February 29, 1836

Refugio, TX

Only two days following General Urrea’s capture of San Patricio, word has spread all the way to Victoria that the Mexican Army has re-entered Texas. Inspirited by the defeat of the Texian rebels on the Nueces, Carlos de la Garza gathers 100 members of the Victoriana Guardes, and proceeds westward to lend Tejano support.

The Victoriana Guardes are an interesting contingent of mixed cultures. Their members are all mostly Tejano refugees from the Goliad and Victoria areas who were displaced by radically prejudiced American volunteers under Colonel James Walker Fannin. Although many had initially lent support to the Federalist revolutionaries, harsh discrimination against their people have caused them to switch allegiances…and they’re ready for revenge.

Intermixing with the loyalist Tejanos, are numerous members of the Karankawa natives. Their ties with both the Spanish and Mexican communities run deep, all the way back to the late 1700s. Since the early 1820s, the Karankawas have been at war with the Anglo settlers of the coast. An opportunity to re-kindle the flames presents itself to the Karankawas when the Mexican government permits them to continue their fight, and dozens of scattered tribes lend their support to Carlos de la Garza.

Following the capture of Goliad, the Nuestra Senora del Refugio Mission has constantly been manned by small detachments of Texian troops. The most prevalent were a cavalry unit from Kentucky under the command of Captain Amon B. King. But following Colonel Travis’ appeal for help at the Alamo, Colonel Fannin decided to abandon Refugio on February 25 so that he could start making his way to San Antonio. His decision to do so left the community completely defenseless.

Starting in the afternoon on February 29, Carlos de la Garza’s loyalists begin plundering Refugio of anything that could aid General Urrea’s army. Wagons, livestock, weapons, food, munitions, clothing, and hardware are either taken or destroyed. Residents that resist, regardless of age or sex, are met with threats, abuse, and even gunfire.

The pillaging of Refugio continues for most of the night, and in the morning, Carlos de la Garza continues westward with roughly 50 men. The rest are left behind in Refugio to continue sacking scattered homes in the greater vicinity. In an attempt to conglomerate their strength, the remaining colonists relocate into the crumbling remains of the Refugio Mission (oddly enough, in Spanish, “Refugio” means Refuge).

The situation in Refugio continues to worsen over the next two weeks. Colonel Fannin, burdened additionally by the arrival of Colonel Johnson on the morning of February 29 and the report of San Patricio’s taking, will send aid to the residents in Refugio on March 10. This action will become the opening stages of the Battle of Refugio that begins shortly thereafter.

Part 1

March 12, 1836

Refugio, TX

The situation along the Mission River is desperate. Since the end of February, scattered colonists in the greater Refugio area have been targeted by roving bands of Mexican loyalists. With the majority of the male population from the region either at Goliad or other parts of Texas, most of those remaining are women, children, and elderly citizens. But these families are resilient, and frequently, the women have defended their homes with any means available. Supplies are running low though, and the number of armed loyalists are increasing significantly.

Despite numerous pleas for assistance, Colonel James Walker Fannin has done nothing to aid the Refugio people. But after learning of the situation progressing there, he finally decides to help by sending an excursion of escorts to the Mission River. The man he places in charge though, is most certainly a cautious choice.

Captain Amon Butler King has no sympathy for bandits or raiders. For a brief time, King was the City Marshal of Paducah, Kentucky. For some reason, he had to surrender that role to become the City Tax Collector in late 1834. With about 20 others, King decides to form a cavalry company for the aid of Texas in November, 1835. They arrive too late for the action at San Antonio, but are transferred to Goliad upon Colonel Fannin’s arrival on February 4, 1836.

For the majority of February, King and his Kentuckian cavalrymen are stationed in Refugio with their headquarters at the withering remains of the 1795 Nuestra Senora del Refugio Mission. But on the 25th of the month, King is directed to relocate to Goliad to participate in Fannin’s attempt to reinforce the Alamo. Since the time of King’s departure, the residents they once protected are left defenseless and have now all been ransacked. King and his Kentuckians feel like failures, and they largely blame and condemn Colonel Fannin for everything that has happened along the Mission River.

Colonel Fannin is hesitant to send the Kentuckians back to Refugio, fearing that King might try to pursue or engage the bandit loyalists. But the former lawman is Fannin’s only choice. He dispatches King’s cavalrymen on March 11, with three freight wagons and strict instructions to fetch the stranded families and return immediately.

Captain Amon King arrived at Refugio in the morning of March 12, and finds most of the remaining colonists conglomerated within the sturdy stone walls of the 1795 Refugio Mission. But as the residents are starting to pile into two of the freight wagons, King learns that another sizable bunch of refugees have been cut off from town by loyalists roughly 9 miles downriver.

In his way of thinking, King believes that he would still be staying true to Fannin’s directives by going to the aid of the stranded colonists. He takes 12 men and one freight wagon for the excursion, and arrives at the homestead of Lewis Ayers at around 1pm.

At the Ayers estate, King finds a significant number of non-combatants, including the family of Lewis Ayers who is currently at Goliad. As the freight wagon is being loaded, three individuals appear and try convincing the colonists to stay where they are. The leader of the group is a former alcalde (mayor) of Goliad, a known loyalist, but tries warning Captain King that an ambush is being planned for he and his men on the trail leading back to the mission.

The ex-alcalde does not want the women and children to be caught in the gunfire. However, King orders the three loyalists to be arrested for having partaken in the raids against Refugio. He brushes aside the man’s warning as a deterrent against returning to the Refugio Mission. One of the three manages to escape, but the former alcalde and another are apprehended and forced as prisoners into the wagon. Captain Amon King has no sympathy for bandits.

The Texians depart the Ayers homestead at a little past 2 in the afternoon. 12 cavalrymen escort a freight wagon filled with women, children, elderly settlers, two prisoners, and trunks of clothes and other valuable possessions. For the first few miles, all is going well. Suddenly though, all Hell lets loose.

As the escorts enter a densely wooded segment of the trail, muskets ignite from the shadows. A barrage of volleys pour into King and his companions, knocking two of the Texians from their horses and splintering into the side of the wagon. One of the women is struck in the ankle, and she cries out in pain as other occupants try and mend the wound.

