Part 3

Lamar, Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar joined the Texas army as it retreated eastward after the fall of the Alamo. At San Jacinto, on April 20, Lamar’s quick action saved the lives of Thomas J. Rusk and Walter P. Lane when they were surrounded by the enemy. He was commissioned a colonel on the following day and assigned the command of the cavalry in the battle of San Jacinto.

_Liberty_ Formerly the _William Robbins_, the _Liberty_ was purchased from McKinney and Williams. Its name was changed in January, 1836, when it began a cruise to seek out Mexican vessels of war. On March 3, it captured the _Pelicano_ at Sisal, Yucatan.

Lipantitlan Mexican fort on the Nueces captured by the Texans under the command of Ira Westover on November 4, 1835.

Lockhart, Byrd Lockhart commanded a company at the siege of Bexar. In March he was sent from the Alamo to get supplies and reinforcements. As a result, he survived the fall of the Alamo and later joined a spy company in the Texas Army.

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Martin, Wylie Martin was the political chief of Gonzales in 1835. Although he thought the Declaration of Independence premature, he raised a company and joined Houston at Columbus. He was sent to guard river crossings on the Brazos, but his force was unable to prevent the Mexican army’s crossing at Richmond. Martin returned to headquarters, surrendered his command, and went to aid families caught up in the Runaway Scrape.

Matagorda Captured by Urrea on April 13, the town had been deserted, although some of its inhabitants could be seen on Culebra Island, south of Matagorda. Urrea took the supplies housed there and ordered the pier fortified.

Matamoros Expedition First proposed by the Consultation on November 13, 1835, the Matamoros Expedition was a disrupting factor throughout the Revolution. James Bowie was ordered to lead an expedition on December 17; later, the General Council ordered Houston to undertake the mission. Houston declined the command; Bowie never received his orders. In January 1836, the General Council ordered both James W. Fannin and F. W. Johnson to command a Matamoros Expedition. Johnson, with James Grant, took troops to Goliad and Refugio. However, at Refugio, Sam Houston’s protests against the legality of the Expedition caused considerable desertion. The remaining men were attacked by Urrea’s army at San Patricio and at Agua Dulce. Fannin, meanwhile, marched to Goliad where he remained until March 19. He and his men were attacked at Coleto and defeated on March 20.

McKinney, Williams and Company Thomas F. McKinney and Samuel May Williams provided much-needed supplies and money during the revolution. The Texas government purchased the _William Robbins_ (which was renamed the _Liberty_) and the _Invincible_ from the firm. From the United States, Williams supplied arms and ammunition. The company provided some $99,000 worth of goods and services to Texas during the war. The government also authorized McKinney, Williams and Company to raise up to $100,000 on Texas lands for the war effort. Although Williams preferred fighting to support the Mexican Constitution of 1824, he came to accept the war for Texas independence. McKinney, on the other hand, continued to work for Texas but remained opposed to Texas independence for years after the war had ended.

Mexia, Jose Antonio In November 1835, Mexia sailed from New Orleans for Tampico with a group of 150 men. Their attempt to capture the city failed, and, after remaining in the fort at Tampico for twelve days, he and most of his men retreated. They returned to Texas in December. He attempted to raise a Matamoros Expedition, but opposition by Governor Henry Smith and lack of funds prevented the project from materializing. Mexia declined orders to proceed with his troops to San Antonio, declaring that his services would be better used in recruiting. He returned to New Orleans where he spent the remainder of the war.

Milam, Benjamin Rush Milam assisted in the capture of Goliad and was in charge of the officer prisoners sent to General Austin at Gonzales. Austin put Milam in charge of a scouting party to determine conditions at and best means of attack on San Antonio. When the main army arrived at San Antonio, Milam, James Bowie, and William B. Travis were sent on a scouting mission to the Rio Grande. Returning to San Antonio, Milam found the army about to fall back without making an attack on the city. He convinced some 300 volunteers to “follow old Ben Milam.” They began their attack on December 5. Milam’s command occupied the Veramendi house. One December 7, while crossing the courtyard, Milam was shot by a sniper.

