Battle of San Patricio

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of San Patricio
partof=the Texas Revolution


caption=
date=February 27, 1836
place=near San Patricio, Texas
result=Mexican victory
combatant1=Mexico
combatant2=Republic of Texas
commander1=José de Urrea
commander2=Frank Johnson
strength1=500 men
strength2=60 men
casualties1=1 killed
4 wounded
casualties2=20 killed
32 captured

The Battle of San Patricio was a 19th century battle fought on 27 February, 1836, between the Republic of Mexico and the rebelling Mexican state of Texas.

Background

The rise to power of Antonio López de Santa Anna in 1833 led several Mexican states to openly rebel. One such state was Coahuila y Texas. The Texas portion of the state was mainly settled by immigrants from the southern United States. When Santa Anna usurped power and appointed himself a dictator, suspending the Mexican Constitution of 1824, the people of Texas rebelled, wanting their civil liberties. With the fall of the town of San Antonio, Goliad, and other Mexican forts and cities to the Texas rebels, Santa Anna decided to personally crush the rebellion. He led a force called "Army of Operations" of about 6,000 soldiers into northern Mexico. Santa Anna split his forces for maximum coverage. One such column was led by General José de Urrea. He was ordered to march along the Texas coast in the southeast to keep open Mexican supply lines from the coast.

Battle

Texas revolutionaries James Grant, Frank Johnson and Robert Morris had collaborated on plans to lead an assault on the Mexican town of Matamoros. These men needed horses for their long journey south and decided to capture wild horses.

On 27 February, 1836, Urrea's advanced reconnaissance patrol discovered Frank Johnson and about seventy Texans camped at the abandoned Irish settlement of San Patricio. In a surprise attack at 3:30 a.m., Mexican troops opened fire on the Texans and killed about twenty rebels and took thirty-two prisoners. The fire-fight lasted a few hours. Johnson and four other Texans were captured but later managed to escape and rejoin James Fannin's command at Goliad.

Grant and Morris's party was also surprised by Urrea's army as they camped at Agua Dulce Creek. On 2 March, Mexican forces surprised the Texans and killed Grant and Morris and twelve other Texans. The survivors were taken and imprisoned at Matamoros.

ee also

* List of Texas Revolution battles
* Timeline of the Texas Revolution

Further reading

*Roberts, Randy & Olson, James S.; "A Line in the Sand; The Alamo in Blood and Memory"; Simon & Schuster; ISBN 0-7432-1233-9
*Davis, William C.;"Lone Star Rising-The Revolutionary Birth of the Republic of Texas";Free Press;ISBN-0-684-86510-6
*Brown, Gary; "James Walker Fannin-Hesitant Martyr in the Texas Revolution";Republic of Texas Press; ISBN-1-55622-778-7