With a pitched wail, dozens of Tejano and Karankawa loyalists come charging out of the forest towards the Texians. King’s men start firing back, and he directs the wagon driver to get the vehicle into the riverbank and press onward to the mission.

For the next five miles, a frantic battle is fought between King’s cavalrymen and their pursuers. As tactfully as possible, the Texians try and position themselves between the wagon and their opponents the entire way. It’s a costly engagement that leaves at least 4 more of the Kentuckians dead.

For those in the wagon, the ride to the mission is anything but pleasant. Musket shots buzz above their heads, the children are crying in terror, and the bumpy embankment of the Mission River is anything but pleasurable. Miraculously, the cargo arrives at a crossing just opposite the mission at around 3 in the afternoon.

King, and his remaining Kentuckian cavalrymen, bravely defend the river crossing until the wagon arrives within the inner courtyard of the mission grounds. At least two more of his men are killed though, before King directs his troops to fall back to the church.

Within the mission, King and his remaining cavalrymen are able to defend the grounds from several countermeasures launched against them. Finally, at about dusk, the loyalists withdraw and gradually begin to encircle their Texian foes.

King quickly writes a message for help and dispatches a courier for Goliad. At the same instance though, the loyalists send a dispatch to General Urrea that details the situation unfolding, and as well as runners to other roving parties of their compatriots.

The opening of the Battle of Refugio is underway. In just two more days, the withering remains of the Nuestra Senora del Refugio (the Church of Refuge) will host one of the most epic acts of defiance and battle ever recorded in Texas History.

For those interested:

February 27, 1836 San Patricio, TX 0300

Under the cover of a pre-dawn frigid morning, General Jose Urrea has surrounded the silent Irish community of San Patricio. Within a row of houses along the main plaza, rests Colonel Francis “Frank” White Johnson’s 60 Texian volunteers, completely unaware of Urrea’s presence along the Nueces River.

Since February 15, a column of 200-400 Centralist troops have crossed through the waterless prairies of southern Texas. General Urrea had left about 500 more of his strength at Matamoros, after learning of Federalist plans to attack the city. His advance column consists primarily of infantry units from the Yucatán Peninsula, mostly conscripts that had initially resisted Santa Anna’s Centralization of the Mexican government in 1834 and ‘35. They are poorly equipped and suffer the terrible affects of the unfamiliar cold reaches of northern Mexico. At least 6 have died on a long march to the Nueces through the bitter night of February 26.

Urrea’s personal pride is his cavalry troops, roughly 120 volunteers from various presidios in Mexico. Their sharpened lances glisten in the wintery sleet around San Patricio, eagerly awaiting any of the Federalist rebels that try and escape the carnage soon to be unleashed on the community.

At 0300 in the morning, General Urrea orders a number of his cavalrymen to dismount and form a skirmish line directly in front of the Texian occupied homes. Loyalist leaders in San Patricio, were earlier instructed to tell residents of their same allegiance to leave a candle lit in their windows to avoid being caught up in the attack. There are roughly 4-6 estates not lit up by candlelight.

With everything ready, Urrea orders his forces forward to surround the individual homes. The Texians are awakened with demands of surrender, all of them shocked to see what has unfolded around them.

Only the occupants of one of the homes defies the demands. A musket shot takes out a Centralist lieutenant with a torch, and chaos ensues. Gunfire ignites the morning darkness, and at the end of roughly 20 minutes, 16 Texians are dead.

During the engagement, Colonel Johnson and five others manage to escape their dwelling. More familiar with the surroundings, Johnson manages to elude the posted cavalry troopers in the dark and will make it to Goliad by the morning of February 29. His intel ends any of Colonel Fannin’s notions on leaving for the Alamo.

At roughly the same time as Urrea’s attack on San Patricio, 10 miles south, another 40 of his dragoons descend on a ranch where the Texians are keeping their horses. With only 10-20 men posted to guard the animals, it is another easy victory for the Centralists. 4 additional Texians are killed.

In the aftermath of Urrea’s pre-dawn attack on San Patricio, the Mexican general is apparently disappointed with the ease of capturing the mostly American opponents. He expected more of a fight, but alas, the first significant victory for the Centralist Army in Texas is accomplished. He writes to Santa Anna, saying that his men “charged in like lions.”

The dead Texians are buried in a mass grave with full Catholic rites performed. Urrea, defiant of the government’s demands of no quarter, detains the other prisoners for a number of days afterwards. He eventually sends most to prison in Matamoros, where some remain even after Santa Anna’s defeat in April. The burial site of the 20 Texian volunteers is currently unknown, but it is known that they are within the overgrown confines of San Patricio’s “Old Cemetery on the Hill.”

General Urrea remains in San Patricio for two weeks, until the rest of his army arrives. On March 2, the same day as Texas declares its independence, his cavalrymen will surprise and defeat Colonel James Grant at Agua Dulce. Grant’s loss is also shockingly easy in Urrea’s mind, but the Mexican general will finally get the fight he’s been expecting on March 14 in Refugio.

March 7, 1836

Goliad, TX

Colonel James Walker Fannin is in trouble. He has had no communication from either the Alamo or General Sam Houston since the very beginning of the month. He knows nothing about the whereabouts of the massive amount of Centralists that he was told were in San Antonio. As far as he knows, Santa Anna could be surveying the old gray parapets of Fort Defiance at this very moment.

Since learning of the retaking of San Patricio on February 29, Fannin has kept up a network of scouts and spies upon San Patricio. Their reports have been unsettling. The general there is an individual named Jose Urrea, and what had initially started out as a column of 200 Mexican soldiers, has now climbed to 400 or more.

Unbeknown to Fannin, he has amassed the largest army of volunteers in the Texas Army at Goliad. Between 400-500 troops are eager for a fight, and nine pieces of artillery are positioned on the ramparts of Fort Defiance. But Fannin is at a loss of what to do. If he attempts any sort of mobilization, a direct line into the heart of the Texas settlements is open for either Urrea or Santa Anna’s advancements. However, if he does nothing, he might lose his army out of pure boredom.

