Battle of Lipantitlán
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Lipantitlán, also known as the Battle of Nueces Crossing, was fought along the Nueces River
on November 4, 1835 between the Mexican Army
and Texian
insurgents, as part of the Texas Revolution
. After the Texian victory at the Battle of Goliad
, only two Mexican garrisons remained in Texas, Fort Lipantitlán near San Patricio
and the Alamo Mission
at San Antonio de Béxar (modern-day San Antonio). Fearing that Lipantitlán could be used as a base for the Mexican army to retake Goliad and angry that two of his men were imprisoned there, Texian commander Philip Dimmitt
ordered his adjutant
, Captain Ira Westover, to capture the fort.
The commander of Fort Lipantitlán, Nicolás Rodríguez, had been ordered to harass the Texian troops at Goliad. Rodríguez took the bulk of his men on an expedition; while they were gone, Westover's force arrived in San Patricio. On November 3, a local man persuaded the Mexican garrison to surrender, and the following day the Texians dismantled the fort. Rodríguez returned as the Texians were crossing the swollen Nueces River
to return to Goliad. The Mexican soldiers attacked, but the longer range of the Texians rifles soon forced them to retreat. One Texian was injured, 3–5 Mexican soldiers were killed, and 14–17 were wounded.
The injured Mexican troops were allowed to seek medical treatment in San Patricio, and the remaining Mexican soldiers retreated to Matamoros
. The Texians now had full control of the Texas Gulf Coast, which meant that the troops stationed at San Antonio de Béxar could only receive reinforcements and supplies overland. Historian Bill Groneman believes that this contributed to the eventual Mexican defeat at the siege of Béxar
, which expelled all Mexican troops from Texas. The former site of the fort is now a Texas historic site.
on the Gulf coast of Texas
. The site was first occupied by a nomadic Lipan Apache tribe during their periodic visits. After the Apaches abandoned the area, the campground was often used by missionaries, military units, and traders making their way between Mexico and the Texas settlements. In 1825 or 1826, Mexican officials constructed a makeshift fort, named Lipantitlán after the Lipan Apaches, at the campsite. According to Texian
John J. Linn, the fort "was a single embankment of earth, lined within by fence rails to hold the dirt in place, and would have answered tolerably well, perhaps, for a second-rate hog pen". The embankment was surrounded by a large ditch; just outside the ditch lay adobe and wooden huts for the officers and their families.
Between 80 and 125 soldiers from the 2nd Active (Cavalry) Company of Tamaulipas were garrisoned at the fort. They collected customs duties and provided protection to San Patricio, a small settlement approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south. Smaller garrisons were located at Copano Bay
and Refugio, with a larger force stationed at Presidio La Bahía
in Goliad.
In 1835, federalists
in several interior Mexican states revolted against the increasingly centralist
reign of Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna
. The Texians staged a minor revolt against customs duties in June, and wary colonists soon began forming militias, ostensibly to protect themselves. Fearing that strong measures were needed to quell the unrest, Santa Anna ordered General Martín Perfecto de Cos
to lead a large force into Texas; Cos arrived in Texas on September 20.
The Texas Revolution
officially began on October 2 at the Battle of Gonzales
. Within days, Texian insurgents seized Presidio La Bahía
, located at Goliad. Twenty Mexican soldiers escaped and briefly took refuge at Copano and Refugio; those garrisons soon abandoned their posts and joined the larger force at Fort Lipantitlán. The Mexican soldiers at Lipantitlán began improving the defenses of their small fort. As the only remaining garrison on the Texas coast, Fort Lipantitlán was a vital link between the Mexican interior and Béxar, the political center of Texas which housed Cos and the only other force of Mexican troops in Texas.
Captain Philip Dimmitt
assumed command of the Texians at Presidio La Bahía. In a letter to General Stephen F. Austin
dated October 15, Dimmitt proposed an attack on Fort Lipantitlán, whose capture would "secure the frontier, provide a vital station for defense, create instability among the centralists, and encourage Mexican federalists". Most of the federalists in San Patricio were afraid of retaliation if they openly defied Santa Anna's centralist policies. They were also reluctant to hold elections for delegates to the Consultation, which would decide whether Texians were fighting for reinstatement of the Constitution of 1824 or for independence from Mexico. Soldiers at Lipantitlán had also imprisoned two of Dimmitt's men, John Williams and John Toole, as they tried to deliver missives to the federalist leaders in San Patricio on October 10 and 11. Dimmitt hoped to free the men after capturing Fort Lipantitlán.
