Aaron Mahnke

Now, everyone remembers the Alamo.

It's a rallying cry for Texans to this day.

Well, in the chaotic weeks after the famed fort fell, it seemed as though the Texan army was without a clear leader and unsure of its ultimate goal.

Into that confusion stepped James Walker Fannin, a former West Point cadet who found himself in charge at the Presidio La Bahia.

After the Mexican rout, word was sent to his officers at Goliad, evacuate the fort and retreat eastward to Victoria 30 miles distant, the message urgently warned of the immediate advance of the Mexican army.

And yet Fannin lingered.

Whether out of stubbornness or simple indecision, he stayed put until the morning of March 19th, five whole days after receiving the warning.

And that delay proved fatal.

When Fannin's retreat finally began, it was anything but swift.

The column trudged forward at a snail's pace, hampered by broken wagons and exhausted oxen.

At one point, a cart fell into the San Antonio River, prompting Fannin to halt his men for an entire hour while the animals grazed.

The real disaster struck at Coleto Creek.

The Mexican army had caught up to Fannin's men, but instead of seeking cover in the nearby woods, Fannin ordered his men to form a square in open prairie.

Cannons were placed at each corner, and the Texans braced for a showdown with the advancing Mexican forces.

Night fell, and the rebels were forced to endure a cold, sleepless vigil with dwindling ammunition.

At dawn, the Mexicans attacked.

Outnumbered and outgunned, the Texans raised a white flag.

An opposing officer approached under a flag of truce and demanded unconditional surrender.

But Fannin was proud to the very end, and he insisted that he would fight until his last bullet was spent.

And so the fight continued.