The Goliad Massacre, March 27, 1836 - Remember the 342 Texans that were executed in Goliad 176 years ago today. This pic is the Goliad flag which symbolized the Texans' willingness to face any sacrifice to win their freedom. Honor them by reading this. (This historical event still turns my stomach.)
Fannin had surrendered, under the condition his men would be treated as prisoners of war. But, at sunrise on Palm Sunday, March 27th, the unwounded Texans were formed into three groups under heavy Mexican guard. The prisoners held little suspicion of their fate, for they had been told a variety of stories-they were to gather wood, drive cattle, be marched to Matamoros, or proceed to the port of Copano for passage to New Orleans. The guards were to serve as their firing squad.
At selected spots on each of the three roads, from half to three-fourths of a mile from the presidio, the three groups were halted. The guard on the right of the column joined with the guard on the left. At a prearranged moment, or upon a given signal, the guards fired upon the prisoners at a range too close to miss. Nearly all were killed at the first fire. Those not killed were pursued and slaughtered by gunfire, bayonet, or lance.
Fannin and some 40 wounded Texans unable to march were put to death within the presidio. Colonel Fannin was the last to be executed, after seeing his men executed. At 32 years of age, Fannin was taken by Mexican soldiers to the courtyard in front of the chapel, (some accounts say he refused the blindfold). He was seated in a chair, due to his leg wound from the battle. He made three requests: he asked for his personal possessions to be sent to his family, to be shot in his heart and not his face, and to be given a Christian burial. The soldiers took his belongings, shot him in the face, and burned his body along with the other 342 Texans who were executed that day.
Only 28 escaped the firing squads & slaughter, and 20 more were spared as physicians, orderlies, interpreters, or mechanics largely because of the entreaties of a Mexican woman, Francisca Alavez. She rescued about 20 Texan soldiers. She became known to the Texans as the "Angel of Goliad". In addition, Colonel Francisco Garay, Father Maloney (also referred as Molloy), Urrea's wife and an unnamed girl were credited with rescuing prisoners. Two physicians, Joseph H. Barnard and John Shackelford, were taken to San Antonio to treat Mexican wounded from the battle of the Alamo; they later escaped.
Gen. Urrea, Governor of Durango, commander of the Mexican forces who had accepted Fannins' surrender & signed the conditions of it, was outraged when he heard what had happened in his absence but not nearly so much as the Texans, the U.S. and most of the civilized world was. "Remember the Alamo" and "Remember Goliad" became the battle cries of the Texan forces who were more determined than ever to fight on to ultimate victory and despite the circumstances of the war, because of the actions of Santa Anna and his refusal to take prisoners, and particularly the massacre at Goliad the Mexicans would forever after be painted as the villains in world opinion.
The Goliad Massacre may be the most crucial event of the Texas Revolution, for it fueled the Texans resolve to beat Santa Anna. Until this episode, Santa Anna's reputation had been that of a cunning and crafty man, rather than a cruel one. The Texas cause was dependent on the material aid and sympathy of the United States. Had Fannin's and Miller's men been dumped on the wharves at New Orleans penniless, homesick, humiliated, and distressed, and each with his separate tale of Texas mismanagement and incompetence, Texas prestige in the United States would most likely have fallen, along with sources of help. But the massacre at Goliad and the Alamo, branded both Santa Anna and the Mexican people with a reputation for cruelty and aroused the fury of the people of Texas, the United States, and even Great Britain and France, thus considerably promoting the success of the Texas Revolution.
After the executions the bodies were burned, the remains left exposed to weather, vultures, and coyotes, until June 3, 1836. When Gen. Thomas J. Rusk was passing through Goliad in pursuit of Gen. Vicente Filisola's retreating army (after San Jacinto), he gathered the remains and buried them with military honors. Some of the survivors attended the ceremony.
REMEMBER the ALAMO!!... REMEMBER GOLIAD!!
The Liberty or Death Flag also symbolizes the Goliad Massacre. Joanna Troutman, an 18 year old girl from Macon, Georgia made this flag for a group of Georgians who were going to Texas to support the Texas Independence movement.
