On Palm Sunday, 27 March, 1836, many Texians learned the lessons of trusting the government in power. That day 342 men were executed by Mexican soldiers at Goliad per order given by Santa Anna. The Mexican commander, appaled at the audacity of the order, initially declined following orders. Santa Anna insisted his orders be followed, so the commander then deferred to his second in command to carry out the tyrants orders. The executions occurred after the prisoners had received reassurances from the Mexican commanders that they would be deported. The Mexican officers told them that they would be given liberty and that a ship was waiting for them at Copano.

Prior to the executions, the men had been quartered inside the church at the old Spanish fort known as, "Presidio La Bahia". The quarters were cramped. Accounts mention that the men found it difficult to locate a place to lie down. The old stone church did not provide much in the way of warmth in the days after a Norther had blown through the area.

The Mexican garrison had also reduced the rations allotted to each of the men. The daily portion was 5 oz. of beef, without salt. It was up to the men to find the best way to prepare the their rations. Even as late as the morning of their executions, the Mexican officers gave them reassurances concerning their status. The idea of being given liberty gave the men added incentive to leave the cramped church.

The men who could march were organized into three groups. The groups, under heavy guard were marched out of the compound. After a short distance, they were split into three separate groups, and taken to different locations. At each of the locations, the officers simultaneously lined the men up in double rows, facing away from their captors.

Once they were in positions, the men were seperated into seperate lots. Each lot was ordered to come forward and commanded to “Kneel”. At that point the Mexican troops, located 3-4 yards away began opening fire with .75 caliber musket balls. The large caliber balls shattered the bones of the men when they hit, making even a wound difficult to overcome.

At one location, tow pastors attempted exhorting their comrades. Upon being called at their time, they asked the others to join them in prayer. No Texian refused. The prayer went up, "...Thy martyrs we are, but we lay in not to their charge. Let not our death be visited upon them. We, who bleed beneath their knives beg it of thee! Here the pastors were interrupted by the voice of the Mexican commander, who in a rage yelled out in Spanish, "Fire! FIre! Finish with them!"

Some of the Texians feigned death and then scrambled away in the smoke from the gunfire. Mounted lancers managed catching and spearing some of those who attempted escaping. After firing, the Mexican troops then used bayonets or butcher knives to finish killing the captives.

The sick and wounded did not escape either. They were taken into the streets outside the Church and bayoneted. Their commander, James W. Fannin, was lined up against the wall of the chapel and killed by firing squad.

The incident caused outrage in Texas, Mexico and the United States. The killing was not limited to military forces. Some of the colonists had also been killed during the advance of Mexican forces, which caused widespread panic in the wake of the ethnic cleansing occurring in Texas. Santa Anna made it clear that he intended to remove the colonists one way or another. The survivors of the massacre spread the story of the events quickly across the State. This was the third large scale massacre action taken by Santa Anna against the colonists in Texas. He had earlier executed colonists in Tampico, and shortly thereafter killed the defenders of the Alamo. His Texas campaign occurred in the aftermath of putting down unrest in Zacatecas. In that area, he allowed his soldiers to rape, pillage and kill to their hearts content. In Texas, he merely killed those who stood up to him.

Later, at the battle of San Jacinto, the Texian army yelled Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Tampico! as they charged across the open field and into the lines of the Mexican army’s camp. Angry with rage over the massacre (aka ethnic cleansing), the attacked with a fury. In less than twenty minutes the Mexican army was defeated on the banks of the San Jacinto River. (Sam Houston had earlier cut off all escape routes out of the area). The Texians had to be restrained from killing the survivors, who attempted fleeing the battlefield. It was common that they yelled, "Me no Alamo!" and "Me no Goliad!" when facing the anger of the Texian army which sought retribution for the episodes.Although the claims were made of "Me no Alamo!" and "Me no Goliad!", the Texians found the military banners of two of the units that took part in the Alamo seige and massacre and took them to Sam Houston.

James Walker Fannin (1804-1836). James was born in Georgia. His maternal grandfather, James W. Walker, adopted him. He grew up on his grandfathers plantation near Marion. In 1819, he entered the U. S. military academy at West Point. He attended for two years before dropping out.

Fannin came to Texas in 1834 acommapied by his wife and two daughters. The family first settled at Valesco. He participated in the Independence movement then underway in Texas. He participated in the Battle of Gonzales on 2 October 1835. Later that same month, he and James Bowie led the Texas forces in the battle of Concepcion.

In January of 1836, the provisional government of Texas appointed Fannin as an agent to raise troops and money for the republic's armed forces. He intitially wanted to take Matamoras, but had little support for his plan. After the previous commander (Francis W. Thornton)  at Goliad who had taken over after the commander Philip Dimmit had been deposed, Fanin was placed in command, since he had some military experience from attending West Point. Thornton held the position as a transition from Dimmit. 

Dimmit had been asked to resign subsequent to his issuing of the Goliad Declaration of Independence on December 20, 1835. The declaration outraged Texas politicians since it declared Texas independent and alienated members of the Federalist political group in Texas and Mexico.

James Fannin's intial orders from Sam Houston were to blow up the fort, dump the cannons and retreat to Victoria. Fannin delayed retreating for five days due to various reasons (waiting on his men that he sent out rescuing settlers from Mexican forces who were purging the countryside). When Fannin did leave Goliad, he took the cannons with him and left the fort intact.

Mexican forces under General Jose Urrea had advanced to the vicinity of the town. A spy had told Urrea where Fannin's men could easily be ambushed. After a brief battle at Coleto creek, Fannin surrendered. He and his men were taken back to the fort at Goliad. It was at this fort, that he was later executed.