Battle of Coleto

Part of Texas Revolution, and the Goliad campaign

James Fannin, commander of Texian forces during the Battle of Coleto.

Date	March 19–20,1836
Location	Goliad County, Texas
Result	Mexican victory

Belligerents

Mexico

Texian rebels

Commanders and leaders

José de Urrea

James Fannin ^W, (POW)

Strength

19th: 80 cavalrymen,
260 infantrymen,
20th: 700-1,000 men

300 men,
9 cannons

Casualties and losses

100–200 killed, wounded or missing

At least 10 killed,
60 wounded

The Battle of Coleto, also known as the Battle of Coleto Creek, the Battle of the Prairie, and the Batalla del encinal del Perdido, was fought on March 19 -20,1836, during the Goliad campaign of the Texas Revolution. In February, General José de Urrea led a branch of the Mexican army up the Gulf Coast of Mexican Texas toward Goliad, where a large contingent of soldiers from the Texian Army were garrisoned under Colonel James W. Fannin. Simultaneously, Mexican president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna led a larger force into the Texian interior, where on March 6 his troops won the Battle of the Alamo. After learning of the Alamo's defeat, Texian general Sam Houston ordered Fannin to retreat from Goliad and join the rest of the army in Victoria.

On March 19, Fannin led his men on a leisurely retreat from Goliad. Mexican troops surrounded the Texians later in the day, before Fannin could reach the shelter of a grove of timber at Coleto Creek, some 400 yards (370 m) away. Texians formed a square in the middle of the prairie and attempted to defend their position. Although Mexican troops launched three separate attacks against the square, they could not penetrate the Texian position. As night fell, Mexican sharpshooters were able to wound and kill more Texians. With little water to give to the wounded or to cool their artillery, the Texians felt they were unable to withstand further fighting. On the morning of March 20, the Texians surrendered.

Urrea attempted to secure honorable terms for his Texian prisoners. However, Santa Anna had received authorization from the Mexican Congress to treat all captured Texian troops as pirates rather than prisoners-of-war. Against Urrea's pleadings, all of the Texians were sentenced to death. A few Texians escaped the Goliad Massacre on March 27, but most were killed.

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