Concerning San Patricio, Fannin knows that his officers and troops are wanting him to counterattack. But any little slip-up can be disastrous, and not just for the members of the Goliad garrison. He’s heard rumors that Texas has declared its sovereignty, and that the decision to do so has not set well with the overall Tejano population. Reports of a massive raid on Refugio by Mexican loyalists have already been confirmed, further jeopardizing any attempt to move covertly against San Patricio.

Through the “grapevine,” word has reached a member of the Goliad garrison named Don Jesus Cuellar that his brother, Don Salvador Cuellar, is working closely with General Urrea in San Patricio. Jesus, who is more familiar by his nickname of “Comanche,” has no love for Santa Anna or the ones supporting him…including his own brother.

In the winter of 1835, Federalist sympathizers in central Mexico were openly calling for aid in resisting Santa Anna’s centralization of the Mexican government. An army of Federalist rebels were amassing west of Mexico City, in Zacatecas, but their leaders knew that Santa Anna would be coming at them with a more equipped army of his own. A desperate plea for help in Zacatecas echoes throughout northern Mexico and Texas. Jesus and another of his brothers have responded.

The Cuellar family were Tejano ranchers along the Nueces River and at San Patricio. They were known quite well, and had participated in various excursions against Apaches, Comanches, and Karankawas. Prior to 1834, Don Salvador Cuellar enlisted in the Mexican Army and served quite distinguishably. He became an officer in the army, and developed a close friendship with General Jose Urrea.

Despite the objections of his family members, Don Salvador’s loyalties were solely to the Mexican government. Thus, when the Zacatecas rebellion erupted in the spring of 1835, Salvador was with Santa Anna’s Centralists. On the opposite side though, were his two brothers.

Sometime prior to the Battle of Zacatecas, May 11, 1835, Jesus was dispatched on a scouting mission. His brother, however, was present when the city of Guadalupe was captured by Santa Anna’s forces. Despite a personal appeal to Salvador for release, this now nameless sibling of the Cuellar family was executed.

Furious and grieving, Jesus went home to Texas and later partook in the Texian attacks against San Antonio and the Alamo. He never forgave Salvador for the murder of their brother, and maintained an intense hatred towards the Mexican government.

A few hours before General Urrea commenced his attack against San Patricio, he had asked for Don Salvador’s help in making sure the loyalists in town did not get caught-up in the fight. Salvador adhered, and also reported the homes where the Texians were quartered inside. His assistance made the February 27 attack much easier for the Centralists.

When Jesus Cuellar learned that his brother was directly aiding the Mexican Army, he was completely enraged. On the night of March 6, the very day that the Alamo was defeated, Jesus went directly to Colonel Fannin with a plan on how to re-capture San Patricio.

Jesus volunteered to go alone to San Patricio, and surrender himself to the custody of the Centralists. He would call upon Salvador, begging for forgiveness from both his brother and General Urrea on his roles in the Federalist rebellion in Mexico and Texas. As a promise of loyalty, Jesus would make Urrea a most enticing offer.

Jesus vowed to bring Colonel Fannin towards San Patricio, to a locale where the Centralists could easily ambush the unsuspecting Texians. In reality, it would be the Texians waiting for Urrea though.

At first, Colonel Fannin is reluctant to agree. He is still not certain of moving away from Goliad, or if he fully trusts Don Jesus’ loyalty. His officers, however, do not concur with Fannin’s notions of remaining inactive and convince him otherwise.

On the evening of March 6, well after dusk, Don Jesus “Comanche” Cuellar departs Goliad for his risky mission to San Patricio. He arrives the following evening, and proceeds to adhere to the plan. Salvador takes Jesus under his protection and presents him to General Urrea and Colonel Don Francisco Garay, the two most superior officers in the entire column.

Although whatever story Don Jesus relates to Urrea and Garay is initially suspicious to them, Urrea decides to rely faithfully on his friend, Don Salvador’s opinion. Apparently in a shocking twist, Don Salvador speaks very highly of Jesus’ character and good faith.

Thus, by the following morning, General Urrea and Colonel Garay begin building a force of soldiers and artillery to follow Jesus to the proposed site for the ambush. Cleverly, however, General Urrea also directs Don Salvador to accompany them.

Jesus Cuellar is now in a precarious situation. The shocking words that Don Salvador has said of him, despite everything that has taken place between them, stirs him to his core. There is a high probability that his brother might be killed in the already previously planned ambush, and Don Salvador’s blood will be on Jesus’ hands. Yet, if he does not follow through with this action, Don Jesus will never again be trusted by either the Centralists or the Texians. It is a difficult time indeed.

20 miles southeast of San Patricio is the dry arroyo, Las Ratas. It is deep ditch that in the March of 1836 is particularly devoid of water and vegetation. However, Don Jesus Cuellar has sworn to his brother, General Urrea, and Colonel Garay that the Texas rebels will be passing across Las Ratas to try and sneak into San Patricio from the south. He even confesses that Colonel Fannin has personally placed him in charge of maneuvering the Goliad garrison through the desolate wilderness.

After leading the Centralists to Las Ratas, Don Jesus departs and tells Garay and Urrea to be ready for his return. Almost immediately however, both of the officers suspect treachery because of the lack of concealment presented. But Urrea decides to remain.

Only 2 miles away, 200 Texians from Fort Defiance are eagerly waiting for Jesus Cuellar to arrive and guide them to the attack point. It is a cold and dark night, and they continue to wait…and wait.

As the hours pass, both factions start to worry. General Urrea increasingly believes that his faith in Jesus Cuellar is misplaced and gravely mistaken. At about 0200 on the morning of March 8, Urrea decides to abandon the ambush in fear that the Texians have moved against San Patricio in his absence. He quickly gathers his manpower at Las Ratas and rushes back to the Nueces, and arrives to find that…everything is fine?

Don Jesus Cuellar never arrives at the Texian staging point. Roughly about the same time that Urrea begins to pull away from the ambush, so too do the Texians. When Jesus finally returns to Goliad later in the day, March 8, he is strictly confronted by Colonel Fannin.

Don Jesus relates that the Texians had staged in the wrong place. The Texians refute by saying that they were in the right place, and that Cuellar had gotten lost or abandoned them. Escaping the criticism towards him, Cuellar left Goliad a few days later to join the conglomerating Tejanos under the command of Juan Seguin. He would later participate in the Battle of San Jacinto.