On October 20, James Power, an empresario
in the San Patricio area, learned that the Lipantitlán soldiers had been ordered to retake Presidio La Bahia. Two hundred cavalry were expected to reinforce the Lipantitlán garrison before the attack, with an additional 200–300 soldiers expected later. Although Dimmitt forwarded the intelligence to Austin, he was not given authorization to attack. The delay proved costly to Williams and Toole, who were marched to the Mexican interior, beyond the reach of the Texians. According to Dimmitt's angry letter to Austin, Toole begged his captors to kill him outright rather than send him on the march, which he believed would still result in his death. Dimmitt concluded, "this news, after the leniency shown to the prisoners taken here, could not fail to create a lively, and a strong excitement. The men under my command are clamorous for retaliation".
The furor over the removal of Williams and Toole likely led Dimmitt to take matters into his own hands. On October 31 he sent a member of his staff, Adjutant
Ira Westover, to take 35 men to attack Fort Lipantitlán. A self-appointed advisory committee—John J. Linn, Major James Kerr
and Power—rode along. The three advisors had been elected to the Consultation but delayed their departure so that they could participate in the fighting.
Rather than riding directly southwest to the fort, Westover travelled southeast to Refugio. This alternative route was likely intended to suggest that the expedition was headed for Copano Bay. An unknown number of men joined the expedition in Refugio; historian Craig Roell believes that the expedition grew by at least 20 men, and historian Bill Groneman estimated that Westover's force numbered 60–70 men when it reached San Patricio.
Meanwhile, the commander of the garrison at Fort Lipantitlán, Captain Nicolás Rodríguez, received orders to harass the Texians at Presidio La Bahía. On October 31, as Rodríguez and his men neared Goliad, they learned that a Texian force had left the fort earlier that day. The Mexican soldiers immediately retraced their route. They did not encounter any Texian soldiers during their march and arrived on November 1 to find the fort unmolested. Uncertain as to what the Texians intended to do, Rodríguez and the bulk of his garrison (almost 80 men) turned back towards Goliad to attempt to intercept the Texians. Between 21 and 27 soldiers, armed with two cannon, remained to defend the fort.
The following day, Texians burned the wooden huts adjacent to the fort and dismantled the embankments. By 3 pm they had rounded up 14 horses and were preparing to bring the cannons back to Goliad. In the meantime, Rodriguez had travelled almost all the way to Goliad. Before he reached Presidio La Bahía, one of his spies arrived with news that the Texians had taken Fort Lipantitlán. Rodriguez and his men—including 10 colonists from San Patricio—marched back toward the fort, arriving at about 4 pm.
The Texians used a small canoe to transport men across the Nueces River, and when the Mexican soldiers were sighted only half of the Texian force had crossed to the east bank of the river. As the Mexican soldiers attacked, the Texians took cover in a grove of trees. The trees prevented the cavalry from approaching, so Rodriguez's men dismounted and attempted to attack from both sides. The Texian rifles had a much longer range than the Mexican Brown Bess
muskets—200 yards (182.9 m) compared to 70 yards (64 m). After 30 minutes of fighting, the Mexicans withdrew, leaving behind 8 horses and several wounded men. The only Texian injured was Lieutenant William Bracken, who lost three fingers. Texian rifleman A. J. Jones later wrote to Fannin that 3 Mexicans had died with 14 wounded, though historian Stephen Hardin believes that 5 Mexicans died with 17 wounded. Jones's letter mentioned that three of the wounded were the alcade, judge, and sheriff of San Patricio.
Most Texians spent the night in San Patricio, housed by sympathetic locals. The Mexican troops camped outdoors near the battle site. At dawn, Westover agreed to allow the wounded Mexican soldiers to be transported to San Patricio for treatment. The following day one of the wounded soldiers, Mexican Lieutenant Marcellino Garcia, died. Garcia was a personal friend of Linn, and the Texians gave him a full burial with honors.
