On this day, 27 March 1836 - Mexican army executes 417 Texans at Goliad

In November 1835, Texan leaders proclaimed their resistance to Santa Anna’s dictatorship, though they stopped short of calling for independence. The next month, December 1835, the Texans managed to defeat 800 Mexican soldiers and drive them out of San Antonio, infuriating Mexican General and despot Santa Ana. However, the Texan leaders were divided over what to do next, wasting valuable time and making them vulnerable to Santa Anna’s plans to punish the Texans for their actions.

While the Texas rebels squabbled, Santa Anna moved decisively. In early February 1836 a massive Mexican army crossed the Rio Grande, and after a 13-day siege of the Alamo, even thought sustaining heavy causalities, the Texans were anniliated and Mexican General Urrea, moved his army towards the town of Goliad.

James W. Fannin had just more than 300 Texans to protect Goliad, a position the Texans needed to protect and maintain vital supply routes to the Gulf Coast. As General Urrea’s much larger 1,400-man army approached, Fannin forces attempted to fall back from the approaching Mexican army, but his retreat order came too late allowing the much larger Mexican force to encircle the Texans on 19 March 1836. Rather than see his force annihilated, Fannin surrendered.

Some of the Texans who surrendered believed they would be treated as prisoners of war, despite Santa Anna's early promise that all Texan rebels would be given no quarter. In obedience to Santa Anna’s orders, on 27 March 1836 General Urrea ordered his men to open fire on Fannin and his soldiers, along with about 100 other captured Texans. More than 400 men were executed that day at Goliad.

Despite the Mexican goal to crush the Texan rebels, the Alamo defeat and Goliad Massacre galvanized and motivated Texans, yelling “Remember Goliad!” and “Remember the Alamo!” One month later, General Sam Houston and his Texan forces defeated the Mexican Army and capturing General Santa in the Battle of San Jacinto, and Texas won its independence.

A little Texas History

In late 1834, Jose Antonio Navarro was appointed to serve as a Senator in the Mexican Congress, just reconstituted by President Santa Anna. He sought the advice of his uncle Jose Francisco Ruiz. This was his response:

"I will give you my advice in a few words, remembering the favorite expression of your worthy father, Bread is Bread, Wine is Wine. The die is cast, and in a few months will begin the revolution that will forever separate Texas from the Republic of Mexico."

"I feel a lump in my throat when I say this. I spent the flower of my life and freely shed my blood for the Independence of Mexico, and I would willingly do so again, though I am now old, could I see any evidence that unfortunate Mexico was capable of governing herself, or upholding the honor of her flag and her nationality; but I have lost all hope of remedy, and see nothing in the future but her inevitable ruin and degradation."

"I have military honors (you know it well), and receive a pension from the Government of Mexico. I will lose it all rather than go to Mexico and unite myself to the ranks of that oppressive army. Do not go to the Senate of Mexico, for you will only go to assist in quenching the dying embers of Mexican liberty; let us rather stay in Texas, and throw in our lot with our native State, which can never be worse than now. This is all I have to say."

Navarro took his uncle's advice and a year later, these two and Lorenzo de Zavala were the only native Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence.