Battle of Gonzales
Battle of Gonzales | |||||||
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Part of the Texas Revolution | |||||||
Mural showing a conjectured Come and Take It flag as flown by Texians before the battle | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Mexico |
Texian Militia Texian Army | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Francisco de Castañeda | John Henry Moore | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
100 cavalry | 150 militia | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2 killed 1 wounded | None | ||||||
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The Battle of Gonzales was the first military engagement of the
In 1831,
When the initial request was refused, Ugartechea sent 100 dragoons to retrieve the cannon. The soldiers neared Gonzales on September 29, but the colonists used a variety of excuses to keep them from the town, while secretly sending messengers to request assistance from nearby communities. Within two days, up to 140 Texians gathered in Gonzales, all determined not to give up the cannon. On October 1, settlers voted to initiate a fight. Mexican soldiers opened fire as Texians approached their camp in the early hours of October 2. After several hours of desultory firing, the Mexican soldiers withdrew.[2]
Although the skirmish had little military significance, it marked a clear break between the colonists and the Mexican government and is considered to have been the start of the Texas Revolution. News of the skirmish spread throughout the United States, where it was often referred to as the "Lexington of Texas".
Two cannons were used by the Texians in the fighting, the bronze six-pounder under dispute and a smaller Spanish esmeril made of iron, its caliber being a one pounder or less.[1]
The cannon's fate is disputed. It may have been buried and rediscovered in 1936, or it may have been seized by Mexican troops after the Battle of the Alamo. A bronze six-pounder was noted as one of twenty-one large guns captured and buried by the Mexicans at the Alamo, dug up in 1852 and sent to New York in 1874 to be cast into a bell that hangs in St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio; while a smaller iron gun was abandoned in a creek and uncovered by a flood in 1936, on show in the Gonzales Memorial Museum as of 2020[update].[1]
Background
The Mexican
In 1829, Mexico ended slavery and freed the slaves throughout Mexico, but negotiated an exception for the American immigrants in Tejas. In April of 1830, Mexico closed its borders to new immigrants who had not already been authorized to join an existing colony. During the 1830s, the Mexican government wavered between
Public opinion was sharply divided. Some communities supported the rebellion for a variety of reasons. The new policies, the bans of slavery and immigration chief among them, and the increased enforcement of laws and import tariffs, incited many immigrants to revolt.[8] The border region of Mexican Texas was largely populated by immigrants from the United States, some legal but most illegal. Some of these immigrants brought large numbers of slaves with them, so that by 1836, there were about 5,000 enslaved persons in a total non-native population estimated at 38,470.[11] Others, including Gonzales, declared their loyalty to Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna's centralist government.[12] Local leaders began calling for a Consultation to determine whether a majority of settlers favored independence, a return to federalism, or the status quo. Although some leaders worried that Mexican officials would see this type of gathering as a step toward revolution, by the end of August most communities had agreed to send delegates to the Consultation, scheduled for October 15.[13] In the interim, many communities formed Texian Militia companies to protect themselves from a potential attack by military forces.[10][14]
On September 10, a Mexican soldier bludgeoned a Gonzales resident, which led to widespread outrage and public protests.
Old Eighteen
"Old Eighteen" refers to the 18 Texians who delayed Mexican attempts to reclaim the Gonzales cannon until Texian Militia arrived, which instigated the ensuing battle.[18] The phrase is a pastiche of "Old Three Hundred". They are:
- William W. Arrington
- Simeon Bateman
- Valentine Bennet
- Joseph D. Clements
- Almon Cottle (brother of an Immortal 32)
- Jacob C. Darst (also Immortal 32)
- George W. Davis
- Almaron Dickinson
- Graves Fulchear
- Benjamin Fuqua
- James Hinds
- Thomas Jackson (also Immortal 32)
- Albert Martin (also Immortal 32)
- Charles Mason
- Thomas R. Miller (also Immortal 32)
- John Sowell
- Winslow Turner
- Ezekiel Williams
Prelude
Ponton anticipated that Ugartechea would send more troops to force the return of the loaned cannon. As soon as the first group of soldiers left Gonzales, Ponton sent a messenger to the closest town,
On September 27, 1835, a detachment of 100 dragoons, led by lieutenant Francisco de Castañeda, left San Antonio de Béxar, carrying an official order for Ponton to return the cannon.[15][19] Castañeda had been instructed to avoid using force if possible.[15] When the troops neared Gonzales on September 29, they found that the settlers had removed the ferry and all other boats from the Guadalupe River. On the other side of the swiftly moving river waited eighteen Texians. Albert Martin, captain of the Gonzales Texian Militia company, informed the soldiers that Ponton was out of town, and until his return the army must remain on the west side of the river.[15][20]
With no easy way to cross the river, Castañeda and his men made camp at the highest ground in the area, about 300 yards (270 m) from the river. Three Texians hurried to bury the cannon, while others traveled to nearby communities to ask for assistance.
On September 30, Castañeda reiterated his request for the cannon and was again rebuffed. Texians insisted on discussing the matter directly with Ugartechea. According to their spokesman, until this was possible "the only answer I can therefore give you is that I cannot now [and] will not deliver to you the cannon".[23] Castañeda reported to Ugartechea that the Texians were stalling, likely to give reinforcements time to gather.[24]
In San Antonio de Béxar, Ugartechea asked Dr. Launcelot Smither, a Gonzales resident in town on personal business, to help Castañeda convince the settlers to follow orders.[21] When Smither arrived on October 1, he met with militia captain Mathew Caldwell to explain that the soldiers meant no harm if the settlers would peacefully return the cannon. Caldwell instructed Smither to bring Castañeda to the town the following morning to discuss the matter. At roughly the same time, Moore called a war council, which quickly voted to initiate a fight. It is unclear whether the war council was aware that Caldwell had promised Castañeda safe passage to Gonzales the next morning.[25]
Texians dug up the cannon and mounted it on cart wheels. In the absence of cannonballs, they gathered metal scraps to fill the cannon.
As the Texians made plans for an attack, Castañeda learned from a Coushatta Indian that about 140 men were gathered in Gonzales, with more expected. The Mexican soldiers began searching for a safe place to cross the river. At nightfall on October 1 they stopped to make camp, 7 miles (11 km) upriver from their previous spot.[27]
Battle
Texians began crossing the river at about 7 pm. Less than half of the men were mounted, slowing their progress as they tracked the Mexican soldiers. A thick fog rolled in around midnight, further delaying them. At around 3 am, Texians reached the new Mexican camp. A dog barked at their approach, alerting the Mexican soldiers, who began to fire. The noise caused one of the Texian horses to panic and throw his rider, who suffered a bloody nose.[27] Moore and his men hid in the thick trees until dawn. As they waited, some of the Texians raided a nearby field and snacked on watermelon.[28]
With the darkness and fog, Mexican soldiers could not estimate how many men had surrounded them. They withdrew 300 yards (270 m) to a nearby bluff. At about 6 am, Texians emerged from the trees and began firing at the Mexican soldiers. Lieutenant Gregorio Pérez counterattacked with 40 mounted soldiers. The Texians fell back to the trees and fired a volley, injuring a Mexican private. According to some accounts, the cannon fell out of the wagon upon the shot. Unable to safely maneuver among the trees, the Mexican horsemen returned to the bluff.[28]
As the fog lifted, Castañeda sent Smither to request a meeting between the two commanders. Smither was promptly arrested by the Texians, who were suspicious of his presence among the Mexican soldiers.
As Moore returned to camp, the Texians raised a homemade white banner with an image of the cannon painted in black in the center, over the words "Come and Take It".[2] The makeshift flag, lost later the same year,[1] evoked the American Revolutionary-era slogan "Don't Tread on Me".[29] Texians then fired their cannon at the Mexican camp. Realizing that he was outnumbered and outgunned, Castañeda led his troops back to San Antonio de Béxar. The troops were gone before the Texians finished reloading. In his report to Ugartechea, Castañeda wrote "since the orders from your Lordship were for me to withdraw without compromising the honor of Mexican arms, I did so".[2]
Aftermath
One spirit and one purpose animates the people of this party of the country, and that is to take Bexar, and drive the military out of Texas. ... A combined effort of all Texas would soon free our soil of Military despots—we should then have peace, for the present Government of Mexico have too much to do at home ... to send another army to Texas.
Stephen F. Austin[30]
Two Mexican soldiers were killed in the attack. The only Texian casualty was the bloody nose suffered by the man bucked off his horse. Although the event was, as characterized by Davis, "an inconsequential skirmish in which one side did not try to fight", Texians soon declared it a victory over Mexican troops.
