Chapter D

de Zavala, Lorenzo A prominent Mexican Federalist and a Texas
empresario, de Zavala moved his family to a home on Buffalo Bayou
in December 1835. He supported the colonists in both their attempt
to restore the Constitution of 1824 and in their later move for
independence. He represented Harrisburg in the Consultation and in
the Convention of 1836. He was elected interim vice president on
March 17, 1836. His home was used as a hospital for the wounded
after the battle of San Jacinto.

Declaration of Independence Issued by the Convention of 1836, the
document called for complete independence from Mexico. Written by
George Childress, the declaration was approved by the Convention
on March 2 and was signed on March 3, 1836. The original document
was deposited in the United States Secretary of State’s office;
five other copies were sent out to cities in Texas. The five
copies were lost, but the original document was returned to Texas
in 1896.

Declaration of November 7, 1835 Adopted by the Consultation, the
document set out the reasons for making war against Santa Anna.
Among its provisions were 1) Texas pledged support of the
Constitution of 1824, whose terms Santa Anna had violated; 2)
Texas was no longer bound by the compact of union because of this
violation; and 3) Texas had the right to set up an independent
government within the federation, and it would support any other
Mexican state willing to take up arms in defense of federal
principles.

Dickinson, Mrs. Almeron (Suzanna A.) Mrs. Dickinson and her daughter
were in the Alamo with her husband Almeron Dickinson when the
Alamo fell. One of the few survivors, Mrs. Dickinson was given a
Mexican escort when she and her child left San Antonio after the
battle.

Dimmitt, Philip Dimmitt (also spelled “Dimitt” and “Dimmit”) joined
George M. Collinsworth in the assault on Goliad in October 1835.
He remained at Goliad as captain, but Stephen F. Austin replaced
him after receiving complaints about Dimmitt’s conduct from the
alcalde of Goliad and former Governor Agustin Viesca. He
participated in the siege of Bexar, then returned to Goliad.
Dimmitt helped to frame the Goliad Declaration of Independence. He
resigned his command on January 17, 1836. Dimmitt left the Alamo
on February 23 and returned to Dimmitt’s Landing where he
maintained a small force of men throughout the Revolution.

Duval, Burr H. Duval gathered a band of Texas sympathizers, called the
Kentucky Mustangs, and set out for Texas in November 1835.
Arriving at Quintana, the men set out for Goliad where they joined
James W. Fannin’s command. He fought in the battle of Coleto, and
was executed on March 27.

Duval, John Crittenden Duval joined his brother’s volunteer force and
was with him in the battle of Coleto. John Duval, however, was
able to escape. His description of the Goliad massacre, his escape
and subsequent adventures became a Texas classic.

E

Eleven League Grants Under the Mexican Law of March 24, 1825, the
government of Coahuila and Texas could sell eleven league grants
only to Mexicans—an attempt to place some restrictions on land
speculation by Anglo American settlers and to reward loyalty to
the Federalist cause. However, the colonists found it easy, once a
grant was issued, to transfer these titles to themselves. Traffic
in eleven league grants increased markedly after 1830.

Espada Mission Pursuant to an order by General Stephen F. Austin,
James Bowie and James Fannin proceeded to San Francisco de la
Espada Mission to gather information and supplies. On October 22,
after a short engagement with the enemy, men in Bowie and Fannin’s
detachment captured the mission. They were able to repel a Mexican
attack on the 24th successfully.

F

Fannin, James Walker, Jr. Fannin participated in the battle of
Gonzales as captain of the Brazos Guards. With James Bowie, Fannin
led the Texan forces in the battle of Concepcion and the capture
of the Espada Mission. Fannin was offered the position of
Inspector General of the Texan forces by the General Council, but
he took, instead, an honorable discharge on November 22, 1835. He
then spent time campaigning for a larger army. On December 7, Sam
Houston commissioned Fannin a colonel in the regular army; on
December 10, the General Council ordered him to enlist
reinforcements and contract for war supplies. As agent for the
government, Fannin began recruiting forces for the proposed
Matamoros Expedition on January 9. He was elected colonel of the
Provisional Regiment of Volunteers at Goliad on February 7, and he
acted as commander-in-chief of the army from February 12 to March
12, 1836. Learning that Urrea had occupied Matamoros, Fannin and
his men fell back on Goliad and began fortifying the city. Ordered
to relieve William B. Travis at the Alamo, Fannin made a
short-lived effort to transport supplies and ammunition. When the
transport wagons broke down, the soldiers voted to return to
Goliad. After the fall of the Alamo, Houston ordered Fannin to
retreat to Guadalupe Victoria. Fannin delayed, however, staying in
Goliad until March 19. Urrea’s forces surrounded Fannin’s troops
at Coleto Creek, and, after two days of pitched fighting, Fannin
was forced to surrender. He and his men were executed at Goliad on
March 27.

Federalists A Mexican political party which supported a federal system
of government. The federalists opposed Santa Anna’s proposal to do
away with the Mexican Constitution of 1824. The party also
advocated separate statehood for Texas. These men assisted the
Texans during the 1835 campaign, abandoning the Texan cause only
when the colonists declared independence from Mexico.