Miller, Thomas R. One of eighteen men who delayed the Mexican troops sent to seize the cannon at Gonzales, Miller also represented Gonzales at the Consultation. He was a member of the Gonzales Volunteers who arrived at the Alamo on March 1. He was killed in the massacre on March 6.

Miller, Washington Parsons Miller enlisted in the Texas Army in September 1835 and was appointed a major in the Regular Army on December 20. Miller and a body of volunteers from the United States were captured on March 2, 1836, when they landed at Copano Bay. They were marched to Goliad, but they were not among those massacred on March 27, since none of them had yet taken up arms against Mexico. He and his men were imprisoned at Matamoros.

Morton’s Ferry Near the present site of Fort Bend or Richmond, the ferry was an important crossing on the Colorado River.

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Navarro, Jose Antonio A delegate from Bexar to the Convention of 1836, Navarro was one of three native-born signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. He also served on the select committee to draft the Constitution of 1836.

Neill, James Clinton Neill joined the Texas army in September 1835. He was appointed a lieutenant colonel by the General Council on December 7. He commmanded an artillery company at the siege of Bexar. On December 21, Sam Houston ordered Neill to take charge of San Antonio and the Bexar district. He remained there until granted a furlough on February 14, when he left the Alamo because of illness in his family. Neill participated in the skirmish at San Jacinto on April 20 and was wounded in that engagement.

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Old Mill The Old Mill was situated on the San Antonio River, about one-half mile north of San Antonio’s main plaza. It was headquarters for Stephen F. Austin’s army after the battle of Concepcion.

Organic Law The Plan and Powers of the Provisional Government, a document hastily drawn up by the Consultation. Although the Organic Law set up a provisional government, there was no coherent separation of executive and legislative powers. The powers of the commander-in-chief extended over only the (as yet nonexistent) regular army. Volunteer soldiers already in the field refused to serve under the Organic Law’s provisions.

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Padilla, Juan Antonio Padilla joined the Texas Army on October 22, 1835. He later served on the General Council.

_Pelicano_ Mexican vessel captured by the Texas navy ship _Liberty_ outside Sisal, Yucatan, on March 3, 1836.

Permanent Council The Permanent Council served as the governing body of Texas from October 11, 1835, to early November, when the Consultation achieved a quorum. It was made up of the Committee of Safety of San Felipe and representatives from the other Texas communities.

_Pocket_ An American brig bound from New Orleans to Matamoros, the _Pocket_ was captured by the _Invincible_. Taken to Galveston, the ship’s cargo was appropriated by the Texas authorities. A Texas court later condemned the _Pocket_ as a lawful prize on the grounds that it was sailing under false papers and was carrying supplies and messages for Santa Anna. To calm U. S. indignation over the brig’s capture, William Bryan, and Toby and Brothers Company paid $35,000 for the ship and $8,000 in damages.

Portilla, Jose Nicolas de la Lieutenant colonel under Urrea, Portilla was put in charge of James W. Fannin and his men after the defeat at Coleto. On March 26, Portilla received orders from Santa Anna to execute all prisoners; he received orders from Urrea to treat the men as prisoners of war and to set them to rebuilding Goliad. Deciding that Santa Anna’s orders took precedence, Portilla, on March 27, took the prisoners out of Goliad in three columns and had them shot.

Potter, Robert Potter joined the Nacogdoches volunteers commanded by Thomas J. Rusk. Until November 21, 1835, he worked with Dr. Grant to arm and equip the siege of Bexar. On November 30, he was commissioned in the Texas Navy. Potter represented Nacogdoches in the Convention of 1836, and he was appointed interim secretary of the Navy. Burnet appointed him commander of the port of Galveston on April 20, 1836.

