Goliad in Goliad County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

The Death of Colonel Fannin

Photographed By James Hulse, October 23, 2023

1. The Death of Colonel Fannin Marker

Inscription. A native of Georgia, James Walker Fannin came to Texas in 1834. A brief enrollment at the United States Military Academy as a young man convinced his fellow revolutionists that he was qualified to command soldiers in battle. Fannin was unable to fulfill these expectations and became one of the most tragic figures of the Texas Revolution. Colonel Fannin shared the same fate as most of his men. He was killed near this spot.

Joseph H. Spohn, one of the men spared to nurse the Mexican wounded, related the details of Fannin's death. Spohn helped Fannin, who had been wounded in the thigh at the Battle of Coleto Creek, to a chair that had been placed outside the church for him. After being seated, Fannin spoke to the officer in charge of the firing party and gave him his gold watch in exchange for a promise of a proper burial. He was then blindfolded and shot. Spohn reported that the corpse was rolled into a ditch and was later burned with the rest of the bodies of the victims.

Spohn, who spoke Spanish, told Fannin that the Mexican Government had ordered him to be killed "... for having come with an armed band to commit depredations and revolutionize Texas..."

Erected by Presidio la Bahía State Historic Site.

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Forts and Castles • War, Texas Independence. A significant historical year for this entry is 1834.

Location. 28° 38.881′ N, 97° 22.964′ W. Marker is in Goliad, Texas, in Goliad County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Calle Cinco de Mayo and Camino De Bexar. The marker is located inside the presidio (fort) grounds near the chapel. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Goliad TX 77963, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Stroke of Very Good Luck (a few steps from this marker); Presidio de Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía (within shouting distance of this marker); Replica of Texas Independence Flagpole (within shouting distance of this marker); Nine Flags Over Goliad (within shouting distance of this marker); Presidio la Bahia del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga (within shouting distance of this marker); Presidio La Bahía (within shouting distance of this marker); Manuel Becerra (within shouting distance of this marker); General Ignacio Zaragoza (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Goliad.

More about this marker. The fort and markers are located on the grounds of the Presidio la Bahía State Historic Site which requires a small entrance

The Death of Colonel Fannin Marker near the wall of the chapel image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, October 23, 2023

2. The Death of Colonel Fannin Marker near the wall of the chapel

fee to access.

Also see . . .
1. Fannin, James Walker, Jr. (1804–1836). Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

Fannin became an agitator for the Texas Revolution and on August 20, 1835, was appointed by the Committee of Safety and Correspondence of Columbia to use his influence for the calling of the Consultation. On August 27 he wrote to a United States Army officer in Georgia requesting financial aid for the Texas cause and West Point officers to command the Texas army. In September Fannin became active in the volunteer army and subscribed money to an expedition to capture the Veracruzana, a Mexican ship at Copano; but the expedition did not materialize, and Fannin went to Gonzales, where, as captain of the Brazos Guards, he participated in the battle of Gonzales on October 2, 1835. On October 6 he was one of a committee urging Stephen F. Austin to bring all possible aid to Gonzales, and when Austin brought up the whole Texas army and moved toward Bexar, James Bowie and Fannin were sent as scouts to determine conditions between Gonzales and Bexar and to secure supplies. On October 27 Bowie and Fannin selected a campsite near Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña Mission and on October 28 led the Texas forces in the battle of Concepción.

(Submitted on October 27, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the courtyard and the Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, October 23, 2023

3. The view of the courtyard and the Marker

2. Colonel James W. Fannin's Execution at Goliad. Sons of DeWitt Colony

From Mr. Joseph H. Spohn's Story as published in the New York Evening Star, summer 1836, reprinted in part by a Pennsylvania Newspaper, Tuesday, 9 August 1836. Spohn was spared execution by intercession of Mexican officers. His description of Fannin's last moments are the most detailed of survivor accounts.

(Submitted on October 27, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Colonel James Fannin image. Click for full size.

Public Domain - Exploring the Alamo Legends, 1820s

4. Colonel James Fannin

This is a portrait of James W. Fannin. According to page 134 of Exploring the Alamo Legends by Wallace O. Chariton (Republic of Texas Press, 1990), the painting is believed to have been completed while Fannin was a cadet at the US Military Academy during the 1820s. The painting is now owned by the Dallas Historical Society.

The view of the chapel inside the Presidio image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, October 23, 2023

5. The view of the chapel inside the Presidio

Col. Fannin was executed near the gate on the right side.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 115 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 27, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.