Westover sent a messenger to Rodríguez to request "another pleasant meeting". Rodríguez declined the offer and retreated with his remaining men to Matamoros. Their departure left only one remaining group of Mexican soldiers in Texas, those under General Cos at Béxar. The Texians now controlled the Gulf Coast, and so all communication between Cos and the Mexican interior must be transferred overland. The long distance involved severely slowed the delivery of messages and receipt of supplies and reinforcements. According to Groneman, this likely contributed to Cos's defeat in the siege of Béxar
, which expelled the remaining Mexican soldiers from Texas.
On their return to Goliad, Westover's group encountered Agustín Viesca
, the recently deposed governor of Coahuila y Tejas
. Several months before, Viesca had been imprisoned by the Mexican army for defying attempts by Santa Anna to disband the state legislature. He and members of his cabinet had been liberated by sympathetic soldiers and immediately travelled to Texas to recreate the state government. Westover and his men provided a military escort to Goliad, arriving on November 12. Dimmitt welcomed Viesca but refused to recognize his authority as governor. This caused an uproar in the garrison; many supported the governor, while others believed that Texas should be an independent country and should therefore not recognize the Mexican governor.The Consultation also later refused to recognize Viesca's authority, choosing instead to create a General Council to govern Texas. Huson (1974), p. 123.
Dimmitt later chastised Westover for not following orders during the expedition.No record remains of the orders Westover neglected to follow. Westover refused to make an official report to Dimmitt. Instead, he sent a written report to Sam Houston
, the commander-in-chief of the regular army. In Westover's opinion, "The men all fought bravely and those on the opposite bank of the river were enabled to operate on the flanks of the enemy above and below the crossing which they did with fine effect." Houston lauded "the conduct and bravery of the officers and men who have so handsomely acquitted themselves in the affair and so deservedly won [a] reputation for themselves and Glory for their Country". This was the first armed skirmish fought since the Battle of Goliad
, according to historian Hobart Huson, the victory "renewed the morale of the people". News of the battle spread throughout the United States, and the Texians were widely praised in American newspapers.
The removal of Mexican army oversight encouraged federalists in San Patricio. These men soon gained control of the municipal government, formed a militia, and elected delegates to represent them at the Consultation. However, the town remained divided; many still supported the centralist Mexican government. After reaching Matamoros, Rodríguez sent a letter to the town leaders. The letter warned that the Mexican army would return and encouraged the people of San Patricio to repudiate the rebellion. One of the San Patricio federalists later wrote Dimmitt, "We have neither men nor means to withstand any force that may be sent against us." The Texians chose not to garrison men in or near San Patricio. In 1836, as part of Santa Anna's invasion of Texas, General José de Urrea
led Mexican forces along the Texas coastline and retook San Patricio
on February 27.
In 1937, the land comprising the former site of Fort Lipantitlán was donated to the state of Texas. The Texas State Parks Board
gained control over the site in 1949. Now named the Lipantitlan State Historic Site, the park covers 5 acres (2 ha) in Nueces County. A stone marker indicates the location of the former fort.
Nueces River
The Nueces River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande...
on November 4, 1835 between the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
and Texian
Texian
Texian is an archaic, mostly defunct 19th century demonym which defined a settler of current-day Texas, one of the southern states of the United States of America which borders the country of Mexico...
insurgents, as part of the Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
. After the Texian victory at the Battle of Goliad
Battle of Goliad
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 10, 1835, rebellious Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad...
, only two Mexican garrisons remained in Texas, Fort Lipantitlán near San Patricio
San Patricio, Texas
San Patricio is a city in Nueces and San Patricio Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 318 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, San Patricio, located at , has a total area of 3.9 square miles , of which, 3.8 square miles of it is...
and the Alamo Mission
Alamo Mission in San Antonio
The Alamo, originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero, is a former Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound, site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, and now a museum, in San Antonio, Texas....
at San Antonio de Béxar (modern-day San Antonio). Fearing that Lipantitlán could be used as a base for the Mexican army to retake Goliad and angry that two of his men were imprisoned there, Texian commander Philip Dimmitt
Philip Dimmitt
Philip Dimmitt was an officer in the Texian Army during the Texas Revolution. Born in Kentucky, Dimmitt moved to Texas in 1823 and soon operated a series of trading posts. After learning that Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cos was en route to Texas to quell the unrest, Dimmitt proposed that...
ordered his adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
, Captain Ira Westover, to capture the fort.