Provisional Government Set up by the Consultation, the Provisional Government served from November 15, 1835, to March 1, 1836. The body consisted of the governor, lieutenant governor, and General Council. From the beginning, the governor and the Council were at odds over their respective powers. By January 10, the governor had dismissed the Council, and the Council had impeached the governor, replacing him with the lieutenant governor. From January 17 on, the Council was unable to convene a quorum, and Texas remained without a functioning government until the Convention of 1836 met on March 1.

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Ramirez y Sesma, Joaquin Sesma commanded the brigade sent in advance of the main army under Santa Anna’s command. He joined forces with General Cos at Laredo, then merged with Santa Anna’s forces at the Rio Grande as it marched to Bexar. After the fall of the Alamo, Sesma was ordered to San Felipe, then to proceed to Anahuac by way of Harrisburg. On April 13, Sesma’s army crossed the Brazos at Thompson’s Ferry. He was camped on the east bank of the Brazos, near the Old Fort settlement on April 21.

Refugio, Battle of William Ward was sent to relieve Amon B. King and his men, surrounded by Urrea’s troops. Ward arrived at Refugio on March 13, but he and King immediately began arguing over the command. King and a body of men left the Mission, spent two days wandering in the vicinity before being captured and executed by the Mexican army. At Refugio mission, meanwhile, Ward was attacked on March 14. He and his men escaped from the mission that night, but they were captured at Victoria, marched to Goliad, and executed on March 27.

Robbins’ Ferry In operation since 1821, the ferry was located at Thomas Ford crossing of the Old San Antonio and La Bahia Roads over the Trinity River. It was named for Nathaniel Robbins.

Regular Army Units, other than militia, authorized by any of the provisional governments, particularly those commanded by commissioned officers were considered part of the regular army. Volunteer units, on the other hand, elected their officers from their own ranks. Throughout much of the war, volunteer forces would refuse to serve under commissioned officers.

Robinson, James W. Robinson was a delegate from Nacogdoches to the Consultation in 1835. That body appointed him lieutenant governor of the General Council. As such, he took Governor Henry Smith’s place when the Council impeached Smith in January 1836. After the General Council resigned their office, Robinson left for the army, serving from March 12. He fought at San Jacinto as a private in William H. Smith’s cavalry company.

Ruiz, Jose Francisco A native Texan, he was one of four representatives from Bexar to the Convention of 1836 where he signed the Declaration of Independence. As alcalde of San Antonio, he identified the bodies of William B. Travis, James Bowie, and David Crockett after the fall of the Alamo. He stopped the Mexican soldiers who were throwing the bodies into the San Antonio River, and gathered wood and ordered the bodies to be burned.

Runaway Scrape Texans fled from their homes before the advancing Mexican army. The pace of the refugee traffic increased as news of the fall of the Alamo, Houston’s retreat, and the massacre at Goliad circulated. Washington-on-the-Brazos, Richmond, and settlements on both sides of the Brazos were abandoned. Settlements between the Colorado and the Brazos followed, and then Nacogdoches and San Augustine. The panic was increased by reports of Mexican-inspired Indian uprisings. The panic ended only after the news of the battle of San Jacinto became widespread.

Rusk, Thomas Jefferson Rusk organized a company of volunteers in the fall of 1835 at Nacogdoches and joined the army at San Antonio. He left before the siege of Bexar, appointed a contractor for the army. He was Inspector General of the army from December 14, 1835, until February 26, 1836. A delegate to the Convention of 1836, he was elected Secretary of War on March 17. He left to join the army on April 1 and remained with the regular forces under Houston’s command, participating in the Battle of San Jacinto.

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San Antonio Captured by the Texan army after active fighting from December 5 to 10, the town was retaken by Santa Anna on February 23. It remained in Mexican hands until after the battle of San Jacinto.

