Battle of San Patricio

Battle of San Patricio
Part of the Texas Revolution
Date February 27, 1836 Location near San Patricio, Texas 27°57′33″N 97°46′23″W / 27.9592°N 97.7730°W / 27.9592; -97.7730 Result Mexican victory
Belligerents
Centralist Republic of Mexico	Texian Rebels
Commanders and leaders
José de Urrea	Frank W. Johnson
Strength
200 men	43 men
Casualties and losses
1 killed 4 wounded	16 killed 21 captured
approximate location of the battle class=notpageimage| Location within Texas

The Battle of San Patricio was fought on February 27, 1836, between Texian rebels and the Mexican army, during the Texas Revolution. The battle occurred as a result of the outgrowth of the Texian Matamoros Expedition. The battle marked the start of the Goliad Campaign, the Mexican offensive to retake the Texas Gulf Coast. It took place in and around San Patricio.

By the end of 1835, all Mexican troops had been driven from Texas. Frank W. Johnson, the commander of the volunteer army in Texas, and James Grant gathered volunteers for a planned invasion of the Mexican port town of Matamoros. In February 1836, Johnson and about 40 men led a herd of horses to San Patricio in preparation for the expedition. Johnson assigned some of his troops to a ranch 4 miles (6.4 km) outside town to guard the horses, while the rest of his men garrisoned in three different locations in town.

Unbeknownst to the Texians, on February 18 Mexican General José de Urrea had led a large contingent of troops from Matamoros into Texas. Their goal was to neutralize the Texian soldiers gathered along the coast. Urrea's men easily followed the trail left by Johnson's herd of horses. Mexican soldiers surprised the sleeping Texians in San Patricio in the early hours of February 27. After a fifteen-minute battle, all but six Texians had been killed or imprisoned. One Mexican soldier was killed and four injured.