Battle of Lipantitlán

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Lipantitlán


caption=
partof=the Texas Revolution
date=November 5, 1835
place= Fort Lipantitlán, Texas
result=Texian victory
combatant1=Texian insurgents
combatant2=Mexican Army
commander1=Ira Westover
commander2=Nicolás Rodríguez
strength1= 60–70 men
strength2= 90 men
casualties1=1 wounded
casualties2=3–5 killed, 14–17 woundedThe battle of Lipantitlán—also known as the Battle of Nueces Crossing—was fought along the Nueces River on November 5, 1835 between the Mexican Army and Texian insurgents, as part of the Texas Revolution. After the Texian victory at the Battle of Goliad, Mexican soldiers at Copano Bay and Refugio abandoned their posts to join the garrison at Fort Lipantitlán. The fort, a small earth embankment fortified by fence rails, served as customs inspection post. Fearing that Lipantitlán could be used as a base for the Mexican army to retake Goliad, and angry that two of his men were imprisoned there, Texian commander Philip Dimmitt ordered Ira Westover to capture the fort.

The commander of Fort Lipantitlán, Nicolás Rodríguez, had been ordered to harass the troops at Goliad. His men arrived there on October 31 and learned that a Texian expedition had left that morning. The Mexican soldiers returned to Fort Lipantitlán; seeing no signs of the Texians, Rodríguez and his men again travelled towards Goliad. The Texians had taken an alternate route and arrived at Lipantitlán just after sundown on November 3. A San Patricio resident persuaded the Mexican garrison to surrender that evening; the following day, the Texians dismantled the fort and prepared to return to Goliad. Half of the Texians had crossed the swollen Nueces River when Rodríguez and his men returned. The Texians took cover in a grove of trees, and taking advantage of the longer range of their rifles succeeded in forcing a Mexican retreat. One Texian was injured, 3–5 Mexican soldiers were killed, and 14–17 were wounded.

The injured Mexican troops were allowed to seek medical treatment in San Patricio, and the remaining Mexican soldiers retreated to Matamoros. This left only one garrison of Mexican soldiers in Texas. The Texians had full control of the Texas Gulf Coast, which meant that the troops stationed at San Antonio de Béxar could only receive reinforcements and supplies overland. Historian Bill Groneman believes that the eventual Mexican defeat at the siege of Bexar was in part due to their inability to be quickly reinforced from the Mexican interior. The former site of the fort is now a Texas historic site.

Background

A Lipan Apache tribe often camped on the west bank of the Nueces River, along the Texas Gulf coast. After the Apaches abandoned the area, the campground was often used by missionaries, military units, and traders making their way between Mexico and the Texas settlements.Huson (1974), p. 96.] Huson (1974), p. 97.] In 1825 or 1826, Mexican officials constructed a makeshift fort, named Lipantitlán, on the site of the old campground.Hardin (1994), p. 41.] According to Texian John J. Linn, the fort "was a single embankment of earth, lined within by fence rails to hold the dirt in place, and would have answered tolerably well, perhaps, for a second-rate hog pen".Hardin (1994), p. 44.] The embankment was surrounded by a large ditch. Several adobe and wooden huts, housing officers' families, stood close by.

Between 80 and 125 soldiers from the 2nd Active (Cavalry) Company of Tamaulipas were garrisoned at the fort. They collected customs dutiesRoell (1994), p. 41.] and provided protection to San Patricio, a small settlement approximately convert|3|mi|km south.Groneman (1998), p. 37.] Smaller garrisons were located at Copano Bay and Refugio, with a larger force stationed at Presidio La Bahía in Goliad.citation|last=Roell|first=Craig H.|title=Goliad Campaign of 1835|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/qdg1.html|accessdate=2008-07-14|publisher=Handbook of Texas]

On October 10, 1835, shortly after the Texas Revolution began, Texian insurgents seized Presidio La Bahía. Twenty Mexican soldiers escaped and warned the soldiers at Copano and Refugio of the advancing Texians; those companies abandoned their posts and joined the soldiers at Fort Lipantitlán. As the only remaining garrison on the Texas coast, Fort Lipantitlán became a vital link between the Mexican interior and San Antonio de Béxar, the political center of Texas which housed the only other force of Mexican troops.

The Texians stationed 100 men at Presidio La Bahía, under the command of Philip Dimmitt. In a letter to General Stephen F. Austin dated October 15, Dimmitt proposed an attack on Fort Lipantitlán, whose capture would "secure the frontier, provide a vital station for defense, create instability among the centralists, and encourage Mexican federalists". Most of the federalists in San Patricio were afraid that the soldiers at Fort Lipantitlán would retaliate if the citizens openly defied the centralist Mexican president, Antonio López de Santa Anna.Roell (1994), p. 42.] Two of Dimmitt's men, John Williams and John Toole, had been captured and imprisoned on October 10 and 11 trying to deliver missives to the federalist leaders in San Patricio; Dimmitt hoped that an attack on Lipantitlán would free the two men.Hardin (1994), p. 17.]

