The Grass Fight
On November 26,
1835, a scout
named Deaf
Smith brought
news that
Mexican soldiers
were bringing
horses and mules
to San Antonio.
The Texans suspected the mules’
saddlebags were loaded with silver to
pay Mexican soldiers.
The Mexicans attacked the train of donkeys
expecting to find the saddlebags filled with
silver.
But, to their surprise, the only thing in the
saddlebags was grass to feed the animals!
Siege of San Antonio
(Also known as the Siege of Bexar)
Have you heard about the fight between the Mexican army and
the Texan army at San Antonio? The Battle of the Alamo?
Well – that was the second fight.
I’m going to tell you about the first one!
Texans decided to
drive the Mexicans
out of Texas for
good. They
organized an army
of 300 soldiers
called the “Army of
the People”. They
elected Stephen F.
Austin as their
leader and they
headed for San
Antonio!
General Cos, Santa Anna’s brother-in-law, was
leading Mexican troops to San Antonio.
As the “Army of the People” headed to San
Antonio, they were joined by more and more
volunteers. By the time they reached San
Antonio, the Texan army had almost 600
soldiers.
The Mexican troops led by General Cos
retreated further into San Antonio after a
small battle with the Texans at Mission
ConcepciÓn. The Texans camped on the
outskirts of San Antonio and settled in for a
month long siege of San Antonio.
As the siege continued, many Texan soldiers left
to go home. No fighting was occurring, and
many needed to get back home to their
families. But, just as the Texans were ready to
give up, they found out that the Mexican
troops were running low on supplies and were
getting very restless.
The Texans met to
plan an attack. Ben
Milam rose and
asked, “Who will go
into San Antonio with
old Ben Milam?” 400
of the 500 soldiers
agreed to go with
him. The other men
stayed behind to
protect their camp.
The Texans attacked the Mexican
army in San Antonio on December
5, 1835. Ben Milam was one of the
first to fall. He died of his wounds
on December 7th.
The Texans fought even harder after
their leader was killed. The Texans
were able to take control of the San
Fernando Cathedral and the Military
Plaza causing the Mexican army to
surrender on December 9th. General
Cos waved a white flag of surrender.
Almost 400 Mexican soldiers died
in the Siege of San Antonio. Only 2
Texans died! It was a decisive
victory for the Texan army.
General Cos and his forces retreated
south across the Rio Grande into
Mexico. Now, no Mexican troops
remained on Texas soil!
Santa Anna was furious that his army
had been defeated by the Texans!
Ben Milam became the first hero of
the Texas Revolution!
The Battle
of
Gonzales
The citizens of Gonzales had a small
cannon that had been given to them to
use as protection against Native
Americans. A Mexican colonel named
Ugartechea decided to send Mexican
troops to get the cannon back.
When the Mexican troops arrived
at Gonzales, the alcalde refused to
give them the cannon. Alcalde
Andrew Ponton asked to see their
written orders. But, the troops had
no written orders!
The Mexican troops withdrew from
Gonzales and camped across from the
town on the banks of the Guadalupe
River. They sent a soldier back to San
Antonio to get written orders.
While they waited for written orders, the
Texans defiantly buried the cannon. Other
settlers in Texas heard about the situation
in Gonzales. About 160 settlers showed up
to aid the citizens of Gonzales.
The settlers dug up the cannon and
prepared to use it against the
Mexicans when they returned. Near
the cannon they flew a banner that
said “Come and Take It!”
Mexican Lieutenant Francisco
Casteñeda led 100 Mexican soldiers to
Gonzales to sieze the cannon. They
camped on the Guadalupe River across
from the town. Two days later the
Texans crossed the river and fired the
tiny cannon at the Mexican troops.
Canstañeda and his troops retreated to
San Antonio. The defiant Texans had
proven that they were willing to use
military force against the Mexican
government if necessary!
This is considered the first battle of the
Texas Revolution.
TEXAS REVOLUTION