The Saga Of The Texas Independence Trail Region

Part 2 ~ The Answer of Santa Anna to Anahuac

~~ President Santa Anna’s Reply~~

The Turtle Bayou Resolutions were received by the new President and Supreme Ruler of Mexico, General Santa Anna. Santa Anna displayed much displeasure in learning that the colonists in Texas were not disposed to yield to his powers. The Supreme Ruler decided to crush once and for all, this dangerous spirit of revolt the colonists at Anahuac were displaying.

His first attempts to carry out these plans at Anahuac proved to set ablaze the smoldering fires of the Texas Revolution.

Skirmishes began with more frequency between the colonists at Anahuac and Col. Bradburn. The first Mexican soldier was killed by an American colonist at Anahuac, and the first American colonist was killed by a Mexican soldier. More troubles at Anahuac aroused the anger of the Mexicans more and more against the Texas colonists.

Colonists claiming the taxes at Anahuac were unjust, and the behavior of the Mexican garrison was insolent, mustered a force of men under the leadership of William B. Travis. A force of about 60 colonists gathered at Turtle Bayou in June 1832 preparing an assault on the fort at Anahuac.

There was a Spy in the group who kept Bradburn informed of the colonists’ actions and plans. This spy decided that he might kill one of the colonists, Steven F. Austin’s son, who had come from San Felipe to help the Anahuac colonists. Standing back out of sight, the spy shot at Austin, but a young 19 year old colonist stepped forward and the bullet struck and killed him.

The spy was quickly captured and a hasty trial took place in which the alcalde from Liberty pronounced the spy guilty of murder. The spy was tied to a tree and shot. Both dead men were buried side by side in the primeval forest along the shores of Turtle Bay (Lake Anahuac).

The colonists then proceeded to Anahuac, gathering behind the old barracks located on the north side of town, about one-half mile from the fort. Bradburn commenced cannon fire towards the colonists force, sending cannon balls bouncing off the street and residents scurrying for cover, however, the colonists attacked the Fort, capturing it and the Mexican forces, compelling Bradburn to surrender control of the Fort Anahuac. Bradburn fled to nearby woods in fear of his life, eventually making his way to New Orleans, and sailed back to Mexico.

The colonists disarmed the Mexican soldiers and allowed them to leave and return to Mexico. The colonists at Anahuac had captured the first Mexican fort.

From 1832 to 1835, conditions across Texas worsened.

Dark indeed was the outlook for Texas during the year 1835, when the state governments were abolished and Texas fell under Mexican military rule again. The Texas Militia was ordered to reduce its force to one militia man for every five hundred inhabitants. Every other Militia man was ordered to surrender his weapons to any Mexican Officer.

Santa Anna, being absolute ruler, began to experience difficulties in controlling his people in Mexico by his cruel dictatorship. One Mexican state, Zacatecas, refused to receive a dictatorship and rebelled. On May 10, 1835, Santa Anna sent his troops marching against them, killing 2,000 of his own people and imprisoning 2700.

These actions by Santa Anna warned Texas what she, at some distant day, might expect if she failed to yield to the tyrannies of Santa Anna.

Mexican General Cos, brother-in-law to Santa Anna, sent Mexican Captain Thompson to Anahuac to investigate the Anahuac disturbances, and to put a stop to them. Thompson brought 40 troops with supplies with the intentions of repairing the fort and re-occupying the same. But, the actions of Thompson, upon his arrival to Anahuac, only proved to make matters worse, and the colonists turned on Thompson and he fled to New Orleans.

The Mexican troops remained under Santa Anna’s orders.

The Mexican troops again continued mistreatment of the colonist, forcing martial law upon them, forcing them to follow the new laws imposed by Santa Anna. Hostilities occurred between the colonists at Anahuac and the Mexican fort in June, 1835.

In 1835, in September, Santa Anna sent several hundred additional troops to Texas under the command of General Cos. General Cos proclaimed his mission loud and clear, “to overrun Texas, establish more custom houses, disarm the people, and drive out all Americans who had come to Texas since 1830, and to punish those who disobeyed Mexican law and refused obedience to Santa Anna and his new laws”.

Continued in Part 3 ~~ THE ESCALATION OF HOSTILITIES ~~

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