Battle of Gonzales 1835
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 2 October 1835 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1835 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Texas Revolution | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Francisco de Castañeda, John Henry Moore, Mexico | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 29.4389, -97.5217 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Gonzales was the first military engagement of the Texas Revolution. It was fought near Gonzales, Texas, on October 2, 1835, between rebellious Texian settlers and a detachment of Mexican Army soldiers. In 1831, Green DeWitt asked the Mexican authorities to lend the Gonzales colonists a cannon to help protect them from frequent Comanche raids. One was supplied, on the condition that the cannon would be returned to the Mexicans on request. Over the next four years, the political situation in Mexico deteriorated, and in 1835 several states revolted. As the unrest spread, Colonel Domingo de Ugartechea, the commander of all Mexican troops in Texas, felt it unwise to leave the residents of Gonzales with a weapon and requested the return of the cannon.
When the initial request was refused, Ugartechea sent 100 dragoons to retrieve the cannon. The soldiers neared Gonzales on September 29, but the colonists used a variety of excuses to keep them from the town, while secretly sending messengers to request assistance from nearby communities. Within two days, up to 140 Texians gathered in Gonzales, all determined not to give up the cannon. On October 1, settlers voted to initiate a fight.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Gonzales (revision 1381045821), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Texas Revolution
- Battle of Concepción 1835
- Battle of Goliad 1835
- Grass Fight 1835
- San Felipe incident (1835) 1835
- Siege of Béxar 1835
- Action of April 3, 1836 1836
- Battle of Agua Dulce 1836
- Battle of Coleto 1836
- Battle of San Jacinto 1836
- Battle of San Patricio 1836
All 12 battles of the Texas Revolution →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles