The Revolution begins!!!

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The Revolution begins!!!

• By 1835 Santa Anna was in full control of Mexico
  and he was proving he was a dictator.
• He disbanded the Mexican Congress and had a new
  constitution written to give all power to him
• He put down a revolt in Mexico and was extremely
  harsh to the rebels.

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In Texas

• Santa Anna sent his brother in law, General
  Martin Perfecto de Cos to San Antonio de Bexar to
  watch over Texas and put down any rebellion.
• Cos sent soldiers to reopen Anahuac and to start
  collecting customs again.

Martin Perfecto de Cos
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• Furious at the reopening of Anahuac, William
  Barrett Travis leads a small force of 25 men to
  destroy the fort.
• Travis uses a small ship called a schooner and
  fire a canon at the fort. The small Mexican force
  surrendered and agreed to leave Anahuac alone.

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Austin Returns

• Two Texas lawyers secured Austin his release from
  prison in August of 1835.
• During his time in prison he learned of Santa
  Annas action and spoke positively of Texian
  independence.
• He convinced many in the peace party to call for
  a war for Independence.

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Stephen F. Austins design for a Texas Flag
Mottos in center "Where Liberty dwells there is
my country. "WASHINGTON-In his example there
is safety"
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Cos in San Antonio de Bexar

• General Cos knew the Texians were becoming more
  and more rebellious.
• He asked for more troops from Mexico and started
  fortifying military positions in San Antonio.
• He also felt he needed to disarm the Texians.
• He sent a small army patrol to the town of
  Gonzales to confiscate a small cannon there that
  was used for Indian defense.

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Battle of Gonzales

• The citizens of Gonzales refused to give up the
  cannon.
• About a 160 Texians gathered around the small
  cannon and a flag inscribed Come and Take It.

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The Texians attacked the Mexican soldiers and
killed one. The Mexicans then retreated back to
San Antonio
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Army of the People

• Hundreds of Texians poured into Gonzales to take
  part in the fight but by the time they arrived
  the battle was over.
• They organized themselves as the Army of the
  People and elected Stephen F. Austin to lead
  them with the goal of taking San Antonio de
  Bexar.

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Battle for Concepcion

• The Texians arrived in San Antonio with over 600
  Texian soldiers.
• James Bowie, a Louisianan, defeated a patrol of
  Mexicans at a skirmish near the mission
  Concepcion.

The Mexicans lost 76 men while the Texians only
managed to lose one
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Jim Bowies History

• Involved in massive land fraud in Louisiana and
  Arkansas before coming to TX. (fake Spanish land
  grants)
• Fought in the Sandbar fight (a duel) in 1827
  where he killed a man with his famous massive
  knife.
• In 1830 moved to San Antonio to pursue land
  schemes and speculation.
• Married a young Mexican woman but she and their
  son died of cholera

Bowie Knife
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The Siege of Bexar

• After soldiers were defeated at Concepcion, the
  Texians soldiers laid siege to Cos and the city.
• A siege is when an army surrounds a fortified
  place and waits to attack.
• This siege would last 34 days with sporadic
  fighting.

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The Consultation of 1835

• During the siege, delegates from across the state
  met in San Felipe to hold a conference.
• The Consultation voted 33 to 15 NOT to declare
  independence but instead declared they fought for
  the Constitution of 1824
• They also elected Sam Houston as General of the
  Texian Army.

They also selected Henry Smith as provisional
governor and to meet again on March 1st, 1836 to
decide on the independence question.
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Back at the Siege of San Antonio

• The siege dragged on and on and soon Texian
  soldiers started going back to their farms.
• But the army held and attacked anything that went
  into the city including a Mexican mule train
  carrying grass to feed animals in the city that
  became known as the Grass Fight.

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• Finally a 47 yr old Texian named Ben Milam told
  the his soldiers he was tired of waiting and
  proclaimed
• Who will go with old Ben Milam into San
  Antonio?

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• Three hundred men led by Ben Milam and stormed
  the city on Dec the 5th 1836
• Fighting was fierce and Milam was killed, but the
  Texians won.
• Cos surrendered and promised to never oppose the
  Constitution of 1824 again.
• The Texians thought the war was over

Ben Milam