After hearing of the Texian victory at Goliad, the Mexican soldiers at Lipantitlán began improving the defenses of their small fort.Hardin (1994), p. 42.] On October 20, James Power, an empresario in the San Patricio area, learned that the Lipantitlán soldiers had been ordered to retake Presidio La Bahia.Roell (1994), p. 42.] The assault would begin once 200 additional cavalry arrived; an additional 200–300 soldiers were expected later. Although Dimmitt informed Austin of these developments, Austin did not authorize an expedition against Lipantitlán. The delay proved costly to Williams and Toole, who were marched to Matamoros, beyond the reach of the Texians. According to Dimmitt's angry letter to Austin, Toole begged his captors to kill him outright rather than send him on the march, which he believed would still result in his death. Dimmitt concluded, "this news, after the leniency shown to the prisoners taken here, could not fail to create a lively, and a strong excitement. The men under my command are clamorous for retaliation".Huson (1974), p. 98.]

Prelude

The furor over the removal of Williams and Toole likely led Dimmitt to take matters into his own hands. On October 31 he sent Adjutant Ira Westover with a force of 35 men to take Fort Lipantitlán. The expedition was accompanied by First Lieutenant John P. Borden and Sergeant William Bracken. A self-appointed advisory committee—John J. Linn, Major James Kerr and Power—rode along. All three of the advisors had been elected to the Consultation but chose to delay their departure so that they could participate in the fighting. The Texians expected to meet the Mexican cavalry company on horseback, and the people of Goliad provided 20 mounts for men who did not have their own horses.Huson (1974), pp. 99–100.] Instead of riding directly southwest to the fort, Westover travelled southeast to Refugio.Hardin (1994), p. 43.] This alternate route was likely intended to convince the Mexican soldiers that the expedition was actually headed for Copano Bay.Huson (1974), p. 101.] Powers' brother-in-law, Francisco de la Portilla, guided the men from Refugio to San Patricio. An unknown number of men joined the expedition in Refugio. Dimmitt had expected approximately 40 Texians to be waiting there, but Westover later claimed that only 4 men had joined. Historian Craig Roell believes that the expedition grew by at least 20 men, and historian Bill Groneman estimated that Westover's force numbered 60–70 men when it reached San Patricio.Groneman (1998), p. 35.]

Meanwhile, the commander of the garrison at Fort Lipantitlán, Captain Nicolás Rodríguez, received orders to harass the Texians at Presidio La Bahía. On October 31, as Rodríguez and his men neared Goliad, they learned that a Texian force had just left the fort. The Mexican soldiers immediately retraced their route. They did not encounter any Texian soldiers during their march and arrived on November 1 to find the fort unmolested.Huson (1974), p. 106.] Uncertain as to what the Texians intended to do, Rodríguez and the bulk of his garrison (almost 80 men) turned back towards Goliad, hoping to intercept the Texians. Between 21 and 27 soldiers, armed with two cannons, remained behind to defend the fort.Groneman (1998), p. 36.]

Battle

Rodríguez expected the Texians to take a direct route, so his men patrolled the northern approaches to the fort. Because Westover's men instead approached from the east, they eluded the Mexican patrols. Five miles (8 km) from San Patricio, Westover received word that Rodríguez was searching for the Texians. He forced the men to increase their pace,Huson (1974), p. 103.] and they arrived at San Patricio 30 minutes after sundown on November 3. Westover positioned two small groups of men, under the command of Bracken and Lieutenant Benjamin Noble, to guard the Nueces River crossings, about convert|70|yd|m from the fort.Huson (1974), p. 102.] As the rest of the Texians prepared for a dawn assault, two San Patricio residents wandered into their camp. Westover arrested one of them, James O'Riley, for "aiding and assisting the enemy". In exchange for his liberty, O'Riley offered to persuade the Mexican garrison to surrender. Historians have no records of what methods O'Riley used, but by 11 pm the Mexican soldiers had surrendered. They were released immediately as long as they promised not to fight again during the Texas Revolution. No shots had been fired. The Texians captured two 4-lb (1.8-kg) cannons, 18 muskets, and 3–4 pounds (1.4–1.8 kg) of powder. They also released several Texians who had been held prisoner in the fort.Huson (1974), p. 102.]

The following day, Texians burned the wooden huts adjacent to the fort and began dismantling the embankments. By 3 pm they had rounded up 14 horses and were preparing to bring the cannons back to Goliad. In the meantime, Rodriguez had travelled almost all the way to Goliad. Before he reached Presidio La Bahía, one of his spies arrived with news that the Texians had taken Fort Lipantitlán. Rodriguez and his men—including 10 colonists from San Patricio—marched back toward the fort, arriving at about 4 pm.Hardin (1995), p. 45.]

