Very interesting. I'm going to look for that book. I grew up in Texas and lived there most of my life, and have read several books about early Texas history and never had heard of the First Texas War of Independence of 1813. I didn't think there were that many anglos living in Texas then.
AKA the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition.....
1811, the winds of revolt against Spain are sweeping through Mexico. 1812-13 two Tejanos travel to Washington to ask for help. 1813 one thousand American volunteers arrive in Texas, join with 500 local Tejanos, found the Green Flag Republic (Magee was Irish).
Things go well at first, 400 Royalists killed in a battle on Alazan Creek about one and a half miles West of the Alamo, another 300 on the Salado about five miles southeast. Dissent arises, no one is clearly in charge, some Americans go home, some Tejanos cut the throat of the captive former Spanish Governor of Texas, further alienating many of the Americans still there.
Then Arredondo approaches from the south, a bloodbath ensues....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_MedinaThe Spanish army continued to press, killing many of the fleeing soldiers. Most of the remainder were captured and then in a portent of the future Texas War of Independence were summarily executed.
Fewer than 100 out of 1,400 soldiers on the Republican side survived, while the Royalists lost only 55 men. The remains of the Republican troops were left to rot and not buried until 1822 when José Félix Trespalacios, the first governor of Coahuila y Tejas under the newly established United Mexican States, ordered a detachment of soldiers to gather their bones and bury them honorably under an oak tree that grew on the battlefield.Locating exactly where south of town this catastrophically bloody event occurred is one of the Holy Grails of local Historians.
It is not mentioned at all in the popular version of Texas History, it doesn't fit the desired narrative. Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar for one, Houston's great political rival in the Republic of Texas, did refer to it in his writings as a major cause of the Runaway Scrape.
The account provided by Texas A&M is THE best source I have found on this whole deal....
http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/Spain2.htmSanta Anna was there for all that, then 23 years later he comes back and wipes everybody out who has taken cover behind substandard fortifications at the Alamo, and then he has another 340 Americans captured in battle executed at Goliad.
Mass flight ensues.
Understandable that he would think defeating the remaining Texians after that would be a slam-dunk.
Before even leaving Mexico he had informed the British Ambassador that he was prepared to march all the way to Washington DC if he had to. Dunno if he was serious, but it does indicate a mindset.
Birdwatcher
