The Massacre at Goliad Remembered

The doorbell rang Saturday morning and it was our postal delivery lady bringing me a package. I was not expecting anything and was surprised to receive a package. A quick glance showed it was from a close friend of mine I had not seen in quite a while. I won't name anyone to protect the guilty, but Tom you brought tears to my eyes as I read the certificate in the package and realized what I was holding in my hands. Inside the package were brass buttons from a Republic of Texas defender and also a Mexican musket ball found on the site of one of the massacres near La Bahia at Goliad Texas.

For those of you that know your Texas history James Fannin had sent two patrols against the Mexicans and had lost over 200 of his men either killed or captured. He still commanded around 350 Texans at Goliad and was awaiting orders. Fannin received a letter from Travis asking him to come to the aid of the Texans entrenched at the Alamo. He also received orders from Sam Houston to retreat to Victoria. Whether indecision or whatever reason Fannin did not do either. He finally decided to retreat but soon found his command surrounded by Mexican soldiers in open country. The 350 Texans faced around 1000 Mexicans and put up a hard fight. They fended off several attacks and killed around 200 of the enemy while Fannin lost about 60 soldiers from his command. With no water or supplies and still facing superior forces Fannin raised the white flag believing they would be taken prisoner and eventually returned home. They were escorted back to Goliad as prisoners where Santa Anna sent orders to have them executed. On Sunday March 27th they were divided into several groups, marched out on the prairie and shot. The bodies were piled up and burned. Several weeks later at San Jacinto the battle cry of “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Goliad” rang out across a coastal prairie where Sam Houston and the outnumbered Texas Army defeated the Mexican army of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and gained independence for Texas.

My prayer is that each of you that read this takes a moment to honor those that gave their lives for Texas. Remember that the price of liberty and freedom is not cheap and often paid for in blood. We need to make sure that Tyrants even today understand that we come from good stock and will step across the line drawn in the sand, we will defend our freedom to the death. I can assure you that I will remember and I will teach it to my children.

Tom, I thank you from my heart and want you to know I will be displaying the buttons and musket ball in an honored place on my wall and they will be passed to my children so that they can see how much importance their old dad put on freedom and Texas. God Bless Texas and long live the Republic, Wild Ed