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| Background Information
- During the early years of Mexican independence, a numerous amount of American immigrants had settled into Mexican Texas, then afterwards, a part of the state of Coahulia y Tejas, with the Mexican government's encouragement. In the time of 1835 they had rebelled against the Mexican government of Santa Anna because he rescinded the democratic Consitiution of 1824, asserted dictorial control over the nation, and dissolved Mexico's Congress and state legislatures. The Texans had formed a provisional government and drafted a Declaration of Independence after capturing a few small outposts and defeating the Mexican army in that area. 
From the United States there were hundreds of volunteers headed into te fledgling Republic of Texas to assist in its quest for independence. Of these volunteers, two FULL reginemts were then soon organized to augment the Regular Textas Army. The other volunteers were organized into the companies who defended places that might be targest of the Mexican intervention.
Another company that was raised in the United States had fought AND died at the Battle of the Alamo while serving uner a regular Texas arm officer. During this, two companies from Alabama, fought AND died at Goliad. In the time of 1836, Santa Anna personally led a force of about 3000-5000 Mexican troops into what is NOW called Texas to put down the insurrection. The right wing of Santa Anna's offensive, under General Jose de Urrea, then defeated, capturedm and murdered the survivors of a second force near Goliad after disarming them. Santa Anna then cordered those prisoners to be shot, there was a total of about 350 people, on the date of March 27. Which is Palm Sunday. Gen. Urrea resusted those orders at first and sent a special message to Santa Anna to confirm the order. Urrea had refused to shoot the Texian doctors, and eventually released them. The practical problem was actually how to shoot 350 prisoners of war. When moving the road prisoners in a single file line, next to a Mexican guard, at a signal on a roadm each guard turned and slew his man, some with a rifle, the others used a sword or a bayonet. Six prisoners were able to escape and carried the tale to Sale Houston's army, which had became known as the Goliad massacre. At the battle of San Jacinto, both the cries of "REMEMEBER THE ALAMO!" and "REMEMBER GOLIAD!" were heard. This fortress were the prisoners were held, is today, in excellent repair and is the greatest example of a Mexican fort in the United States. It is called Presidio de la Bahia, near Goliad TX 
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