Battle of Alazan Creek
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Alazan Creek, occurred on the banks of Alazan Creek in Coahuila y Tejas
on June 20, 1813, during the Mexican War of Independence
. The location is today in Bexar County, Texas
, in the United States
, just west of the town of San Antonio
(San Antonio del Bejar).
, Samuel Kemper
, Colonel Henry A. Perry, and Augustus W. Magee, and the Spanish
Royalist force which was commanded by Colonel Ignacio Elizondo
.
, mestizo rebels (Mexicans) and Indians, along with some help from the United States
, crossed over from Louisiana
into Texas. Flying a green flag, they captured the town of Nacogdoches
on August 7, 1812.
The Republican Army of the North then marched to Goliad
, where they captured Presidio La Bahia
. From November 13, 1812, to February 19, 1813, they were besieged, when the Royalist
Army gathered to confront them. Unable to defeat the Republican Army, they retreated back to San Antonio. Samuel Kemper
, who had also been involved in the 1804 rebellion in Florida
, and the Republican Army, now numbering about 900 men, pursued.
In March 1813, the Royalist Army, numbering about 1,500 men, ambushed the Republican Army, as they searched for food along the banks of Rosillo Creek (Salado Creek
), in what is today southeastern Bexar County, Texas. Although being the instigators, the Royalists were defeated in a battle that lasted a little over an hour. When the Battle of Rosillo Creek
was over the Republican Army had killed between 100 and 330 men of the Royalist Army and had captured most of their arms and ammunition while they only lost six of their own men in the battle. After the battle, the Royalist Army retreated back to San Antonio, signed a truce with Kemper on April 1, 1813, and surrendered both Salcedo and Herrera, to the Republican Army. Salcedo, Herrera, and twelve other prisoners were taken back to the battle site on Rosillo Creek, where they were executed. On April 6, 1813, the Republican Army drafted a declaration of independence, which established the first Republic of Texas
.
In June 1813, Colonel Elizondo advanced, with his Royalist troops, out of central Mexico and marched to San Antonio. His commanding officer, Brigadier General José Joaquín de Arredondo
, had ordered Colonel Elizondo to advance as far as the Frio River
, but to advance no further. Instead of obeying these orders, the colonel who though he would prove his loyalty to Spain
by defeating the Republican Army of the North, advanced to the very outskirts of San Antonio and asked the rebels to surrender! His biggest mistake of all was that he underestimated his enemy's ability and he pitched his camp, without seeing to all the necessary precautions.
-backed General José Álvarez de Toledo. Álvarez de Toledo was mistrusted by most of the native mestizos rebel (Mexican) volunteers and this destroyed the army's morale when he divided the force into groups of "Mexicans," "Anglos" and Indians. The assimilated army which had fought victoriously at Nacogdoches, Goliad, Rosillo and the Alazan was now unprepared to meet the disciplined troops under Brigadier General Arredondo at the battle of Medina. The Republican Army of the North and the Republic which they had founded ended on August 18, 1813, when the Republican Army comanded by General Alvarez de Toledo was defeated at the Battle of Medina
. Colonel Elizondo was present at that battle and a young lieutenant named Antonio López de Santa Anna
was also there. They both joined their commanding officer in one of the worst bloodbaths to ever take place in Texas. When the Battle of Medina was over, Elizondo had been fatally wounded by one of his own sub-alternates. Gutiérrez de Lara went on to join two other revolutionary expeditions and later became the governor of the state of Tamaulipas
after the conclusion of the War of Independence.
, slightly southwest from the downtown area in Bexar County
.
Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution.It had two capitals: first Saltillo, and then Monclova...
on June 20, 1813, during the Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
. The location is today in Bexar County, Texas
Bexar County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, just west of the town of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
(San Antonio del Bejar).
Combatants
The battle was fought between the Republican (Anglo-U.S.)Army of the North, which was led by Bernardo Gutiérrez de LaraBernardo Gutiérrez de Lara
Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara was the first constitutional governor of the state of Tamaulipas, and a native of Revilla, today Ciudad Guerrero, Mexico.-Biography:...
, Samuel Kemper
Samuel Kemper
Samuel Kemper was an American adventurer and filibusterer.Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Kemper was involved with his brothers in the 1804 rebellion in West Florida. He later participated in the 1812-13 Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition into Spanish Texas, becoming commander of after the death of...
, Colonel Henry A. Perry, and Augustus W. Magee, and the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Royalist force which was commanded by Colonel Ignacio Elizondo
Ignacio Elizondo
Francisco Ignacio Elizondo Villarreal, , was a New Leonese royalist general, mostly known for his victorious plot to seek to capture important insurgency precursors of the Mexican War of Independence such as Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, and Juan Aldama in Baján, Coahuila in...
.
Background
In 1812, the Republican Army of the North, composed of Anglo-AmericansUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, mestizo rebels (Mexicans) and Indians, along with some help from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, crossed over from Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
into Texas. Flying a green flag, they captured the town of Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
on August 7, 1812.