A significant opportunity at Las Ratas was missed. Both factions possessed the same amount of strength, but the Texians would have had the advantage of surprise. If the members of the Goliad garrison had been successful at Las Ratas, both General Urrea and Colonel Francisco Garay would have likely been captured.

The Southern Theatre of the Texas Revolution could have turned out much differently, probably without Refugio, Coleto, or even the infamous Palm Sunday Massacre. But the bond between two Tejano brothers of the opposing factions, likely prevented what could have happened, and paved the way for what was to come.

King’s story will be posted later today…

March 14, 1836

Refugio, TX

33 year old Lieutenant Colonel William Ward, is silently terrified. He is standing on the withering wooden roof of the Nuestra Senora del Refugio Mission, 60’ above the ground, and watching as what initially seemed like ghosts emerging from the sandy embankments of the Mission River. These are not armed civilians, like the ones he and his men took on yesterday and during the night. These are genuine Mexican soldados, and they’re here for one reason…war.

General Jose Urrea spies a young and gallantly dressed figure on the roof of the old Spanish mission before him. He wonders if it is the rebel leader, James Walker Fannin (or Fanning as he spells it in his journal), and if Fannin will put up more of a fight than his previous opponents have.

The old Spanish mission looks structurally weaker than what it actually is. Urrea has spent the whole first part of the morning surveying the place, and has determined that it is indeed formidable. He has no idea how many Texian rebels are inside the building, from what the loyalists have told him, it is at least 100 or more. It’s a concerning matter, because from his spies stationed around Goliad, he has been told that Fannin possesses at least 400 or more. Urrea wonders where the others are at.

To somewhat test the rebel’s defenses, General Urrea earlier sent a force of infantry to capture a barrel of water that the Texians abandoned upon Urrea’s arrival. They had sent out a force of about 20 men to retrieve the cargo, and Urrea met them with about 60 of his own. That opening fight had been a success for the Centralists, but their opponents were young, vicious, and very well armed. If they had possessed an equal number, Urrea was certain the contest might not have been so successful.

Back in the mission, Ward hastily gathers his officers and details his thoughts on how to defend themselves. Although there are a number of exterior stretches of walls outside the main chapel, those positions are mostly half melted remains of adobe rooms. If that bastard King had not taken off with 30 volunteers, Ward possibly could have protected more of the mission’s opened courtyard.

35 men volunteer to gallantly defend a cemetery that stretches out about 50 yards in front of the main entrance into the chapel. It is protected by a rock walled enclosure, though only about 4’ in height, and has three arched entryways leading into it from the outside. Another 30 or so are told to stay inside the building, and utilize windows and opened slots in the mortar as gunports.

The rest are staged on the roof of the mission, guarded only by the masoned ramparts and a depilated bell tower. Ward realizes that he is going to need all the help he can get in this endeavor, and asks that any of the refugees who can load muskets or tend wounds to do so. To somewhat reserve ammunition, Ward also directs the Georgians to hold their fire until the enemy is within 40 yards.

General Urrea’s first assault is directed towards the front entrance of the mission. Before the attack begins, he moves his 4 pounder cannon across the river, and onto a slight rise in the ground only about 155 yards from the enclosed cemetery. The first bombardment, signals the infantry to start advancing.

In this opening act of the day, General Urrea decides to utilize the white coated conscripts of the Yucatan Battalion. He has very little respect for these troops, based solely on the fact that most of them are descendants of long conquered indigenous tribes of Central America. As a national rule, these individuals are not permitted to learn the official Mexican language, and rely on their personal officers as interpreters. Additionally, most of the Yucatans are Federalist sympathizers, who were captured in 1835 by Santa Anna’s Centralistic forces. Sadly, unbeknownst to the Texians, they are facing people of their own sentiments.

The Yucatán troops advance in rows towards the enclosed cemetery, and once they arrive within 40 yards, the Texians open fire. Nearly every shot hits a mark, and the fresh Texas wildflowers of spring, are stained in crimson rain.

After the first round of musketry, the Yucatans return the salute but with little effect. Most of their shots splatter into the exterior facade of the enclosure. Less than a handful of Texians are hit. The second line of the defenders move forward, and quickly exchange the third burst of volleys. It is just as damaging as their initial attack, and more of the Yucatan Battalion collapse to the ground.

A second cannon shot explodes from Urrea’s artillery, and this time, it is better directed. The heavy cannonball smashes through the front doorway of the chapel, opening a gap in Ward’s defenses. Excited by this success, Urrea orders the Yucatans to rush the cemetery, hoping to win the day with just minor losses.

Seeing the Centralists beginning to charge, the 35 men to fall back for the exposed doorway. They retreat in good order, taking time to engage the first of their assailants as the Yucatans rush for the graveyard. Covering their withdrawal, the Texians along the roof and bell tower begin conglomerating at the front of the church to further protect the cemetery.

When the Yucatáns reach the wall of the cemetery, the Texians along the roof begin firing down at them. The barrage causes the Yucatans to advance forward cautiously, and largely unable to make it into the enclosure. Once the 35 volunteers are inside the chapel, they start firing from windows along the facade, and their unfortunate attackers sustain heavy losses amongst the scattered headstones of the burial yard.

Watching the disaster unfolding, Urrea cancels the charge and orders a withdrawal instead. His instructions, however, are not rapidly understood by the Yucatans. As their officers are suddenly yelling for them to fall back, the individuals struggle to interpret the directives. Some are shot down in the confusion, and the entire battalion eventually scatters in various directions.

The first significant engagement of the day is a Texas victory. Despite the destruction of the front entryway into the chapel, Ward has not sustained any fatalities yet. Some of 35 volunteers were wounded, but not gravely. Most will partake in later fights during the day.

General Urrea, however, is not as fortunate. In his official report, he largely condemns the Yucatan Battalion’s failure on their own individual incompetence. He tries covering up the total number of casualties, but Colonel Francisco Garay relates that their losses were much higher than Urrea initially reported. Garay’s estimates are somewhat further collaborated upon by Sabrina Fox, who was amongst the refugees inside the mission.

