James
Walker Fannin’s honorable discharge from the Texas Volunteer Army
occurred November 22, 1835. He lost no time, however, in seeking to
continue enlisting men for the regular army. On December 7, 1835 he
was commissioned by General Sam Houston as a Colonel in the Texas
Army. The General Council of Texas immediately appointed Fannin to
the task of seeking reinforcements and supplies.
The
next major battle was the Siege of Bexar waged December 5-9, 1835.
Benjamin Rusk Milam commanded the Texas troops. The freed Negro,
Hendrick Arnold, was scout and guide for the siege. Colonel Milam
lost his life when a rifle ball hit him on December 8.
The
300-men strong Texas regiment kept fighting and defeated Mexico’s
General Martin Perfecto de Cos. On December 9 a white flag of
surrender flew from Military Plaza in San Antonio. In papers of
capitulation, General Cos turned over the store of arms, ammunition,
supplies, money and public property in San Antonio to the Texans.
Cos and his Mexican Army retreated south of the Rio Grande River.
The
supplies confiscated from Cos were added to the store Fannin had
already accumulated. These were stored for future use, for the major
battles of the war lay ahead.
Still
in service as an agent for the Texas General Council (the provisional
government), Fannin continued to recruit soldiers. He was Colonel
for the volunteers in the Matamoros Expedition of January, 1836.
That exploit did not materialize because Fannin’s forces were no
match for the Mexican Army under General Jose Urrea.
Fannin’s
charge from February 12 through March 12, 1836 was as
commander-in-chief of the army stationed at Goliad. Fannin worked to
strengthen fortifications and supplies at Goliad. {Note:
In the first article in this series, I mentioned that my husband and
I took a trip to Texas to seek out information about Fannin County’s
namesake. We visited Fort Goliad and examined the account in
pictures and narration of Fannin’s work at the fort.]
Meanwhile,
the Battle of the Alamo began at San Antonio on February 23, 1836.
It raged for thirteen days. Lt. William B. Travis wrote on Feburary
23, 1836: “I shall never surrender or retreat…Come to our aid
with all dispatch.”
Fannin
received orders to reinforce Travis’s regiment, consisting of 189
men. He did not respond because of the impossible situation. The
Mexican Army surrounded the Alamo, and Fannin did not have forces
strong enough to break the lines. Should his hesitancy to respond be
considered cowardice? Or was his decision based on common sense?
Fannin’s
men were already tired and overextended in trying to quell skirmishes
east of San Antonio around Mission Refugio. His previous experience
as a scout gave him knowledge of the strength of General Santa Anna’s
forces. His hands were therefore tied and he could not help Travis
at the Alamo. His regiment remained at Fort Goliad.
On
March 6, 1836, Mexican forces scaled the walls and entered the fort
at the Alamo. After ninety minutes of fierce fighting, all the
Texans were annihilated except some women and servants who were there
to do cooking and readying supplies for the army. Mexico’s losses
were estimated at 1,600 men. Texas lost some famous warriors in the
Battle of the Alamo: William Travis, David Crockett, James Bowie and
James Butler Bonham.
A
new battle cry, “Remember the Alamo,” spurred the Texans to
redouble their efforts. The Mexican Army advanced eastward toward
Goliad.
On
March 19, 1836, cavalry scouts notified Colonel Fannin that a large
Mexican force under General Urrea was near. Fannin’s small force
of about 400 men began to prepare for the inevitable battle. There
would be no escaping it at that juncture.
(Next:
Coleto Creek and Capture)
[©2015.
Ethelene Dyer Jones. First published in The
News Observer, Blue
Ridge, Georgia, August 5, 1992, Section B, Page 4.]
No comments:
Post a Comment