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Although increasing numbers of Anglo colonists had been calling for secession from Mexico, when the rebellion became official on October 3 even the fiercest advocates of independence were surprised by the speed with which the Mexican forces lost control of Texas. Within the space of a month every Mexican strongpoint in Texas had fallen except for the Alamo, a fortified mission at San Antonio de Bexar. While attacking government forces would appear to be rebellion, the Texians claimed that all of their actions had been in defense of the 1824 Constitution, which had been revoked by Santa Anna. Gambling that he had little interest in restoring the constitution, this position enabled them to portray themselves as loyal citizens of Mexico and claim common cause with the rebels in other parts of Mexico. Another factor was that not all Texians were in favor of independence, so swearing allegiance to the 1824 Constitution served to postpone the debate for a calmer time.

When the Texians had learned in September that General Martin Perfecto de Cos was coming with troops to restore Mexican control of Texas, Stephen Austin had sent out a call for each community to send militia units and to select delegates to a consultation that would debate whether or not to declare independence. The consultation had difficulty achieving quorum, partly because it took time for delegates from all of the communities to assemble and because many of the delegates were serving with the army that was heading towards San Antonio, so Austin postponed the consultation until November 1. When that date neared, he assembled the army to decide whether or not the delegates should attend the consultation, which became a debate on the merits of attacking San Antonio. Although Sam Houston felt the army was not ready, Austin believed it was vital to maintain momentum and the delegates were needed to lead the army, so he carried the day. Since several communities failed to send delegates at all, quorum was not achieved until November 3 and only 57 of the expected 98 delegates actually arrived.  

Aside from creating a temporary government that included both a governor and a governing council but no clear system of authority or checks and balances between them, when the consultation ended on November 13 it had achieved little other than rejecting independence. Of course, promising land to recruits was the action of an independent nation but that contradiction was overlooked. However, the delegates did claim that Santa Anna’s violation of the constitution gave them the right to declare independence if they chose to in the future, and a convention to discuss exactly that issue was scheduled for March 1.

The convention was not scheduled earlier because the delegates believed that Santa Anna would not appear until April when there would be forage for the Mexican cavalry. By that time, the convention would have been finished, the young republic would have a functioning government and most important, a proper army. However, Santa Anna had his own plan, so the rebels’ timetable was thrown out of order when the Mexican army appeared on the outskirts of San Antonio on February 23. Although the Anglo colonists were shocked when they learned that Santa Anna’s army had showed up a couple of months early, the vast majority stayed at home rather than marching to relieve the Alamo. The farmers continued to farm and the politicians continued to struggle for office.

The convention officially started on March 1 and several delegates, including Houston, had experience in congress, either at the state or national level. Among the 59 delegates, only ten had lived in Texas for more than six years, while almost a third had only lived in Texas for six months. Although, the majority of the mercenaries were disqualified from voting to select delegates because they had arrived too recently, an exception was made for 49 year old Davy Crockett, who had sworn allegiance to the rebel government and joined the army (6 months service) on January 9 in exchange for a land grant. The rebel government was naturally pleased to have a celebrity join their cause, so he was offered a position as a delegate for San Augustine but he realized that his chances of becoming governor rested on having military service on his record, so he was sent off to the Alamo.

Only 5% of the delegates were Mexican even though they made up 16% of the population, so it should not come as a surprise that the declaration of independence was modeled on the American version and made no mention of Tejanos. The declaration was adopted by the delegates within the space of an hour and it became official on March 3. This speedy decision-making was largely the result of the intense debate that had taken place between the Peace and War hardliners and the moderates during the Consultation. A less charitable explanation is that the declaration of independence passed so quickly because the delegates were more interested in land deals than gradually putting together a constitution.  

Houston became commander of the army on March 4 but instead of fighting Santa Anna’s army directly, he wanted to lure the Mexicans deeper into East Texas, away from their supply lines, and weaken them with guerrilla warfare, while hoping that the US would interfere, which was exactly what Santa Anna dreaded. However, he planned to first relieve the Alamo, so on March 9 he ordered Colonel James Fannin, commander of the garrison at Goliad, to advance to the Cibolo River while the rest of the army gathered at Gonzales. The last message from the Alamo had arrived on March 6 but it was unknown whether the garrison continued to hold out or not. Shortly after Houston reached Gonzales on March 11 he learned that the Alamo had fallen, and Fannin was told to retreat from Goliad with as much artillery as he could move.  

Susannah Dickinson, her daughter and William Travis’ slave Joe arrived on March 13 with Santa Anna’s manservant Ben, who gave Santa Anna’s proclamation to Houston, and it did not take long before everyone knew that no quarter would be given. Houston immediately ordered his troops to retreat and had Gonzales burnt but much of his little army was made up of colonists, so Santa Anna’s message worked as men deserted to protect their farms and families. The situation worsened when news arrived that Goliad’s garrison had been caught out in the open and captured on March 20. Since the majority of Houston’s army had disappeared in less than three weeks, he had little option but to retreat as fast as possible away from the Mexican army and hope that an opportunity would present itself.

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Further Reading:

Duel of Eagles: The Mexican and US Fight for the Alamo-Jeff Long, New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc, 1990.

It is simply an excellent book that covers the entire Texan War of Independence and punctures pretty much every myth about Texan independence. Brief yet insightful biographies introduce all of the major participants. The final chapter quickly covers the Republic’s short history and the Mexican War that followed the American annexation of Texas but focuses more on the tragic lives of Travis’ slave Joe and Susannah Dickinson, as well as the further misadventures of Santa Anna. Long’s writing is entertaining although occasionally a bit too melodramatic, which was probably the result of reading so many diaries filled with florid language. I imagine a great number of Texans must have been offended when his book came out.

Lone Star Rising: The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic-William C. Davis, New York: Free Press, 2004.

A surprisingly long section of the book is an in-depth look at the Mexican revolution and previous attempts by American filibusters and other foreign schemers, including the Lafitte syndicate, to seize control of Mexico that took place during the chaos of the revolution. The infighting among American filibusters, the Lafitte syndicate, former followers of Napoleon, and Mexican revolutionaries makes for fascinating reading. Another lengthy chapter is devoted to the story of Austin’s land grants and the development of legitimate colonies, where the colonists learned to depend on themselves. I am pleased that Davis does not just compare the Mexican Revolution to the American Revolution but also to the revolutions in Central and South America, which is a more valid comparison. However, no mention is made of the steady drinking that accompanied the majority of decisions during the Texan revolution and he fails to make the main actors come to life. Unfortunately, the detailed examination of the background and situation in Mexico means that the battle for the Alamo is covered in a single chapter. Davis also gives some credence to the hallowed myth that Bowie and Travis decided to hold the Alamo to buy time for Houston to build an army, believing that it is an important part of Texan history.    


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