Battle of Gonzales

. The Mexican Constitution of 1824 liberalized the country's immigration policies, allowing foreign immigrants to settle in border regions such as Mexican Texas, and to bring their slaves with them. In 1825, American Green DeWitt received permission to settle 400 families in Texas near the confluence of the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers. The DeWitt Colony quickly became a favorite raiding target of local Karankawa, Tonkawa, and Comanche tribes, and in July 1826 they destroyed the capital city, Gonzales. The town was rebuilt the following year, after DeWitt negotiated peace treaties with the Karankawa and Tonkawa. The Comanche continued to stage periodic raids of the settlement over the next few years. Unable to spare military troops to protect the town, in 1831 the region's political chief instead sent the settlers of Gonzales a six-pounder cannon, Historian Thomas Ricks Lindley states that Green DeWitt wrote to the Mexican authorities asking for a cannon, and they responded with the loan of a Spanish six-pounder bronze cannon on the condition it be returned when asked for; Lindley states that the Texians also had a much smaller iron cannon of one pounder calibre or less. despite it being a gun of around calibre firing projectiles. In 1829, Mexico ended slavery and freed the slaves throughout Mexico, but negotiated an exception for the American immigrants in Tejas. In April 1830, Mexico closed its borders to new immigrants who had not already been authorized to join an existing colony. During the 1830s, the Mexican government wavered between federalist and centralist policies. As the pendulum swung sharply towards centralism in 1835, several Mexican states revolted. In June, a small group of settlers in Texas used the political unrest as an excuse to rebel against customs duties, in an incident known as the Anahuac Disturbances. The federal government responded by sending more troops to Texas. Public opinion was sharply divided. Some communities supported the rebellion for a variety of reasons. The new policies, the bans of slavery and immigration chief among them, and the increased enforcement of laws and import tariffs, incited many immigrants to revolt. The border region of Mexican Texas was largely populated by immigrants from the United States, some legal but most illegal. Some of these immigrants brought large numbers of slaves with them, so that by 1836, there were about 5,000 enslaved persons in a total non-native population estimated at 38,470. Others, including Gonzales, declared their loyalty to Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna's centralist government. Local leaders began calling for a Consultation to determine whether a majority of settlers favored independence, a return to federalism, or the status quo. Although some leaders worried that Mexican officials would see this type of gathering as a step toward revolution, by the end of August most communities had agreed to send delegates to the Consultation, scheduled for October 15. In the interim, many communities formed Texian Militia companies to protect themselves from a potential attack by military forces. On September 10, a Mexican soldier bludgeoned a Gonzales resident, which led to widespread outrage and public protests. Colonel Domingo de Ugartechea, commander of all Mexican troops in Texas, sent a corporal and five enlisted men to retrieve the cannon that had been loaned to the colonists. According to historian Stephen Hardin, "the cannon became a point of honor and an unlikely rallying symbol. Gonzales citizens had no intention of handing over the weapon at a time of growing tension." The soldiers were escorted from town without the cannon. The phrase is a pastiche of "Old Three Hundred". They are: • William W. Arrington • Simeon Bateman • Valentine Bennet • Joseph D. Clements • Almon Cottle (brother of an Immortal 32) • Jacob C. Darst (also Immortal 32) • George W. Davis • Almaron Dickinson (also Immortal 32) • Graves Fulchear • Benjamin Fuqua • James Hinds • Thomas Jackson (also Immortal 32) • Albert Martin (also Immortal 32) • Charles Mason • Thomas R. Miller (also Immortal 32) • John Sowell • Winslow Turner • Ezekiel Williams of Texian soldiers fighting in the Battle of Gonzales, which was referred to as the "Lexington of Texas" because it was the first battle of the Texas Revolution ==Prelude==

