page_title: Texas Revolution
section_title: Goliad Campaign
hierarchical_section_title: Texas Revolution / Santa Anna's offensive: February–March 1836 / Goliad Campaign
caption_attribution_description: La Bahia Presidio Chapel, South on U.S. Route 183, Goliad (Goliad County, Texas) (cropped).
context_page_description: The Texas Revolution was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos in putting up armed resistance to the centralist government of Mexico. While the uprising was part of a larger one that included other provinces opposed to the regime of President Antonio López de Santa Anna, the Mexican government believed the United States had instigated the Texas insurrection with the goal of annexation. The Mexican Congress passed the Tornel Decree, declaring that any foreigners fighting against Mexican troops "will be deemed pirates and dealt with as such, being citizens of no nation presently at war with the Republic and fighting under no recognized flag". Only the province of Texas succeeded in breaking with Mexico, establishing the Republic of Texas, and eventually being annexed by the United States.
  The revolution began in October 1835, after a decade of political and cultural clashes between the Mexican government and the increasingly large population of American settlers in Texas. The Mexican government had become increasingly centralized and the rights of its citizens had become increasingly curtailed, particularly regarding immigration from the United States.
context_section_description: Urrea reached Matamoros on January 31.  A committed federalist himself, he soon convinced other federalists in the area that the Texians' ultimate goal was secession and their attempt to spark a federalist revolt in Matamoros was just a method of diverting attention from themselves.  Mexican double agents continued to assure Johnson and Grant that they would be able to take Matamoros easily.  While Johnson waited in San Patricio with a small group of men, Grant and between 26 and 53 others roamed the area between the Nueces River and Matamoros.  Although they were ostensibly searching for more horses, it is likely Grant was also attempting to contact his sources in Matamoros to further coordinate an attack.
  Just after midnight on February 27, Urrea's men surprised Johnson's forces.  Six Texians, including Johnson, escaped; the remainder were captured or killed.  After learning of Grant's whereabouts from local spies,  Mexican dragoons ambushed the Texians at Agua Dulce Creek on March 2.  Twelve Texians were killed, including Grant, four were captured, and six escaped.  Although Urrea's orders were to execute those captured, he instead sent them to Matamoros as prisoners.
  On March 11, Fannin sent Captain Amon B. King to help evacuate settlers from the mission in Refugio. King and his men instead spent a day searching local ranches for centralist sympathizers.  They returned to the mission on March 12 and were soon besieged by Urrea's advance guard and de la Garza's Victoriana Guardes.  That same day, Fannin received orders from Houston to destroy Presidio La Bahía (by then renamed Fort Defiance) and march to Victoria. Unwilling to leave any of his men behind, Fannin sent William Ward with 120 men to help King's company.  Ward's men drove off the troops besieging the church, but rather than return to Goliad, they delayed a day to conduct further raids on local ranches.
  Urrea arrived with almost 1,000 troops on March 14.  At the battle of Refugio, an engagement markedly similar to the battle of Concepción, the Texians repulsed several attacks and inflicted heavy casualties, relying on the greater accuracy and range of their rifles.  By the end of the day, the Texians were hungry, thirsty, tired, and almost out of ammunition.  Ward ordered a retreat, and under cover of darkness and rain the Texian soldiers slipped through Mexican lines, leaving several severely wounded men behind.  Over the next several days, Urrea's men, with the help of local centralist supporters, rounded up many of the Texians who had escaped.  Most were executed, although Urrea pardoned a few after their wives begged for their lives, and  Mexican Colonel Juan José Holzinger insisted that all of the non-Americans be spared.
  By the end of the day on March 16, the bulk of Urrea's forces began marching to Goliad to corner Fannin.  Still waiting for word from King and Ward, Fannin continued to delay his evacuation from Goliad.  As they prepared to leave on March 18, Urrea's advance guard arrived.  For the rest of the day, the two cavalries skirmished aimlessly, succeeding only in exhausting the Texian oxen, which had remained hitched to their wagons with no food or water throughout the day.
  The Texians began their retreat on March 19.  The pace was unhurried, and after travelling only 4 miles (6.4 km), the group stopped for an hour to rest and allow the oxen to graze.  Urrea's troops caught up to the Texians later that afternoon, while Fannin and his force of about 300 men were crossing a prairie.  Having learned from the fighting at Refugio, Urrea was determined that the Texians would not reach the cover of timber approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) ahead, along Coleto Creek.  As Mexican forces surrounded them, the Texians formed a tight hollow square for defense.  They repulsed three charges during this battle of Coleto, resulting in about nine Texians killed and 51 wounded, including Fannin. Urrea lost 50 men, with another 140 wounded.  Texians had little food, no water, and declining supplies of ammunition, but voted to not try to break for the timber, as t
caption: Presidio La Bahía, also known as Fort Defiance, in Goliad
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