Battle of Refugio The Battle of Refugio was fought from March 12 – March 15 , 1836 , near Refugio , Texas . Mexican General José Urrea and 1 , 500 Centralista soldiers fought against Amon Butler King and his 28 American volunteers and Lieutenant Colonel William Ward and his approximately 120 Americans . The battle , a part of the Goliad Campaign of the Texas Revolution , resulted in a Mexican victory and splintered Texan resistance . Background . Colonel James Fannin and his men had improved the fortifications at the old Presidio La Bahía and renamed it " Fort Defiance . " News of the fate of Texans under Frank W . Johnson at the Battle of San Patricio and James Grant at the Battle of Agua Dulce ( both captured in earlier fights ) created confusion rather than stirring the volunteers gathered at Goliad into action . Centralist sympathizers in the that had gathered and raided Victoria earlier in the month . To make matters worse , Fannin learned that some colonists who supported the revolt were in danger from Urrea ' s advance . The battles . On March 10 , he sent William C . Francis on area patrol and sent Amon B . King with a small force and wagons to collect families and escort them back to Goliad . March 11 was spent gathering families and loading carts for the return trip . However , on the 12th , King decided to confront the Centralista forces of Carlos de la Garza and the rancheros that rode with him . The opposition forces proved to be greater than imagined . King then asked Fannin to send help . King and the Kentucky Mustangs took refuge in the old Nuestra Señora del Refugio Mission at Refugio on March 12 . Receiving word , Fannin dispatched William Ward , commanding a group from Peyton S . Wyatt and the Georgia Battalion to assist King . Ward made his stand at the mission and a furious battle ensued . Although successful in breaking up the siege on the 13th , the arrival of Ward at Refugio initiated a conflict over command between the two officers . This dispute caused the insurgents to break into several smaller detachments . King left and ventured to attack a nearby ranch , believed to be Centralistas , killing 8 . As more of Urrea ' s troops began to arrive , fighting with Ward and the men continued . The groups held their own on the 14th , repelling four assaults and inflicting heavy casualties ( 80 - 100 ) and wounding 50 of the Mexican troops . The Texians suffered light losses , ( about 15 ) , but were now short on ammunition and supplies . King returned from his raid in the evening , but could not get to the mission for safety . They would fight from a tree - line across from it , near the Mission River , where they also inflicted heavy losses upon the Mexican army . Ward sent courier James Humphries to Fannin for direction . Edward Perry returned word from Fannin to fall back to Victoria , where Texian forces were to later regroup . At night , the groups attempted the escape . The wounded and a few others would remain safely behind . Their flight seemed successful at first , but there were overwhelming amounts of Mexican troops in wait . Each group was subsequently defeated and its survivors captured by Urrea ' s troops . After battling for twelve hours and inflicting heavy casualties , on their enemies , they would only suffer 1 casualty and 4 wounded . 32 men and King would surrender on the 15th , after their remaining powder became unusable , after crossing the river . They would be returned as prisoners of war to the Refugio Mission . On March 16 , fifteen men were executed ; King and the remnants of his company , and several of Ward ' s men . Juan José Holzinger , a German - Mexican officer , saw fit to save Lewis T . Ayers , Francis Dieterich , Benjamin Odlum and 8 men from the local families . The remaining 15 men were spared to serve the Mexican army as artisans ( blacksmiths , wheelwrights , mechanics ) . Ward and the bulk of his men escaped toward Copano , then turned at Melon Creek and headed for Victoria , where he thought Fannin should be , hearing the gunfire on the Coleto Creek as they moved on . At Victoria , they found no time for rest ; it too was overrun with Urrea ' s troops . The group was forced to scatter after a short skirmish erupted with Urrea ' s cavalry . Staying off the main roads they moved toward Lavaca Bay , with ten of them eventually escaping . The remainder were to be captured on March 22 by Urrea , two miles from Dimmit ' s Landing . Informed of Fannin ' s surrender , Ward ' s group were marched back to Victoria , where Holzinger again saved twenty six men , by conscripting them as laborers for Urrea . Urrea had left Colonel Telesforo Alavez , in charge of Victoria . Señora Francita Alavez intervened with her husband as well , to make sure the captive laborers lives would be saved . The remainder were sent to Goliad by March 25 . Fannin learned of Ward and King ' s fate on the 17th and had finally left for Victoria on the 19th , which proved to be too late , as the right wing of the Spanish Army was now in place to capture Fort Defiance . Fannin and his command would never make it to Victoria . Overview and outcome . The majority of Texans that were killed in the series of skirmishes or were captured and later executed , some in the Goliad Massacre , occurred following King ' s and Ward ' s rift . Fannin had received orders from General Sam Houston while King and Ward were away that directed him to evacuate Goliad and retire to Victoria as soon as possible . Reluctant to leave before various detachments returned , Fannin failed to leave Goliad ahead of Urrea ' s advance , leading to the Battle of Coleto .