When I left off the flow of events at Refugio, March 14th 1836 (eight days after the Fall of the Alamo), Urrea's 1,500 had been thrown back by the 100+ plus men forted up in the stone church after several assaults and an all-day exchange of fire. Casualty estimates ran between 70 (the Mexican version) to 200 (the Texian version) on the Mexican side for only 6 on the Texian side.
During the fighting, Amon King, who had left with 28 men early that morning to attack a Tejano loyalist camp a few miles downriver, had returned around noon and, not expecting a large Mexican force, had come running towards the sound of battle. They were engaged in the woods along the Mission River and successfully forted up, likewise repelling a number of assaults.
Clearly with respect to King and his small band in the woods there was a reluctance on Urrea's part to take further casualties, else surely they could have been overwhelmed by the far superior Mexican force. As it turned out, restraint on Urrea's part was the correct strategy as all of King's men were captured with scarcely a shot fired the very next day on the open prairie, what little powder they had left having been wetted fleeing across the river.
Ward's 120 men would likewise flee in the night, and a few make good their escape, but most of these weary and hungry men would be captured over the course of the next eight days on the coast at Dimmitt's Landing, or outside of Victoria, looking to rejoin with Texians but finding both places already occupied by Urrea's men.
Lewis Ayers, the San Patricio colonist who's request for help from Fannin had originally prompted the Texian ill-fated rescue mission to Refugio, was with King that day.
http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/goliadsanpat2.htmI placed myself under the command of Capt. King who went in a different route from the remainder of the force, our party consisting of only 28 men after marching for several ranches which were deserted, and at about 12 o'clock came in sight of the Mission when to our utter surprise we discovered what proved to be the whole of Gen. Urrea's division of 1500 men in possession of the town.
Our friends to the number of 120 men were in the Church, my family and others were also in it. The moment we saw the enemy, we were discovered by them, and a party of Horsemen amounting to upwards of 100 men galloped to cut off our retreat to a piece of woods to which we hasted about 600 yards when we reached there we found our -number reduced to 22 men by the desertion of 6. We had time before attacked to choose a good fighting position, and for each man to have his station assigned to him, which was maintained by all throughout an engagement of about one half hour, when the enemy retreated with about 20 killed and a large number wounded.
After an interval of about one hour we were again attacked by about 200 of the enemy in two parties opening a cross fire upon us, we still maintained our ground and after an hour of hard fighting we compelled them to retreat. One of our party was killed within 3 feet of me, and four were wounded, the number of the enemy killed and wounded was very large, but I have not been able to learn the number.
Towards night we were attacked a third time from the opposite side of the river, Capt. King then directed us to lie close, protecting ourselves as much as possible by the woods, and not to fire again, holding ourselves in readiness for an expected attack on our side of the river, which however did not take place, the enemy after wasting as I suppose all their powder and ball and without doing us any personal injury, retired. I was saved from death in the second engagement by a ball glancing from one of a pair of pistols which I wore in front, they were given me by Capt. King.
When night came on it was very dark, not a star to be seen, we crossed the river at the battle ground, where it was not considered fordable, the water reached my chin, there was a ford just above and one just below us but we expected the enemy would guard them, the banks were so steep that we had to assist each other in the ascent, the wounded accompanied us with much pain. We wandered about all night endeavoring to reach Goliad, but when day dawned on the 14th we found ourselves only about 3 miles from the Mission, having lost our way. We hurried on about two miles further, when we were attacked by a party of Mexicans, and were compelled to surrender, our guns being most of them wet, and having no chance to retreat. Birdwatcher