Ponton anticipated that Ugartechea would send more troops to force the return of the lent cannon. As soon as the first group of soldiers left Gonzales, Ponton sent a messenger to the closest town, Mina, to request help. Word quickly spread that up to 300 soldiers were expected to march on Gonzales. Stephen F. Austin, one of the most respected men in Texas and the de facto leader of the settlers, sent messengers to inform surrounding communities of the situation. Austin cautioned Texians to remain on the defensive, as any unprovoked attacks against Mexican forces could limit the support Texians might receive from the United States if war officially began. With no easy way to cross the river, Castañeda and his men made camp at the highest ground in the area, about from the river. Three Texians hurried to bury the cannon, while others traveled to nearby communities to ask for assistance. Texian Militia companies generally elected their own leaders, and the men now gathered in Gonzales invoked their right to choose their own captain rather than report to Martin. John Henry Moore of Fayette was elected leader, with Joseph Washington Elliot Wallace and Edward Burleson, both of Columbus, respectively elected second and third in command. On September 30, Castañeda reiterated his request for the cannon and was again rebuffed. Texians insisted on discussing the matter directly with Ugartechea. According to their spokesman, until this was possible, "the only answer I can therefore give you is that I cannot now [and] will not deliver to you the cannon". Castañeda reported to Ugartechea that the Texians were stalling, likely to give reinforcements time to gather. In San Antonio de Béxar, Ugartechea asked Dr. Launcelot Smither, a Gonzales resident in town on personal business, to help Castañeda convince the settlers to follow orders. Texians dug up the cannon and mounted it on cart wheels. In the absence of cannonballs, they gathered metal scraps to fill the cannon. A local Methodist minister, W. P. Smith, blessed their activities in a sermon, which made frequent reference to the American Revolution. ==Battle==

Texians began crossing the river around 7:00 pm. Less than half of the men were mounted, slowing their progress as they tracked the Mexican soldiers. A thick fog rolled in around midnight, further delaying them. Around 3:00 am, Texians reached the new Mexican camp. A dog barked at their approach, alerting the Mexican soldiers, who began to fire. The noise caused one of the Texian horses to panic and throw his rider, who suffered a bloody nose. With the darkness and fog, Mexican soldiers could not estimate how many men had surrounded them. They withdrew to a nearby bluff. Around 6:00 am, Texians emerged from the trees and began firing at the Mexican soldiers. Lieutenant Gregorio Pérez counterattacked with 40 mounted soldiers. The Texians fell back to the trees and fired a volley, injuring a Mexican private. According to some accounts, the cannon fell out of the wagon upon the shot. Unable to safely maneuver among the trees, the Mexican horsemen returned to the bluff. Texians then fired their cannon at the Mexican camp. Realizing that he was outnumbered and outgunned, Castañeda led his troops back to San Antonio de Béxar. The troops were gone before the Texians finished reloading. In his report to Ugartechea, Castañeda wrote, "since the orders from your Lordship were for me to withdraw without compromising the honor of Mexican arms, I did so". ==Aftermath==

Two Mexican soldiers were killed in the attack. The only Texian casualty was the bloody nose suffered by the man bucked off his horse. Although the event was, as characterized by Davis, "an inconsequential skirmish in which one side did not try to fight", Texians soon declared it a victory over Mexican troops. A large number of Texians had taken an armed stand against the Mexican army, and they had no intention of returning to their neutral stance towards Santa Anna's government. News of the skirmish, originally called "the fight at Williams' place", Gonzales became a rallying point for Texians opposed to Santa Anna's policies. By the end of the year, the Texians had driven all Mexican troops from Texas. The cannon's fate is disputed. According to the memoirs (written in the 1890s) of Gonzales blacksmith Noah Smithwick, the cannon was abandoned after the cart's axles began to smoke during a march to San Antonio de Béxar to assist in Austin's siege. Smithwick reported that the cannon was buried near a creek not far from Gonzales. A small iron cannon was exposed during a June 1936 flood near Gonzales. In 1979, this cannon was purchased by Dr. Patrick Wagner, who believed it matched Smithwick's descriptions of the cannon used in the battle. The Curator of Military History at the Smithsonian Institution verified that Wagner's cannon was a type of small swivel gun used in America through 1836. The Conservation Laboratory at the University of Texas confirmed that Wagner's cannon had been buried in moist ground for an extended time period. Writing in the Handbook of Texas, historian Thomas Ricks Lindley maintains that the Wagner cannon does not match the Smithwick account. The Wagner gun is made of iron and is smaller than a six-pounder. Lindley states that Francisco de Castañeda reported two cannons being used by the Texians in the battle, the large bronze cannon lent by the Mexicans and a much smaller iron cannon, two other Mexican accounts also recording both cannons in Gonzales. in Gonzales every October. In and around Gonzales are nine Texas historical markers which commemorate various locations used in the prelude to the battle. ==See also==