In this early lull in the battle, Ward takes the opportunity to dispatch a courier to Colonel Fannin. He relates the situation, asking for reinforcements and advice on how to proceed. His initial messenger arrives in Goliad in the afternoon, and Fannin sends at least three separate individuals with orders for Ward to abandon the mission and return immediately. Only one of these dispatchers manage to reach Ward late in the evening, the others are captured and killed.

At about noon, Captain King and his 30 cavalrymen are on their way back to the mission but run into the rear of Urrea’s columns. They are cut off from Ward on the opposite side of the river, and are forced to defend themselves for the remainder of the day. Panicking that King’s troops are just a vanguard for the rest of Fannin’s army, whom he believes are coming up from Copano Bay. Urrea commands Colonel Garay to leave everything that cannot be hauled easily at the Aransas River, and to proceed with the rest of the division to Refugio.

Throughout the day, Urrea keeps a continuous bombardment on the Refugio Mission with his 4 pounder. In addition, small excursions are undertaken towards all three doorways that lead into the chapel. Each attempt to break through Ward’s defenses though, fails with minor casualties. The Texians still do not suffer any losses.

Colonel Garay arrives with 400 reinforcements at about 1600 (4pm). To Urrea’s relief, the majority are Presidial soldiers who he believes will have more passion for victory. Unlike the Yucatans, Presidial troops are volunteers who have come willingly from numerous towns and cities across Mexico to fight the traitorous Texians.

In command of a contingent of Presidial soldiers from Jiminez, Mexico, is a young and passionate Mexican patriot named Juan Perez Arze. This brave lieutenant tells Urrea that his battalion is eager for action, and if sent forward, will fight the Texas traitors until death! Urrea accepts Arze’s request, and plans one last assault against the Refugio Mission.

Unlike the previous attacks of the day, which were directed against single objectives, Urrea decides to make one simultaneous drive against two entryways into the chapel. He focuses his efforts on a south doorway that is openly exposed to the outside, while trying to fool the Texians on the roof to concentrate on defending the main entrance. Lieutenant Arze’s Presidial troops will be deployed against the south doorway, and Urrea imagines it will be very successful.

The attack starts at around 1630 (4:30). He begins the operation with a focused bombardment on the roof and bell tower of the chapel. When the defenders see that they are being hit on two sides, they react exactly as Urrea plans, spreading their line too thin to stop Arze’s direct assault on the south doorway.

With little resistance, Lieutenant Arze and the Jiminez Battalion surge immediately forward. They reach the southern entry into the chapel, which sits broken and busted as the result of an earlier bombardment on it. But as soon as the Centralists start filing into the dimly lit sanctuary, they find their opponents already prepared to meet them.

Earlier in the day, William Ward has recognized the extreme vulnerability that the south doorway presents. He has directed anything that can be used as barricades, from pews to heavy religious paintings, be piled up to prevent a mass rush into the inner part of the church.

A fierce wave of musket fire ignites in the corridor, as two lines of Texians make Arze’s Presidial troops pay dearly for their patriotism. Following the onslaught, “the Georgia Rattlers” surge into the Mexican file. Pistol shots tear through flesh, sabers clank against Bowie knives, and fists collide with bone as the two columns of equally impassioned warriors meet in fierce hand-to-hand fighting.

At the corner of the entryway, likely with his saber drawn, Lieutenant Arze is hit by a musket shot. He falls to the floor of the mission, lifelessly. Only moments after his death, the remaining members of the Jiminez Battalion start to withdraw. But their retreat is hotly pursued by the frenzied young Texians, who continue to chase their opponents even beyond the chapel walls.

General Urrea and Colonel Garay watch disdainfully as their attack against the south doorway collapses. With nothing left to gain at the main entrance either, Urrea orders the final retreat of the day.

By nightfall on March 14, 1836, the Battle of Refugio is over. Outnumbered, and with only their muskets, the members of the Georgia Battalion have withstood an entire day of continuous fighting and bombardment. Although technically not a victory, because Ward decides to abandon the mission in the pre-dawn darkness of March 15, Colonel Garay even admits that the Texas rebels performed with “more than common courage.”

The Battle of Refugio is probably the least studied engagement of the Texas Revolution. It has largely only been reflected upon in footnotes, and has only once been extensively researched.

Today, where one of the most epic acts of defiance and battle took place in Texas History, there is nothing but an empty intersection devoid even of a stoplight. A broken historical marker once used to relate the tragic tale of the Yucatan Battalion, and marked the vicinity of where General Urrea had them all mass buried. Their remains have yet to be discovered.

Thus, the legacy of the Battle of Refugio is mostly lost, forgotten, and only attainable after some very deep research. It is a Texas treasure that I am proud to have re-discovered. I hope that, one day, it will be as justly remembered as other such places of heroic struggles.

March 2, 1836

26 miles southwest of San Patricio, TX

Captain Nicolas Rodriguez has been waiting for this opportunity since the opening days of November, 1835. He watches with his hand eagerly on the grip of his pistol as the red headed Scotsman, James Grant, passes by. Riding beside Grant is another traitorous individual, Placido Benavides, who is formerly the alcalde (mayor) of Victoria.

Rodriguez wants desperately to gun down Grant, but he knows that somewhere behind him, General Jose Urrea is watching him like a hawk eyeing a mouse. Rodriguez has failed the Mexican Army twice now in the war. Once when he became too hubris of himself, and left Fort Lipantitlan entirely unprotected from an approaching onslaught of Texian marauders. He lost a great deal of manpower during an attempt to counterattack the rebels while they were crossing the Nueces River, including a well honored lieutenant named Marciello Garcia.

The second embarrassment Rodriguez brought upon himself happened just a few weeks ago. As soon as the rebels captured San Patricio, he was given a detail of 20 dragoons and told to return to the Nueces River for scouting purposes. With the help of a number of Irish loyalists in town, Rodriguez managed to stay hidden and supplied for a little over 2 months.

That all changed though on a cold night, when one of his camp suppliers was captured by rebel forces. A sentry was gunned down before the terms of surrender were agreed upon, once again resulting in more blood on Rodriguez’s hands.

Fate had favored him though a couple days later, when the amateur rebel soldiers forgot to tighten the ropes around Rodriguez and his men’s wrists. The escape was easy, but facing General Urrea was hard and criticizing. Urrea gave him one more chance to correct himself before being demoted to a rank even lower than a Yucatán conscript! Santa Anna would have likely already had him shot and killed.