Filisola, Vicente An Italian general, second in command to Santa Anna,
Filisola supervised the troop crossings at the Colorado after the
army left San Antonio. He joined Gaona in the march eastward. On
April 23 Filisola received news of Santa Anna’s capture. Ordering
the men under his command to congregate near Fort Bend, Filisola
tried to surrender command. When his fellow generals refused to
accept the resignation, Filisola led the Mexican retreat.

_Flash_ The _Flash_ was a privateer fitted out for Texas in the spring
of 1836. The ship picked up victims of the Runaway Scrape on the
Brazos and took them to Morgan’s Point. At Morgan’s Point, the
_Flash_ took on the Texan provisional government and transported
its members to Galveston, narrowly escaping capture by Almonte’s
forces.

_Flora_ An American schooner, the _Flora_ took Sam Houston to New
Orleans for medical treatment after the battle of San Jacinto.

Fort Bend Santa Anna transported his troops across the Brazos at this
point. Later, as the Mexican forces retreated before the Texan
army, Filisola gathered his available forces here and attempted to
resign command.

Fort Defiance James Fannin wrote the government in February to say
that the men of Goliad, after strengthening the fort there, had
elected to rename it “Fort Defiance.”

Fort Jessup The federal fort across the border in Louisiana. Secret
messages from the fort’s commander, E. P. Gaines, to Sam Houston
offered assistance in the pursuit of the war. Troops from Fort
Jessup did, in fact, come onto Texan soil when rumors of Indian
uprisings in the Nacogdoches area were received.

Four Hundred League Grant The Coahuila and Texas legislature passed an
act on March 14, 1835, authorizing the government to sell 400
leagues of land without regard to the size of individual grants—a
violation of previously legislated limitations on the amount of
land which could be purchased by one individual. The scandal
divided Texans throughout much of the Revolution. Attempts to
protect these extensive land purchases were the basis for repeated
efforts to mount a Matamoros Expedition.

G

Gaines, Edmund Pendleton At Stephen F. Austin’s invitation, General
Gaines led a troop of United States soldiers into east Texas to
quell a threatened Indian uprising. They remained in the
Nacogdoches area until the Texan government had been organized
after the end of the war.

Galveston Members of the _ad interim_ government fled to Galveston in
April 1836. It became the temporary capital of the Republic, until
the government was sworn in at Columbia in October 1836.

Gaona, Antonio Gaona was a general in the Mexican army. Santa Anna
ordered him to march to Nacogdoches by way of Bastrop. These
orders were changed on April 15. Gaona was to proceed from Bastrop
to San Felipe to join Santa Anna’s forces. Gaona’s men became lost
in the “desert” around Bastrop, causing them to miss their
rendezvous with Santa Anna and participation in the battle of San
Jacinto.

Goliad Formerly called La Bahia, Goliad was a major point of military
operations in both 1835 and 1836. Texans captured Goliad on
October 9, 1835. Supplies captured in this battle allowed Stephen
F. Austin and his men to carry on the siege of Bexar. James W.
Fannin marched his command to Goliad and set up headquarters near
the presidio. He remained committed to the defense of Goliad,
seeing it as the most suitable location for a supply depot for the
Texan forces in the field. James B. Bonham’s arrival from the
Alamo, requesting men and supplies to relieve William B. Travis,
caused Fannin to attempt a rescue mission. The effort failed, and
Fannin remained at Goliad until March 19. As Urrea’s forces neared
Goliad, they fought a number of skirmishes with troops under the
command of Johnson, Ward, King, and Grant. The survivors of these
conflicts—when there were any—rallied to Goliad, only to be
captured at Coleto, marched back to Goliad and executed.

Goliad Declaration of Independence A document drafted by Philip
Dimmitt and Ira Ingram, the Declaration was read to the citizens
of Goliad on December 20, 1835. 91 signatures were attached, and
the document was sent to the General Council. It arrived just as
the government was deep in negotiations with sympathetic
Federalists. The Declaration did not have any immediate effect on
the Texan’s conduct of the war or their reasons for fighting. It
did, however, alienate popular Mexican support for the Texan
cause.

Goliad Massacre James W. Fannin’s men captured at Coleto along with
survivors of units commanded by Ward and Grant were returned to
Goliad after the battle of Coleto. When Fannin surrendered, he
understood that the men would be treated as prisoners of war, and
Urrea did request that the prisoners be so regarded. The Mexican
government, however, had passed the Black Decrees. Anyone taking
up arms against the Mexican government was to be considered a
pirate and was subject to immediate execution. Santa Anna wrote
back ordering immediate execution, and he backed that order up
with a similar one to Nicolas de la Portilla, the commander at
Goliad. On Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836 unwounded Texans were
divided into three columns and were marched down three roads to
points about a half mile outside Goliad. Ordered to halt, the men
were cut down by firing squads. Men from two of the columns,
halted near wooded areas, were able to make an escape and to carry
the news of the slaughter. Fannin, who had been wounded at Coleto,
and about 40 men were killed at the fort.

