Dear Sam Houston,

Our names are Miranda, Zach, Jessica, and Danny. We are from Willie Brown Elementary and our teacher's name is Mrs.Ingram. Our class has been studying a lot about Texas History, and we have some questions to ask you.

How hard was it to be a general of the Texas Republic? Now we have some quesions from when you fought at Goliad.

While you were at Goliad did you think that the battle with Santa Anna  was going to be tough or easy?

Was the battle at Goliad your toughest battle?

Did you ever get hurt when you were at Goliad?

Ever once did you forget your weapons?

Were you mad when you saw Santa Anna hiding in the grass?  How did you survive the battle?

Well that's all the questions we have for you.

Write back soon!!!

Thanks,

Miranda, Jessica, Zach, and Danny   Bye :-)

Dear Miranda, Zach, Jessica, and Danny,

I am sorry to be late getting these back to you.  I have been very busy

and out of town part of the time.  I will do my best to answer your

questions.

Q:  How hard was it to be a general of the Texas Republic?

A:  It was very hard.  We were greatly outnumbered by the enemy forces

of Santa Anna.  And my own men--while brave--had no real training as

soldiers.  They were not used to following orders.

Now we have some quesions from when you fought at Goliad.

Q:  While you were at Goliad did you think that the battle with Santa

Anna

was going to be tough or easy?

A:  Some Texians captured Goliad from the Mexicans on  October 1835.  I

was not with those men.  I did visit Goliad in January 1836.  It was

from there that I ordered Colonel James Bowie to go to San Antonio.

Then I left there to go make a treaty with the Cherokee Indians in east

Texas. 

                I returned to Washington-on-the-Brazos just in time to

participate in the convention that began there on March 1, 1836.  While

I was there we received word that Santa Anna had laid siege to the

Alamo.  We declared Texas Independence on March 2. 

                I left Washington to go to help the Alamo.  I arrived at

Gonzales on March 11, only to learn that the Alamo had fallen five days

earlier.  I ordered the army assembled there to retreat eastward to the

Colorado River.  At the same time I ordered Colonel James W. Fannin, who

commanded the army at Goliad, to retreat from that place and reinforce

me at the Colorado.

                But Fannin waited several days before he began his retreat.

Then he was surrounded on the open prairie near Coleto Creek.  After a

day long battle, Fannin surrendered his army to the Mexicans.  Then he

was marched back to Goliad where he and his men were executed on March

27.

Q:  Was the battle at Goliad your toughest battle?

A.  To be absolutely correct, the BATTLE of Goliad was the one that

occurred on October 10, 1835, just eight days after the battle of

Gonzales began the Texas Revolution.  On October 10, 1835, a small

Texian force under Captain George Collinsworth captured the Spanish

presidio (fort) there.

                In early 1836 Colonel James Walker Fannin took command of the

Texian force at the presidio, which was renamed Fort Defiance.  Fannin

was defeated at the Battle of Coleto, and his men were marched back to

Goliad and imprisoned in their former fort.  On March 27, his men were

marched a short distance away from Goliad and then executed according to

orders from Santa Anna.  That became known as the Massacre at Goliad.

Q:  Did you ever get hurt when you were at Goliad?

A.  No.

Q.  Ever once did you forget your weapons?

A.  No.

Q.  Were you mad when you saw Santa Anna hiding in the grass?

A.  I was not with the scouting party that found Santa Anna.  He was

brought back to my camp and then presented before me.  I was sitting in

the shade of a large oak tree at the time.

                Of course I was angry at Santa Anna for the lack of mercy he had

shown to the Texians at the Alamo and Goliad.  Many of my men wanted to

hang him.  But I knew that Santa Anna was much more valuable to Texas as

a living hostage.  So he was not executed. 

Q.  How did you survive the battle?

A.  "Deaf" Smith and I were riding in front of the army as we approached

the Mexican camp, so we were more exposed to the enemy fire.  I had two

horses shot out from under me, and I was wounded in the ankle.  Deaf was

unhurt.

                However we took the Mexican army so completely by surprise that

they were unable to offer too much resistance.  Only nine men in my army

were killed, and only twenty-five, myself included, were wounded.