Battle
At 10 a.m. on June 22, Austin and his men left Brazoria for the 25 miles trip to the fort. Approximately 40 men boarded the Brazoria for the journey downstream, while the remaining men travelled overland. Russell was given command of the men aboard ship. Because only three of the volunteers had any familiarity with sailing, one of the mates of the Brazoria agreed to accompany the militia to ensure the ship arrived at its destination. Russell agreed that the seaman would not have to participate in the battle.
On the night of June 25, the Texians approached the fort. The schooner was anchored at a spot 150 yards (140 m) from the fort. Ground forces were split into two groups, commanded by Brown and Austin. Brown's men would circle the fort and approach from the Gulf of Mexico side, using driftwood as cover. Austin's men would approach from the north, where there was no natural cover. To protect themselves, this group fashioned makeshift shields out of cypress. The shields were 3 inches (7.6 cm) thick and were supported by moveable legs.
Shortly before midnight, the Texians attacked. During the incessant firing that followed, Mexican troops shot out the Brazoria's mooring lines. The ship ran aground on the bank. Texians soon ran low on ammunition for the cannon, but as the ship was fairly close to the fort, riflemen continued to fire. Mexican troops charged the schooner but were driven back. Austin's men discovered that their portable palisades were ineffective against Mexican marksmen; after the battle one shield alone had 130 holes. To protect themselves, Austin's men took time to dig trenches in the sand.
Thirty minutes after sunrise, a downpour began, and the Texians retreated. Austin sent James Bailey back to Brazoria to gather reinforcements. Mexican troops were almost out of ammunition, and Ugartechea surrendered.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Velasco
Famous quotes containing the word battle:
“Probably the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing-fields of Eton, but the opening battles of all subsequent wars have been lost there.”
—George Orwell (1903–1950)
“That we can come here today and in the presence of thousands and tens of thousands of the survivors of the gallant army of Northern Virginia and their descendants, establish such an enduring monument by their hospitable welcome and acclaim, is conclusive proof of the uniting of the sections, and a universal confession that all that was done was well done, that the battle had to be fought, that the sections had to be tried, but that in the end, the result has inured to the common benefit of all.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
“If you are willing to inconvenience yourself in the name of discipline, the battle is half over. Leave Grandma’s early if the children are acting impossible. Depart the ballpark in the sixth inning if you’ve warned the kids and their behavior is still poor. If we do something like this once, our kids will remember it for a long time.”
—Fred G. Gosman (20th century)