When the Mexican government moved away from a new local-level
federalist political ideology to create a
centralist authoritarian government under Santa Anna, Martín Perfecto de Cos became military commander of the Mexican state of
Coahuila y Tejas in 1833. He initially was headquartered in
Saltillo. San Antonio had always governed its own affairs and its citizens, increasingly ethnic Anglo-Americans with closer ties to the emerging United States, resented Cos being given power over them. As tensions between
Mexico City and
Mexican Texas increased, Cos headed north to put down the rebellion. Cos arrived in Texas by sea at the port of
Copano on September 20, 1835, with 500 soldiers and proceeded to the town of
Goliad on October 1, where he ordered the arrest of rebel leaders and garrisoned his men inside the nearby
Presidio La Bahía. Even before his arrival, a group of Texians had plotted to kidnap Cos at either Copano or Goliad, but a rebellion committee rejected the idea. The
Texas Revolution began in earnest with the
Battle of Gonzales on October 2, and upon learning of the Texian victory, Cos hurried to
San Antonio de Béxar, leaving with the bulk of his men on October 5. Texians assaulted the Presidio La Bahía at the
Battle of Goliad on October 10, only to learn that Cos had already left. Once he was in San Antonio, the town and Cos' men were
besieged by the
Texian Army under the leadership of
Stephen F. Austin. After a 56-day siege of the town and the
Alamo Mission, on December 9, Cos surrendered
San Antonio de Béxar and its weapons to the Texians, then proceeded to retreat back across the
Rio Grande. Cos and his men were allowed to keep their muskets for protection, as well as one four-pound
cannon. Mexican losses during the siege were about 150. On his way south, Cos met up with
Santa Anna's forces at
Laredo, who were marching north to put down the rebellion. In February 1836, Cos returned to San Antonio with Santa Anna and led a column of 300 soldiers in the
siege of the Alamo. His men assaulted the northwest corner of the mission on March 6, eventually overrunning the north wall. On April 21, Cos arrived with over 500 reinforcements for Santa Anna shortly before the
Battle of San Jacinto. That afternoon Texian forces led by General Sam Houston decisively defeated Santa Anna's army in a battle which lasted only eighteen minutes. Cos and Santa Anna both escaped during the battle; Santa Anna was captured the next day, on April 22, and Cos was captured on April 24. General Santa Anna subsequently surrendered his army and eventually all Mexican claims to Texas, ending the Texas Revolution.
Mexican–American War Following the Texas Revolution, Martín Perfecto de Cos remained in the Mexican Army and was given command of an army outpost in
Tuxpan, where he served during the
Mexican–American War and afterwards, until his death in 1854. ==Film depictions==