The Republican Army of the North then marched to Goliad
Goliad, Texas
Goliad is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 1975 at the 2000 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Goliad County. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Goliad is located on U.S. Highway 59, named also for...
, where they captured Presidio La Bahia
Presidio La Bahía
The Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía, known more commonly as Presidio La Bahia, or simply La Bahia is a fort constructed by the Spanish Army that became the nucleus of the city of Goliad, Texas, United States. Originally founded in 1721 on the ruins of the failed French Fort Saint...
. From November 13, 1812, to February 19, 1813, they were besieged, when the Royalist
Royalist (Spanish American Revolutions)
The royalists were the American and European supporters of the various governing bodies of the Spanish Monarchy, during the Spanish American wars of independence, which lasted from 1808 until the king's death in 1833...
Army gathered to confront them. Unable to defeat the Republican Army, they retreated back to San Antonio. Samuel Kemper
Samuel Kemper
Samuel Kemper was an American adventurer and filibusterer.Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Kemper was involved with his brothers in the 1804 rebellion in West Florida. He later participated in the 1812-13 Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition into Spanish Texas, becoming commander of after the death of...
, who had also been involved in the 1804 rebellion in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and the Republican Army, now numbering about 900 men, pursued.
In March 1813, the Royalist Army, numbering about 1,500 men, ambushed the Republican Army, as they searched for food along the banks of Rosillo Creek (Salado Creek
Salado Creek
Salado Creek is a waterway in San Antonio that runs from Northern Bexar County for about to the San Antonio River near Buena Vista.-Watershed:...
), in what is today southeastern Bexar County, Texas. Although being the instigators, the Royalists were defeated in a battle that lasted a little over an hour. When the Battle of Rosillo Creek
Battle of Rosillo Creek
The Battle of Rosillo Creek was a conflict of the Mexican War of Independence occurring March 29, 1813 in Coahuila y Tejas, approximately nine miles southeast of San Antonio near the confluence of Rosillo Creek and Salado Creek.-The Combatants:The battle was fought between the Republican Army of...
was over the Republican Army had killed between 100 and 330 men of the Royalist Army and had captured most of their arms and ammunition while they only lost six of their own men in the battle. After the battle, the Royalist Army retreated back to San Antonio, signed a truce with Kemper on April 1, 1813, and surrendered both Salcedo and Herrera, to the Republican Army. Salcedo, Herrera, and twelve other prisoners were taken back to the battle site on Rosillo Creek, where they were executed. On April 6, 1813, the Republican Army drafted a declaration of independence, which established the first Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
.
In June 1813, Colonel Elizondo advanced, with his Royalist troops, out of central Mexico and marched to San Antonio. His commanding officer, Brigadier General José Joaquín de Arredondo
Jose Joaquín de Arredondo
Joaquín de Arredondo y Mioño was a 19th-century Spanish–Mexican soldier who served as Chief Civil and Military Commandant of Texas during the first Texas revolution.-Early life:...
, had ordered Colonel Elizondo to advance as far as the Frio River
Frio River
The Frio River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. The word frio is Spanish for cold, a clear reference to the spring-fed coolness of the river.-Geography:The Frio River has three primary feeds; the East, West, and Dry Frio rivers...
, but to advance no further. Instead of obeying these orders, the colonel who though he would prove his loyalty to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
by defeating the Republican Army of the North, advanced to the very outskirts of San Antonio and asked the rebels to surrender! His biggest mistake of all was that he underestimated his enemy's ability and he pitched his camp, without seeing to all the necessary precautions.