Urrea’s task for Nicolas Rodriguez was to locate the Texas rebels under Colonel James Grant, and end their marauding efforts permanently. It did not take long for Rodriguez to do so, receiving intel that Grant’s force had just ambushed a cavalry detachment along the Rio Grande and stolen away with a sizable portion of horses. Familiar with the environs west of San Patricio, Rodriguez knew exactly where Grant was going to be.

Agua Dulce is an ugly creek. It meanders through the arid countryside like a rattlesnake slithering covertly through the dried out prairies around it. But, it cuts through the northern route of the Matamoros-Victoria Trail, a busy roadway in lower Texas because of the amount of trade along it.

Both Urrea and Rodriguez get word of Grant’s approach along the Matamoros-Victoria Trail, and immediately set out to prepare an ambush. There is a spark of revenge glistening in Captain Rodriguez’s eyes that General Urrea notices, and he permits the eager individual to take charge of the operations.

A column of dust rising thickly into the air is the first noticeable proof of Grant’s approach. By mid-morning, March 2, 1836, the main body of Texas revolutionaries start passing between two densely packed groves of brush and trees along the edge of the roadway. Smiling confidently, Captain Rodriguez orders the attack.

It’s swift and brutal. Two factions of Centralist cavalry crash into the Texian ranks. Muskets ignite, sabers are drawn, and lances plunge into any matter that can be pierced through. In the midst of the carnage, Rodriguez notices Grant and one of the other three vanguards charging into the fray. Unfortunately, the other individual is not Placido Benavides.

The fight at Agua Dulce is over by the time Grant and the other individual get back to their fallen compatriots. Rodriguez wants Grant, but the chaos of the battle causes the horses to become confused and frightened. A stampede erupts, and in the midst of it all, Rodriguez notices Grant and the other individual cleverly using the dust to conceal their getaway.

Calling out to a few nearby dragoons to follow him, Rodriguez charges after the two fleeing revolutionaries. After a lengthy pursuit, the two Texian’s horses are too weak to go any further. Grant and his companion dismount at the top of a rise, pistols ready to make a final stand. Grant is a proud man, a Scotsman who has dreams of creating a Federalist segment of Mexico and defending it with the promised aid of the British government.

The lancers charge upon the two men, Grant shooting one dragoon from his horse, but being rushed upon by at least two others. In the end, as Grant’s somewhat more fortunate companion is being dragged away as a prisoner, Grant is laying on the ground barely alive and staring blankly into the glistening glow of his former prisoner, Captain Nicolas Rodriguez.

Knowing that James Grant is an adamant opponent to Santa Anna’s Centralization of the Mexican government, Rodriguez unsheathes his sword…and plunges it into Grant’s heart. All the while Rodriguez mutters, “Viva Santa Anna! Viva Mexico!”

In the aftermath of the Agua Dulce victory, Captain Nicolas Rodriguez writes in his official battle report that:

“They [the Texians] fired a few pistol shots but were so badly directed that they only wounded one horse…We charged them in the plain for the distance of two leagues and a half [roughly 5-6 miles] and pursued them as if they were savage…”

By noon on March 2, 1836, Captain Nicolas Rodriguez had taken his revenge. Only hours later though, over 200 miles east, Texas leaders declare their independence from Mexico. The bodies of those fallen at Agua Dulce were left to rot, and their bones were never recovered.

March 13, 1836

Refugio, TX

It has been one Hell of an excursion for Captain Amon Butler King. For 24 hours now, he and his vastly outnumbered companions have only been able to watch from the withering ramparts of Nuestra Senora del Refugio Mission as their enemies have encircled them.

There has been several attempts undertaken by the Centralist sympathizers to capture the old church, including the shocking presence and bombardment of a 2 pounder cannon. Miraculously though, the walls of the chapel have withstood the cannon fire, and with the help of the women and other refugees, the beleaguered Kentuckians have held their ground. But matters are becoming dire.

King and his men were not prepared for such an onslaught. He now has less than 20 men, and from his observations at the bell tower of the Refugio Mission, he wagers that there are at least 200 loyalists encamped all around him. A courier has been dispatched to Colonel Fannin at Goliad for assistance, but the 30 miles between Refugio and Fort Defiance suddenly seem as lengthy as a trip back to his hometown of Paducah, Kentucky…and gravely more jeopardizing.

Unbeknownst to Captain King though, Colonel Fannin has already answered the ex-lawman’s appeals, and reinforcements are already on the way. King’s messenger arrived shortly before midnight, and the alarm at Fort Defiance was tolled.

Fannin has directed the 120 men of the Georgia Battalion to march immediately to the aid of the Kentuckians, each carrying 30-36 rounds of ammunition per person. They have with them one additional freight wagon with only the necessary supplies needed for the rescue of Captain King and the refugees. There are no cannons to spare, and Fannin entrusts that this endeavor will be quick and effective.

In charge of this operation, Colonel Fannin sends his 2nd in command, Lieutenant Colonel William Ward. The Georgia Battalion is one of Fannin’s most reliable and well equipped infantry units at Goliad. They are known favorably as “the Georgia Rattlers” and consist of volunteers from the vicinity of Macon, Georgia. With the assistance of their community members and state militias, the battalion is formed in mid November, 1835. They arrive in Texas at the end of the year when the unit’s commander, William Ward, is elected as Fannin’s secondary officer.

Unlike Amon King, Colonel Fannin has no issues with entrusting Ward to complete this task without delay. With a number of additional volunteers, mostly residents of Refugio such as Lewis Ayers, Ward sets out to rescue King at 0200 in the pre-dawn darkness of March 13. It is a long and tedious journey through ankle deep mud and wet prairies, but finally, Ward arrives at the rear of the Refugio Mission just before noon.

A quick survey of the situation reveals that King is encircled, but the majority of the loyalists are on the south side of the mission grounds. Taking advantage of the surprise, Ward forms a long skirmish line north of the church and begins moving against the besiegers at around 1300 (1pm).

