Battle of Agua Dulce The Battle of Agua Dulce Creek occurred approximately south of San Patricio on March 2 , 1836 , between the Republic of Mexico and the rebellious Mexican state of Texas as part of the Texas Revolution . In February 1836 , Mexican General Jose Urrea led a contingent of troops along the Texas coast , intending to eventually retake Goliad . After defeating a small group of Texians in San Patricio , Urrea learned that the remainder of the group was on on its way back to San Patricio after capturing wild horses . Urrea and 60 cavalry troops waited in ambush on the morning of March 2 . After a brief battle , the main body of the Texian and Tejano troops were defeated . The commander of those troops , Dr . James Grant , and a second man escaped the battle and were pursued for before being forced to dismount . Grant was killed , as were 11 other men under his command . Six Texians were taken prisoner ; contrary to Santa Anna ' s orders , Urrea did not execute the prisoners , but instead sent them to a jail in Matamoros . An additional six Texians escaped ; five of them later died in the Goliad Massacre . Background . The Texas Revolution began on October 2 , 1835 . By December , all Mexican soldiers had been driven from the province . The Texas General Council authorized the Matamoros Expedition to take Matamoros in the Mexican interior . The General Council alternately gave command of the expedition to James Fannin and Frank W . Johnson . The acting governor , Henry Smith , sent General Sam Houston to try to stop the campaign . Houston quietly pointed out the difficulties facing the soldiers in Matamoros , and many soldiers deserted . Fannin chose to pull back to Presidio La Bahia at Goliad , leaving about 150 men with Johnson in Refugio . Johnson shared command with his business partner , James Grant . They marched their remaining troops south to San Patricio , still over from Matamoros . By late February , desertions had brought their number down to fewer than 100 men . Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was determined to quell the unrest . By December 1835 , Santa Anna had gathered 6 , 019 soldiers at San Luis Potosi . Santa Anna intended to march the majority of the troops across the center of Texas to retake San Antonio de Bexar . General Jose Urrea would manage the second front of the war , with the goal of retaking Presidio La Bahia at Goliad . On February 17 , 1836 , Urrea and 550 troops crossed the Rio Grande at Matamoros . Prelude . In late February , Grant took 26 men to hunt for wild horses . Johnson remained in San Patricio with about 34 men , divided into five groups . In the early hours of February 27 , Urrea attacked San Patricio . The Texians were quickly defeated , with many , including Johnson , fleeing the area . Urrea then sent scouts to find Grant ' s small group . Unaware of Johnson ' s fate , Grant and his party began their march northward to San Patricio , driving a herd of several hundred captured mustangs with them . Urrea had learned of their movements , and on the morning of March 2 he led approximately 60 cavalry to intercept the Texians . Battle . Approximately south of San Patricio , near Agua Dulce Creek , the Mexican cavalry took cover in two groves of trees . Grant , Ruben Brown , and Plácido Benavides rode ahead of the main body of Texians and saw no signs of the Mexican soldiers . As the remaining Texians reached the trees , the Mexican cavalry attacked . Taken completely unaware , many of the Texians were shot before they were able to raise their guns . On hearing the gunfire , Grant ordered Benavides , a local resident who was familiar with the countryside , to travel to Goliad to warn Fannin of the Mexican army ' s proximity . Grant and Brown returned to join the fray . As they neared , however , they realized that the battle was almost over , with most of the Texians already dead . A Mexican lance killed Brown ' s horse , but he managed to safely mount another horse . At about this time , the wild horses stampeded , and , in the confusion , Grant and Brown were able to escape . According to Brown ' s later recollection , both of their horses were wounded as Mexican soldiers fired after them . Mexican soldiers promptly gave chase . Although some called for the Texians to surrender , Grant and Brown continued to flee . After , the pair were surrounded and dismounted . Grant killed a Mexican soldier who drove a lance through Brown ' s arm . This made him the target of the other soldiers , and he died after being pierced multiple times . Unable to fight after a lasso pinned his arms , Brown surrendered and was taken captive . Aftermath . Although Urrea reported that 41 – 43 Texians were killed , historians believe that only 12 Texians died . Six Texians were taken prisoner . Despite orders from Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna that all captured Texians should be executed , Urrea spared those who surrendered . The men were escorted to a prison in Matamoros . An additional six Texians escaped . Five of these joined Fannin ' s garrison at Goliad and were later killed in the Goliad Massacre . No reports of Mexican losses have been found , although at least one Mexican soldier is thought to have died . After the battle , Mexican soldiers rounded up the horses that the Texians had been herding and kept them . According to historian Stephen Hardin , this battle proved that the Texians did not fight well on open prairies . News of the imminent arrival of Urrea worried Fannin , who feared that Santa Anna would lead his troops from San Antonio de Bexar towards Goliad , essentially trapping Fannin and his men between the two branches of the Mexican Army . Fannin wrote to the Acting Governor , James Robinson , " I am a better judge of my military abilities than others , and if I am qualified to command an Army , I have not found it out . " The acting Texas government named Sam Houston the new commander - in - chief on March 4 , but instructed Fannin to " use your own discretion to remain where you are or to retreat as you may think best for the safety of the brave volunteers under your command , and the regulars in the militia " .