The battle
On June 12, 1813, Colonel Elizondo with his army of 700 regular soldiers and over 300 volunteers camped on the outskirts of San Antonio, about 500 yards west of Alazan Creek. He underestimated the abilities of his enemy and he pitched camp without precautions, he did not post scouts for pickets, and he had only two groups of six artillery pieces to protect his camp. The Republican Army of the North under the command of Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara and Colonel Henry A. Perry surrounded the Royalist camp before sunrise. Over 800 Anglo-U.S. volunteers took their assigned positions upon the enemy's flanks while the mestizos rebels of the insurgent force prepared to charge the center. Behind the Republican Army was a large number of Indians, mostly Tonkawas, Townkans and Lipan Apaches who were anxiously waiting to chase, capture, and scalp any escaping Royalist troops. Just after dawn, while most of Elizondo's men were either awakening or preparing their meal, the Republican force began the two hour long battle. The Republican (Anglo-U.S.) Army's artillery was loaded with canister and scarp-iron and they aimed them at the unsuspecting soldiers as they were having their breakfast meal. The Spanish Royalist camp was a scene of confusion as soldiers fell dead or dying to the ground. Then as the Royalist troops made their way to their guns, they met with the full onslaught of the Republican Cavalry. With his solid green banner for a flag, Gutierrez de Lara led his men through the very center of the Spanish camp sparing no one in his path. The Royalists managed to rally their forces and then they recaptured most of their lost ground. The battle raged for over an hour and a half and there were constant charges and counter-charges made for the Republican and Royalist artillery emplacements. But the Royalist Army began to give way and then the bloodiest part of the entire two-hour battle took place. The pursuing insurgent cavalry was joined by their Indian allies and then the royalists were killed and scalped mercilessly. Only those Royalist soldiers who were mounted on fast horses were able to escape the slaughter. Colonel Elizondo, who had a horse shot from under him, managed to escape and then catch up with remnants of his defeated army about fifteen miles southwest of the battlefield and he ordered a hurried march back to Mexico beyond the Rio Grande River.Aftermath
The Republican Army of the North had defeated the Royalist force and had captured 40 mule loads of flour, 4,000 pounds of biscuits, 300 guns and muskets, 5,000 pounds of powder, $28,000 worth of goods and clothing and some $7.000 worth of miscellaneous goods including saddles, liquor, coffee, cigars and "other luxuries." Most of the captured 2,000 horses and mules were later paid out to the Indians in exchange for their continued support. But the victory at the Alazan Creek was soon turned into a defeat for Gutiérrez de Lara when he was replaced by U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-backed General José Álvarez de Toledo. Álvarez de Toledo was mistrusted by most of the native mestizos rebel (Mexican) volunteers and this destroyed the army's morale when he divided the force into groups of "Mexicans," "Anglos" and Indians. The assimilated army which had fought victoriously at Nacogdoches, Goliad, Rosillo and the Alazan was now unprepared to meet the disciplined troops under Brigadier General Arredondo at the battle of Medina. The Republican Army of the North and the Republic which they had founded ended on August 18, 1813, when the Republican Army comanded by General Alvarez de Toledo was defeated at the Battle of Medina
Battle of Medina
The Battle of Medina was fought approximately 20 miles south of San Antonio de Bexar on August 18, 1813 as part of the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish authority in Mexico...
. Colonel Elizondo was present at that battle and a young lieutenant named Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
was also there. They both joined their commanding officer in one of the worst bloodbaths to ever take place in Texas. When the Battle of Medina was over, Elizondo had been fatally wounded by one of his own sub-alternates. Gutiérrez de Lara went on to join two other revolutionary expeditions and later became the governor of the state of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
after the conclusion of the War of Independence.
Location
The battle site is within the city limits of San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, slightly southwest from the downtown area in Bexar County
Bexar County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...
.
See also
- Salado CreekSalado CreekSalado Creek is a waterway in San Antonio that runs from Northern Bexar County for about to the San Antonio River near Buena Vista.-Watershed:...
- Battle of Rosillo CreekBattle of Rosillo CreekThe Battle of Rosillo Creek was a conflict of the Mexican War of Independence occurring March 29, 1813 in Coahuila y Tejas, approximately nine miles southeast of San Antonio near the confluence of Rosillo Creek and Salado Creek.-The Combatants:The battle was fought between the Republican Army of...
- Battle of MedinaBattle of MedinaThe Battle of Medina was fought approximately 20 miles south of San Antonio de Bexar on August 18, 1813 as part of the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish authority in Mexico...
- Manuel María de SalcedoManuel María de SalcedoManuel María de Salcedo y Quiroga , Manuel María de Salcedo y Quiroga , Manuel María de Salcedo y Quiroga , (Malaga, Spain, (1776 - executed, 3 April 1813), was a governor of Spanish Texas from 1808 until his execution in 1813. Salcedo gained leadership experience helping his father Juan Manuel de...
- Gutiérrez-Magee ExpeditionGutiérrez-Magee ExpeditionThe Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition was an 1812–13 joint Mexican-American filibustering expedition against Spanish Texas during the early years of the Mexican War of Independence.-Background:...
- History of TexasHistory of TexasEuropean conquistadors first arrived in the region now known as Texas in 1519, finding the region populated by various Native American tribes...
- Samuel KemperSamuel KemperSamuel Kemper was an American adventurer and filibusterer.Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Kemper was involved with his brothers in the 1804 rebellion in West Florida. He later participated in the 1812-13 Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition into Spanish Texas, becoming commander of after the death of...
- Reuben KemperReuben KemperReuben Kemper was an American pioneer and fillibuster.-Kemper and West Florida:Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Kemper and his brothers Nathan and Samuel settled in Feliciana, near Baton Rouge, Spanish West Florida, shortly after 1800...
Sources
- 1. "The Sons of the Republic of Texas" By Thomas B. Green, 2003,
- 2. "Texas Tales Your Teacher Never Told You" by C. F. Eckhardt, published by Wordware publishing, Inc. Regional Division.
- 3. "Program for Ceremonies Commemorating The 175th Anniversary of The Battle of Medina August 21, 1988" by Robert H. Thonhoff.
- 4. "Report of The Battle of Medina by Spanish participant Joaquin de Arredondo" translated by Mattie Austin Hatcher in The Texas Historical Association Quarterly XI no. 3 January 1908 pages 200 - 236.
- 5. "Green Flag Over Texas" by Julia Kathryn Garrett, Cordova Press, New York.