Portilla, Jose Nicolas de laLieutenant colonel under Urrea, Portilla was put in charge of James W. Fannin and his men after the defeat at Coleto. On March 26, Portilla received orders from Santa Anna to execute all prisoners; he received orders from Urrea to treat the men as prisoners of war and to set them to rebuilding Goliad. Deciding that Santa Anna’s orders took precedence, Portilla, on March 27, took the prisoners out of Goliad in three columns and had them shot.
Potter, RobertPotter joined the Nacogdoches volunteers commanded by Thomas J. Rusk. Until November 21, 1835, he worked with Dr. Grant to arm and equip the siege of Bexar. On November 30, he was commissioned in the Texas Navy. Potter represented Nacogdoches in the Convention of 1836, and he was appointed interim secretary of the Navy. Burnet appointed him commander of the port of Galveston on April 20, 1836.
Provisional GovernmentSet up by the Consultation, the Provisional Government served from November 15, 1835, to March 1, 1836. The body consisted of the governor, lieutenant governor, and General Council. From the beginning, the governor and the Council were at odds over their respective powers. By January 10, the governor had dismissed the Council, and the Council had impeached the governor, replacing him with the lieutenant governor. From January 17 on, the Council was unable to convene a quorum, and Texas remained without a functioning government until the Convention of 1836 met on March 1.
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Ramirez y Sesma, JoaquinSesma commanded the brigade sent in advance of the main army under Santa Anna’s command. He joined forces with General Cos at Laredo, then merged with Santa Anna’s forces at the Rio Grande as it marched to Bexar. After the fall of the Alamo, Sesma was ordered to San Felipe, then to proceed to Anahuac by way of Harrisburg. On April 13, Sesma’s army crossed the Brazos at Thompson’s Ferry. He was camped on the east bank of the Brazos, near the Old Fort settlement on April 21.
Refugio, Battle ofWilliam Ward was sent to relieve Amon B. King and his men, surrounded by Urrea’s troops. Ward arrived at Refugio on March 13, but he and King immediately began arguing over the command. King and a body of men left the Mission, spent two days wandering in the vicinity before being captured and executed by the Mexican army. At Refugio mission, meanwhile, Ward was attacked on March 14. He and his men escaped from the mission that night, but they were captured at Victoria, marched to Goliad, and executed on March 27.
Robbins’ FerryIn operation since 1821, the ferry was located at Thomas Ford crossing of the Old San Antonio and La Bahia Roads over the Trinity River. It was named for Nathaniel Robbins.
Regular ArmyUnits, other than militia, authorized by any of the provisional governments, particularly those commanded by commissioned officers were considered part of the regular army. Volunteer units, on the other hand, elected their officers from their own ranks. Throughout much of the war, volunteer forces would refuse to serve under commissioned officers.
Robinson, James W.Robinson was a delegate from Nacogdoches to the Consultation in 1835. That body appointed him lieutenant governor of the General Council. As such, he took Governor Henry Smith’s place when the Council impeached Smith in January 1836. After the General Council resigned their office, Robinson left for the army, serving from March 12. He fought at San Jacinto as a private in William H. Smith’s cavalry company.
Ruiz, Jose FranciscoA native Texan, he was one of four representatives from Bexar to the Convention of 1836 where he signed the Declaration of Independence. As alcalde of San Antonio, he identified the bodies of William B. Travis, James Bowie, and David Crockett after the fall of the Alamo. He stopped the Mexican soldiers who were throwing the bodies into the San Antonio River, and gathered wood and ordered the bodies to be burned.