On Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, Col. James Fannin and 425 or more Texian army personnel were executed in what came be known as the Goliad Massacre. This virtual cache will lead you to the battleground of what became known as the Battle of Coleto Creek, as well as the monument placed for the men. In addition, you will also visit the memorial to the Angel of Goliad.
Logging Requirements
You will need to visit the following three locations, and take a picture at each location. Attach the images to your log. If the log does not contain images from the three locations, the log will be deleted. You may log this immediately with the images. There is no need to contact me, or to send me the images, as I can see them on the log.
- Fannin Battleground - Take picture with the main obelisk in the background. The Fannin Battlefield is about 9 miles outside of Goliad. The site is open only from 8am to 5pm as of date of creation of this cache. Refer to this site for latest visit information.
- Fannin Monument - This monument is located off route 183 in Goliad. Take a picture with the monument in the background
- Angel of Goliad Monument - This monument is just a short walk away from the Fannin Monument. Take a picture with the monument in the background.
Posted coordinates are for the Fannin Battleground. Additional waypoints are provided for the two monuments.
For each the photos, the hoto must contain either
- Your face
- Or if you don't want to show your face, a piece of paper with your geocaching name and the date
The photo should contain sufficient visual clues as to the location of the photo (i.e. a piece of paper next to the monument is not sufficient if the monument is not identifiable).
Historical Information
September 16, 1810 - Declaration of Independence for Mexico from Spain. This was the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. The first uprising was led by parish priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. He was captured and executed in 1811. If you drop the H from Hidalgo, and rearrange the remaining letters, you get Goliad.
September 27, 1821 - The Treaty of Córdoba was signed ending the war and granting Mexico its independence.
1824 - The constitutional monarchy was ended and a federal republic declared in 1823 and codified in the Constitution of 1824.
April 1, 1833 - Antonio López de Santa Anna was elected president of the Mexican Republic
1835 - Santa Anna repealed the Constitution of 1824, effectively declaring himself dictator
December 20, 1835 - The Goliad Declaration of Independence was signed in Goliad at Presidio La Bahia.
December 30, 1835 - The Tornel Decree is made, declaring any persons attacking Mexico were considered pirates, not prisoners of war, and punishment was to be execution.
February 23 to March 6, 1836 - The siege and the fall of the Alamo. Almost all defenders were eventually killed, though a few civilians survived.
1836 - The Presidio La Bahia was one of the major garrisons for the Mexican army. With all of the activity going on, it was left lightly defended and was captured by the Texian army. Colonel James Fannin was born in 1804 in Georgia, attended for a short time West Point, and eventually moved and settled in Texas. He became involved with the battle for independence, first involved at the Battle of Gonzales on October 2, 1835. He was involved in several activities, but ended up commanding the Presidio La Bahia (renamed to Fort Defiance) by February of 1836.
February 1836 - Col. Fannin was ordered to send reinforcements from Goliad to San Antonio, but ran into numerous issues and did not complete the journey, returning instead to Goliad.
February 23 - March 6, 1836 - The siege and fall of the Alamo
March 19, 1836 - Following the loss of the Alamo, Col. Fannin was ordered to retreat to Victoria to consolidate forces of the Texian army. However, he did not move immediately, and on March 19, 1836, he finally started a march to Victoria with his men. Two hours later, General José de Urrea caught up with the retreating army and battle (known as the Battle of Coleto Creek) ensued.
Realizing that the Texian forces were outnumbered, Colonel Fannin agreed to a surrender, believing that he had an agreement with General Urrea to treat the men as prisoners of war. (The General later indicated that no such agreement was made). The captured Texans were marched back to Presidio La Bahia in Goliad.
March 27, 1836 - On Palm Sunday, on the orders of General Santa Anna based on the Tornel decree, the prisoners were split into groups and marched from the Presidio out into the fields, where they were lined up and executed. Within the confusion of this effort, several soldiers did manage to escape and survive. Wounded prisoners were executed within the Presidio. Some of the first executed were collected by the Mexican soliders, and the bodies burned. However, many of the bodies were left on the field.
Col Fannin was last to be executed. He was blindfolded and seated in a chair due to wounds suffered in battle. He made three requests: to be shot in the heart and not in the head, to have his possessions returned to his family, and to have a Christian burial. None were honored and he was shot in the head, his possessions taken by soldiers, and his body burned.
A month later, the remains were collected and buried by Texan General Thomas J. Rusk. The monument in Goliad was placed to mark this location.
Following the events in Goliad, the cry of the Texian solders was Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Santa Anna was later captured at the Battle of San Jacinto, and the Treaty of Velasco signed ending the revolution and paving the way for Texan Independence. Despite the atrocities that he ordered, Santa Anna was guaranteed safety and returned to Verarcruz. He was involved in Mexican politics for many years thereafter.
Texas independence was not fully recognized by Mexico, leading to further conflicts and eventually the Mexican-American War, where our infamous General Santa Anna lost, and as a result, the US gained the Spanish/Mexican possessions of California and other lands west of Texas. General Santa Anna later sold additional Mexican lands to the United States as part of the Gadsden Purchase.
The Angel of Goliad
Francisca Alavez (there are several variations on the name), traveled with her husband Captain Telesforo Alavez, and was present at the presidio. She advocated on behalf of Texian prisoners prior to, during, and after Goliad. Through her efforts, many men were spared execution as they were held as doctors, interpreters, and workers. She also helped hide several men prior to execution, and helped others to escape. She became known as the Angel of Goliad. (Additional information may be found here.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.