Texas Revolution - Goliad, TX, USA
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 28° 40.044 W 097° 23.456
14R E 657234 N 3172196
Memorial to Texas Army Col. James Fannin and his men, who were taken prisoner by the Mexican Army and then murdered under the orders of Santa Anna.
Waymark Code: WMQP3W
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/11/2016
Views: 6
From another waymark posted by Benchmark Blasterz
The Battle of Coleto Creek happened on 19 March 1836 near the town of Goliad. Texian volunteers commanded by Col. James Fannin had been ordered to retreat to Victoria TX by General Sam Houston, but Col. Fannin delayed his retreat. That delay gave the Mexican Army under General Urrea time to encircle Fannin's forces, and compel the Texian's surrender.
After Fannin had surrendered, Gen. Urrea ordered that the Texian prisoners should be treated appropriately as prisoners of war, fed, cared for, and put to work rebuilding Goliad. However, Gen. Urrea's orders were overruled by Mexican dictator Santa Anna, who ordered Fannin and his men executed.
Fannin and his men were marched out of the Presidio La Bahio on Palm Sunday morning, 27 Mar 1836. They were lined up and shot at point blank range. Those who did not die of their gunshot wounds were bludgeoned or bayoneted until dead. Fannin was shot last.
Before he was executed, he gave his silver watch to a Mexican soldier after he promised to honor three requests: (1) That Fannin's personal possessions to be sent to his family, (2) that Fannin would be shot in his heart and not his face, and (3) that Fannin would be given a Christian burial. Fannin's personal possessions were taken and divided between Mexican soldiers, Fannin was shot in the face, and his body was burned and left to rot in an open trench with the bodies of his men.
About 40 Texians survived what is known as the Goliad Massacre. Some were spared because they had medical training, others feigned death, and others were smuggled out by Francisa Alvarez, the Angel of Goliad.
In 1885 one of the survivors of the massacre (Mr. William L. Hunter) and the Fannin Monument Association erected a memorial to Fannin in a small park one block from the Goliad town square. The memorial featured a tall marble obelisk memorial to Fannin and his men, and two cannon.