Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-08-05
THE MASSACRE AT GOLIAD.
An Account by the Only Living Man wh,
Survived II.
OH, WH0TUb IUIIy
-Scribner for august.

An Account by the Only Living AIau who
Survived II.
Santa Anna invaded Texas in Febru-
ary, 1886, with 10000 men. The army
entered by two routes, the larger divi-
sion, commanded ~ Santa Anna, going
from New Leon, crossed the river at the
Presidio del Rio Grande, and taking the
main road, made forced marches toward
San Antonio de Bexar, The other divi-
sion, under Gen. Don Jose Urea, ex-
governor of Durango, crossed the Rio
Granle at or near the city of Mata
mOras, and entered Texas at San Patri-
clio, on the Rio de las Nucces.
The two sections advanced, having
several engagements marked by cruel
slaughter. Col Fannin was at Goliad,
thirty miles distant, with Texan troops.
The fortress of Goliad stood on an
eminence. 1t was large square build
ing of stone, inclosing about an acre.
Tt was rather a series of buildings, hav-
ing an arsenal, barrack and church.
1t had three strong bastions of solid
masonry, two of which were turreted.
The place had formidable appearance,
hut was not really so, as the walls were
thm, having been designed to resist the
attacks of Indians only. Two or three
good field pieces could have preached
any section of the structure, save the
bastions, in an hour. Fannin's force in
the place amounted to not more than
325 men. The country was open, and
an army could march past it on either
side unmolested.
When Gen. Urea reached Goliad, in
stead of hesiegiug he marched around,
crossed the San Antonio river above.
Fapnin then set fire to the fortress, and
begun his retreat toward Guadalupe
Victoria, but soon surrendered. The
terms offered by Urea were: That the
Texans should be received and treated
as prisoners of war; that private prop
erty should be respected and restored
that the side arms of the officers should
be given up; that the men should be
sent to Capano, and thence in eight days
to the United States, and that the Off
GERS should be paroled. No written
copy of this agreement was ever found;
but Capt. Shackleford said it was re-
duced in writing in both languages. He
made this assertion in my presence at
Goliad on the day of the massacre. But
written or unwritten, the stipulations
should have been equally binding.
There is no kind of doubt that the
Mexican officers destroyed the docu-
ments.
Fannin and his fellow prisoners were
then remanded' to Goliad, and General
Urea went to Victoria. The prisoners
were huddled at Goliad into the old
church, a place not half large enough for
them, with but one window that I can
remember. They wers kept there two
days, and then allowed to go out into the
open area of the fort.
On the twenty-third of March Miller's
command, to which I belonged, reached
Goliad. The company consisted OF
seventy men, who had been captured at
Capano. We were allowed to mingle
freely with the other prisoners, but were
assigned separate quarters OF nightfall.
Next day Wards battalion, which had
escaped from the mission, and had been
captured near the Guadalupe river, were
brought into Goliad, making in all
nearly 500 prisoners.
On the morning Of our arrival at Coli
ad, we met two gentleman and squad
of lancers. One of the gentlemen was
Col. Fannin, Who although wounded,
was on horseback; the other was Col.
Holzinger, Mexican artillery officer.
Fannin said he had fought hard battle
on the nineteenth, and had urrendered
upon honorable terms the next morning.
He was then on his way to Capano, to
procure vessel to transport his men to
New Orleans. This is proof positive
that Fannin surrendered upon honorable
terms, and not at discretion, as Santa
Anna always insisted, and, doubtless, be.
heved. l have read Urea's dispatch tc
Santa Anna from near Victoria, in which
he gives full account of his proceed
ings since leaving the Rio Grande, tells
of-all prisoners at Golia3, but says moi
one word about any agreement with
Fannin relative to terms of surrender
leaving the commander-in- chief in the
belief that Fannin surrendered at dis
erection. | know, from Almonte'l
diary, that this is the only dispatch re
ceived by Santa Anna from Urea sine,
no had left the Rio Grande.