on the 20th of december, 1835, there was a spirited meeting of citizens and soldiers at the old town of la bahia (goliad) on the san antonio river.

la bahia—which means “the bay”—was already old when austin laid off his town on the brazos. captain alonzo de leon, on his way to attack la salle at fort st. louis in 1689, stopped there; and in 1718 don domingo ramon with his troopers and friars built there the mission of espiritu santo (the holy ghost) for the benefit of the fierce carankawae indians.

the town had seen stirring times during the century and a half of its existence. there had been many indian fights in and around the mission church, when the garrison was weak and the priests could not control their red-skinned converts; it was in the same church in 1812 that magee’s army was besieged, and from its doors his republicans sallied forth to their victorious hand-to-hand conflict with the spaniards. here, too, in 1819, general long surrendered to the mexicans and was carried away to a treacherous death.

and here in october, 1835, the mexican commandant sandoval had been surprised in his sleep by the texans, his soldiers made prisoners, and the fort and its stores handed over to his captors.

78

the general consultation at san felipe in november, 1835, had thought it more prudent to declare their adherence to the mexican republican constitution than to issue a declaration of independence.

the citizens and soldiers of goliad, on the 20th of december following, boldly set their names to a document resolving “that the former state and department of texas is and ought to be a free, sovereign, and independent state.”

among the signers were several boys fifteen and sixteen years of age.

this paper was sent to the governor and his council at san felipe by whom it was disapproved and suppressed. they thought it premature. but it was a straw that showed which way the revolutionary wind was blowing.

captain philip dimitt, who was at the head of this movement, was commandant at the fortress at goliad with about eighty men under his command.

over at san antonio at this time, there was much dissatisfaction among the volunteers remaining there. they were more restless than ever, with their own flag waving above the alamo and no enemy in sight. they had left their homes and firesides for a purpose. it was fighting they were eager for, not idling around a camp-fire.

they were, therefore, delighted when an expedition was set on foot for the capture of matamoras on the rio grande river. general houston, who had fixed his headquarters at washington on the brazos, wished to place colonel james bowie in command of this expedition; but in the confusion arising from the quarrels between governor smith and his council at san felipe, an english physician, named grant, assumed the leadership (january, 1836).

79

dr. grant had taken part in the storming of san antonio; he was brave and gallant, and a favorite with his fellow-soldiers. two hundred volunteers gathered under his standard; he helped himself without leave to arms and ammunition from the fortress stores, took clothing and provisions from the townspeople, and started for matamoras.

he halted at goliad. but only long enough to seize and press into service captain dimitt’s drove of army horses.

here by order of the council, who had decided to sustain grant, he was joined by colonel frank w. johnson, and they marched away, leaving captain dimitt indignant and angry.

the citizens and soldiers at san antonio were likewise indignant and angry; and with far better reason. colonel neill, left by johnson in command of the alamo with only sixty men, sent to general houston a report describing the helpless and suffering condition of that place after the high-handed raid of grant and his volunteers.

houston was much disturbed by this report. he enclosed it to governor smith, requesting him to refer it to the council. the commander-in-chief denounced the action of grant in strong terms and added:

“within thirty hours i shall set out for the army, and repair there with all possible dispatch. i pray that a confidential dispatch may meet me at goliad.... no language can express my anguish of soul. oh! save my poor country! send supplies to the sick and the hungry, for god’s sake!”

he left washington on the brazos river on the 8th of january and reached goliad on the 16th. on his arrival he sent for colonel bowie.

james bowie.

80

james bowie had come to texas with long’s expedition. he was a famous indian fighter. in 1831, near the near the old san saba mission, with ten companions, including his brother, rezin bowie, he had fought one hundred and sixty comanches and caddoes, armed with bows and arrows, and guns. the savages surprised and surrounded the little party, discharging their arrows and firing their guns in true indian fashion from behind rocks, trees, and bushes. the fire was returned, and at every crack of a rifle a redskin bit the dust. the crafty warriors, finding they could not dislodge the hunters, set fire to the dry prairie grass; then they renewed the attack, rending the air with shrill yells. “the sparks flew so thick,” said rezin bowie afterward, “that we could not open our powder-horns without danger of being blown up.” but they held their ground. the indians drew off at nightfall, and all night long the hunters heard them wailing their dead. the next morning the red warriors had disappeared. bowie lost but one man in this fight; the indians had eighty-two killed and wounded.

bowie was as noted for his coolness and prudence as for his unflinching courage. in person he was tall and fair, with soft blue eyes, and a somewhat careless address. he had married a mexican lady—the daughter of vice-governor veramendi of san antonio—and was devoted to the interests of texas. he was the inventor of the deadly knife which bears his name.

the result of the interview between houston and bowie was that bowie left goliad the next morning for san antonio, with a company of thirty men. he bore orders from houston to colonel neill to leave san antonio, blow up the fort, and bring off the artillery.

colonel neill found it impossible to get teams to transport the artillery; he therefore did not carry out any of these instructions. bowie remained at san antonio.

81

houston made an effort to concentrate at goliad and refugio the slender force which made up his army. but he was so hampered by the intrigues and wrangling of the government officials, that early in february he gave up the command and returned to washington on the brazos, leaving colonel james w. fannin in command of goliad, with four hundred men. on the 25th of the same month a messenger came into goliad. his face was worn with an anxiety which he did not try to conceal; his eyes were heavy with fatigue. he sought fannin and had a brief but earnest talk with him. then he turned, setting his face in the direction whence he had come, and went his way.

this messenger was the fearless and courtly south carolinian, james b. bonham. his message was from colonel travis, pent up in the fortress of the alamo and besieged by the army of santa anna. he appealed for help from fannin and the army at goliad.

on the 28th fannin started with reinforcements of men and artillery to the relief of travis; but before he was fairly on the way his wagons broke down. while he was trying to get them repaired, and at the same time uncertain as to whether he should go on to san antonio or not, placido benevidas (bā-nā-vee′das), one of grant’s men, came up with weighty news. the mexican general urrea (ur-rā′a) was marching upon goliad with an army of one thousand men. fannin returned in haste to the town and began to strengthen his fortifications.

san patricio, where grant and johnson were encamped, was surprised on the night of the 28th of february by urrea’s soldiers. the volunteers, with the exception of johnson himself and four of his companions who managed to escape, were all captured or killed. grant, who was out with a squad of men collecting horses, was killed some days later and his body frightfully mutilated.