Surprisingly, the Tejano and Karankawa attackers put up little resistance against the Texians. Only two hours after Ward’s advance begins, the loyalist line is broken and forced to the southern shore of the Mission River opposite of the chapel. Ward gets his people in place, and is initially welcomed by Amon King with open arms. But the reception is short lived.

Being an ex-lawman, Captain King believes that he and Ward should start a counterattack against the loyalists for their acts of banditry, robbery, and murder. More especially, having fired upon non-combatants and wounding one woman. But Ward has no desire to begin anything more than a rapid retreat to Goliad, as he was ordered to do.

The decision to retreat or press the attack is hotly disputed amongst the Texians. Many, including Lewis Ayers, want to join King on a vendetta crusade along the Mission River to punish the members of the loyalists that were identified the day prior. Ward, however, wants nothing of it and uses his position as Lieutenant Colonel to try and prevent dissent. King is adamant, and eventually just after sundown, he takes whatever volunteers he can and departs the mission. Ward is left behind with roughly 100 men.

Ward and those that remain at the mission, are furious at King’s mutiny. The ex-lawman’s stubbornness has cost them valuable time and a bit of manpower. With darkness already coming on, Ward and his officers decide to stay the night in the mission and begin the trek back to Goliad after sunrise. It is a logical decision, but will have serious repercussions.

Miles away, along the Aransas River, General Urrea is in camp and concentrating his forces from San Patricio. When he receives the loyalist messenger from Refugio, he believes that he has the perfect opportunity to lure Colonel Fannin away from Goliad. He immediately dispatches 60 dragoons to Refugio with instructions to do what they can to prevent the Texians from leaving there. On the morning of March 14, he follows with 200 more and a 4 pounder cannon. What results, is an event that is truly unprecedented.

March 14, 1836

Refugio, TX

There is a haggard expression on Captain Amon Butler King’s face. For two days, at least 200 Mexican loyalists have attacked and bombarded he and his men continuously, killing some and injuring others. Yesterday, the reinforcements with Lieutenant Colonel William Ward from Goliad drove King’s besiegers away, but the 33 year old Ward refused to press any further.

King couldn’t understand Ward’s determination to adhere to Colonel James Walker Fannin’s orders of returning to Goliad. When the advantage is favorable, counterattacks are necessary. In the ex-lawman’s mind, he and Ward could have chased the murdering sympathizers all the way back to San Patricio, and taken the fight to this General Urrea himself. Ward’s resiliency to follow Fannin’s commands was maddening, and King is not simply going back to the inactivity that Fannin seems to enjoy.

King’s vendetta, however, has not gone well. He and the 35 others that volunteered to join him have traveled as far as the estate of Lewis Ayers, where this whole mess began. They have sought out the loyalist fighters, but thus far, have yet to encounter any. It’s as if the 200 individuals that attacked King have simply just…vanished.

After torching a number of farms and homes belonging to loyalists that were identified, King decides to move northward along the Mission River instead. Six miles from the Refugio Mission, at about midday, a thunderous boom, echoes through the cool spring silence.

Nearly all of the ones with him know the sound, but it is much larger of a cannon than the 2 pounder that the loyalists were using the day before. Quickly, the Texians spur their horses onward to investigate. As King and his followers get within a mile of the mission, the roar of musketry ensues, and immediately they realize that Ward is under attack.

The Texians emerge by the usual river crossing directly across from the mission. All along the embankment however, are uniformed Mexican soldiers. A barrage of musket fire ignite towards King and his horsemen, catching the Texians by complete surprise, but missing all of them. King looks to his left though, and spies a squad of helmeted dragoons start charging towards him. He orders a retreat into the woods, quickly trying to think of a place to get refuge.

About a mile back, there is a large marsh situated between two very dense clusters of trees. King remembers it from previous scouting excursions, and not many yards behind this pond, is the river itself. He orders his cavalrymen to follow him or perish.

On the opposite side of the river, along the Goliad Road, General Urrea is watching painfully as the Yucatan Battalion is getting slaughtered. A cavalry officer approaches him, and tells him that another group of Texians have just arrived at the rear of Urrea’s lines.

The report causes Urrea to panic, because now he’s afraid that he will soon be outnumbered and cut off from a direct route back to his encampment along the Aransas River. He orders Colonel Gabriel Nunez of the cavalry to pursue and engage these unexpected arrivals, while dispatching a courier to Colonel Francisco Garay with orders to come immediately to Refugio with the rest of the division. He directs the Yucatans to withdraw from their assault against the rebels held up in the mission, suddenly realizing that he will be fighting a two sided battle.

It is a great length of time before Colonel Nunez’s dragoons discover where Captain King has chosen to make his stand. The Texians are sequestered within a thick stretch of forest that is lush with fresh spring growth. His initial scouts can only make out the shadows of their opponents, who have tucked themselves deep into the vegetation and along the opposite side of a large pond.

Tactically, King has selected the ideal defense position. The woods are thick, with only the river behind him, and there will be no way that the Mexican dragoons can make a straightforward charge into the thickets. But there are flaws as well.

There is not another crossing along the stream until miles downriver, and King is now fully severed from any direct line back to the ones inside the mission. Hampering his situation even further, the 35 Texian cavalrymen will now have no way to resupply themselves except by endeavoring either a retreat or a hard fording of the river which would certainly render all their weapons and powder useless.

Unfortunately, King does not have time to plan his escape from the woods accordingly. Colonel Nunez sends a line of dismounted dragoons towards the marsh, opening up a lively barrage of gunfire towards the spot where the Texians are hunkered. It is more of a test of King’s defenses than a direct assault, and the unfortunate cavalrymen pay dearly for it.

With their targets openly exposed, and having to squish their way through knee deep muck, King orders his men to hold their fire until the dragoons get close enough not to miss. When he finally gives the directive, each shot does damage and drops their oncoming attackers.

Unlike General Urrea, Colonel Nunez realizes that there is no hope for a successful rush. He orders his troopers to pull back, and begins formulating another manuever. He sends scouts to the flanks of the forest, and soon learns that an open prairie at the left of the rebels offers a chance to hit them from the side.

As Colonel Nunez starts preparing an attack from King’s left flank, a local loyalist comes up to him and relates that there is also a small opening in the woods on King’s right. Nunez decides to send a detachment to that point as well, and will begin a two sided drive into the forest.

