Kings came to Texas in 1835 with the Paducah Volunteers, formed from Peyton S. Wyatt’s Huntsville Company. After reporting to Sam Houston, he was sent to Refugio in January. In March, King and his company were ordered to Goliad. They returned to Refugio on March 10 to bring stranded families and supplies back to Goliad. The group was attacked by _rancheros_, but King succeeded in getting the families to Refugio mission on March 12. Surrounded by the _rancheros_, King sent to James W. Fannin for relief. William Ward’s company was able to break up the siege on March 13. King, however, refused to return to Goliad with Ward, insisting instead on attacking the _rancheros_. Ward remained at Refugio to await King. On March 14, King’s return to Refugio was blocked by Urrea’s company. After a day-long battle, King’s men attempted to make their way back to Goliad, but soaked their guns and powder in the river as they undertook a crossing. They were captured on March 15 by Captain Carlos de la Garza and returned to the mission, along with stragglers from Ward’s company. They were taken out to be shot, but German officers in the Mexican army heard some of the prisoners speaking German. The group of 33 were returned to Refugio, where the Germans and some others of the prisoners were released. King and the remaining prisoners were marched out on March 16 and shot. Their bodies were left unburied on the plain.

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La Bahia The settlement which grew up around the presidio of La Bahia also took the name “La Bahia.” On February 4, 1829, the Congress of Coahuila y Texas declared it a town and changed the name to Goliad. In correspondence and reports during the Texas revolution, the terms “La Bahia” and “Goliad” are used more or less interchangeably.