More men were massacred at Goliad than died at the Alamo and San Jacinto combined.  At the battle of San Jacinto, the battle cry was, “Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad.”  It was the massacre of 342 prisoners of war at Goliad that turned the sentiments of the people of the United States to aid fellow Texians to defeat General Santa Anna and his forces at San Jacinto.

March 27, 1836 was the date of this horrendous act.

While on our Texas Tour, we visited the Fannin Battleground and the Presidio La Bahia which were the sites of these fateful events.

The sign on the highway was not very large.  We almost missed visiting the Fannin Battleground.  I am so glad we found it.

The battle of Coleto Creek is known as the “Defeat That Led to Victory.”  Col. Fannin and his men were surrounded and greatly outnumbered by the Mexican army.  They surrendered believing that they would be treated as prisoners of war.

 

This granite monument was placed here in 1913 in memory of Col. Fannin and his men.

It is believed that this is the site of their surrender.

Also at the park is a picnic pavilion and a recently restored bandstand.

On the door to the ground floor of the bandstand, is this little sign.  Honestly, we were not sure if it was okay to open the door, but we did, and inside this room was a little museum detailing the history of the Fannin Battleground.

The exhibits were well done and interesting.

We then visited the Presidio La Bahia where Col. Fannin and his men were taken.

Two groups of the Texans were marched along different river roads at dawn on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836.   They were shot at close range.  The wounded including Col. Fannin were massacred in this courtyard at the Presidio.  In all, 342 men were massacred.  Each year a reenactment of the Goliad Massacre is held on the weekend closest to March 27th.  This year it will be held on March 29, 2014.

I more fully realize why the battle cry, “Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad” was so inspiring.  Gen. Santa Anna’s Goliad Massacre caused the tide of opinion to turn against the Mexican Army.

For me, seeing the places and reading the stories makes the history real.  Now my blood boils when I think about the Goliad Massacre.

Please visit these sites if you can.

Blessings to you and yours,

If you want to read more about the Goliad Massacre, go to the Texas State Historical Association website.

I will share more pictures of Presidio La Bahia in another blog.