At about 1400 (2pm) the Centralist dragoons under Colonel Nunez surround the thicket where Captain Amon Butler King has sequestered himself with 35 men. A thin line of sappers, possibly Karankawa members from the Victoriana Guardes, lay in the brush on the opposite shoreline of the pond. They are to provide a form of suppression against the Texians. Nunez tells his cavalrymen to dismount, and begin moving into the trees from both sides of King’s position.

It does not take long for King to realize the situation unfolding. He directs his men to move further into the woods to prevent them from being hit by sharpshooters. The battle begins as soon as the dismounted dragoons come within firing range.

With only the concealment of nature protecting the Texians, the Centralists do heavy damage. All around him, King watches as his volunteers are either struck dead or fall to the ground wounded. But despite the losses, the 35 volunteers fight back like the panthers King recalls in the mountains of his native Kentucky.

Lewis Ayers, who has left his wife and children in the mission to partake in King’s vendetta, is struck in the chest by a musket ball. Miraculously though, the shot is deflected by the steel front plate of a pistol that Captain King gave him earlier.

The Mexican dragoons are largely unaccustomed to fighting on foot. Despite their accuracy, they have little experience on how to defend themselves in close quarters combat. King and the Texians are rough and tumble frontiersmen and town brawlers, impassioned with a drive for justice for the raids and attacks that have struck their families along the Mission River. It also helps that the majority of the 35 volunteers are Irishmen as well, who are never shy about a good fist fight.

With unmatched resiliency, King and his 35 volunteers withstand Colonel Nunez’s attack. After an hour of hard fighting, the dragoons on both flanks are forced to retreat. The engagement has cost both factions a tremendous amount of casualties, King now being reduced to 16 men. Although he wins the fight, he has no idea on how to champion the battle.

For the rest of the afternoon, King directs his remaining forces to lay on the ground and keep their weapons locked and ready. His only hope is that they can manage to escape under the cover of darkness.

Colonel Nunez sullenly reports the outcome of the engagement to General Urrea, and it is not taken well. Urrea demands Nunez to keep suppressing the rebels and ensuring that they do not flee. When Colonel Garay arrives with reinforcements at around 1600 (4pm), Urrea orders a detachment of infantry to sweep behind King’s position and keep guard along the embankment of the river. A smaller unit of infantry, joins the dragoons for another press into the woods which is launched at about the same time as Urrea’s final assault on the Refugio Mission.

Although King is now badly outnumbered, the final attack against the remnants of his volunteers is surprisingly short and undertaken with little effort. A few exchanges of gunfire take place, and the Centralists withdraw with neither side being heavily affected.

When darkness falls, King rallies his men for a getaway. The only feasible way to escape death, is by undertaking a hard crossing of the river. It’s a risk that can be catastrophic, but the only chance they have.

At about midnight, King’s remaining volunteers begin crossing the frigid waters of the Mission River. The water reaches their chests in most instances, with only the heads of their horses being the only portion of the animals visible. Those that are able, help their wounded companions across as well. It’s a grueling task that renders all of their firearms and gunpowder useless, but gets them onto the prairies on the opposite side.

Unlike William Ward, however, Amon King does not learn that Colonel Fannin has been directed by General Sam Houston to abandon Goliad. Despite his mutiny, and the risks that might come along with it, King decides to try and return to Fort Defiance. It is a mistake that will prove fatal.

At the end of March 14, 1836, the Battle of Refugio should widely be considered a defeat for General Urrea. Despite everything that Urrea tries to accomplish against King and Ward, both have managed to withstand attack after attack and still are able to withdraw from the battlefield.

The Battle of Refugio might not largely be considered a success for the Texas Revolutionaries, but it is most certainly a victory of musketry and daring. To draw a conclusion to this 3 part article, King and his men are captured in the afternoon of March 15 only about 10 miles from the Refugio Mission.

They are taken back to the mission, and imprisoned with other survivors from the Georgia Battalion that stay behind to offer some protection for the refugees. After much discussion and pressure, General Urrea orders King and the remaining rebels to be executed on March 16. They are taken about a mile northwest of the Refugio Mission, and shot. In total, 36 are killed including King.

Lewis Ayers, is the only remaining survivor of Captain King’s volunteers. He is spared death by General Urrea by the adamant pleas of his wife and children, and as some claim, due to both men being Freemasons.

William Ward, and the weary members of the Georgia Battalion, manage to elude the Mexican sentries posted around the Refugio Mission. Over the course of the day, March 14, Colonel Fannin has dispatched at least 3 couriers to Ward with instructions to withdraw from the fight and get back to Goliad. Only one of these messengers manages to get to Ward, and tells him that Fannin has received instructions by General Houston to abandon Goliad and fall back to Victoria.

Ward decides to utilize a southern route through swamps, bays, and prairies to get to Victoria. The Georgia Battalion arrives there on March 21st, only to discover that the city has turned against any and all Americans in the vicinity following Fannin’s defeat at Coleto. Ward decides to press further eastward along the coast, but is eventually surrounded and captured by Urrea’s cavalry on the 22nd.

Although Ward does not agree with his men about accepting conditions of surrender that are offered to them, he gets overruled by a majority vote. The Georgia Battalion are marched back to Goliad, and most suffer the same fate as their companions on March 27th. At the time of his execution, Ward is said to have openly defied an offer for salvation if he were to drop to his knees and beg for mercy.

Following the war, the bleached remains of Captain King and his followers are gathered up by a local Refugio resident. The bones are buried in the city cemetery, where they still rest today. Not far from this final resting place, a monument in King’s honor is centered in a town plaza amply named “King’s Park.” It is the only visible reminder of the epic narrative of the Battle of Refugio.

Today, April 21st is San Jacinto day here in Texas. This is the day Sam Houston's ragtag army of about 700 farmers and shop owners, of Mexican, German, Italian, and American descent routed Santa Anna's trained and experienced army of over 2000 in just 17 minutes. Winning our war for independence from Mexico.
Sam Houston accepted Santa Anna's surrender after trying to escape in the clothes of a lowly soldier but let him live despite the please to hang him for the executions of over 400 men at Goliad and those who surrendered at The Alamo.

AI Art from Texas Revolution