Battle of Lipantitlán facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Lipantitlán |
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| Part of the Texas Revolution | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Texian Rebels |
 Mexico |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Ira Westover | Nicolás Rodríguez | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 60–70 men | 90 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 wounded | 3–5 killed 14–17 wounded |
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The Battle of Lipantitlán was a fight during the Texas Revolution on November 4, 1835. It happened near the Nueces River between the Mexican Army and Texian fighters. After the Texians won the Battle of Goliad, only two Mexican army bases were left in Texas. These were Fort Lipantitlán near San Patricio and the Alamo in San Antonio.
Texian commander Philip Dimmitt worried that Fort Lipantitlán could be used by the Mexican army to attack Goliad again. He was also upset because two of his men were held prisoner there. So, Dimmitt ordered Captain Ira Westover, one of his main officers, to capture the fort.
The commander of Fort Lipantitlán, Nicolás Rodríguez, had been told to bother the Texian troops at Goliad. Rodríguez took most of his men on a trip. While they were gone, Westover's Texian force arrived in San Patricio. On November 3, a local person convinced the Mexican soldiers at the fort to give up. The next day, the Texians took the fort apart.
Rodríguez and his men returned as the Texians were crossing the Nueces River to go back to Goliad. The Mexican soldiers attacked, but the Texians' rifles could shoot much farther. This forced the Mexican soldiers to retreat. Only one Texian was hurt. About 3 to 5 Mexican soldiers were killed, and 14 to 17 were wounded.
The injured Mexican troops were allowed to get medical help in San Patricio. The remaining Mexican soldiers went back to Matamoros. This victory meant the Texians now controlled the Texas Gulf Coast. This made it harder for Mexican troops in San Antonio to get supplies or help. Some historians believe this helped the Texians win the siege of Béxar later, which pushed all Mexican troops out of Texas. Today, the old fort site is a Texas historic place.
Contents
What Was Fort Lipantitlán?
Fort Lipantitlán was built on an old campsite along the Nueces River in Texas. Long ago, the Lipan Apache tribe used this spot when they traveled. After they left, missionaries, soldiers, and traders often used the camp. They were traveling between Mexico and the Texas settlements.
Around 1825 or 1826, Mexican officials built a simple fort there. They named it Lipantitlán after the Lipan Apaches. One Texian, John J. Linn, described the fort as "a single embankment of earth." It was surrounded by a large ditch. Outside the ditch were small huts made of adobe and wood for the officers and their families.
About 80 to 125 soldiers were stationed at the fort. They collected taxes on goods and protected San Patricio. San Patricio was a small town of Irish and Mexican settlers about 3 miles (5 km) south. Smaller groups of soldiers were also at Copano Bay and Refugio. A larger group was at Presidio La Bahía in Goliad.
Why the Battle Happened
In 1835, people in several Mexican states were unhappy with Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna. He was making the government more powerful and taking away local control. In Texas, colonists started forming groups to protect themselves. Santa Anna sent General Martín Perfecto de Cos to Texas to stop the unrest. Cos arrived on September 20.
The Texas Revolution officially began on October 2 at the Battle of Gonzales. A few days later, Texian fighters captured Presidio La Bahía in Goliad. Twenty Mexican soldiers escaped and went to Copano and Refugio. Those soldiers soon left their posts and joined the larger group at Fort Lipantitlán.
The Mexican soldiers at Lipantitlán began to make their small fort stronger. Fort Lipantitlán was the only Mexican army base left on the Texas coast. This made it a very important link between Mexico and San Antonio de Béxar. General Cos and the only other Mexican troops in Texas were in San Antonio.
Captain Philip Dimmitt was in charge of the Texians at Presidio La Bahía. On October 15, Dimmitt wrote to General Stephen F. Austin. He suggested attacking Fort Lipantitlán. He believed capturing it would "secure the frontier" and "encourage Mexican federalists." Federalists were people who wanted local governments to have more power.
Many federalists in San Patricio were afraid to openly go against Santa Anna. Soldiers at Lipantitlán had also captured two of Dimmitt's men, John Williams and John Toole. They were trying to deliver messages to federalist leaders in San Patricio. Dimmitt hoped to free them by capturing the fort.
On October 20, James Power, who helped found San Patricio, learned something important. He found out that the Lipantitlán soldiers were ordered to retake Presidio La Bahia. Two hundred cavalry were expected to join the Lipantitlán soldiers before the attack. More soldiers were expected later. Dimmitt sent this information to Austin, but he was not allowed to attack.
This delay was bad for Williams and Toole. They were marched into Mexico, too far for the Texians to reach them. Dimmitt was very angry about this. He wrote that his men were "clamorous for retaliation," meaning they wanted to get revenge.
Getting Ready for Battle
Dimmitt likely decided to act on his own because of what happened to Williams and Toole. On October 31, he sent his officer, Adjutant Ira Westover, with 35 men to attack Fort Lipantitlán. Three important advisors also went along: John J. Linn, Major James Kerr, and James Power. These three had been chosen to attend a meeting called the Consultation. But they decided to fight first.
Instead of going straight to the fort, Westover went southeast to Refugio. This different path probably made it seem like they were going to Copano Bay. More men joined the group in Refugio. Historians believe Westover's force grew to 60 to 70 men by the time they reached San Patricio.
Meanwhile, Captain Nicolás Rodríguez, the commander at Fort Lipantitlán, had orders to bother the Texians at Presidio La Bahía. On October 31, Rodríguez and his men were near Goliad when they heard that a Texian force had left the fort. The Mexican soldiers immediately turned back. They didn't see any Texians on their march. They arrived on November 1 to find their fort untouched.