San Felipe The Consultation met in San Felipe, November 1835, making San Felipe one of the first capitals of the Republic (until the Convention of 1836 met at Washington-on-the-Brazos). It was burned on March 29, 1836, when retreating Texan soldiers were unable to prevent the Mexican army’s crossing the Brazos.

Jacinto, Battle of On April 17 Sam Houston led his army south to Harrisburg, finally abandoning his retreat eastward. On April 19, learning that Santa Anna and his army had crossed Vince’s Bridge to the west bank of the San Jacinto River, Houston and his men crossed Buffalo Bayou. On April 20, the Texans encamped. That afternoon, Sidney Sherman with a small detachment of cavalry fought a brief skirmish with the Mexican infantry in an attempt to capture the Mexican cannon. Santa Anna was joined in his camp, three-quarters of a mile from the Texan army, by a 540-man unit commanded by Martin Perfecto de Cos on the evening of April 20. On Thursday morning, Houston ordered Erastus (Deaf) Smith to destroy Vince’s Bridge secretly so that no further reinforcement could cross nor could either army retreat. The Texans formed their battle line about 3:30 in the afternoon. Surging over the battlefield shouting “Remember the Alamo!” and “Remember Goliad!”, the Texans caught the Mexican army unawares. The battle ended with a decisive victory eighteen minutes after it began. Sam Houston was seriously wounded in the battle. General Santa Anna was captured the next day.

San Patricio, Battle of Francis W. Johnson and James Grant used San Patricio as their headquarters during the Goliad Campaign of 1836. There Johnson and his men were attacked by Urrea’s army on February 27, 1836. Only Johnson and three or four men survived.

Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez de President Santa Anna was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Mexican Army of Operations in November 1835 by President pro-tem Miguel Barragan. In December he joined Vicente Filisola at San Luis Potosi and began to organize the army for the Texas Campaign. On January 2, 1836, he began his march for Texas, crossing the Rio Grande on February 16. On February 23, his army joined the force commanded by Ramirez y Sesma, and by the afternoon, Santa Anna occupied San Antonio and had begun besieging the Texan army in the Alamo. At dawn on March 6, he began the assault of the fortress, which was subdued by 8 a.m. On March 31, he left San Antonio for San Felipe de Austin. A surprise attack on April 7 failed to reduce the town. On April 9 he left San Felipe and began a forced march for the river crossing at Marion, hoping to surprise the Texan army. His army did cross the river at Marion, but failed to capture any Texans. From there, his army was transported to Thompson’s Crossing on a captured flat boat. Santa Anna reached Harrisburg on the night of April 15, only to find it deserted. On the following day, after burning Harrisburg, his army marched on to Lynchburg. Waiting for reinforcements commanded by Cos, aware of the nearness of the Texan army, Santa Anna decided to make camp on the west bank of the San Jacinto River. There, on April 20, the army fought a skirmish with Sidney Sherman’s cavalry detachment, but full battle was not engaged until the following day. Captured by Texan soldiers on April 22, Santa Anna ordered General Filisola to begin a retreat across the Rio Grande. On May 14, he signed the treaties of Velasco and prepared to be returned to Mexico. But on June 1, Texans under the leadership of Thomas J. Green interfered, threatening to capture or to kill the Mexican leader. Finally, at the end of November, President Houston sent him under guard to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Andrew Jackson.

Seguin, Juan Nepumoceno Seguin and his recruits joined Austin near San Antonio in October 1835. He participated in the capture of Concepcion Mission, the siege of Bexar, and was on duty in the Alamo in 1836. He escaped death only because he had been sent out of the Alamo as a messenger. Seguin was in charge of the rear guard of the army in its retreat east from Gonzales, and he helped Moseley Baker in his attempt to prevent Santa Anna’s crossing the river at San Felipe. Seguin rejoined Houston’s army and fought in the battle of San Jacinto. He was ordered, along with Henry Karnes, to follow the Mexican Army during its retreat in order to protect the property of Texans.

