Battle of San Patricio facts for kids

The Battle of San Patricio was a fight between Texian rebels and the Mexican army on February 27, 1836. It was part of the Texas Revolution. This battle happened because of a plan by the Texians called the Matamoros Expedition. It was the first battle in the Goliad Campaign, which was when the Mexican army tried to take back the Texas coastline. The battle took place in and around San Patricio.

By the end of 1835, all Mexican soldiers had left Texas. Frank W. Johnson, who led the volunteer army in Texas, and James Grant gathered volunteers. They planned to invade Matamoros, a Mexican port town. In February 1836, Johnson and about 40 men took a group of horses to San Patricio. This was to get ready for their expedition. Johnson sent some of his men to a ranch about 4 miles (6.4 km) outside town to guard the horses. The rest of his men stayed in three different spots in San Patricio.

The Texians did not know that on February 18, Mexican General José de Urrea had led many troops from Matamoros into Texas. Their goal was to stop the Texian soldiers gathered along the coast. Urrea's men easily followed the path left by Johnson's horses. Mexican soldiers surprised the sleeping Texians in San Patricio early on February 27. After a short fifteen-minute battle, almost all Texians were either killed or captured. One Mexican soldier died, and four were hurt.

Why the Battle Happened

Under President Antonio López de Santa Anna, the Mexican government started to change. It moved from a system where states had more power to a more centralized government. This meant the main government had more control. Santa Anna's strict rules, like canceling the Constitution of 1824 in early 1835, made people who believed in states' rights angry. They started to revolt across the country.

The Mexican Army quickly stopped these revolts in other parts of Mexico. This included a harsh crackdown on local fighters in Oaxaca and Zacatecas. But problems continued in the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas. The part of this state next to the United States was called Texas. It was mostly settled by English-speaking people known as Texians. In October, the Texians started fighting. This became known as the Texas Revolution.

The next month, Texians said they were part of a state separate from Coahuila. They created a temporary government based on the 1824 Constitution. By the end of 1835, all Mexican troops had been forced out of Texas.

The Matamoros Plan

Leaders in Mexico who wanted states to have more power suggested attacking the central government's troops in Matamoros. The General Council, which was Texas's temporary government, liked the idea of a Matamoros Expedition. They hoped it would encourage other states to revolt against Santa Anna. They also thought it would keep the Texian soldiers busy so they wouldn't leave the army. Most importantly, it would move the war outside of Texas.

The Council officially approved the plan on December 25. On December 30, Frank W. Johnson, the volunteer army's commander, and his helper James Grant took most of the army and supplies to Goliad. They went there to get ready for the expedition.

Santa Anna was determined to stop the rebellion. He began gathering a large army to bring order back. By the end of 1835, his army had 6,019 soldiers. In late December, he asked Congress to pass the Tornel Decree. This law said that any foreigners fighting against Mexican troops would be treated as pirates. In the early 1800s, captured pirates were often executed right away. This rule meant the Mexican Army could choose not to take prisoners in the war against the Texians.

Santa Anna personally led most of his troops inland to San Antonio de Béxar. He ordered General José de Urrea to lead 550 troops along the Atascocita Road towards Goliad. Urrea's efforts to stop the rebellion along the Texas Gulf Coast became known as the Goliad Campaign.

Getting Ready for Battle

The Texas temporary government had named Sam Houston as the commander of a new regular army. But he didn't have control over the volunteers who reported to Johnson. The temporary Governor Henry Smith was against the Matamoros Expedition. He ordered Houston to find a way to stop it. Houston gave a powerful speech to the volunteers. He convinced most of them not to continue their mission. Many soldiers left the army. Others joined the troops under Houston's second-in-command, James Fannin, at Presidio La Bahia in Goliad.

By the end of January 1836, only 70 men were left with Johnson and Grant. Most of these volunteers were Americans or Europeans who had arrived in Texas after the Texas Revolution had started.

General José de Urrea

Urrea reached Matamoros on January 31. He was a strong supporter of states' rights. He soon convinced other supporters in the area that the Texians' real goal was to break away from Mexico. He said their attempt to start a revolt in Matamoros was just a trick. Urrea's army crossed into Texas on February 18. Meanwhile, Mexican spies kept telling Johnson and Grant that they could easily take Matamoros.

