The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-08-23
THE MASSACRE AT GOLIAD.
An Account by the Only Living Man VIII
Survived It..

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
Preside 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, e1-
governor of Durango, crossed the Rio
Grande 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
: leminsnce.s It was a large; square build
'ing OF stone. inclosing about an acre.
It was rather series of buildings, hav-
ing an arsenal, barrack and church.
It had three strong bastions of solid
.masonry, two of which were turreted.
The place had a formidable appearance,
but was not really so, as the walls were
thin, having been designed to resist the
ATTACKS of Indians only. Two or three
, Good field pieces could have preached
! sny 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
IAN army could march past it on either
side unmolested. -
: When Gen. Urea reached Goliad, in
stead of besiegiug he marched around,
crossed the San Antonio river above.
Fannin 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
o, 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
copysof this agreements was ever found
hut Capt. Shacklefora said it was re.
duced in writing in both languages. BE
made this assertion in my presence al
g Goliad dlon the day of the massacre. But
! written or unwritten, the stipulationf
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 Genera
Urea went to Victoria. The prisoners
were huddled at Goliad into the ole
church, place not half large enough TO,
them, with but one window that car
remember. They were kept there two
days, and then allowed to 60 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 o.
seventy men, who had been captured al
,Capano. We we're allowed to mingle
freely with the other prisoners, but we're
assigned separate quarters at nightfall
Next day Wards battalion, which haG
escaped from the mission, and had beer
captured near the Guadalupe river, were
brought into Goliad, making in al
= 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. F,anniu, who. although wounded
was on horseback; the other was Col
Holzinger, a Mexican artillery officer
Fannin said he had tonight hard battl'
on the nineteenth, and had urrenderet
upon honorable terms the next morning
He was then on his way to Capano, t,
procure vessel to transport his men t.
New Orleans. This is proof positiv
that Faunin surrendered upon HONORABLE
terms, and not at discretion, as SAINT
Anna always insisted, aud, doubtless, be
lieved. I have read Urea's dispatch t.
Santa Anna from lear Victoria, in whicl
be gives full account of his proceed
ines since leaving The Rio Grande, tell
OF all prisoners at Goliad, but says no
one word about my agreement wit
Fannin relative to terms Of surrender
\ leaving the commander chief in tn
- Belief that Fannin surrendered at dis
cretiou. I know, from A]monte'
diary, that this is the only dispatch re
ceived by Santa Anna from Urea sine
he had left the Rio Grande.
The courier from Santa Anna arrived
at Goliad on the twenty sixth, having
left San Antonio the morning of tn
same dav. distant one hundred miles
Don J. N. Partilla, the commandante
glanced at the superscriptiol,then at th
black seal bearing the presidents aims
an upright arm and dagger, with tn
legend "Mano y Clavo," and sat dow
on bis camp stool to read the missive
uttering something likea a groan. 1t
purport was that he hsd certain prison
q era. in charge, that he knew what hi
duty was, ana r'nst execute that dut
and promptly rejo:n his Commando,
Partilla threw down the dispatch in dis
gust. "Duty, indeed" he muttered
leaning his head upon the table.
- Fz.Az young woman entered the room
took up the letter. and read it throug
from beginning to end. Partilla locke
NO and discovered the intruder with tn
dispatch in her hand. -.
II see you have been reading my dli
patch" said the commandante. !
an ',S $50 + have. I came here with tha
very purpose. Z she replied.
III suppose yor know. what
means"