Remember Goliad Essay

The Battle of the Alamo is probably the most famous battle to take place in the history of, and in the state of, Texas. The battle has given Texans the will to persevere against tough odds and the courage to endure through seemingly impossible situations for many generations. Many a Texan would draw inspiration during the fights following the defeat at the Alamo. This inspiration eventually led them to victory during the Texas Revolution following the Battle of San Jacinto. Had the Texas military correctly utilized their intelligence and combat assets available to them at the time, they would have been able to properly reinforce the Alamo. This would have allowed Texan leadership to develop an effective strategy to defeat the Mexican army

In the December of 1835, during the Texas Revolution, the Alamo was occupied by two hundred Texan soldiers located near the present day in San Antonio. The Alamo was a church in the middle of San Antonio. William Travis and James Bowie were the commanders who were prepared to defend the Alamo from the Mexicans who wanted it back. Unfortunately, the Texan soldiers were outnumbered to secure the Alamo from General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna by thousands of his soldiers. The battle was only for thirteen days and Santa Anna slaughtered everyone except for a few such as a widowed wife named Susanna Wilkerson Dickinson, her infant daughter Angelina, and the one person who witnessed the final assault and survived named Joe. For the Texans, the battle of the Alamo is an "image of brave resistance and a rallying cry in their battle for freedom." This urged more Texans to join the military and lead the following fight to triumph against Mexico. The battle cry “Remember the Alamo!” within Texas culture was a symbol of “Patriotic sacrifice.”

Did you know that Texas was actually once Mexican territory? You may wonder why Texas is one of the 50 states in America today, and what were the events leading up to the Mexican American war. But why does a simple mission church relate to all of it? The battle of the Alamo was one of the most gruesome battles in American history. Today the Alamo Cenotaph stands 60 feet tall in the heart of San Antonio to honor all of the brave men and women who lost their lives for the freedom of Texas. Today America would be very different if the Mexican American war had not occurred.

The battle at the Alamo is one of the most significant events in the Texas Revolution, as well as in both Mexican and American history. For Mexican President and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, it was a tale of determination and holding to the principles of a strong, central government. For Americans living in Texas, the Alamo was a venture of small scale Revolutionary ideals; a people should be able to democratically express how they feel their homeland to be governed. As we know, both countries experienced the extreme opposites of their desired outcomes, if only initially. The tales of this specific point in time are many, though some certainly contain many varying details from the next. However, most can hardly be proven, as

Texans revolted against their Mexican government to seek for independence. This caused the Texas annexation and revolution.

The second basic cause of the war was the Texas War of Independence and the subsequent annexation of that area to the United States. Not all American westward migration was unwelcome. In the 1820's and 1830's, Mexico, newly independent from Spain, needed settlers in the underpopulated northern parts of the country. An invitation was issued for people who would take an oath of allegiance to Mexico and convert to Catholicism, the state religion. Thousands of Americans took up the offer and moved, often with slaves, to the Mexican province of Texas. Soon however, many of the new "Texicans" or "Texians" were unhappy with the way the government in Mexico City tried to run the province. In 1835, Texas revolted, and after several bloody battles, the Mexican President, Santa Anna, was forced to sign the Treaty of Velasco in 1836 . This treaty gave Texas its independence, but many Mexicans refused to accept the legality of this document, as Santa Anna was a prisoner of the Texans at the time. The Republic of Texas and Mexico continued to engage in border fights and many people in the United States openly sympathized with the U.S.-born Texans in this conflict. As a result of the savage frontier fighting, the American public developed a very negative stereotype against the Mexican people and government. Partly due to the continued hostilities with Mexico, Texas decided to join with the United States,

I agree that Texas did do the right thing in allowing Santa Anna his freedom. Santa Anna was over confident because of the relatively easy successes he had enjoyed at the Alamo and Goliad missions where he had vast superiority in manpower and cannons, which he failed to take into account the strategy that Sam Houston put into play. After capturing Santa Anna, to obtain his release, Santa Anna had to sign two treaties, recognizing Texas independence and promising never to fight Texas again. By releasing Santa Anna after he guaranteed Texas independence, the Texans knew that trouble in Mexico would arise for him. The defeat at San Jacinto and the subsequent loss of Texas cost Santa Anna the presidency, for he returned to Mexico in disgrace. If