Even though they heard rumors that the Mexican army was coming, Grant and Johnson decided to take their men south of the Nueces River. This was into land belonging to the state of Tamaulipas. They went there to find horses to buy, steal, or gather. Around February 21, Johnson and part of the group started bringing about 100 horses back into Texas. The rest of the men stayed with Grant. They were supposedly looking for more horses. But Grant was actually trying to meet with his allies near Matamoros. He wanted to find out if people who supported states' rights were still willing to fight against the Mexican army.

Johnson's men arrived on February 24 in San Patricio. This was an Irish settlement about 100 miles (160 km) north of Matamoros. Many people in San Patricio were loyal to the Mexican government. Johnson sent twelve men to guard the horses at Julian de la Garza's ranch, about 4 miles (6.4 km) outside town. The rest stayed in San Patricio. The weather was very cold, and the men's clothes were worn out. Johnson was sure that Grant would warn him if Mexican troops were nearby. So, he decided not to post guards. Instead, he let all the men take shelter.

The Mexican troops easily followed the path left by Johnson's horses. On February 25, Urrea led 100 dragoons (soldiers on horseback) and 100 infantry (soldiers on foot) to trap the Texians. By 10 p.m., scouts reported that Texian troops were in San Patricio. The Mexican soldiers kept marching through the cold night. Six of the troops died from the cold.

The Battle Begins

Urrea told three officers to go to San Patricio dressed as regular people. They were to warn the loyal residents that the Mexican army was coming. To avoid harm to people and buildings, loyal residents were asked to show their support by leaving lanterns burning in their windows. Local people also gave the officers exact information about which buildings held Texian soldiers. Urrea sent 30 men under Captain Rafael Pretalia to de la Garza's ranch. Their goal was to surprise the Texians camped there. At 3:30 a.m. on February 26, the remaining Mexican soldiers entered San Patricio.

One group of Texians gave up right away when they woke up and found Mexican troops all around them. When another group of Texians was asked to surrender, they instead started shooting. They killed a Mexican officer and wounded two other soldiers. The Mexican dragoons wanted to prevent more injuries. They got ready to set the house on fire to force the Texians out. At this point, several Texians shouted that they were surrendering. As they left the house, they were shot or attacked with lances.

By chance, Johnson and three of his men, Lieutenant Daniel Toler and Sergeants Love and Miller, were still awake. They were discussing battle plans. Mexican troops had been told that the house where Johnson was staying was one of their targets. But a lamp was burning in the window, which usually meant it was the home of a loyal person. To be safe, a group of troops knocked on the door. Before the Texians could open the door, they heard gunfire from the town square. Toler looked out a window and saw uniformed troops on the porch. Without opening the door, he told the soldiers in Spanish that there were no troops there, but he would open the door soon. The fighting moved into the street. Soldiers who had been guarding the back door of the house rushed to the front. Johnson, Toler, Love, and Miller quickly ran out the back door and escaped.

At the de la Garza ranch, the Texians had been taking turns standing guard. In the cold, all the guards had fallen asleep. Pretalia's soldiers opened fire on the sleeping men. Two Texians were injured. In the fight that followed, four Texians died. Eight men (three Americans and five Tejanos, who were Texans of Mexican heritage) were taken prisoner. Several others escaped.

The fighting ended within fifteen minutes.

What Happened Next

Six Texians escaped, including Johnson, Toler, Miller, Love, and John F. Beck. They walked to Refugio. From there, they sent a messenger to Fannin at Goliad, about 75 miles (121 km) north. They wanted him to know that Urrea's army was close. The survivors reached Goliad on February 29. After writing an official report about the battle, Johnson, Toler, and Love left the army and went to San Felipe. The remaining survivors joined Fannin's troops. They were later killed in the Goliad Massacre.

Eleven Texians were killed right away. Five others were badly wounded and died later. Twenty-one others were taken prisoner. Six local men were also arrested for helping the rebellion. Some historians say that most of the prisoners were killed in the town square. According to reports from Johnson and another Texian, Urrea questioned some of the prisoners. Within 72 hours, all of the prisoners were dead. One Mexican soldier was killed, and four were wounded.

Urrea's official records say the battle was fought at Fort Lipantitlán, on the other side of the Nueces River. But Texian accounts agree that the fighting happened in town and at the de la Garza ranch. Urrea waited for more soldiers before starting his march towards Goliad. His advance group searched for Grant and the remaining Texians. After learning where Grant was from local spies, Mexican dragoons surprised the Texians at Agua Dulce Creek on March 2.

In Spanish: Batalla de San Patricio para niños