The Battle of Gonzales

• ​In 1831, empresario Green DeWitt wrote to Mexican officials detailing his fears of Native American attacks against his colony.

• In response, the Mexican government sent him a small bronze cannon for protection. DeWitt had the cannon installed at Gonzales to fight off hostile Indians.

• Years later, when the Texas Revolution began, this cannon would be used against a different enemy.

The Battle of Gonzales

• In 1835, tensions between Texans and the Mexican government were at an all time high as Texans were extremely upset with Santa Anna.

• Fearing trouble, Mexican general Domingo de Ugartechea, the commander in Texas, ordered the people of Gonzales to turn over the cannon DeWitt had been given four years earlier.

• The citizens of Gonzales refused to hand over the cannon and decided to bury it in an orchard.​

The Battle of Gonzales

• In response to these actions, Ugartechea sent troops to take the cannon by force. The people of Gonzales did their best to keep the troops out of their town by making up excuses and stories on why they could not give up the cannon.

• Meanwhile, they sent riders out to nearby towns to ask for help.

• Several people responded to their request for assistance and eventually the militia in Gonzales grew to around 180 people.

• On October 1, 1835, the militia​ in Gonzales decided to attack the Mexican force of about 100 soldiers. The rebels dug up their cannon and mounted it on the back of a wagon.

• To taunt the Mexican troops they flew a flag with a picture of a cannon and the words "COME AND TAKE IT" displayed proudly.

​The Battle of Gonzales

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The Battle of Gonzales

• As the rebels approached the Mexican army camp on October 2, 1835, the nervous Mexicans began to open fire. The Texans immediately fired back. The Battle of Gonzales was very brief. No Texans were killed, but at least one Mexican soldier died. The Mexican soldiers withdrew and headed to San Antonio.

• The Texas Revolution had officially begun!

• Soon after the Battle of Gonzales, a large Texan volunteer force captured the presidio at Goliad (La Bahia) on October 10, 1835. The presidio had been left mostly unguarded because Mexican general Martin Perfecto de Cos had taken most of its soldiers to San Antonio.

• Capturing Goliad made it clear that Texas was now in revolt against Santa Anna's centralist government.

​The Capture of Goliad

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