Gonzales, Battle of An engagement fought four miles above Gonzales,
the battle took place on October 2, 1835. When, in the latter part
of September, Domingo de Ugartechea demanded the city surrender
its cannon, the colonists refused. They buried the cannon in
George W. Davis’s peach orchard on September 29. When the men
under Francisco Castaneda marched on the town, the colonists dug
up the cannon, mounted it, and fired the first shot of the
Revolution. When the Mexican army learned that the unit sent to
capture the cannon was taken prisoner, it stopped west of the
Guadalupe.

Gonzales, Jose Maria A federalist colonel, Gonzales escorted former
governor Agustin Viesca in his flight to Texas. In San Antonio,
Gonzales issued a proclamation calling on Mexicans to support the
Texan cause and to restore the Constitution of 1824. In January,
he led a force against the Mexican town of Mier. Urrea marched to
intercept the army, and, although he captured 24 federalist rebels
on January 22, Gonzales and the rest made their escape. The
captives were used as guides and scouts for Urrea’s army as they
marched through Texas.

Grant, James Dr. Grant joined the siege of Bexar. He was elected the
Goliad representative to the consultation, but remained in the
field during that body’s deliberations. In early spring 1836,
Grant and F. W. Johnson organized a Matamoros Expedition and
proceeded as far as San Patricio. Grant and a party of 15
volunteers were attacked at Agua Dulce Creek on March 2. Grant was
killed, and most of his men who escaped were taken prisoner and
marched to Goliad where they were executed on March 27.

Grass Fight On the afternoon of November 26, James Bowie with about
100 men attacked a pack train believed to be carrying supplies and
pay for the Mexican troops in San Antonio. The engagement took
place about a mile from San Antonio. Seeing the battle in
progress, Cos began firing from the Alamo. Bowie’s detachment was
joined by the main army. The Mexicans eventually retreated to San
Antonio. The packs, when opened, were found to contain only grass
for the Mexican cavalry horses.

Groce’s Landing Located on the site of the Bernardo Plantation at the
Maelina or Coushatta Crossing of the Brazos in present-day Waller
County. Leonard H. Groce was operating the plantation at the
outbreak of the Revolution. The Texas Army camped there on the
west bank of the river, one-half mile from the ferry, from March
31 to April 14, 1836.

H

Hall, Warren D. C. Hall was a member of the Committee of Safety at
Columbia. David G. Burnet appointed him adjutant general, and he
served as secretary of war while Thomas J. Rusk was in the field
with the Texas army.

_Hannah Elizabeth_ On November 19, 1835, the American schooner _Hannah
Elizabeth_ was attacked by the Mexican armed vessel _Bravo_. On
November 21, the Texan privateer _William Robbins_, which had
received letters of marque and reprisal from the Texas government,
landed 20 volunteers, the captain and 3 crew members. They took
the _Hannah Elizabeth_ from the Mexican captors. Considering the
ship as salvage, the Texans eventually sold its cargo at auction,
an action which led to considerable criticism from other Texans as
well as protests from the United States.

Harrisburg The General Council designated Harrisburg as the seat of
government for the newly-created Municipality of Harrisburg. On
April 16 Santa Anna burned the entire town, leaving only John W.
Moore’s residence standing.

Horton, Albert Clinton Horton came to Texas with the Mobile Grays in
late December 1835. In the spring, Horton raised a cavalry unit to
go to James W. Fannin’s relief. They arrived at Goliad on March
16, and on March 17, the unit fought a brief skirmish with Urrea’s
troops. His men were sent out to investigate the crossing at
Coleto Creek on March 19, but when they returned, they found
Fannin already surrounded by Urrea’s forces. Horton fell back,
seeing the hopelessness of rendering any practical aid to Fannin.

Horton, Alexander Horton served in the Consultation as the
representative of Ayish Bayou. After Sam Houston was named
commander-in-chief of the Texas Army in 1836, Horton became his
aide-de-camp. He fought in the battle of San Jacinto.

Houston, Sam A delegate to the Consultation, Houston was elected major
general of the regular Texas Army by the General Council on
November 12. He left to join the Texas forces at Goliad and
Refugio on January 8. When he arrived, however, the volunteers
refused to serve under him because of Houston’s opposition to the
Matamoros Expedition. Houston went to east Texas and spent
February negotiating peace treaties with the Indians. He
represented Refugio in the Convention of 1836, and he was
appointed commander-in-chief of all army units—regular, volunteer,
and militia—by that body. He took command at Gonzales on March 11.
Two days later he ordered a retreat eastward after receiving news
of the fall of the Alamo. Finally halting at Groce’s Landing,
Houston spent the next month training the raw recruits who made up
the remaining Texas Army. On April 14 he then began the march
which culminated in the battle of San Jacinto on April 21. Houston
was severely wounded in the ankle in that engagement, and on May 5
he went to New Orleans for medical treatment.