The texas general was James W Frannin. The goliad massacre The battle of the goliad massacre was a battle that lasted about thirty minutes.The general of mexico was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.The Goliad Massacre hardened attitudes toward Santa Anna throughout the United States and inflamed and unified the Texas resistance.By the time the colonel ordered the retreat, it was too late.The finely bred, West Point-trained officer lingered for a while as a 1,400-man army led by Santa Anna’s chief lieutenant, General Jose de Urrea, closed in on Goliad.The battle of the goliad massacre was in Presidio La Bahía, Goliad.Sam Houston ordered James Frannin to evacuate his 400 soldiers from Goliad and retreat to Victoria , a town 30 miles to the east behind the natural defense of the Guadalupe River.Santa Anna’s ruthless treatment of the captured soldiers had the opposite effect than what he intended.When one of their carts fell into the San Antonio River, the colonel told his men to halt and retrieve it.The Alamo!” His men thundered a reply with an addendum: “Remember the Alamo! Instead of taking cover in the nearby woods, Fannin ordered his men to form a square on an open prairie near Coleto Creek.Whether indecisive, stubborn or loyal to the rebels away on missions whom he did not want to abandon, Fannin remained in Goliad until the morning of March 19. The Alamo! Instead, the Mexican commanding officer shot Fannin in the face, burned his body with the others and kept the timepiece as a war prize.Fannin,had to get there fast for his safety as the orders he received on March 14, 1836.“This show of generosity after a hotly contested engagement is worthy of the highest commendation,” Urrea wrote to Santa Anna, “and I can do no less than to commend it to your Excellency.”Santa Anna, however, had no desire for such mercy.The death toll would have been even higher if not for a Mexican woman known as the “Angel of Goliad” who convinced a Mexican colonel to spare the lives of approximately 20 doctors, orderlies and interpreters.Less than a month later, as Houston prepared his men for the decisive Battle of San Jacinto that would earn Texas its

Travis drew out his sword and drew a line. For those who wanted to stay and defend the Alamo as strong serving men had to cross the line. All 200 men crossed the line but one. The 200 men that chose to stay at the Alamo was mainly because of the letter that Travis sent out for support and therefore, the soldiers stayed and fought for liberty. A native of France that was a veteran of the Napoleonic wars known as Louis Mosses Rose, the soldier did not see a reason for him to stay and die for something Rose did not believe in. This soldier did not care for the letter that Travis sent out nor the liberty of Texas; however, the letter did impact the soldiers. It motivated the soldiers to fight with passion. The soldiers grew hope and patriotism, regardless that all 200 men were free to leave but yet staid at Travis’s side to fight for liberty.

A little history before we start diving into the significance of the battles, there some precursors to the beginning of the conflict. There were a lot of political and cultural clashes between the Mexican government and American settlers in Texas. In the 1820 's, this was in the early stages. Mexico wanted to attract settlers to the state known as Coahuila which is known as Texas today. The American settlers where wanting to go because the land was good for farming and ranching. Though the American settlers soon started pushing the Mexicans away, and Mexico was slowly becoming reluctant to allow the Americans to settle here. When Americans settlers started to migrate in Texas, Mexico tried to stop them by implementing a law that they convert to Catholicism and become Mexican citizens. Though, most of the Texas settlers approved of the Mexican constitution of 1824,

The siege, fall and ensuing massacre of nearly two hundred Alamo defenders at the hands of Mexican General, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna y Perez de Lebron’s army of over five thousand was a defining moment in both Texan, and American history. For 13 days against insurmountable odds, a small, but very determined Texan garrison force fended off an equally determined Mexican Army ordered to capture it. I’ll discuss the events and political climate leading up to the siege, key historic figures involved on both sides, the siege itself, along with events immediately following the battle. The iconic phrase, “Remember the Alamo!” would later go on to become a rallying cry at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Although Mexican forces once again occupied the Alamo, General Sam Houston knew it would only be a matter of time before him and his troops had the opportunity at hand to diligently defeat Santa Anna; Patience and planning would be the key. After learning Santa Anna had isolated his military, Sam Houston and his some 800 men forged ahead in pursuit of him. Learning that not only had the Alamo been defeated but Goliad had been as well. Santa Anna and his military forces had almost double in numbers in comparison to the Texan militia, however, With the falling of the Alamo at heart, the defeat of Goliad was the fuel that sparked the heroic actions of General Sam Houston and his some 800 men who fought along slide him.

But first, let’s talk about how this happened, so the most important battles that affected this was The battle of The Alamo,Goliad Massacre, and The Battle of Gonzales. They were important because these battles and massacres

Before understanding the importance of the Battle of the Alamo, a brief history of the region is needed and the understanding of the factors that lead to the battle itself. Shortly after Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, the young republic was desperate to populate its northern state of Texas. There was an attempt to gain control of the vast territory, but there was a problem. The problem was that the area was already inhabited by Apache and Comanche tribes who were not wanting any settlers

In this battle, I think that Santa Anna should have been defended.In this case, he must’ve thought that Fannin and his men were going to attack him and so,he set an ambush on Fannin and his men.Also,he didn’t kill Fannin right away. When Fannin surrendered,they took him and his soldiers in a base called Goliad.After all, he did kill Fannin and his group. When the Texans fought against the Indians,didn’t they do the same thing?They were frightened.Many knew that the only way to stop a war was to kill their enemy.We can’t blame someone when we’ve done the same thing ourselves.