Inside: May we all remember the Alamo, remember Goliad, and stay engaged in the fight for liberty!

One day – not too long ago – we found ourselves in the New Braunfels, TX, area, and we had some time.  Of course, our first thought was, “Hey, we could run down to San Antonio and find some great food and maybe go see the Alamo…”  Visiting the Alamo is a sobering thing to do, thinking about the sacrifice so many made for freedom there.  I have to say, though, I have no idea how many times I have toured the Alamo.  It is a lot of times!  Of course, The Alamo is important, and I want all my children not only to have seen it, but to be very familiar with the battle that happened there.  For the same reason, if we have out-of-state visitors wondering what they should see in Texas, the Alamo is always near the top of the list if they can get anywhere close to San Antonio. 

Of course, at the Battle of the Alamo, February 23 – March 6, 1836, less than 200 defenders held out for a 13-day siege against a Mexican army over 10 times their size, until their position was stormed, and practically all of them were killed.  The letter written by the Commander of the Alamo, LtCol William Barret Travis, communicating his desperate position but also his commitment to the cause, was the inspiration of my blog article entitled, Answering God’s Call – Why I’m Running for School Board, announcing my (later unsuccessful) run for election to the School Board in my hometown a couple years ago.  During the siege of the Alamo, on March 2, 1836, Texas issued a Declaration of Independence. (This is an amazing document – you should click the link and read it, or re-read it!)

But as we pondered the question of where to visit that day, we found ourselves thinking, “What about other sites that are significant in Texas history?”  This time, we did not go south to San Antonio, but instead turned the family van east to go see other sites that are important to Texas freedom.  On this Texas Independence Day, 2025, I wanted to mention a couple of them, along with a lesson I think we can take away. 

Gonzales

 “Come and Take it” is boldly printed in clear, black letters across the familiar white flag…  that flag is everywhere in Texas!  We all know what it means.  Even those who don’t know the story of what happened at Gonzales know what the flag means.  It has a picture of a cannon, and the message is clear…  if you think you are going to take away our ability to stand up for ourselves – our ability to defend ourselves – our ability to resist tyranny – our ability to be a free and independent people, then we will give you our cannon, one cannon ball at a time…  Come and take it…  you will have a fight on your hands. 

As often as I have been to the Alamo, and as often as I have enjoyed the “Come and Take it” flag, I am ashamed to say that before that day, I had never taken the trip to Gonzales, TX, to see where all this came about.  It was a good thing we got the chance to make that right!  We showed up that day at the Gonzales Memorial Museum, where we could see the original “Come and Take it” Cannon!

The Cannon at Gonzales, TX, had been loaned to the citizens there for defense against Indian attacks.  In September, 1835, a small group of Mexican soldiers came to take the cannon back.  The Texans refused and arrested the soldiers.  On October 2, 1835, a larger group of Mexican soldiers came to retrieve it and the Battle of Gonzales occurred, shots were fired marking the beginning of the Texas Revolution.  

As we toured areas that day, I began to notice the dates that these significant events occurred.  Let’s begin a very simple timeline of these few events in Texas history.  So, we now know that the first shots of the Texas Revolution were fired at Gonzales on October 2, 1835.  We know also the famous battle of the Alamo occurred February 23 – March 6, 1836.  There is another important event we need to consider that occurred near a little town called Goliad, also in March of 1836.  

Goliad Massacre

From Gonzales, we made our way to Goliad.  For my entire life, I had heard about the slaughter of Texans at Goliad, but never had I been to see the place where this event occurred.  It started with a series of battles in the area in March, 1836.  Significantly, the Battle of Coleto Creek occurred the 19th and 20th of March in 1836, just east of the town of Goliad.  Texans in this battle were under the command of Colonel James Fannin and faced a force roughly twice their size.  By the end of the battle, the Texans were surrounded and captured.  Similar results had happened with other smaller battles in the area.  A week after the Battle of Coleto Creek, on March 27, 1836, the Mexican army had over 400 captured soldiers in captivity near Goliad. At the command of General Santa Anna, the Mexican army marched their prisoners out and ruthlessly slaughtered them. 

San Jacinto

I feel like I am sprinting through this so please forgive me for leaving out so much detail!  But I now will fast forward a bit and mention the Battle of San Jacinto.  Again, since I was young, I heard about this battle.  I remember hearing many times how the Texans came upon the Mexican army as they slept, and how they attacked as they cried out, “Remember the Alamo, remember Goliad!”  The battle was over very fast!  I also remember hearing how Santa Anna ran and hid like the coward he was!  The thing that struck me as I viewed several of these sites I had never seen before, though, was again, the timeline.  San Jacinto happened on April 21, 1836. 

Timeline

• October 2, 1835 – Battle of Gonzales (start of revolution)
• February 23 – March 6, 1836 – Battle of the Alamo
• March 2, 1836 – Texas Declaration of Independence
• March 19 – 20, 1836 – Battle of Coleto Creek
• March 27, 1836 – Goliad Massacre
• April 21, 1836 – San Jacinto (and victory!)

Be Encouraged! 

What really hit me as we visited those sites that day is how close together all of these events were.  I mean, from the first shots fired, the whole thing was done in less than 8 months!  What REALLY got my attention was how things must have felt on March 27^th.  I mean, the massacre at the Alamo had just happened, and then in the SAME MONTH, over 400 soldiers were massacred at Goliad.  How miserable things must have looked to Texans at the end of March, 1836…  Who in the world would have imagined that in less than a month, we would have total victory over the Mexican Army.  Unbelievable! 

You and I have been through some discouraging times.  The last several years have been a near constant display of tyranny, lawfare, lies and every abuse of power.  Things are changing very quickly.  It is amazing how quickly things can change.  Let’s keep on praying, keep on being active, keep on letting our voices be heard, keep on standing up for what is right.  But let us also be encouraged.  Things are happening quickly. 

This March 2nd, we want to wish you a Happy Texas Independence Day!  May we all remember the Alamo, remember Goliad, and stay engaged in the fight for liberty just as they were!