The commander of Fort Lipantitlán, Nicolás Rodríguez, had been ordered to harass the Texian troops at Goliad. Rodríguez took the bulk of his men on an expedition; while they were gone, Westover's force arrived in San Patricio. On November 3, a local man persuaded the Mexican garrison to surrender, and the following day the Texians dismantled the fort. Rodríguez returned as the Texians were crossing the swollen Nueces River
Nueces River
The Nueces River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande...
to return to Goliad. The Mexican soldiers attacked, but the longer range of the Texians rifles soon forced them to retreat. One Texian was injured, 3–5 Mexican soldiers were killed, and 14–17 were wounded.
The injured Mexican troops were allowed to seek medical treatment in San Patricio, and the remaining Mexican soldiers retreated to Matamoros
Matamoros, Coahuila
Matamoros is a city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name located in the southwestern part of the state of Coahuila in Mexico...
. The Texians now had full control of the Texas Gulf Coast, which meant that the troops stationed at San Antonio de Béxar could only receive reinforcements and supplies overland. Historian Bill Groneman believes that this contributed to the eventual Mexican defeat at the siege of Béxar
Siege of Bexar
The Siege of Béxar was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texan army successfully defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar . Texians had become disillusioned with the Mexican government as President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's tenure became increasingly...
, which expelled all Mexican troops from Texas. The former site of the fort is now a Texas historic site.
Background
Fort Lipantitlán was built on the grounds of an old campsite along the west bank of the Nueces RiverNueces River
The Nueces River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande...
on the Gulf coast of Texas
Mexican Texas
Mexican Texas is the name given by Texas history scholars to the period between 1821 and 1836, when Texas was an integral part of Mexico. The period began with Mexico's victory over Spain in its war of independence in 1821. For the first several years of its existence, Mexican Texas operated very...
. The site was first occupied by a nomadic Lipan Apache tribe during their periodic visits. After the Apaches abandoned the area, the campground was often used by missionaries, military units, and traders making their way between Mexico and the Texas settlements. In 1825 or 1826, Mexican officials constructed a makeshift fort, named Lipantitlán after the Lipan Apaches, at the campsite. According to Texian
Texian
Texian is an archaic, mostly defunct 19th century demonym which defined a settler of current-day Texas, one of the southern states of the United States of America which borders the country of Mexico...
John J. Linn, the fort "was a single embankment of earth, lined within by fence rails to hold the dirt in place, and would have answered tolerably well, perhaps, for a second-rate hog pen". The embankment was surrounded by a large ditch; just outside the ditch lay adobe and wooden huts for the officers and their families.
Between 80 and 125 soldiers from the 2nd Active (Cavalry) Company of Tamaulipas were garrisoned at the fort. They collected customs duties and provided protection to San Patricio, a small settlement approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south. Smaller garrisons were located at Copano Bay
Copano Bay
Copano Bay is a northwestern extension of Aransas Bay, west of Rockport, Texas in Refugio and Aransas counties. It is supplied with seawater from the Gulf of Mexico via Aransas Bay, and fed freshwater from the Aransas River, Mission River and Copano Creek...
and Refugio, with a larger force stationed at Presidio La Bahía
Presidio La Bahía
The Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía, known more commonly as Presidio La Bahia, or simply La Bahia is a fort constructed by the Spanish Army that became the nucleus of the city of Goliad, Texas, United States. Originally founded in 1721 on the ruins of the failed French Fort Saint...
in Goliad.
