Battle of Coleto - Aftermath

Aftermath

Those Texians that could walk were sent to Goliad, under Mexican escort. It would take until about March 23 until those Texians that could not walk were transported to Goliad. During that time, Texian physicians were told that wounded Mexicans were a priority to treat, as opposed to the wounded Texians. Fannin arrived in Goliad on March 22. Urrea, meanwhile, had moved onto Guadalupe Victoria, from where he wrote to Santa Anna a letter recommending that the Texian prisoners should be treated with clemency. However, Santa Anna did not follow Urrea's recommendation, instead ordering the Mexican commander Jose Nicolas de la Portilla at Goliad to execute the Texian prisoners. On Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, Fannin and about 340 other Texian prisoners were shot by Mexican soldiers. The execution became known as the Goliad Massacre.

The Battle of Coleto was significant because it showed that Texian troops involved in the battle, despite being relatively untrained, were able to stand up to the Mexican troops against them and obey their commanders. The battle was primarily lost because Fannin did not act decisively enough to ensure success and he underestimated the quality of the Mexican force against him. It also illustrated that Fannin was reluctant to co-ordinate his actions with other Texian forces, a trait that was common amongst many Texian commanders.