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Bloodshed at Goliad

·43 min·4 clips

Colonel Fannin handed his gold watch to the officer, requesting to be shot in the breast, but was executed in the head instead.

This episode details the events leading to and including the Goliad Massacre during the Texas Revolution. The host narrates the story of Colonel James Fannin and his command. James Fannin commanded Texian forces at Presidio La Bahia in Goliad while the Alamo was under siege in March 1836. Despite receiving urgent pleas from William Travis, Fannin attempted a relief march on February 26th but turned back the next day. Sam Houston, appointed commander-in-chief, sent Fannin an order on March 11th to evacuate Goliad after learning of the Alamo's fall. Fannin delayed his retreat until March 19th, burdened by excessive artillery and slow-moving oxcarts. General José de Urrea's Mexican forces caught Fannin's column on the open prairie near Coleto Creek. After a day-long battle where Fannin was wounded, the Texans surrendered on March 20th under what they believed were honorable terms. The prisoners were marched back to Goliad, where Urrea sought clemency for them from General Santa Anna. Santa Anna refused, citing the Tornel Decree that declared captured foreigners as pirates deserving execution. On Palm Sunday, March 27th, 1836, Colonel José Nicolás de la Portilla carried out Santa Anna's order. Most of Fannin's captured men, numbering over 300, were executed in groups outside the fort. Firsthand accounts from survivors like Andrew A. Boyle and John C. Duval describe being marched out under false pretenses before the Mexican soldiers opened fire. Duval's account details his dramatic escape by swimming the San Antonio River and hiding from lancers. Colonel Fannin was executed separately, reportedly shot in the head after requesting to be shot in the heart and offering his gold watch. The host notes that the phrase "Remember Goliad" became a rallying cry alongside "Remember the Alamo," fueling Texian rage before the Battle of San Jacinto. The episode is presented in a narrative, educational style, blending historical facts with primary source readings. The host adopts a solemn and reflective tone, particularly when discussing the massacre's legacy. Listeners interested in detailed military history and personal accounts from the Texas Revolution will find this episode compelling. Those seeking a broader overview of the period or a faster-paced narrative might find the level of tactical detail and extended quotations slower.

As heard by us

A blunt, source-heavy account of how Goliad turned into a massacre.

Texas History Lessons keeps Goliad on a tight historical rail: missed relief, broken command, and an order that turns defeat into mass execution.

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Why you'd press play

Goliad through orders, testimony, and the episode's refusal to soften the truth.

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