| “ | Repress with strong arm all those who, forgetting their duties to the nation which has adopted them as her children, are pushing forward with a desire to live at their own option without subjection to the laws. | ” |
| – Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government... 's orders to General Martín Perfecto de Cos Martín Perfecto de Cos Martín Perfecto de Cos was a 19th-century Mexican general. He was married to Lucinda López de Santa Anna, sister of Antonio López de Santa Anna.-Background:Cós was born in Vera Cruz in the year 1800, the son of an attorney... |
In 1835, federalists
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
in several interior Mexican states revolted against the increasingly centralist
Centralized government
A centralized or centralised government is one in which power or legal authority is exerted or coordinated by a de facto political executive to which federal states, local authorities, and smaller units are considered subject...
reign of Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
. The Texians staged a minor revolt against customs duties in June, and wary colonists soon began forming militias, ostensibly to protect themselves. Fearing that strong measures were needed to quell the unrest, Santa Anna ordered General Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos was a 19th-century Mexican general. He was married to Lucinda López de Santa Anna, sister of Antonio López de Santa Anna.-Background:Cós was born in Vera Cruz in the year 1800, the son of an attorney...
to lead a large force into Texas; Cos arrived in Texas on September 20.
The Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
officially began on October 2 at the Battle of Gonzales
Battle of Gonzales
The Battle of Gonzales was the first military engagement of the Texas Revolution. It was fought near Gonzales, Texas, on October 2, 1835, between rebellious Texian settlers and a detachment of Mexican army troops....
. Within days, Texian insurgents seized Presidio La Bahía
Battle of Goliad
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 10, 1835, rebellious Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad...
, located at Goliad. Twenty Mexican soldiers escaped and briefly took refuge at Copano and Refugio; those garrisons soon abandoned their posts and joined the larger force at Fort Lipantitlán. The Mexican soldiers at Lipantitlán began improving the defenses of their small fort. As the only remaining garrison on the Texas coast, Fort Lipantitlán was a vital link between the Mexican interior and Béxar, the political center of Texas which housed Cos and the only other force of Mexican troops in Texas.
Captain Philip Dimmitt
Philip Dimmitt
Philip Dimmitt was an officer in the Texian Army during the Texas Revolution. Born in Kentucky, Dimmitt moved to Texas in 1823 and soon operated a series of trading posts. After learning that Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cos was en route to Texas to quell the unrest, Dimmitt proposed that...
assumed command of the Texians at Presidio La Bahía. In a letter to General Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
dated October 15, Dimmitt proposed an attack on Fort Lipantitlán, whose capture would "secure the frontier, provide a vital station for defense, create instability among the centralists, and encourage Mexican federalists". Most of the federalists in San Patricio were afraid of retaliation if they openly defied Santa Anna's centralist policies. They were also reluctant to hold elections for delegates to the Consultation, which would decide whether Texians were fighting for reinstatement of the Constitution of 1824 or for independence from Mexico. Soldiers at Lipantitlán had also imprisoned two of Dimmitt's men, John Williams and John Toole, as they tried to deliver missives to the federalist leaders in San Patricio on October 10 and 11. Dimmitt hoped to free the men after capturing Fort Lipantitlán.
On October 20, James Power, an empresario
Empresario
An empresario was a person who, in the early years of the settlement of Texas, had been granted the right to settle on Mexican land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for new settlers. The word is Spanish for entrepreneur.- Background :...
in the San Patricio area, learned that the Lipantitlán soldiers had been ordered to retake Presidio La Bahia. Two hundred cavalry were expected to reinforce the Lipantitlán garrison before the attack, with an additional 200–300 soldiers expected later. Although Dimmitt forwarded the intelligence to Austin, he was not given authorization to attack. The delay proved costly to Williams and Toole, who were marched to the Mexican interior, beyond the reach of the Texians. According to Dimmitt's angry letter to Austin, Toole begged his captors to kill him outright rather than send him on the march, which he believed would still result in his death. Dimmitt concluded, "this news, after the leniency shown to the prisoners taken here, could not fail to create a lively, and a strong excitement. The men under my command are clamorous for retaliation".
Prelude
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
Ira Westover, to take 35 men to attack Fort Lipantitlán. A self-appointed advisory committee—John J. Linn, Major James Kerr
James Kerr (Texas)
James Kerr was a politician in Missouri and Texas who was active in the establishment of the Republic of Texas.-Early life and family:...
and Power—rode along. The three advisors had been elected to the Consultation but delayed their departure so that they could participate in the fighting.
