The Convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos convened on March 1, 1836. The delegates came from each municipality in Texas. As Santa Anna was laying siege to the Alamo the Convention declared independence from Mexico and began work on a constitution and establishing an interim government.
When the last appeal from Travis arrived many of the men wanted to adjourn the Convention long enough to ride to his aide. But calmer minds, including Sam Houston's, prevailed, convincing the delegates to stay and finish what they had started by declaring independence. To succeed the republic needed a governmental structure in place.
On March 15 news of the fall of the Alamo finally reached the Convention, yet the men remained focused on the task of setting up a government and electing officials. On March 17, after having worked seventeen days and sometimes through the nights a constitution and a government were in place. The Republic of Texas existed. Now came the task of holding it against the Mexican army advancing across Texas.
Late on March 6 Houston left the Convention for Gonzales to take command of the volunteers and troops gathering there and go to the aid of Travis. He arrived on the 11th to learn from two Mexican men who had come from San Antonio that the Alamo had fallen. Houston sent Deaf Smith and Henry Karnes to scout the road from Gonzales to San Antonio to try to confirm the story the men had told of the massacre of the entire garrison. Houston sent a dispatch to James Fannin at this time, telling him to abandon and blow up the old La Bahia presidio and retreat to Victoria.
Houston received confirmation two days later that the Alamo had indeed fallen from Susannah Dickinson who had been released with her daughter and two slaves. They were walking from San Antonio to Gonzales when Smith and Karnes found them. Mrs. Dickinson husband, Lieutenant Almeron Dickinson, was one of the regular army troops serving at the Alamo. She gave a vivid description of the massacre and execution of the Alamo defenders.
The people of Gonzales feared that they would be next to feel the wrath of Santa Anna as he drove eastward to wipe out or drive the rebels from Texas. Many of the army recruits were equally fearful for the safety of their own families and deserted in sizeable numbers to help them head east to the Sabine River. The mass evacuation of settlers has become known in Texas history as the "Runaway Scrape". Houston gathered all the men he and supplies he could and left Gonzales just before midnight on the 13th of March, burning the town behind him. Houston realized that the few hundred green troops he had at his disposal were no match for the battle ready Mexican army. He needed time to gather more men, train them and gather supplies, all this he intended to do on the march.
James Fannin had arrived at Goliad in late January with 400 men. Fannin had been unable to organize his command to move to reinforce Travis at the Alamo, even after several pleas from him for help. Now after receiving Houston's order to abandon Goliad he waited until March 19th to move toward Victoria.
In his preparations for withdrawal he sent out a party of 50 men to help the settlers start evacuating. Fannin was waiting for these men to return before leaving when he received word that they needed help to get the settlers moving. Fannin sent another 150 men men to help with the evacuation. This force was attacked at Refugio on March 14th by a column of General Jose de Urrea's troops. A few men made it back to Goliad on the 16th. Instead on leaving immediately, Fannin waited another day. On March 18 forward units of Urrea's cavalry attacked the La Bahia presidio.
The night of the 18th was cold and rainy and on the morning of the 19th there was a heavy fog. Fannin and his men slipped out of the old mission undetected until about eleven o'clock, when Urrea's men discovered it empty. Urrea set out in swift pursuit of the garrison, catching them on the open prairie about a mile from Colteo Creek, just in sight of the dense tree line cover of the creek. Fannin's movement from Goliad had bee plagued with problems, accidents and worn out animals. When Urrea troops attacked the Texans formed a square in a small hollow to try to stand an fight. They were soon out of water and low on ammunition and by dawn they fully surrounded with Mexican troops and heavy cannon. Fannin, who had been wounded the day before, surrendered his command on March 20. Texans have always maintained that Fannin surrendered his men only after being promised that they would be prisoners of war, not criminals under Mexican law. There is some evidence that General Urrea did plead their case to Santa Anna, but that he did tell Fannin and his officers that they could be executed as pirates. Santa Anna sent Colonel Jose de la Portilla to Goliad while General Urrea was away to carry out his orders to execute the prisoners. On March 27 all of the non-wounded men of Fannin's command were marched out of Goliad. The men thought they were being deported to Louisiana. The column was halted a short distance from the fort on the open prairie and shot. Some escaped to the San Antonio River, a few physicians that were useful to the Mexicans were spared. Fannin himself, one of the wounded, was shot at the presidio. The bodies of the massacred men were piled into open trenches and burned.
Texas now had another rallying cry - "Remember Goliad".
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