The Texians were using a small canoe to transport men across the Nueces River, and when the Mexican soldiers were sighted only half of the Texian force had crossed to the east bank of the river. As the Mexican soldiers attacked, the Texians took cover in a grove of trees. The trees prevented the cavalry from approaching, so Rodriguez's men dismounted and attempted to attack from both sides. The Texian rifles had a much longer range than the Mexican Brown Bess muskets (convert|200|yd|m compared to convert|70|yd|m. After 30 minutes of fighting, the Mexicans withdrew, leaving behind 8 horses and several wounded men. Bracken was the only Texian injured. He was shot in the right hand and lost three fingers. Texian rifleman A. J. Jones later wrote to Fannin that 3 Mexicans had died with 14 wounded, but historian Stephen Hardin believes that 5 Mexicans died with 17 wounded.Hardin (1994), p. 46.] Jones's letter mentioned that three of the wounded were the "alcade", judge, and sheriff of San Patricio.

Aftermath

Without draft animals, the Texians had no easy way to transport the artillery. As night approached, a cold rain began to fall, and the men became discouraged. Westover, Kerr, Linn, and Power agreed to throw the artillery in the river rather than continue to struggle with it.Huson (1974), p. 103.] The Texians also deposited their cache of captured ammunition and muskets in the river; in their opinion, the supplies were useless.

Most Texians spent the night in San Patricio, housed by sympathetic locals. The Mexican troops camped outdoors near the battle site. At dawn, Rodriguez sent a courier to ask for permission to transport his wounded men to San Patricio for treatment. Westover agreed. The following day one of the wounded soldiers, Mexican Lieutenant Marcellino Garcia, died. Garcia was a personal friend of Linn, and the Texians gave him a full burial with honors.Huson (1974), p. 105.]

Westover sent his own messenger to Rodriguez to request "another pleasant meeting". Rodriguez declined the offer, and he and his remaining men retreated to Matamoros.Hardin (1994), p. 47.] Their departure left only one remaining group of Mexican soldiers in Texas, those under General Martin Perfecto de Cos at Béxar.Hardin (1994), p. 53.] The Texians now controlled the Gulf Coast, and so all communication between Cos and the Mexican interior must be transferred overland. This was a long journey, so Cos was unable to quickly request or receive reinforcements or supplies. According to Groneman, this likely contributed to Cos's defeat in the siege of Bexar.

The only booty to accompany the Texians from the site were 14 horses. On November 12, the expedition returned to Goliad, where Dimmitt chastised Westover for not following orders.No record remains of the orders Westover neglected to follow.] Westover refused to make an official report to Dimmitt. Instead, he sent a written report to Sam Houston, the commander-in-chief of the regular army.Huson (1974), p. 108.] In Westover's opinion: "The men all fought bravely and those on the opposite bank of the river were enabled to operate on the flanks of the enemy above and below the crossing which they did with fine effect." Houston lauded "the conduct and bravery of the officers and men who have so handsomly acquitted themselves in the affair and so deservedly won [a] reputation for themselves and Glory for their Country".Hardin (1994), p. 48.] The victory was the first the Texians had experienced since the Battle of Goliad and, according to historian Hobart Huson, it "renewed the morale of the people".Huson (1974), p. 109.] News of the battle spread throughout the United States, and the Texians were widely praised in American newspapers.

The removal of Mexican army oversight encouraged federalists in San Patricio. These men soon gained control of the municipal government, formed a militia, and elected delegates to represent them at the Consultation, which served as a provisional Texas government. However, the town remained divided, with many still supporting the centralist Mexican government. After reaching Matamoros, Rodriguez sent a letter to the town leaders, warning them that the Mexican army would be returning and encouraging them to repudiate the rebellion. One of the San Patricio federalists later wrote Dimmitt, "We have neither men nor means to withstand any force that may be sent against us."

In 1937, the land comprising the former site of Fort Lipantitlán was donated to the state of Texas. The Texas State Parks Board gained control over the site in 1949. [citation|last=Long|first=Christopher|title=Lipantitlan State Historic Site|publisher=Handbook of Texas|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/LL/gkl4.html|accessdate=2008-07-07] Now named the Lipantitlan State Historic Site, the park covers convert|5|acre|ha in Nueces County. A stone marker indicates the location of the former fort.

ee also

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

Notes

Footnotes

References

*citation|last=Groneman|first=Bill|title=Battlefields of Texas|publisher=Republic of Texas Press|date=1998|isbn=9781556225710|location=Plano, TX|year=1998|oclc=37935129
*citation|last=Hardin|first=Stephen L.|date=1994|title=Texian Iliad – A Military History of the Texas Revolution|location=Austin, TX|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=0292730861|oclc=29704011|year=1999
*citation|last=Huson|first=Hobart|title=Captain Phillip Dimmitt's Commandancy of Goliad, 1835–1836: An Episode of the Mexican Federalist War in Texas, Usually Referred to as the Texian Revolution|location=Austin, TX|publisher=Von Boeckmann-Jones Co.|date=1974
*citation|last=Roell|first=Craig H.|title=Remember Goliad! A History of La Bahia|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|date=1994|location=Austin, TX|series=Fred Rider Cotten Popular History Series|number=9|isbn=087611141X|year=1994|oclc=30667624