Rather than riding directly southwest to the fort, Westover travelled southeast to Refugio. This alternative route was likely intended to suggest that the expedition was headed for Copano Bay. An unknown number of men joined the expedition in Refugio; historian Craig Roell believes that the expedition grew by at least 20 men, and historian Bill Groneman estimated that Westover's force numbered 60–70 men when it reached San Patricio.
Meanwhile, the commander of the garrison at Fort Lipantitlán, Captain Nicolás Rodríguez, received orders to harass the Texians at Presidio La Bahía. On October 31, as Rodríguez and his men neared Goliad, they learned that a Texian force had left the fort earlier that day. The Mexican soldiers immediately retraced their route. They did not encounter any Texian soldiers during their march and arrived on November 1 to find the fort unmolested. Uncertain as to what the Texians intended to do, Rodríguez and the bulk of his garrison (almost 80 men) turned back towards Goliad to attempt to intercept the Texians. Between 21 and 27 soldiers, armed with two cannon, remained to defend the fort.
Battle
Rodríguez expected the Texians to take a direct route, so his men patrolled the northern approaches to the fort. Westover's men instead approached from the east, eluding the Mexican patrols. Five miles (8 km) from San Patricio, Westover received word that Rodríguez was searching for the Texians. He forced the men to increase their pace, and they arrived at San Patricio 30 minutes after sundown on November 3. Westover positioned two small groups of men to guard the Nueces River crossings, about 70 yards (64 m) from the fort. As the rest of the Texians prepared for a dawn assault, two San Patricio residents wandered into their camp. Westover arrested one of them, James O'Riley, for "aiding and assisting the enemy". In exchange for his liberty, O'Riley offered to persuade the Mexican garrison to surrender. Historians have no records of what methods O'Riley used, but by 11 pm the Mexican soldiers had surrendered, without a shot fired. They were released immediately as long as they promised not to fight again during the Texas Revolution. The Texians captured the two 4-lb (1.8-kg) cannons, 18 muskets, and 3–4 pounds (1.4–1.8 kg) of powder. They also released several Texians who had been held prisoner in the fort.The following day, Texians burned the wooden huts adjacent to the fort and dismantled the embankments. By 3 pm they had rounded up 14 horses and were preparing to bring the cannons back to Goliad. In the meantime, Rodriguez had travelled almost all the way to Goliad. Before he reached Presidio La Bahía, one of his spies arrived with news that the Texians had taken Fort Lipantitlán. Rodriguez and his men—including 10 colonists from San Patricio—marched back toward the fort, arriving at about 4 pm.
The Texians used a small canoe to transport men across the Nueces River, and when the Mexican soldiers were sighted only half of the Texian force had crossed to the east bank of the river. As the Mexican soldiers attacked, the Texians took cover in a grove of trees. The trees prevented the cavalry from approaching, so Rodriguez's men dismounted and attempted to attack from both sides. The Texian rifles had a much longer range than the Mexican Brown Bess
Brown Bess
Brown Bess is a nickname of uncertain origin for the British Army's Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. This musket was used in the era of the expansion of the British Empire and acquired symbolic importance at least as significant as its physical importance. It was in use for over a hundred...
muskets—200 yards (182.9 m) compared to 70 yards (64 m). After 30 minutes of fighting, the Mexicans withdrew, leaving behind 8 horses and several wounded men. The only Texian injured was Lieutenant William Bracken, who lost three fingers. Texian rifleman A. J. Jones later wrote to Fannin that 3 Mexicans had died with 14 wounded, though historian Stephen Hardin believes that 5 Mexicans died with 17 wounded. Jones's letter mentioned that three of the wounded were the alcade, judge, and sheriff of San Patricio.
Aftermath
Without draft animals, the Texians had no easy way to transport the artillery. As night approached, a cold rain began to fall, and the men became discouraged. Westover, Kerr, Linn, and Power agreed to throw the artillery in the river rather than continue to struggle with it. The Texians also deposited their cache of captured ammunition and muskets in the river; in their opinion, the supplies were useless.Most Texians spent the night in San Patricio, housed by sympathetic locals. The Mexican troops camped outdoors near the battle site. At dawn, Westover agreed to allow the wounded Mexican soldiers to be transported to San Patricio for treatment. The following day one of the wounded soldiers, Mexican Lieutenant Marcellino Garcia, died. Garcia was a personal friend of Linn, and the Texians gave him a full burial with honors.
