Presidio La Bahia - Goliad, Texas

Presidio La Bahia - Goliad, Texas - © 2013 - Trina DeConcini
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Volume 21, Number 20 ~ Monday, May 20, 2013 (No. 961)
Featured Article
Presidio La Bahia - Goliad, Texas
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Prior to the Texas Revolution, the Mexican
government maintained two major garrisons within Texas.
The first, and better known, was the Alamo, at San Antonio
de Bexar. The lesser known, but as important to Texas’
history, was the “Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la
Bahía” (more commonly known as “Presidio La Bahia,” or
simply “La Bahia”), near present day Goliad, on the San
Antonio River.
La Bahia was built by the Spanish Army in 1721 on
the ruins of the former (French) Fort Saint Louis. The
presidio was moved to a location on the Guadalupe River in
1726, and, in 1747, the fort and its mission were moved to
their current location. By the late 18th century, by then
rebuilt in stone, La Bahia remained as the only Spanish fort
along the Gulf Coast. Goliad developed next to La Bahia in
the late 18th century.
Spain claimed control over the area now known as Texas, but pretty well ignored it until
the late 17th century. In an attempt to take advantage of Spain's disinterest, in 1685 France
authorized Robert de La Salle to organize a colony in the
area between New Spain and Florida. Although La Salle
intended to locate his colony along the Mississippi River,
poor maps and improper navigation decisions led the
colonists to instead land near Matagorda Bay in Texas.
Believing the French colony was a threat to Spanish
mines and shipping routes, Spanish King Carlos II's Council
of War recommended that Spain needed “to remove this
thorn which has been thrust into the heart of America.”
Five years later, after considerable searching, a Spanish
expedition finally located the site of Fort Saint Louis in
early 1689 -- members of the local Karankawa tribe had
destroyed the fort, killing most of the colonists. The Spanish
expedition burned the remains of the French fort and buried
the French cannons.
TIBA’s Texas Law Reporter - Vol. 21, No. 20 - May 20, 2013 - Page 1
Although it was recommended that presidios be
established along the Rio Grande, Frio River, and the
Guadalupe River, none were built, due to scarcity of funds.
Over the next several years, several Spanish missions were
built in Texas, but there were no presidios, and, by 1693, the
Spanish had no presence in Texas.
During the next 20 years, the French established a
presence in Louisiana. This caused the Spanish to fear that
France could become a threat to other Spanish areas.
In 1716, Spain began reestablishing missions and
presidios in Texas. After a war with France in 1719-1720,
Spain became began to increase its military presence in
Texas.
In 1721, the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo,
governor of Texas and Coahuila, founded Presidio La Bahia
on the site of the former French fort. He also established a
mission for the Coco, Karankawa, and Cujane Indians. The
priests at the mission were unable to find an effective means to convince the Karankawa to
submit to mission life or Catholic teachings, and, in 1726, both mission and presidio were
relocated 26 miles inland, along the Guadalupe River in what is now Victoria County.
For the next 23 years the mission and presidio remained in this location. Then, in 1749,
the presidio and the mission were moved to its location on the San Antonio River. In February
1750, the new presidio was placed under the command of Captain Manuel Ramírez de la
Piszena. A chapel was built, and Piszena built a stone
house for himself.
Within 20 years, France was no longer a threat to
Spain's North American interests. All of the presidios were
abandoned except La Bahia, which was rebuilt in stone. La
Bahia was now in the center of several major trade and
military routes.
Mexico declared independence from Spain in 1810.
The presidio was captured by insurgents twice during the
War of Independence, in 1813, and again in 1821. Each
time, however, the insurgents were later defeated by
Spanish troops.
After a civil war lasting eleven years, the Treaty of
Córdoba, which recognized Mexican independence, was
signed in August 1821. By the end of 1821 Texas became
TIBA’s Texas Law Reporter - Vol. 21, No. 20 - May 20, 2013 - Page 2
part of the newly formed United Mexican States. La
Bahia which lay halfway between San Antonio de Béxar
and Copano, the major port in Texas, was, once again,
one of the two major garrisons in Mexican Texas.
Within days of the opening of the Texas
Revolution in October 1835, members of the Texian
militia in Matagorda marched towards La Bahia, intent
on seizing Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cos.
With other settlers joining them along the way, the
number of volunteers grew to approximately 125 men.
Several men who lived near Goliad joined the march and reported
that Cos had already departed La Bahia for San Antonio. They also
reported that Colonel Juan López Sandoval commanded only 50 men, far
fewer than the number necessary to defend the entire perimeter of the
presidio. The march continued and, in the pre-dawn hours of October 10,
the Texians attacked the presidio.
Mexican soldiers opened fire, hitting Samuel McCulloch, a freed
slave, in the shoulder. Texians returned fire for approximately 30 min.
During a pause in the fighting, a Texian spokesperson yelled out that the
Texians would “massacre everyone of you, unless you come out immediately and surrender . .
..” After a 30-minute battle, the Mexican garrison surrendered and the Texians gained control
of the presidio.
At some time after the battle, Colonel James
Fannin became the commander of the troops at La
Bahia. He renamed the presidio “Fort Defiance.”
During the siege of the Alamo, Col. William
Travis asked La Bahia commander James Fannin to
bring reinforcements to San Antonio. Although
Fannin and his men attempted a relief mission, they
soon abandoned the attempt.
After the Alamo fell, Sam Houston ordered Fannin to abandon La
Bahia. He did so on March 19, but did not march his troops with any
haste. Fannin’s garrison was captured, returned to and imprisoned in the
presidio. On March 27 the Texian captives were marched from the
presidio and executed, in an event known as the Goliad Massacre.
In the 1960s, local philanthropist Kathryn O'Connor donated $1
million to restore the presidio. Construction took place between 1963 and
1968, with the building being essentially rebuilt from the ground up to
TIBA’s Texas Law Reporter - Vol. 21, No. 20 - May 20, 2013 - Page 3
look exactly as it had originally. Today, La Bahia is the best-preserved Spanish presidio in the
United States.
Photos by Trina DeConcini - © 2013
TIBA’s Texas Law Reporter - Vol. 21, No. 20 - May 20, 2013 - Page 4