The name of the unit was taken from the grey uniforms the men wore, traditionally believed to have been U.S. army surplus, though some now argue that they were actually civilian work clothes. In any event, they were some of the very few men in the Texas army to wear uniforms during that time and were so smart that they were mistaken for U.S. regulars. They also dragged along with them an 18-pdr canon, the biggest gun in Texas. The two companies met up again at the siege of San Antonio de Bexar. When Colonel Ben Milam led the attack on the city it was Greys captain Robert Morris who was promoted to Major and second-in-command after Milam was killed. The storming of San Antonio was one of the Greys shining moments. Unfortunately, after the success at San Antonio, the companies began to break up. Some moved east to Goliad and the majority of those who remained in San Antonio made the fateful decision to accompany James Grant's doomed effort to attack the city of Matamoros.
The handful of Greys who remained in San Antonio and fought to the death in defense of the Alamo were commanded by the Englishman William Blazeby. Alamo commander also made the Greys officer John J. Baugh his adjutant. When the Mexicans under Santa Anna attacked the Alamo on March 6, 1836 it was Captain Baugh who sounded the alarm and when Colonel Travis was killed by a Mexican musket ball to the forehead he took command of the garrison for the rest of the battle or at least until his own life was taken. The Greys who accompanied Grant were to meet a similarly tragic fate. Major Morris, along with most of his men, was executed after the battle of Agua Dulce by forces under General Jose Urrea. The garrison at Goliad under Colonel James Walker Fannin thus became home to the only Greys left in the Texas army.
When Colonel Fannin left Goliad in an attempt to join General Houston at Victoria the New Orleans Greys were among those pushing for a rapid march forward even as General Urrea began to gain on them. Fannin, however, decided to stand and fight in front of Coleto Creek. It was a doomed battle, but the Greys were in favor of fighting on. Fannin and his officers however decided that their only option was to surrender on the belief that their lives would be spared. However, on March 27, 1836, on General Santa Anna's order, the Texan prisoners were massacred, around 400 in total including most of the surviving Greys; effectively ending the Greys as a military unit, though some individuals did go on to fight at San Jacinto. As said however, there were some survivors and the story of the New Orleans Greys includes the stories of some of the most dramatic personal histories of those who fought for Texas independence.
One of those was Herman Ehrenberg, a young German in Breece's company who fought at Bexar, survived the Goliad massacre, wrote his memoirs in Germany, came back to the USA, travelled to Oregon and around the Pacific Ocean, joined the army again in the Mexican-American War and fought in the rebellion in California. The Virginian William G. Cooke gained fame at San Antonio, fought at San Jacinto, organized Texas' defense against the Indians, planned the "Santa Fe Expedition" along with others, was a POW for a time, joined the Republic of Texas Navy and eventually became Texas' Secretary of War. William Graham, from Morris' company came from Nova Scotia, Canada to join the Greys, was cited for great bravery during the fight for Zambrano Row in the battle of Bexar, returned to New Orleans where he formed another volunteer unit which he led back to the Republic of Texas and fought in the on-going series of clashes with Mexico.
The New Orleans Greys earned an unmatched reputation among those numerous heroes who fought for Texas. They fought at San Antonio, the Alamo, San Patricio, Agua Dulce, Refugio, Coleto, Goliad and even San Jacinto and so had a higher casualty rate than any other unit in the Texas army. Through men like Morris, Breece, Baugh and Cooke they also served in the high command in greater numbers than any other unit, a testament to their devotion and ability. Whenever Texans remember the Alamo and remember Goliad they should also remember the brave men of the New Orleans Greys who fought and died for Texas independence.