Westover sent a messenger to Rodríguez to request "another pleasant meeting". Rodríguez declined the offer and retreated with his remaining men to Matamoros. Their departure left only one remaining group of Mexican soldiers in Texas, those under General Cos at Béxar. The Texians now controlled the Gulf Coast, and so all communication between Cos and the Mexican interior must be transferred overland. The long distance involved severely slowed the delivery of messages and receipt of supplies and reinforcements. According to Groneman, this likely contributed to Cos's defeat in the siege of Béxar
Siege of Bexar
The Siege of Béxar was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texan army successfully defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar . Texians had become disillusioned with the Mexican government as President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's tenure became increasingly...
, which expelled the remaining Mexican soldiers from Texas.
On their return to Goliad, Westover's group encountered Agustín Viesca
Agustín Viesca
Agustín Viesca was a governor of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas in 1835. He was the brother of José María Viesca, also a governor of Coahuila y Tejas during 1827-1831....
, the recently deposed governor of Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution.It had two capitals: first Saltillo, and then Monclova...
. Several months before, Viesca had been imprisoned by the Mexican army for defying attempts by Santa Anna to disband the state legislature. He and members of his cabinet had been liberated by sympathetic soldiers and immediately travelled to Texas to recreate the state government. Westover and his men provided a military escort to Goliad, arriving on November 12. Dimmitt welcomed Viesca but refused to recognize his authority as governor. This caused an uproar in the garrison; many supported the governor, while others believed that Texas should be an independent country and should therefore not recognize the Mexican governor.The Consultation also later refused to recognize Viesca's authority, choosing instead to create a General Council to govern Texas. Huson (1974), p. 123.
Dimmitt later chastised Westover for not following orders during the expedition.No record remains of the orders Westover neglected to follow. Westover refused to make an official report to Dimmitt. Instead, he sent a written report to Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, the commander-in-chief of the regular army. In Westover's opinion, "The men all fought bravely and those on the opposite bank of the river were enabled to operate on the flanks of the enemy above and below the crossing which they did with fine effect." Houston lauded "the conduct and bravery of the officers and men who have so handsomely acquitted themselves in the affair and so deservedly won [a] reputation for themselves and Glory for their Country". This was the first armed skirmish fought since the Battle of Goliad
Battle of Goliad
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 10, 1835, rebellious Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad...
, according to historian Hobart Huson, the victory "renewed the morale of the people". News of the battle spread throughout the United States, and the Texians were widely praised in American newspapers.
The removal of Mexican army oversight encouraged federalists in San Patricio. These men soon gained control of the municipal government, formed a militia, and elected delegates to represent them at the Consultation. However, the town remained divided; many still supported the centralist Mexican government. After reaching Matamoros, Rodríguez sent a letter to the town leaders. The letter warned that the Mexican army would return and encouraged the people of San Patricio to repudiate the rebellion. One of the San Patricio federalists later wrote Dimmitt, "We have neither men nor means to withstand any force that may be sent against us." The Texians chose not to garrison men in or near San Patricio. In 1836, as part of Santa Anna's invasion of Texas, General José de Urrea
José de Urrea
José de Urrea was a noted general for Mexico. He fought under General Antonio López de Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution. Urrea's forces were never defeated in battle during the Texas Revolution...
led Mexican forces along the Texas coastline and retook San Patricio
Battle of San Patricio
The Battle of San Patricio was a 19th century battle fought on February 27, 1836, between the Republic of Mexico and the rebelling Mexican state of Texas.-Background:...
on February 27.
In 1937, the land comprising the former site of Fort Lipantitlán was donated to the state of Texas. The Texas State Parks Board
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas...
gained control over the site in 1949. Now named the Lipantitlan State Historic Site, the park covers 5 acres (2 ha) in Nueces County. A stone marker indicates the location of the former fort.