After the fall of the Alamo, March 6, 1836, Colonel James Walker Fannin, with about 400 soldiers, mostly volunteers from the United States in the Texas War for Independence, was ordered by Texas General Sam Houston to retreat from Goliad to Victoria. March 19, the heavy Mexican force of General Urrea surrounded the withdrawing Texas contingent near Coleto Creek, and bitter fighting ensued. Fannin's volunteers hurled back the assaults of the Mexican force. On the following day, faced with several times their number, the Texans surrendered in the belief they would be treated as prisoners of war of a civilized nation. After removal to Goliad, the Fannin men were marched out and massacred on Palm Sunday under orders of Santa Anna, the general of the Mexican armies. Thus dictator Santa Anna added another infamy to that of the Alamo and gave to the men who saved Texas at San Jacinto their battle cry, "Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad". The memorial to Fannin and his men is near Goliad. (1974)
Coleto, Battle of, and Goliad Massacre
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
Coleto, Battle of, and Goliad Massacre is a historical marker in Fannin, Goliad County, dedicated in 1974. It is one of 34 historical markers documented in Goliad County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 86 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 28.6885, -97.2317 near Fannin. The nearest cataloged historic site is Noble-San Jose (cemetery), about 1.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include El Perdido, Battle of, Live Oak Cemetery, and Cologne Community.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5175000322. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
Get Texas Roam — all 28,000 sites in your pocket
See this site and every marker, cemetery, courthouse, museum and landmark across Texas on one live map — find what's near you, get directions, and check in as you roam.