Not sure what the Texians planned to do, Rodríguez and most of his soldiers (almost 80 men) went back toward Goliad. They wanted to try and stop the Texians. About 21 to 27 soldiers, with two cannons, stayed behind to defend the fort.
The Battle of Lipantitlán
Rodríguez expected the Texians to come directly to the fort. So, his men patrolled the areas north of the fort. But Westover's men came from the east, avoiding the Mexican patrols. About 5 miles (8 km) from San Patricio, Westover heard that Rodríguez was looking for the Texians. He made his men move faster. They arrived at San Patricio 30 minutes after sunset on November 3.
Westover placed two small groups of men to guard the Nueces River crossings. These were about 70 yards (64 m) from the fort. As the rest of the Texians got ready for an attack at dawn, two San Patricio residents walked into their camp. Westover arrested one of them, James O'Riley, for helping the enemy. To get his freedom, O'Riley offered to convince the Mexican soldiers to surrender.
We don't know exactly how O'Riley did it. But by 11 pm, the Mexican soldiers had surrendered without a single shot being fired. They were set free right away. They promised not to fight again in the Texas Revolution. The Texians captured two cannons, 18 muskets, and some gunpowder. They also freed several Texians who had been held prisoner in the fort.
The next day, the Texians burned the wooden huts next to the fort. They also took apart the earth walls. By 3 pm, they had gathered 14 horses and were getting ready to take the cannons back to Goliad.
Meanwhile, Rodríguez had traveled almost all the way to Goliad. Before he reached Presidio La Bahía, one of his spies arrived. The spy told him that the Texians had taken Fort Lipantitlán. Rodríguez and his men, including 10 settlers from San Patricio, marched back toward the fort. They arrived around 4 pm.
The Texians were using a small canoe to move men across the Nueces River. When the Mexican soldiers were seen, only half of the Texian force had crossed to the east side of the river. As the Mexican soldiers attacked, the Texians hid in a group of trees. The trees stopped the Mexican cavalry from getting close. So, Rodríguez's men got off their horses and tried to attack from both sides.
The Texian rifles could shoot much farther than the Mexican muskets. Texian rifles could shoot 200 yards (180 m), while Mexican muskets could only shoot 70 yards (64 m). After 30 minutes of fighting, the Mexicans pulled back. They left behind 8 horses and several wounded men. The only Texian hurt was Lieutenant William Bracken, who lost three fingers. Texian rifleman A. J. Jones later wrote that 3 Mexicans had died and 14 were wounded. Another historian believes 5 Mexicans died and 17 were wounded. Jones's letter said that three of the wounded were the mayor, judge, and sheriff of San Patricio.
What Happened Next
The Texians had no animals to pull the cannons. As night came, a cold rain started, and the men felt discouraged. Westover, Kerr, Linn, and Power decided to throw the cannons into the river instead of trying to move them. The Texians also threw the captured ammunition and muskets into the river, thinking they were useless.
Most Texians spent the night in San Patricio, staying with friendly locals. The Mexican troops camped outside near where the battle happened. At dawn, Westover agreed to let the wounded Mexican soldiers go to San Patricio for treatment. The next day, one of the wounded soldiers, Mexican Lieutenant Marcellino Garcia, died. Garcia was a friend of Linn, and the Texians gave him a full burial with honors.
Westover sent a message to Rodríguez, asking for "another pleasant meeting." Rodríguez said no and went back to Matamoros with his remaining men. Their departure left only one group of Mexican soldiers in Texas: those with General Cos in San Antonio. The Texians now controlled the Gulf Coast. This meant all messages and supplies for Cos had to travel over land. This long distance made it very slow to get messages and help. Historians believe this likely helped Cos lose the siege of Béxar. That battle pushed the last Mexican soldiers out of Texas.
On their way back to Goliad, Westover's group met Agustín Viesca. He was the former governor of Coahuila y Tejas. Months before, Viesca had been jailed by the Mexican army for going against Santa Anna. He and his cabinet members were freed by friendly soldiers. They immediately traveled to Texas to restart the state government. Westover and his men gave him a military escort to Goliad, arriving on November 12. Dimmitt welcomed Viesca but refused to accept him as governor. This caused an argument among the soldiers. Many supported the governor, while others believed Texas should be its own country.
Dimmitt later criticized Westover for not following orders during the trip. Westover refused to give an official report to Dimmitt. Instead, he sent a written report to Sam Houston, the commander of the regular army. Westover wrote that "The men all fought bravely." Houston praised "the conduct and bravery of the officers and men." This was the first armed fight since the Battle of Goliad. The victory "renewed the morale of the people," according to historian Hobart Huson. News of the battle spread across the United States, and American newspapers praised the Texians.
The Mexican army leaving encouraged the federalists in San Patricio. These men soon took control of the town government. They formed a local army and chose people to represent them at the Consultation meeting. However, the town was still divided. Many people still supported the Mexican government. After reaching Matamoros, Rodríguez sent a letter to the town leaders. The letter warned that the Mexican army would return. It told the people of San Patricio to stop supporting the rebellion. One of the San Patricio federalists later wrote to Dimmitt, "We have neither men nor means to withstand any force that may be sent against us." The Texians chose not to keep soldiers in or near San Patricio. In 1836, General José de Urrea led Mexican forces along the Texas coast. He retook San Patricio on February 27.
In 1937, the land where Fort Lipantitlán used to be was given to the state of Texas. The Texas State Parks Board took control of the site in 1949. Now called the Lipantitlan State Historic Site, the park covers 5 acres (2 ha) in Nueces County. A stone marker shows where the old fort was.
Images for kids
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The Texan base at Goliad was about 60 miles (97 km) from San Patricio. Fort Lipantitlán was across the Nueces River from San Patricio.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de Lipantitlán para niños
