Matamoros Expedition facts for kids

The Matamoros Expedition was a plan in 1836 for Texian rebels to invade the Mexican port town of Matamoros. In 1835, the Mexican government changed from a system where states had more power to one where the central government had more control. Many people, including the Texians, fought against this change. In Mexican Texas, settlers started a full rebellion in October, known as the Texas Revolution. By the end of 1835, Texians had pushed all Mexican soldiers out of their land. Feeling confident, they started looking for ways to continue the fight outside of Texas.

Why Matamoros Was Important

By the late 1820s, Matamoros was one of the most important ports in Mexico. It was located on the Rio Grande, about 31 miles (50 km) from the Gulf of Mexico. This busy port served much of northeastern Mexico. It also handled a lot of international trade with the United States and Europe.

Early Ideas for the Expedition

The idea for the Matamoros Expedition began with Philip Dimmitt. He was the commander of the Texian forces at Presidio La Bahia in Goliad. On October 15, 1835, Dimmitt wrote to Texian Army commander Stephen F. Austin. Dimmitt suggested sending his troops to capture Fort Lipantitlan, a small Mexican army base south of Goliad. He believed that removing Mexican forces from this coastal area would clear the way to invade Matamoros. He hoped this would encourage other Mexican federalists to join the Texian revolt.

After his troops captured Fort Lipantitlan in November, Dimmitt changed his mind. He decided not to support an invasion into Mexico. As his troops returned to Goliad, they met Agustin Viesca, the former governor of Coahuila y Tejas. What Viesca told Dimmitt about events in Mexico made Dimmitt think that taking Matamoros was no longer a good idea. He wrote to Austin, saying he feared such a move might be opposed rather than supported.

However, Dimmitt kept preparing for a possible invasion. As more news from Mexico reached him, his desire to invade changed again. On December 2, he wrote another letter, which was published in early January. This letter again supported an invasion of Matamoros. He explained that invading Mexico would move the war out of Texas. A successful attack could also give the Texians the port's income, which was about $100,000 per month. Dimmitt thought someone born in Mexico should lead the expedition. He suggested Lorenzo de Zavala, but de Zavala said he was too sick.

Planning the Attack

In mid-March, the Texian government, called the Consultation, met and formed a temporary government. Henry Smith became the governor. The council quickly created a new regular army, to be led by Sam Houston. Houston would have to build his army from scratch, not take over the volunteer forces already led by Austin.

The council was very interested in working with federalists inside Mexico to make the revolution stronger. Governor Smith, however, was careful about trusting most Mexican citizens. He said it was "bad policy to fit out, or trust Mexicans in any manner connected with our government." Still, the council heard reports that other Mexican states were close to revolting. On December 25, they approved an expedition into Matamoros. They listed several reasons for the attempt:

• The Texas government could take all the money collected at the port.
• Texas would control the Gulf of Mexico from Matamoros to New Orleans.
• The Mexican centralists would not be able to use Matamoros as a base to invade Texas.
• The Texian troops were bored and would not cause trouble if they had a task to do.

Governor Smith had initially supported the plan. On December 17, he told Houston to start planning the expedition. Houston gave the task to James Bowie, but Bowie did not get his orders for several weeks. Without asking Smith, the Council asked Edward Burleson to lead an expedition to Matamoros on December 15. Burleson had replaced Austin as commander of the volunteer Texian Army. Days before, they had taken San Antonio de Bexar after a long siege. Their victory meant no Mexican troops were left in Texas. What the council didn't know was that Burleson had resigned after the victory. He left Frank W. Johnson in charge of the assembled troops. On January 3, Johnson wrote to the Council that he had received the note meant for Burleson and had started the expedition.

On December 30, Johnson teamed up with James Grant. They ordered most of the volunteers to leave Bexar and gather at Goliad. Only 100 men were left to guard Bexar. They were placed under Colonel James C. Neill and stationed in the Alamo Mission. The 200 men who went with Johnson had volunteered to stay in Bexar. Their departure meant they broke the rules of their enlistment.

The Council voted to make Johnson the official commander of the expedition. He first refused, citing another disagreement with the council, but changed his mind the next day. In the meantime, the council appointed James W. Fannin to lead the expedition. They did not cancel Johnson's orders. This meant two men had the authority to raise an army to go to Matamoros.

When Grant reached Goliad, he confronted Dimmitt. Grant claimed to be the "Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Volunteer Army." He then tried to take command and seized all the supplies Dimmitt and his men had.

Houston heard about the growing problem and went to Goliad to try and fix it. He arrived on January 14, just as Dimmitt was leaving Goliad with some of his men. Houston entered the fort at Goliad. On January 16, he spoke to all the remaining troops and tried to convince them not to continue the campaign. Grant's men could not be persuaded and headed for Refugio, where Johnson and other troops were gathering. Houston went with them, trying to gain some respect from the men.

Fannin and William Ward had also gathered a force of 200 men at Velasco. On January 24, they left and landed at Copano harbor on February 2. Fannin took supplies from the ships in the harbor. On February 4, he marched to join Johnson's men at Refugio.

The Expedition Continues

At Refugio, Houston again tried to persuade the men. This time, his efforts worked, and most of the men decided to leave the Matamoros campaign. Fannin took most of the men and went to Goliad. He made Presidio La Bahía his headquarters, renaming it Fort Defiance. However, Grant and Johnson continued their journey towards Matamoros. As co-commanders, with about 70 to 100 men, they went as far as San Patricio to gather horses for the expedition. Grant learned that Mexican Captain Nicolás Rodríguez and a small company were in the area. Grant confronted and defeated them, took their horses, and captured the men. Within a few days, the prisoners escaped, alerting nearby Mexican forces.

The Texians split into smaller groups to search for horses and supplies. They went all the way to Santa Rosa Ranch. Grant and a group of fifteen Texians left to find food. While Grant was gone, Mexican General José de Urrea led a surprise attack on San Patricio in the early morning of February 27. Most of Johnson's men were killed, but Johnson barely escaped. Grant and his men, while looking for supplies, were also attacked by General José de Urrea's cavalry. Grant was killed in the Battle of Agua Dulce at 10:30 a.m. on March 2, 1836.