Before fighting had officially erupted, Santa Anna had realized that stronger measures were needed to ensure calm in Texas. He ordered his brother-in-law, General
Gonzales became a rallying point for Texians opposed to Santa Anna's policies.[7] On October 11, they unanimously elected Austin their commander, despite his lack of military training. The following day, Austin led the men on a march towards San Antonio de Béxar to lay siege to Cos's troops.[34][35] By the end of the year, the Texians had driven all Mexican troops from Texas.[36]
The cannon's fate is disputed. According to the memoirs (written in the 1890s) of Gonzales blacksmith
Writing in the Handbook of Texas, historian Thomas Ricks Lindley maintains that the Wagner cannon does not match the Smithwick account. The Wagner gun is made of iron and is smaller than a six-pounder. Lindley states that Francisco de Castañeda reported two cannons being used by the Texians in the battle, the large bronze cannon lent by the Mexicans and a much smaller iron cannon, two other Mexican accounts also recording both cannons in Gonzales.[1]
Historians such as Lindley think it likely that the bronze six-pounder cannon which caused the dispute was taken to San Antonio de Béxar, where it was used during the Battle of the Alamo and captured by Mexican troops in March 1836.[1] Lindley states that the bronze cannon was dug up in 1852 and in 1874 its metal was recast into a bell which hangs in St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio; while the Texian's small iron cannon was abandoned at Sandies Creek, uncovered by a flood in 1936, and as of 2020[update] is displayed in the Gonzales Memorial Museum as the Come and Take It cannon.[1]
The battle is re-enacted during the Come and Take It celebration[39] in Gonzales every October. In and around Gonzales are nine Texas historical markers which commemorate various locations used in the prelude to the battle.[40]
See also
- Texian Militia
- List of conflicts involving the Texas Military
- List of Texas Revolution battles
- Timeline of the Texas Revolution
- Twin Sisters
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lindley, Thomas Ricks; Woodrick, James (2020-07-31). "Gonzales Come and Take It Cannon". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
On January 1, 1831, Green DeWitt initiated the new year by writing Ramón Músquiz, the political chief of Bexar, asking him to make arrangements for a cannon to be furnished to the Gonzales colonists for protection against hostile Indians. On March 10, 1831, after some delay, James Tumlinson, Jr., a DeWitt colonist at Bexar, received one bronze cannon to be turned over to Green DeWitt at Gonzales, with a stipulation that it was to be returned to Mexican authorities upon request.
- ^ a b c d e f Hardin (1994), p. 12.
- ^ Baumgartner, Dorcas Huff; Vollentine, Genevieve B., "Gonzales County", Handbook of Texas, Texas State Historical Association
- ^ Roell (1994), pp. 27–28.
- ^ Roell (1994), pp. 29–31.
- ^ Hardin (1994), p. 6.
- ^ a b Todish et al. (1998), p. 8.
- ^ a b Todish et al. (1998), p. 6.
- ^ a b Roell (1994), p. 36.
- ^ a b Lack (1992), p. 31.
- ^ "The Transformation of the Texas Economy". University of Texas at Austin.
- ^ Lack (1992), p. 26.
- ^ Lack (1992), pp. 31–32.
- ^ Davis (2006), p. 129.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hardin (1994), p. 7.
- ^ a b Groneman (1998), p. 28.
- ^ Davis (2006), p. 137.
- ^ Hardin, Stephen L. (June 15, 2010). "OLD EIGHTEEN". TSHA.
- ^ a b c Davis (2006), p. 138.
- ^ William C. Davis attributes this action to Joseph D. Clements instead of Martin. Both Davis and Hardin agree that both men were part of this group, later known as the Old Eighteen. (Davis (2006), p 139.)
- ^ a b c Hardin (1994), p. 8.
- ^ Davis (2006), p. 139.
- ^ quoted in Davis (2006), p. 140. Attributed to Joseph Clements
- ^ Davis (2006), p. 140.
- ^ a b c Hardin (1994), p. 9.
- ^ Davis (2006), p. 141.
- ^ a b Hardin (1994), p. 10.
- ^ a b c Hardin (1994), p. 11.
- ^ a b Davis (2006), p. 142.
- ^ Barr (1990), pp. 6–7.
- ^ a b c Hardin (1994), p. 13.
- ^ Winders (2004), p. 54.
- ^ Roell, Craig H., "Goliad Campaign of 1835", Handbook of Texas, Texas State Historical Association
- ^ Hardin (1994), p. 26.
- ^ Winders (2004), p. 55.
- ^ Barr (1990), p. 56.
- ISBN 978-0-292-72045-9.
- Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 84 (4): 450–1, April 1981, retrieved 2008-12-02
- ^ Chamber of Commerce, retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ Groneman (1998), pp. 30–31.
References
- OCLC 20354408.
- ISBN 978-1-58544-532-5. originally published 2004 by New York: Free Press
- Groneman, Bill (1998). Battlefields of Texas. Plano, TX: Republic of Texas Press. ISBN 978-1-55622-571-0.
- ISBN 0-292-73086-1.
- Lack, Paul D. (1992). The Texas Revolutionary Experience: A Political and Social History 1835–1836. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 0-89096-497-1.
- Roell, Craig H. (1994). Remember Goliad! A History of La Bahia. Fred Rider Cotten Popular History Series. Austin, TX: Texas State Historical Association. ISBN 0-87611-141-X.
- Todish, Timothy J.; Todish, Terry; Spring, Ted (1998). Alamo Sourcebook, 1836: A Comprehensive Guide to the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. Austin, TX: Eakin Press. ISBN 978-1-57168-152-2.
- Winders, Richard Bruce (2004). Sacrificed at the Alamo: Tragedy and Triumph in the Texas Revolution. Military History of Texas Series: Number Three. Abilene, TX: State House Press. ISBN 1-880510-80-4.
External links
- Battle of Gonzales from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Old Eighteen from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Gonzales Memorial Museum