Sherman, Sidney In 1835, Sherman raised money to equip a company of Kentucky volunteers. The force arrived in Texas in time to vote in the election for delegates to the Convention of 1836, then proceeded to San Felipe. Sherman was lieutenant colonel in the regiment raised by Houston at Gonzales in March. On April 20, he led a sortie to try to capture the Mexican cannon at San Jacinto. On the following day, he commanded the left wing of the Texan attack. After the battle of San Jacinto, Sherman served as president of the board of officers which distributed the Mexican spoils among the Texas soldiers.

Smith, Benjamin Fort Smith commanded a company at the battle of Gonzales, relieved J. M. Collinsworth at Goliad, and later joined Austin in the siege of Bexar. He was a delegate to the Consultation, but he did not attend. However, he put eleven leagues of land at the government’s disposal on November 8, 1835. Smith left for Mississippi to recruit volunteers in late November. Returning to Texas in March, he reentered the army as a private. He was quartermaster and acting adjutant to General Houston during the retreat from Gonzales. At the battle San Jacinto, he served in Henry Karnes’s cavalry company.

Smith, Erastus (Deaf) Neutral at the beginning of the war, Deaf Smith joined the Texans when Mexican officials refused him permission to visit his family in San Antonio. He joined Austin’s volunteer army and became prominent as a scout. He participated in or gave information valuable to Texan forces at the battle of Concepcion and the Grass Fight. He led F. W. Johnson’s troops into San Antonio on December 5, 1835. After Cos’ surrender, Smith moved his family to Columbia then joined Houston at Gonzales. He was sent to reconnoiter the Alamo and returned with Mrs. Almeron Dickinson. Deaf Smith commanded a company in the reorganized army and was ordered to destroy Vince’s Bridge secretly before he took part in the battle of San Jacinto.

Smith, Henry From the beginning of the Revolution, Smith was a supporter of independence from Mexico. He was a delegate to the Consultation, participated in drafting the organic law, and was chosen provisional governor. His opposition to the peace party members of the General Council, as well as his suspicion of all offers of help from Mexican supporters brought Governor Smith into conflict with the rest of the government. On January 10 he dismissed the General Council, claiming it had no further function. The Council impeached Smith, replacing him with Lieutenant Governor James W. Robinson.

Stewart, Charles Bellinger Stewart was elected secretary of the Permanent Council on October 1, 1835. He later served as secretary to the executive and enrollment clerk by the General Council on November 18. He represented Austin at the Convention of 1836.

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Tampico Expedition Commanded by Jose Antonio Mexia, 150 volunteers sailed from New Orleans November 6, 1835. Hoping to take the fort and the town of Tampico by surprise, they arrived at Tampico on November 14. Secrecy was impossible, however. The garrison’s commandant had aroused official suspicions, and he was arrested on November 13. And, when the ship attempted to approach the landing at night, it ran aground on the bar, and the men were forced to wade ashore. On November 15, they took up the march to Tampico, arriving there about midnight. Troops commanded by Gregorio Gomez attacked and wounded several of the expedition members. Mexia retreated to the bar and took refuge in the garrison, remaining there for twelve days. On November 26, what remained of the force embarked on the _Halcyon_. They arrived at the mouth of the Brazos on December 3. Three of the 31 prisoners left behind in Tampico died of their wounds; the rest were tried by court martial and shot on December 14, in spite of vigorous efforts by Texas and the United States to ransom the men.

Thompson’s Ferry River crossing on the Brazos, three miles above Richmond. Houston’s army crossed at this point on April 14, 1836.

Tolsa, Eugenio Tolsa commanded the second brigade of Santa Anna’s forces. He was ordered to reinforce General Sesma at the Colorado, and, on March 31, to operate against the Bolivar-Harrisburg-Lynchburg area as far as the San Jacinto River.

Tornel, Jose Maria Mexican Minister of War and Marine.